Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: NBA DFS DraftKings Best Player Picks for Nov. 5
Thursday night's NBA schedule includes five games, highlighted by Oklahoma City Thunder superstars Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook taking the floor in Chicago. The Thunder teammates are the two most expensive names available in DraftKings contests, and it's a good bet the majority of daily fantasy players will choose one or the other. The question is, which one?
Here are five lineup options in a variety of price ranges for November 5 that should provide the best bang for your buck.
PG Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder ($10,400) at Chicago Bulls
Through the first week of the season, Westbrook is the No. 2 fantasy player in the league behind Stephen Curry. ESPN Stats & Info noted the historical significance of the Oklahoma City point guard's hot start:
Per Odds Shark, the Thunder vs. Bulls contest has the highest over/under of any matchup on the board at 208 points. Oklahoma City is also favored by just two points. A close, high-scoring affair should mean big evenings for both Westbrook and Durant ($9,200), but it's worth spending the extra $1,200 to take Westbrook.
Durant is averaging 45.4 fantasy points through five games. By comparison, Westbrook's worst fantasy score so far is 42.75.
C Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves ($6,700) vs. Miami Heat
Karl-Anthony Towns' salary is tied for the fourth-highest among Thursday's centers, but his 37.3 fantasy-points-per-game average is second only to Hassan Whiteside's 38.6. However, since Towns has just three NBA games under his belt, he can still be had below fair market value.
The Timberwolves rookie played at least 32 minutes and logged a double-double in each of the first two outings of his career, but foul trouble limited his court time in the third. Towns logged 27 minutes in Monday's loss to the Portland Trail Blazers and blocked four shots for the second consecutive game.
Among those blocks was an impressive swat of Damian Lillard, featured in the above video.
PG Goran Dragic, Miami Heat ($5,900) at Minnesota Timberwolves
Goran Dragic had his best performance of the season Tuesday with 19 points, five rebounds, two assists, a block, three steals and three made three-pointers. Fellow starting guard Dwyane Wade temporarily left the game due to a migraine headache, which could also affect Wade's play Thursday.
On Wednesday, news broke that Miami guard Gerald Green had been hospitalized. Green did not play Tuesday and won't be with the team in Minnesota. Wade's condition and Green's absence both bode well for Dragic's fantasy impact.
NumberFire projects Dragic to tally 33.88 fantasy points, the 11th-highest total of the night.
SF Al-Farouq Aminu, Portland Trail Blazers ($5,600) vs. Memphis Grizzlies
After Durant, the talent level at small forward drops off considerably, but Al-Farouq Aminu is quietly putting up some excellent stats. Aminu has played at least 31 minutes in all of Portland's games this year and has approached double-double numbers every time.
The forward has been a pillar of consistency over his last four contests, scoring 13 to 17 points and grabbing seven to 10 rebounds on each occasion:
| 11/4 | @UTA | 36 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 13 | 28 |
| 11/2 | @MIN | 32 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 17 | 32.75 |
| 10/31 | PHO | 34 | 7 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 32.25 |
| 10/30 | @PHO | 32 | 10 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 16 | 32 |
Should Aminu notch another 30 fantasy points against the Grizzlies, he'll be a steal at only $5,600.
Dwight Powell, Dallas Mavericks ($3,900) vs. Charlotte Hornets
Dwight Powell's minutes have increased in every game the Mavericks have played this year, going from 17, to 19, to 25, to 26. Despite shooting just 4-of-14, Powell's most recent outing was his best of 2015-16. He posted a double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals, good for 32.5 fantasy points.
Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com accurately summed up Powell's contributions so far:
"Pleasant surprise" may not sound like much, but it's huge when you're talking about guys in Powell's salary bracket. With an average of 24 fantasy points per game, he's easily the top scorer among players who cost less than $4,000.
All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Statistics via NBA.com unless otherwise noted. Mark Vandeusen is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @LucidSportsFan.
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