Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: DraftKings Optimum Lineup Predictions for April 8
MLB now infiltrates the NBA's daily fantasy territory, giving committed gamers full slates to juggle on both fronts.
Baseball fans have six more months to submit lineups, so don't throw in the towel on basketball. With a week left to the regular season, the Association still has plenty of intrigue to offer. Even though the Golden State Warriors, Los Angeles Clippers, Oklahoma City Thunder and Miami Heat will sit Wednesday evening out, 26 other squads make up for that stripped star power.
With 13 games to sift through, let's break down the best DraftKings plays by position.
Point Guard
| 1 | Ramon Sessions | @ PHI | $3,000 |
| 2 | Zach LaVine | @ POR | $5,900 |
| 3 | Ish Smith | vs. WAS | $6,400 |
| 4 | Deron Williams | vs. ATL | $6,800 |
| 5 | Ray McCallum | @ UTA | $4,800 |
Last Wednesday, John Wall received a thumbs-up in this same space against the Philadelphia 76ers. Although his 41.5 DraftKings points fell short of hitting value, he gets another go-ahead against Philly.
In cash contests particularly, he is a safe bet to deliver copious points. Philadelphia allows the fifth-most assists, and Wall—who averages 10 assists per game—collected 15 dimes last week.
With the league's superstar point guards sitting Wednesday out, Wall represents the evening's top play. His safety to at least hover around 40 DraftKings points warrants the heavy price tag, even if he only gets another 30 minutes.
UPDATE: Nevermind. The Wizards are resting Wall, per The Washington Post's Jorge Castillo. Play Ramon Sessions for $3,000.
Courtesy of RotoGrinders' data, no team has proven as favorable to point guards as the Portland Trail Blazers through the past three weeks. They have surrendered 52.5 DraftKings points per game over that stretch, which is good news for Zach LaVine.
Shooting Guard
| 1 | Lou Williams | @ CHA | $5,700 |
| 2 | Bradley Beal | @ PHI | $6,000 |
| 3 | Randy Foye | vs. LAL | $4,500 |
| 4 | Danny Green | vs. HOU | $5,400 |
| 5 | Bojan Bogdanovic | vs. ATL | $3,600 |
During the last six games, Lou Williams has registered 19.5 points per game in Kyle Lowry's absence. One of the league's ultimate heat-check reserves has averaged 12.6 shot attempts during that run, which culminated with a 27-point outburst against the Boston Celtics.
Fellow Toronto Raptors shooting guard DeMar DeRozan costs a bloated $8,100, presenting him an upward climb to hitting value. Turn to Williams instead against the Charlotte Hornets.
The Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Lakers possess two of the league's worst defenses, so their matchup will procure several cheap value plays. Randy Foye is shooting with reckless abandon under interim head coach Melvin Hunt, averaging 7.6 three-point attempts in his last seven games.
Opponents convert 8.6 deep shots per game against Los Angeles, and Foye is coming off a strong showing against its Staples Center cohabitants.
Small Forward
| 1 | Kawhi Leonard | vs. HOU | $8,000 |
| 2 | DeMarre Carroll | @ BKN | $5,500 |
| 3 | Rodney Hood | vs. SAC | $4,400 |
| 4 | Andrew Wiggins | @ POR | $6,800 |
| 5 | LeBron James | @ MIL | $10,100 |
While the Atlanta Hawks nap their way to the playoffs, DeMarre Carroll has kept his foot on the pedal. After delivering 41 DraftKings points against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, he had 16 points and six rebounds during Tuesday night's victory over the Phoenix Suns.
Without Paul Millsap, Carroll is the closest thing Atlanta carries to a top scoring option. Per the team's Twitter page, the power forward will sit out Wednesday's rematch with Brooklyn, against whom he sustained his shoulder injury.
Over the last 11 games, Carroll has posted 16.3 points per contest. Unless Atlanta sits him on the second half of a back-to-back tilt, he has a hot hand worth riding another night.
Power Forward
| 1 | Pau Gasol | @ ORL | $8,200 |
| 2 | Thaddeus Young | vs. ATL | $5,900 |
| 3 | Kenneth Faried | vs. LAL | $6,900 |
| 4 | Tarik Black | @ DEN | $3,900 |
| 5 | Luis Scola | @ NYK | $4,800 |
Pau Gasol recorded a dud for his standards on Sunday, finishing with 12 points and nine boards against the Cleveland Cavaliers. He snapped a streak of three double-doubles and nine games with at least 31.5 DraftKings points, and his price thus dropped to $8,200.
This provides a great opportunity for gamers searching for a sturdy cornerstone. According to RotoGrinders, opposing power forwards score 21.7 points per game against the Orlando Magic, the fourth-highest mark entering Wednesday's slate.
As noted by NBA TV, Gasol has already generated 50 double-doubles for the Chicago Bulls, giving him a high floor and strong chance of hitting value in a good matchup:
The Nuggets are vulnerable prey, but the key is figuring out which power forward Lakers head coach Byron Scott will use this given night. Ryan Kelly and Tarik Black have emerged from Scott's random lineup generator, and since Kelly went 1-of-12 in Tuesday night's first half, Black is the play here.
Center
| 1 | Marcin Gortat | @ PHI | $6,000 |
| 2 | Andre Drummond | vs. BOS | $8,500 |
| 3 | Tyler Zeller | @ DET | $4,300 |
| 4 | Nikola Vucevic | vs. CHI | $7,800 |
| 5 | Mike Muscala | @ BKN | $3,900 |
Wednesday's top two centers are facing teams they've recently burned. Andre Drummond tallied 18 points, 22 rebounds and four blocks at the Celtics' expense on March 22. Swimming all the way back to Dec. 3, the Detroit Pistons' big man went off for 27 points, 14 boards and five blocks.
His Boston dominance makes sense. The undersized Celtics surrender the fifth-most rebounds per game while getting blocked 5.3 times. Drummond has proved a monster on the glass, as shown by ESPN Stats & Info:
On April 1, Marcin Gortat torched the 76ers for 23 points, 14 boards and two blocks. Philadelphia plays small, leading it to surrender the league's second-most DraftKings points to centers behind Drummond's Pistons.
Gortat has averaged 17 points and 12 rebounds in three games against the 76ers, so don't treat last week's success as a fluke. He'll flirt with another double-double as Washington fights for home-court advantage during the postseason's opening round.
For a cheaper play, take the other side of the Celtics vs. Pistons matchup and target Tyler Zeller, who is coming off a 20-point effort.
