Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: NBA DraftKings Strategy for April 3
Basketball is awesome.
In Oakland last night, the Suns had a four-point lead over the league-leading Warriors with less than two minutes to play. Then the Splash Bros dropped 11 points in a minute and a half to give the Warriors a one-point lead with eight seconds to go.
Eric Bledsoe made a (relatively easy) reverse layup to give the Suns back the lead with 4.1 left on the clock.
After a timeout, Harrison Barnes took the inbounds pass and stumbled into the lane. He traveled, but the refs missed it, and Barnes threw up a prayer that bounced around the rim for about 27 minutes before falling through the hoop with 0.7 seconds left on the clock.
It was the fourth heartbreaking loss for the Suns this season.
So to reiterate, basketball is awesome, unless you're a Suns fan.
| Studs | Opp. | Price | Values | Opp. | Price | |
| John Wall | vs. NYK | $9,000 | Jordan Clarkson | vs. Por | $6,400 | |
| Reggie Jackson | @ Chi | $8,500 | Mike Conley | vs. OKC | $6,100 | |
| Damian Lillard | @ LAL | $7,800 | Deron Williams | vs. Tor | $6,100 | |
| Tyreke Evans | @ Sac | $7,600 | Zach LaVine | vs. Orl | $5,900 | |
| Elfrid Payton | @ Min | $7,500 | Langston Galloway | @ Was | $5,300 |
Jordan Clarkson ($6,400) vs. Trail Blazers
Clarkson has exceeded value in five of his last six games. He's averaged 41.7 fantasy points in that same stretch.
It should be noted that fellow Lakers point guard Jeremy Lin missed one of those games.
But still, Clarkson has proven over this little stretch that he might be a piece for the otherwise grim future of this once-proud franchise.
Friday night, Clarkson draws Damian Lillard and the Blazers. Though the Dame has filled up the stat sheet throughout his young career, he's never been a good defender. According to Draftkings.com, the Blazers allow the ninth most fantasy points in the league to opposing point guards.
| Studs | Opp. | Price | Values | Opp. | Price | |
| DeMar Derozan | @ Bkn | $8,000 | Avery Bradley | vs. Mil | $5,600 | |
| Jimmy Butler | vs. Det | $8,000 | Danny Green | vs. Den | $5,400 | |
| Victor Oladipo | @ Min | $7,500 | Quincy Pondexter | @ Sac | $4,100 | |
| Bradley Beal | vs. NYK | $6,000 |
Victor Oladipo ($7,500) @ Timberwolves
According to rotogrinders.com, in the past three weeks no team allowed more fantasy points to opposing shooting guards than the Timberwolves.
The've also slipped to dead last in defensive rating. The team is allowing 111.6 points per 100 possessions, over a point more per possession than any other team in the league.
Oladipo is an athletic, young guard who will thrive in an uptempo game against the worst defensive team in the league. He's also been extremely consistent because he rebounds well and never plays fewer than 35 minutes.
| Studs | Opp. | Price | Values | Opp. | Price | |
| Kawhi Leonard | vs. Den | $7,900 | Jeff Green | vs. OKC | $5,600 | |
| Andrew Wiggins | vs. Orl | $6,800 | Wesley Johnson | vs. Por | $4,700 | |
| Giannis Antetokounmpo | @ Bos | $6,700 | Omri Casspi | vs. NO | $4,000 | |
| Tobias Harris | @ Min | $6,400 | Cleanthony Early | @ Was | $3,500 |
Omri Casspi ($4,000) vs. Pelicans
James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom reported that Rudy Gay (concussion) is officially out for Friday night's game against the Pelicans.
When Gay sits, Casspi fills in. Per statmuse.com, the Israeli swingman is averaging 29 minutes per game this season when Gay rests. Though his season numbers aren't stellar (19.9 fantasy points per game,) he'll benefit from playing a Pelicans team that surrenders over 107 points per 100 possessions.
| Studs | Opp. | Price | Values | Opp. | Price | |
| Anthony Davis | @ Sac | $11,400 | Ersan Ilyasova | @ Bos | $6,500 | |
| Lamarcus Aldridge | @ LAL | $9,000 | Amir Johnson | @ Bkn | $4,800 | |
| Pau Gasol | vs. Det | $8,200 | Ryan Anderson | @ Sac | $4,600 | |
| Tim Duncan | vs. Den | $6,500 | Ryan Kelly | vs. Por | $4,200 |
Tim Duncan ($6,500) vs Nuggets
According to Draftkings.com, Duncan is averaging over one fantasy point per minute in his last six games. Unfortunately, Coach Pop will rest his franchise player for extended lengths of time. The best power forward of all time only played 12 minutes against the Magic on Wednesday.
If Duncan plays his season average of 29 minutes Friday night, he'll exceed value. The Nuggets push the tempo and play the worst defense in the league against opposing power forwards.
| Studs | Opp. | Price | Values | Opp. | Price | |
| DeMarcus Cousins | vs. NO | $10,000 | Joakim Noah | vs. Det | $6,000 | |
| Brook Lopez | vs. Tor | $8,200 | Zaza Pachulia | @ Bos | $5,900 | |
| Nikola Vucevic | @ Min | $7,600 | Tiago Splitter | vs. Den | $4,500 |
DeMarcus Cousins ($10,000) vs. Pelicans
Watch out Boogie, Sim Bhullar is coming for your job!
Kidding. Kidding.
DeMarcus Cousins is a beast on the block. He is the only player in the league who commands a double-team every time he gets the ball within 12 feet of the hoop. Don't be surprised if this game turns into an "anything you can do I can do better" battle between Cousins and fellow Kentucky "alum" Anthony Davis.
(Side note: I think we can start calling Kentucky guys "alumni" if they finish their freshman year at that school. Nobody expects those kids to play any longer. Heck, the Harrison twins are probably finishing up their doctorates right now.)
More than once, Cousins has publicly stated that his 2010 Kentucky team with John Wall and Eric Bledsoe would beat Anthony Davis' 2012 national championship team. This game is personal. With Rudy Gay sitting, I expect nothing short of a 50-point fantasy night from Sacramento's center.
