Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: NBA DraftKings Ideal Lineup for May 5
According to Basketball-Reference, on February 24, the Memphis Grizzlies were 41-14. The Atlanta Hawks were 49-12 at dawn of March 7. None of that matters now; both teams are 0-1.
In Game 1, Atlanta took a 10-point lead into halftime against the Wizards but went ice-cold down the stretch and coughed up the game as John Wall took over in the fourth quarter.
Memphis looked completely overmatched in Game 1 against the healthy and versatile Warriors. The Grizz went down by double digits early, got slaughtered at the three-point line and eventually lost by 15.
Aside from relying on their two colossal, but delicate, post players, Memphis showed no confidence (or talent, really) that they could score against the top-ranked defense in the league.
| Position | Player | Opponent | Price |
| Point Guard | Jeff Teague | vs. Was | $6,900 |
| Shooting Guard | Courtney Lee | @ GS | $4,600 |
| Small Forward | Otto Porter | @ Atl | $4,800 |
| Power Forward | Zach Randolph | @ GS | $7,100 |
| Center | Al Horford | vs. Was | $7,900 |
| Guard | John Wall | @ Atl | $9,400 |
| Forward | Tony Allen | @ GS | $5,100 |
| Utility | Andre Iguodala | vs. Mem | $4,100 |
The Point Guard Conundrum
Per Basketball-Reference, all four teams playing Tuesday sport top-15 defenses by both opponent points per game and opponent points per possession.
Because of the tough defense, and quick adjustments by the price-setters at Draft Kings, there is virtually zero value in Tuesday's small, two-game slate. Heck DeMarre Carroll costs $7,200 on DraftKings Tuesday night, up from $5,700 at the end of the regular season.
The dearth in value is most evident at the point guard position. All four floor leaders in Tuesday night's slate come with some baggage.
Mike Conley is listed as questionable because he broke his face. I imagine he'll tell his trainers he can play, they'll do what they can to convince him otherwise and a decision won't be official until shortly before game time. Even if he does play, it's hard to imagine he'll be fully confident driving into the lane with Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green expecting him. Can we really blame him?
To further complicate things, the two guys that play most of Conley's minutes—Nick Calathes and Beno Udrih—just aren't talented enough to hit value against the league's top defense. Plus starting one of them means sweating out Conley's game-time decision.
Steph Curry will probably score the most fantasy points of the four projected starting points. But he is the most expensive player by far, and the Conley-less Grizzlies are a hot pick to get blown out Tuesday night. Curry might not play his full complement of minutes.
John Wall's wrist injury doesn't scare me. He's a soldier. He said so himself. Plus it's Wall and Russell Westbrook in some order for "freakiest athlete" in the league. The guy will play, and he'll probably cruise to a double-double. Per DraftKings, he's done that in four straight games this postseason.
According to statmuse.com, Jeff Teague dropped over 42 fantasy points per game against Washington this season. Unfortunately for fantasy purposes, Teague is dedicated to the Hawks offensive system. Though he's the only starter who can attack the rim off the dribble, he doesn't mind his role as a dishing point guard who gets his buckets when they are the "right" play for the team. Hopefully he improves after a lackluster performance in Game 1.
Defense-First Players
Tony Allen and Andre Iguodala are two of the worst-shooting swingmen in the league. But they play significant minutes on playoff teams because of their ability to take away opposing scorers. Allen was arguably Memphis' best player on Sunday. He made Klay Thompson's life very difficult on one end, and he was able to scrap together 15 points on the other. Allen logged 38 minutes in Game 1, up from 27 minutes per game over the course of the season. Look for Allen to continue to play as long as Klay Thompson is on the court.
Iguodala, like Allen, amasses fantasy points without depending on scoring. According to DraftKings, he logged three steals, five boards and two assists on Sunday. Like most smart NBA teams, Memphis is content to let him shoot from anywhere outside the paint. If Iggy can knock down one or more wide-open threes, he'll have a huge fantasy outing at Oracle.
