Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: NBA DFS DraftKings Best Player Picks for Nov. 19
There are only three games on the NBA schedule Thursday night, so DraftKings daily fantasy players have a limited number of options to choose from. Stephen Curry, LeBron James and DeMarcus Cousins headline the list of available superstars.
However, in order to separate yourself from the competition, it may be wiser to build your roster around a second-tier guy like Kevin Love instead.
Here are five picks—one at each position—that should provide excellent per-dollar value for November 19.
PG Jerryd Bayless, Milwaukee Bucks ($4,800) at Cleveland Cavaliers
Jerryd Bayless started in place of the injured Jabari Parker Tuesday and scored 29.5 fantasy points in 37 minutes of action. Parker may return Thursday, but Bayless is likely to log major floor time regardless. On Saturday, the veteran guard played 39 minutes as a reserve in a victory over the Cavaliers.
Bayless has been red-hot from beyond the arc lately. He shot .538 on three-pointers over his last five games while knocking down 2.8 per contest. Bayless also averaged 32.2 fantasy points per game in that time.
If he can hit that mark Thursday, he'll be a steal at $4,800.
SG Jamal Crawford, Los Angeles Clippers ($4,600) vs. Golden State Warriors
With Chris Paul and J.J. Redick on the shelf, Jamal Crawford got his first start of the season Saturday. As NBA.com/Stats noted, Crawford put up some remarkable numbers:
According to Dan Woike of the Orange County Register, Paul and Redick are each listed as doubtful for Thursday. If both members of the Clippers' starting backcourt remain on the sidelines, Crawford will once again be in line to shoulder a huge portion of the team's offense.
Don't expect a repeat of the 58.5 fantasy points he totaled the last time he took the floor, but if Crawford scores even half that, he'll be well worth his price tag.
SF Justise Winslow, Miami Heat ($4,000) vs. Sacramento Kings
Rookie Justise Winslow is only averaging 7.3 points per game thus far in the NBA. He's clearly capable of scoring, though, as demonstrated by his post play in the above video. All the 19-year-old needs is the right opportunity to put the ball in the basket.
Thursday's matchup with the Kings should be one of his best chances yet.
Sacramento dropped a hard-fought decision in Atlanta Wednesday before traveling to Miami for a tough back-to-back. Per Odds Shark, the Heat are favored by 7.5 points. If it's a lopsided affair, Winslow could see more than his usual allotment of playing time off the bench.
According to RotoWire, the Kings are allowing 42.9 fantasy points per game to opposing small forwards, fifth worst in the league and another good sign for Winslow.
PF Kevin Love, Cleveland Cavaliers ($8,000) vs. Milwaukee Bucks
When the Cavaliers took on the Bucks in Milwaukee last week, Kevin Love posted one of his best stat lines of the season:
| MIN | 3PM | REB | AST | STL | PTS | FPTS |
| 44 | 4 | 14 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 49 |
Love has tallied double-doubles in six of the 11 games he's played this season. He's also grabbed at least eight rebounds in every contest. Love's .320 shooting percentage from long range isn't great, but he's still knocking down 2.2 three-pointers a night.
NumberFire projects Love to score 37.6 fantasy points Thursday, only slightly fewer than Curry (46.2), James (44.5) and Cousins (41.3). But considering he costs over $2,000 less than each of them, Love should easily be the best deal of the bunch.
He'll likely be used in a much smaller percentage of DraftKings lineups as well.
C Andrew Bogut, Golden State Warriors ($5,000) at Los Angeles Clippers
After putting up 10 points, 18 rebounds, four assists, three blocks and two steals in 32 minutes on Saturday, Andrew Bogut regained his role as the Warriors' starting center for Tuesday's tilt with the Toronto Raptors.
Foul trouble limited Bogut to just 17 minutes against Toronto, but he still managed to chip in 13 points and six rebounds while shooting 5-of-6 from the floor.
He's a combined 10-of-13 from the field over his last two games, with an average fantasy score of 37.8. Anything over 30 on Thursday will make Bogut a great value in relation to his salary.
At $5,000, you're getting a starting big man for a bench player's price.
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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