Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: Last-Minute NBA DraftKings Picks for April 25
Has Derrick Rose gotten your attention yet, DraftKings players? If not, he should have. In the first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks, Rose is averaging 24 points, four rebounds and eight assists per game. To put this into perspective, Rose averaged 25 points, 4.1 rebounds and 7.7 assists per contest in his MVP season of 2010-11.
Perhaps the most encouraging thing we saw was the fact that Rose played 48 minutes in the 113-106 double overtime win in Game 3. With the shooters the Bulls can put on the floor and the low-post presence Pau Gasol provides, Rose should continue to have room to operate. Milwaukee has elected to double-team Gasol on the post almost every time he gets the ball. While it has kept the games close, Rose has responded and played well.
Barring an injury setback—which, of course, is always a concern—Rose seems like a lock to torch the Bucks again in Game 4 on Saturday. For $7,700 in DK salary, Rose is a smart draft choice.
It hasn't just been Rose victimizing the Bucks. The Bulls' other guard, Jimmy Butler ($8,200), has been just as deadly. He's scoring 24.6 points per game himself. Butler's fantasy impact is perhaps even more stable than Rose's because he gets to the free-throw line with such regularity.
During the regular season, he took 7.1 attempts from the stripe per game. Through the first three games of the series against the Bucks, Butler is shooting 10 free throws per game. Because he's an 83 percent shooter from the line, that's an excellent source of points. ESPN Stats & Info tells us how rare Butler and Rose's 58-point explosion was in Bulls' history.
Don't be afraid to anchor your lineup with both Bulls guards. It sure has paid off for Chicago up to this point.
Kyle Korver ($6,100)
What a series the Atlanta Hawks' Kyle Korver is having. It seems as if the Brooklyn Nets have forgotten or disregarded Korver's shooting prowess. The Nets haven't devoted the right amount of attention to Korver from beyond the arc, and he's taken advantage of the good looks. He has made eight of 18 shots from deep, and he's averaging 19 points per game in the series.
If you throw in his five rebounds, two assists, a block and three steals per contest, he's been one of the best fantasy values in the playoffs thus far.
Brooklyn could make some adjustments to counter Korver's marksmanship, but he moves without the ball so well and gives such great effort, a beaten and punchless Nets team doesn't seem capable of making the right adjustments defensively.
I like Korver's chances to shine again on Saturday.
Ryan Anderson ($3,600)
Role players usually play better at home. That was the case in Game 3 when New Orleans Pelicans forward Ryan Anderson busted out for 26 points and five rebounds off the bench. He'd struggled mightily in the two games at the Oracle Arena in Oakland but came alive on his own home floor.
With Game 4 set to take place back in New Orleans, Anderson is a smart play. His reasonable salary will allow you to afford the likes of Rose and Butler while still bringing in solid fantasy production.
Here's the great thing about DraftKings: Even if the Pelicans blow another huge lead, as long as Anderson plays well again, you still get to keep the points he earned.
Sweet deal.
Tony Snell ($2,700)
If pressure bursts pipes, confidence reinforces them. The Bulls' Tony Snell looks like an entirely different player than the one who had his ups and downs last season. He seems so much more sure of himself and is looking for his jump shot when he's on the perimeter. That's exactly what the Bulls want and need for him to do.
In Game 3, Snell caught fire and drained four three-pointers to largely facilitate a 16-point performance off the Bulls bench. Snell's versatility and size on defense has earned him valuable playing time in head coach Tom Thibodeau's rotation ahead of the hobbled and less than effective Kirk Hinrich.
With the status of Bulls rookie forward Nikola Mirotic in question for Game 4, per ESPN.com's Nick Friedell, Snell could again assume the role of designated scoring reserve.
He handled the responsibility very well on Thursday and figures to get similar looks with Rose, Butler and Aaron Brooks drawing attention on dribble penetration.
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