Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: DraftKings Optimum Lineup Predictions for April 1
This lead could feature a lame April Fools' Day joke—Anthony Davis is a terrible basketball player...just kidding!—but let's forgo the weird tradition of being jerks to one another and get down to serious business.
April 1 signifies the fast-approaching end for the NBA regular season, giving daily gamers precious few slates to play before the playoffs arrive. Wednesday offers a full table of 12 games featuring several superstars, three of whom cost over $11,000 on Draftkings.
For those desiring one elite anchor, the decision becomes which one to employ. That's only one dilemma to consider, so let's break down the best options by position.
If these picks backfire, well, in that case consider it an April Fools gag.
Point Guard
| Chris Paul | at POR | $9,600 | Zach LaVine | vs. TOR | $5,800 | |
| John Wall | vs. PHI | $8,800 | Norris Cole | at LAL | $4,000 | |
| Jordan Clarkson | vs. NO | $6,000 | Pablo Prigioni | vs. SAC | $3,100 |
Wednesday's top-four point guards—Russell Westbrook, Chris Paul, John Wall and Reggie Jackson—each face an opponent ranked in the bottom 10 of DraftKings points allowed to point guards. Jackson has spent the past week doing his best Westbrook imitation, and the others are established fantasy behemoths.
So which one is the best choice? Go with Wall, who gets the best matchup with the Philadelphia 76ers during his hot streak. The Washington Wizards floor general has played over 40 minutes in each of his last three games, capitalizing with averages of 30.3 points, 8.0 assists and 7.0 rebounds per contest.
| 3/29 | HOU | 43 | 25 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 61 |
| 3/27 | CHA | 48 | 32 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 54.25 |
| 3/25 | IND | 41 | 34 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 54 |
Philadelphia yields 23.6 assists per game, so it's easy to see how the Eastern Conference's leader in dimes registered double-doubles in two previous meetings this season. Bank on a third.
Going way down the catalog, Pablo Prigioni now represents the Houston Rockets one true point guard with Patrick Beverley out for the season. He's constantly logged 20-plus minutes over the past week, mosr notably collecting 10 points, six boards, three assists and three steals against the Wizards on Sunday.
His upside is limited due to a severe reluctance to shoot, but he should produce enough to warrant spending $3,100 against the Sacramento Kings, who surrender the second-most DraftKings points to the position. Given his career 39.8 three-point shooting percentage, he could make a bigger dent on a team that attempts the league's most long-distance shots.
Shooting Guard
| James Harden | vs. SAC | $11,300 | Gerald Henderson | vs. DET | $5,700 | |
| Jimmy Butler | at MIL | $8,100 | Lou Williams | at MIN | $5,100 | |
| DeMar DeRozan | at MIN | $8,000 | Anthony Morrow | vs. DAL | $4,000 |
Also a top-heavy group, the three most expensive shooting guards all enjoy friendly matchups against bottom-10 defenses in terms of fantasy production. Although James Harden and DeMar DeRozan face easier opposition, Jimmy Butler is the night's best stud play.
The Chicago Bulls have played once in the last six days, and Butler only logged 26 minutes in a blowout over the New York Knicks. Well rested and recovered from an elbow injury, he'll go back to playing nearly 40 strong minutes against the Milwaukee Bucks.
Over his last seven games, Gerald Henderson is averaging 17.0 points and 5.4 rebounds through 33.5 minutes, well above his season mean of 28.6 minutes. As long as the Charlotte Hornets ride his hot streak, daily gamers can as well.
The Dallas Mavericks surrendered 8.8 three-pointers per game, and Anthony Morrow happens to excel in that discipline. He drained three from downtown against them on Mar. 16, so consider him a low-level value play.
Small Forward
| Trevor Ariza | vs. SAC | $6,600 | Matt Barnes | vs. POR | $5,400 | |
| Nicolas Batum | vs. LAC | $6,500 | Omri Casspi | at HOU | $3,400 | |
| Chandler Parsons | at OKC | $6,500 | Cleanthony Early | vs. BKN | $3,300 |
With apologies to Kawhi Leonard, it's best to save some money at small forward.
Injuries have forced Trevor Ariza to average 40 minutes over the last four games, giving the veteran ample time to tally 36.3 DraftKings points per bout. As proven on Monday, Josh Smith is a far more volatile option, so consider Ariza a safer fill-in for cash contests.
Nicolas Batum has offered over 30 DraftKings points in consecutive games. Mired in a shooting slump for most of the season, he converted seven of 11 three-pointers. Courtesy of the Portland Trail Blazers' PR Twitter page, the veteran hit his shooting stride last month.
The Blazers and Los Angeles Clippers should serve up one of the night's highest-scoring affairs. Those riding with Batum would love a replica of March 4's meeting, during which he recorded 20 points, four three-pointers, eight assists and seven rebounds.
Power Forward
| Anthony Davis | at LAL | $11,400 | Marvin Williams | vs. DET | $4,700 | |
| Tim Duncan | at ORL | $6,700 | Trevor Booker | vs. DEN | $4,400 | |
| David West | at BOS | $5,600 | Anthony Tolliver | at CHA | $4,000 | |
| Adreian Payne | vs. TOR | $4,000 |
Among the evening's megapowers—Westbrook, Harden and Anthony Davis—the Unibrow is the toughest high-priced stud to fade.
He's displayed resounding consistency of late, amassing at least 49.5 DraftKings points in each of his last six tilts. With the New Orleans Pelicans grasping for breath in the Western Conference playoff hunt, he's getting a heavy dosage of playing time.
Also, the Los Angeles Lakers aren't very good at basketball. Against an undersized adversary whom he swatted 12 blocks against during three games, there's massive upside that could sink anybody in the minority who doesn't play him.
Keep a close eye on Derrick Favors' status. If he misses his third straight game due to an injured back, Trevor Booker is an essential play against the Denver Nuggets, who surrender the most DraftKings points to power forwards.
Center
| Rudy Gobert | vs. DEN | $8,500 | Marcin Gortat | vs. PHI | $6,000 | |
| Brook Lopez | at NY | $8,000 | Steven Adams | vs. DAL | $6,000 | |
| Zaza Pachulia | vs. CHI | $6,100 | Alexis Anjica | at LAL | $4,600 | |
| Jonas Valanciunas | at MIN | $6,000 | Justin Hamilton | vs. TOR | $4,500 |
After torching the Rockets sans Dwight Howard and Donatas Motiejunas, Jonas Valanciunas now gets the Minnesota Timberwolves without their big men. Along with ruling Nikola Pekovic out for the season, they announced Gorgui Dieng won't suit up on Wednesday:
Justin Hamilton holds a 109.2 defensive rating, below the team's NBA-worst 108.9 points allowed per 100 possessions. An atrocious defense is now slightly worse, so expect Valanciunas to once again pounce on a depleted foe.
Hamilton and Adreian Payne, meanwhile, are also cheap targets due to a significant minutes uptick. Just don't expect the moon from Hamilton, who averages just 6.9 points and 4.4 rebounds when starting.
For a pricier consideration, Brook Lopez has scored 28.1 points per game since March 20. The Knicks relinquish 20.7 points per game to centers, according to RotoGrinders, and Lopez has tallied at least 20 points in all three games against the Brooklyn Nets' in-state rival this year.
Advanced stats courtesy of NBA.com unless otherwise noted.
