Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: NBA DFS DraftKings Best Player Picks October 29
After a Wednesday night that featured a massive 14 games, we now move to Thursday night, which has just three games on the schedule. While it's obvious that sorting through the many options on a heavy night is tough, it can be just as tough to do it on a night such as Thursday.
Fortunately, there are still a few value plays to be found, meaning that you should be able to fit a few studs into your lineups. The 2015 NBA season is officially underway, and while we may not be looking at a full slate, no one is complaining, as there's still plenty of money to be won out there and some great games on the agenda.
Let's take a look at the best option at each position, as well as a couple of other plays in each spot that you should consider.
Point Guard: Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers ($9,600) vs. Dallas Mavericks
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Yes, we're starting the action off with the most expensive player on the board Thursday night, Chris Paul. The leader of the Los Angeles Clippers was simply incredible last year, scoring more than 42.5 fantasy points in every game but one during the playoff series against the Houston Rockets.
And that was just his homestretch.
Paul now draws a Dallas Mavericks team that allowed 49.9 fantasy points per game on average to opposing point guards last season. This ranks the Mavs in the bottom eight of the NBA. While things may change with Deron Williams now running the point in Dallas, betting against Paul just isn't a good idea.
The Clippers are ready to hit the ground running, and best of all, they'll be at home on Thursday night, where they were 30-11 during the 2014-15 season.
When you get one of the best point guards in the NBA, who averaged 19.5 points, 10.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game last season, in a great matchup on his home floor, there's no reason to flinch at the opportunity to use him.
Other potential targets: Mike Conley ($6,800), Dennis Schroder ($4,700).
Shooting Guard: Sasha Vujacic, New York Knicks ($3,000) vs. Atlanta Hawks
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I'm going to go ahead and save myself some money at the shooting guard position and use the min-priced Sasha Vujacic. There's a good chance this one caught your attention and probably raised an eyebrow, but Vujacic will likely be the starter once again while Arron Afflalo deals with a hamstring injury.
Vujacic was solid for the Knicks on Wednesday night during their 122-97 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. He played 29 minutes, which resulted in 11 points, six rebounds, four steals and three assists. I like Vujacic's ability to do a bit of everything, and to top it off, the Hawks weren't great in 2014-15 defending shooting guards.
Vujacic didn't even get hot from outside, hitting just one three-pointer on Wednesday, so his potential to put up even bigger scoring numbers is absolutely there. He may not be the sexiest name out of all the picks, but you can't go wrong with a player who costs just $3,000, allowing you to open up your roster and fit a stud or two in.
Small Forward: Paul George, Indiana Pacers ($8,200) vs. Memphis Grizzlies
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While a matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies was pretty daunting last season, there may be a reason to not stress it too much right now. The Grizzlies lost 106-76 on Wednesday night to the Cleveland Cavaliers, and to make things worse, LeBron James only scored 12 points. The Grizzlies were essentially torched by Cleveland's bench to the tune of 50 points.
Now we get Paul George and the Pacers at home against the Grizzlies. George had a stellar game during the 106-99 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday, posting 17 points, 12 rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Just as we saw in previous years before his injury, George was able to fill up the box score.
I'm not shying away from George, who scored 50 fantasy points on Wednesday night, especially at a cost of $8,200, when there are a few other great values available on the board. Fire up George, pair him with Chris Paul and enjoy.
Other potential targets: Carmelo Anthony ($8,700), Derrick Williams ($3,200).
Power Forward: Paul Millsap, Atlanta Hawks ($7,800) vs. New York Knicks
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Now we can get to a spot where we spend a bit more money but still don't exactly have to break the bank. This will come in the form of Paul Millsap. The starting power forward for the Hawks is off to a strong start to 2015, as he scored 19 points, pulled down eight rebounds and dished out three assists during their 106-94 loss to the Detroit Pistons.
If you think the Hawks won't be looking to bounce back in a big way after that opening-night loss, think again. Atlanta has plenty of talent and should contend for the Eastern Conference crown this year.
On paper, Millsap against the Knicks doesn't blow us away as an incredible matchup, but it won't be the type of situation where Millsap runs into issues producing. The Hawks will be led offensively by Millsap and Al Horford inside this year, and on a night where there are only three games, spending $7,800 on a talent like Millsap is more than worth it.
Other potential targets: Blake Griffin ($9,500), Kyle O'Quinn ($3,700).
Center: Al Horford, Atlanta Hawks ($7,600) vs. New York Knicks
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We'll stick with the bigs of the Atlanta Hawks here, rolling out Horford at center to pair up with Millsap. As we saw on opening night, these two can both produce nicely together and likely will do just that quite often this season.
While Millsap scored more than Horford, the statistics were still solid for both across the board. Horford filled up the box score, totaling 15 points with four rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals. There won't be many times this season when we see Horford wind up with just four rebounds, so he should have a better fantasy night on Thursday against the Knicks.
To make an even stronger argument to use Horford, look at what Greg Monroe did to the Knicks on Wednesday. He not only scored 22 points, but he pulled down 14 rebounds, dished out four assists and added on two blocks and two steals.
Horford should be able to have a monster night against the Knicks, who were one of the worst teams in the NBA against opposing centers last year, allowing an average of 49.7 fantasy points per game to the position.
Other potential targets: DeAndre Jordan ($7,700), Zaza Pachulia ($5,100).
Pricing information and scoring data obtained from DraftKings.com. All statistics courtesy of ESPN.com or RotoWire unless otherwise specified.
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