Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: DraftKings Breakout DFS Rookies and Sleepers
There are several superstars to choose from when selecting a DraftKings NBA lineup Friday, including LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Paul George. But with 22 teams in action, there's also plenty of opportunity to think outside the box and employ players who aren't used as frequently.
Here are some first-year guys and potentially overlooked veterans who might be useful in separating yourself from the competition.
Breakout Rookies
PG Emmanuel Mudiay, Denver Nuggets ($6,000) vs. Houston Rockets
The No. 7 pick in last June's draft, Emmanuel Mudiay has been one of the most impactful new faces in the league so far in 2015-16.
Mudiay is averaging 30.8 minutes per game, second among rookies to Jahlil Okafor. The Nuggets point guard also has the second-highest usage percentage of any first-year player.
In Wednesday's matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks, Mudiay posted a career-high 11 assists in 35 minutes, as well as a personal-best 39.75 fantasy points. His salary has actually dropped $200 since November 6, despite averaging 36.6 fantasy points over his last three games. If he can hit that number Friday, he'll be worth 6.1 points per $1,000.
PF Nemanja Bjelica, Minnesota Timberwolves ($5,000) at Indiana Pacers
Nemanja Bjelica is quietly carving out a nice role for himself in the Timberwolves rotation. Since his first-ever double-double on November 7, the 27-year-old rookie is averaging more than 33 minutes per outing and scoring just over 31 fantasy points per game.
The above video highlights Bjelica's November 10 performance against the Charlotte Hornets, in which the 6'10" power forward went 3-of-5 from beyond the arc for the second straight contest. Bjelica leads all rookies with 13 made three-pointers and is shooting 44.8 percent from deep.
In addition to his long-range touch, the big man is also displaying excellent passing skills. He's dished out an average of 4.0 assists over his last four games.
Sleepers
PG Rajon Rondo, Sacramento Kings ($7,600) vs. Brooklyn Nets
Kings guard Darren Collison has missed his club's last three contests. As Yahoo's Marc J. Spears noted, Rajon Rondo's numbers in Collison's absence have been spectacular:
Rondo played the full 48 minutes and posted triple-doubles in two of the three games, with fantasy scores of 62.5, 35.0 and 58.75. James Ham of CSN Bay Area reported that Collison will again be sidelined for Friday's tilt with the Nets.
Just last week, Rondo had a price tag of $5,800. Even though he now costs $1,800 more, Rondo is still a bargain considering he's averaging over 52 fantasy points per game since Collison's injury.
PF Jared Sullinger, Boston Celtics ($5,600) vs. Atlanta Hawks
After looking like the fifth big man on the Celtics depth chart early in the preseason, Jared Sullinger has emerged as Boston's most reliable frontcourt option. Sullinger leads the club with 8.3 rebounds per game and is also playing the most minutes of any of the team's bigs.
His production since entering the starting lineup has been outstanding:
| 25.5 | .512 | 1.5 | .500 | 10.0 | 2.5 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 13.0 | 34.9 |
The 23-year-old played a season-high 33 minutes and posted his second consecutive double-double in Wednesday's loss to the Indiana Pacers. He's also shooting 44.4 percent on three-pointers so far and has made at least one in five straight games.
Sullinger's DraftKings salary has not yet caught up to his expanded role with the Celtics.
SG Marcus Thornton, Houston Rockets ($5,500) at Denver Nuggets
One of the most surprising developments of the first two weeks of the NBA season has been the success of Marcus Thornton with the Rockets. NBA Fantasy pointed out some of Thornton's impressive stats:
Thornton began the year with a $3,000 price tag and did not play in either of Houston's first two games. However, he entered the Rockets starting lineup in their third contest and has been on fire ever since. Thornton is averaging 35.3 minutes per game as the team's third-leading scorer behind Harden and Dwight Howard.
The matchup with Denver bodes quite well for Thornton—the Nuggets are allowing 48.5 fantasy points per game to opposing shooting guards, the third-most in the league.
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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