Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: NBA DFS DraftKings Best Player Picks for Nov. 1
A belated happy Halloween to all of my readers! I hope you had a great holiday. It wasn't as great as Stephen Curry's. Seriously, did anybody watch Steph's third quarter last night in New Orleans?
Twenty-eight points for the reigning MVP and this absolutely ridiculous assist:
I hope Russell Westbrook was watching because that guy is competitive. That's part of why I'm playing him. He heads up a not-so-star-laden lineup I'm suggesting today.
| Position | Player | Price | Opponent |
| PG | Russell Westbrook | $10,300 | vs. Den |
| SG | Will Barton | $3,300 | @ OKC |
| SF | Tobias Harris | $6,300 | @ Chi |
| PF | Amir Johnson | $4,700 | vs. SAS |
| C | Hassan Whiteside | $6,500 | vs. Hou |
| G | Lou Williams | $4,600 | vs. Dal |
| F | Danilo Gallinari | $6,500 | @ OKC |
| Utility | Kawhi Leonard | $7,800 | @ Bos |
Westbrook is pricey—$2,400 more than any other point guard—but he'll be checked by a rookie. That's the other reason I'm playing him. Denver point guard Emmanuel Mudiay has been good. He'll be talked about as a Rookie of the Year candidate all season.
He's explosive, he sees the court, he can finish at the rim, but he's a bit of a loose cannon. Every time he's out there he's liable to throw up a double-digit turnover game.
Look for Westbrook to cause some turnovers and get out in transition for some crowd-pleasing hammer downs. He's the best at the NBA's equivalent of the NFL's pick-six.
Will Barton is averaging 25 minutes per game for the road Nuggets, who will see a big increase in pace. Per Basketball-Reference.com, they rank 22nd in the league while the Thunder sit at seventh. Barton thrives in uptempo contests where he can attack the rim in transition. He'll also get playing time regardless of the difference in the two teams' scores.
In the Tom Thibodeau era, it was really dangerous to start any forward against the Bulls. But since new coach Fred Hoiberg promoted Nikola Mirotic to first team, opposing small and power forwards can get their own shot much easier without Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson constantly hounding them. That's why I'm trusting newly paid Tobias Harris.
Hassan Whiteside should benefit from an up-and-down muddied-up game against Houston. Whiteside owners love those multi-rebound offensive possessions when it feels like he's jumping at thrice the rate of anyone else on the court.
This is the type of game where things like that happen. Houston plays scattered ball with guys flying all over the court. Whiteside will be asked to protect the rim where Houston attempts a ton of its shots. Last year the Rockets ranked sixth in the league in percentage of attempts between zero and three feet from the hoop, per Basketball-Reference.com. If Whiteside can stay out of foul trouble, he'll send several shots away at the rim.
Enter the DraftKings $25K Sharpshooter contest this weekend. Use promo code BLEACHER REPORT when you sign up.
