Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: DraftKings NBA Lineup Advice for October 28
I went to the Golden State Warriors home opener and ring ceremony Tuesday night. Parking was 40 bucks. They handed everyone in the crowd glow sticks and T-shirts. The pregame show was filled with loud music, fireworks falling from the jumbotron and 20-foot spouts of fire bursting from the basketball stanchions. The souvenir beers were 15 bucks. I bought two. I might frame one. We'll see.
Then the game started. The Warriors hosted Anthony Davis and the beat-up Pelicans. No Tyreke Evans, Jrue Holiday, Omer Asik, Norris Cole, etc. They were all out with injuries.
Steph Curry was incredible. He dropped 24 in the first quarter and had 40 in the game. Anthony Davis? Not so much.
Several times Davis started in a face-up about 19 feet from the hoop. He'd ball fake once, twice, then barrel into Draymond Green or Marreese Speights or Andrew Bogut and fling the ball awkwardly toward the corner of the backboard. He finished with 15 free-throw attempts. Most of those attempts were unwarranted.
After dropping in a few field goals in garbage time with the Pellies down 20-ish, Davis finished with 18 points, six boards, two assists and five turnovers.
It was one of his worst games as a professional. I'm still playing him Wednesday night in any lineup. Why? It starts with usage. He had 20 field-goal attempts to go with all those freebies against the best defensive team in the league. On most nights, those will fall. Against a completely remade Portland frontcourt, that much volume should net Davis around 35 points. Everything runs through this guy. New head coach Alvin Gentry is solely focused on Davis getting up shots from all over the court. That includes corner and top-of-the-key three-pointers (Davis attempted two threes Tuesday night.)
Here's my lineup, built around the Brow.
| Position | Player | Price | Opponent |
| PG | Damian Lillard | $8,900 | vs. Pelicans |
| SG | James Harden | $10,100 | vs. Nuggets |
| SF | Danilo Gallinari | $5,800 | @ Rockets |
| PF | Clint Capela | $3,000 | vs. Nuggets |
| C | Jahlil Okafor | $5,800 | @ Celtics |
| G | Ish Smith | $3,000 | @ Blazers* |
| F | Anthony Davis | $10,400 | @ Blazers |
| Utility | Tyler Zeller | $3,000 | vs. 76ers |
Remember, there will be late scratches and subtle changes that alter this before game time. Please stay up to date on Twitter, RotoGrinders and DraftKings to ensure all of your guys are playing.
Quite frankly, I don't think I've ever built a lineup that features three players who cost just $3,000. But I love the spots some of these perennial backups are in.
Ish Smith (who's perplexingly still listed as a Washington Wizard) didn't start Tuesday night. But he led the Pelicans with 38 minutes played and nine assists. Against Damian Lillard, arguably the worst defensive starting point guard in the league, Smith should equal Tuesday night's output.
Lillard and James Harden are pricey, but both are No. 1 options in games that should feature a ton of possessions. Lillard was licking his chops while he watched Curry roast New Orleans' backcourt in Oakland Tuesday night. Even Philadelphia's backcourt scoffs at what the Pelicans are currently stuck playing.
Don't be shocked if Damian Lillard leads the league in three-point attempts this season. He was second behind Steph last year, according to NBA.com. He's what remains after the basketball equivalent of the scorched earth policy. The Blazers' entire starting lineup, minus Lillard, is gone. The Dame might lead the league in field-goal attempts, period.
Harden is pissed. He wanted to win MVP last season and feels as if he was robbed. He gets the Nuggets Wednesday night. He's been pretty good against them recently, according to statmuse.com.
That's an average of 61.25 fantasy points per game. I wouldn't be shocked if he met that average Wednesday, especially after his "rival" Steph Curry went off on opening night.
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