Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: NBA DraftKings Strategy for May 8
Daily fantasy fiends who filled out a Wednesday NBA lineup will feel déjà vu entering Friday's identical two-game slate.
Yet some aesthetic changes halt players from copying and pasting their previous rosters. After Thursday's travel day, the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls will take their series to the Windy City while the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Clippers head to the Staples Center.
Along with different venues, Chris Paul's uncertain availability also adds an obstacle to Friday's DraftKings slate. Players must monitor his outlook, as the decision holds a ripple effect on several choices.
Point Guard
| Kyrie Irving | @ CHI | $8,700 | Chris Paul | vs. HOU | $9,600 | |
| Derrick Rose | vs. CLE | $7,700 | Austin Rivers | vs. HOU | $4,300 |
DraftKings bumped up Austin Rivers' price from $2,200 to $4,300, making him a mediocre play regardless of Paul's status. Although the Los Angeles Clippers' star point guard remains a question mark, his price ($9,600) has not waned enough to warrant the gambit.
That leaves Derrick Rose and Kyrie Irving as the evening's top plays. Irving remains a risky choice due to his erratic offensive involvement. After taking 23 shots in Game 1, he stepped aside and attempted just nine field goals while LeBron James attacked.
Averaging 4.3 assists during the postseason, the 23-year-old is incredibly scoring dependent, making him a high-risk, high-reward play best reserved for tournaments.
Rose isn't the safest choice either, as he's shooting 29.9 percent in four games with one day of rest. Yet he offers more assists and boards than his opponent while averaging 18.3 field-goal attempts during postseason play. For $1,000 less, he's the better value.
Shooting Guard
| Jamal Crawford | vs. HOU | $4,900 | James Harden | @ LAC | $10,100 | |
| J.R. Smith | @ CHI | $4,600 | Iman Shumpert | @ CHI | $4,800 | |
| Jason Terry | @ LAL | $3,500 |
Of the night's top superstars, James Harden is the least desirable superstar for little fault of his own. Shooting guard simply hosts more mid-tier values to overlook the MVP runner-up.
Jamal Crawford is hitting his stride against the Houston Rockets, scoring between 35-36 DraftKings points in both games. The sixth man has received a larger role without Paul, logging more minutes and hoisting more shots.
While Paul's return would threaten his stock, Crawford's asking price hasn't climbed dramatically. Either way, the high-volume scorer warrants a look.
Iman Shumpert has helped several daily players over the last three games, averaging 17.3 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.0 steals. Yet a groin injury could keep him out of action, per Cleveland play-by-play announcer Fred McLeod:
His absence would clear the way for J.R. Smith, who will return from a two-game suspension. The mercurial guard fired 30 three-point attempts through four games against the Boston Celtics, so don't expect him to suddenly grow shy with the basketball.
Small Forward
| LeBron James | @ CHI | $11,200 | Josh Smith | @ LAC | $6,100 | |
| Trevor Ariza | @ LAC | $5,700 | Matt Barnes | vs. HOU | $5,300 |
If LeBron James replicates Wednesday's 33 points, eight rebounds and five assists, he'll tie Michael Jordan for a postseason record, as noted by SportsCenter:
To compile 33 points, he needed 29 shot attempts. Kevin Love's injury has forced a more aggressive James, but Smith affords Cleveland another scoring option. The night's most expensive player doesn't carry tremendous upside, but he's also a steady option.
For a cheaper choice, Trevor Ariza just played 45 minutes in a game that didn't extend into overtime. Including four regular-season bouts, he has averaged 15.7 points and 7.3 rebounds against the Clippers, who struggled against small forwards all year.
Power Forward
| Blake Griffin | vs. HOU | $10,500 | Pau Gasol | vs. CLE | $8,500 | |
| Tristan Thompson | @ CHI | $4,700 | Taj Gibson | vs. CLE | $3,900 |
The worst part about playing Harden or James? Affording Blake Griffin will prove difficult, and he's this postseason's top draw.
Far removed from the days where snooty fans complained about him only dunking, Griffin has registered 59.86 DraftKings points per game during the playoffs, delivering all double-doubles with three triple-doubles.
Even before Paul's injury, Griffin averaged 7.4 assists against the San Antonio Spurs. Now he's often tasked with playing a point forward role with the offense revolving around him. Either way, he's stuffing the stat sheet.
With over 55 DraftKings points in all but one of nine playoff matchups, Griffin should remain the cornerstone of daily lineups.
Center
| Dwight Howard | @ LAC | $8,300 | Joakim Noah | vs. CLE | $5,900 | |
| DeAndre Jordan | vs. HOU | $7,800 | Timofey Mozgov | @ CHI | $5,500 |
Joakim Noah and Timofey Mozgov have both slumbered through their first two meetings, turning the attention to DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Howard.
Howard has activated vintage form, recording 18.4 points, 13.6 boards and 3.4 blocks during the postseason. Against the Clippers, he has gone an incredible 17-of-23 with 30 free-throw attempts, taking the intentional foul attention away from his adversary.
Although Jordan doesn't factor much into the offensive game, he has accumulated 25 rebounds, six blocks and four steals against the Rockets, scoring 26 points on just 10 attempts. For $500 less than Howard, he's a less tantalizing, yet serviceable option.
