Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: DraftKings NBA Lineup Advice, Strategy, Nov. 24
There are six games on the NBA schedule Tuesday, with Stephen Curry, Blake Griffin, Paul George and Damian Lillard topping the list of available daily fantasy superstars.
It's hard to go wrong with Curry in your DraftKings lineup, but this might be one of the rare occasions when it's best to avoid him. The undefeated Golden State Warriors host the 2-11 Los Angeles Lakers, and the reigning MVP may get to watch the fourth quarter from the bench. At nearly $2,000 less, Lillard looks to be a better option to lead your squad at the point guard position.
Here are five players who should provide great value for what they cost on November 24.
PG Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers ($9,000) vs. Chicago Bulls
The above video includes highlights from Lillard's last outing, in which he posted 30 points, six rebounds and a career-high 13 assists against the Lakers. He knocked down seven three-pointers in his last two games while averaging 54.5 fantasy points in the process.
Unlike Curry, Lillard is a good bet to see plenty of court time—the Blazers guard has played at least 37 minutes in eight straight contests. Per Odds Shark, Portland is a two-point underdog to Chicago, so Lillard will likely be on the floor until the final buzzer.
If Derrick Rose suits up for the Bulls, it'll be his first action since spraining his ankle last week. Regardless, Lillard will get to face either backup point guard Kirk Hinrich or Rose, who may not be 100 percent.
SG Avery Bradley, Boston Celtics ($5,500) at Atlanta Hawks
Avery Bradley has been on fire since he returned five games ago from a calf strain. As the Boston Herald's Mark Murphy noted, Bradley set a new career high for three-pointers during the Celtics' loss in Brooklyn Sunday:
Bradley went 7-of-14 from deep that evening and is 16-of-31 over his last five games, a .516 shooting percentage. The 24-year-old is averaging 3.2 three-pointers a night in that span and has scored at least 25 DraftKings points on each occasion.
Starting in place of the injured Marcus Smart, Bradley logged a season-high 40 minutes Sunday. With Smart out for a while, Bradley's outstanding fantasy production should continue. His price is on the rise, but he's still a bargain at $5,500.
SF Thabo Sefolosha, Atlanta Hawks ($4,000) vs. Boston Celtics
Thabo Sefolosha got his first start of 2015-16 Saturday, putting up 13 points, five rebounds, one assist and one steal in 30 minutes. His 23.25 DK points were a season high. It was only the third game this year in which Sefolosha logged 24 minutes or more. However, he totaled over 20 fantasy points in each of them.
In Atlanta's previous matchup with Boston, Sefolosha performed well when given the opportunity, scoring 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting:
| MIN | FG | FGA | REB | STL | PTS | FPTS |
| 21 | 5 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 10 | 18.25 |
Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that small forward Kent Bazemore will not play Tuesday, leaving Sefolosha in line to start for the second straight game.
C Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets ($4,000) vs. Los Angeles Clippers
Denver rookie Nikola Jokic had a breakout game in San Antonio last week with 23 points, 12 rebounds, three blocks, two steals and 50 fantasy points. Basketball Reference pointed out the significance of his accomplishment:
Jokic recorded the second double-double of his career Sunday, as he filled up the stat sheet with 11 points, 11 rebounds, two assists, a block and two steals. The big man is averaging 33.1 DK points over his last three outings.
An undersized Nuggets squad will need to rely heavily on Jokic Tuesday to compete with the Clippers' frontcourt tandem of Griffin and DeAndre Jordan.
PG Leandro Barbosa, Golden State Warriors ($3,000) vs. Los Angeles Lakers
The defending-champion Warriors are favored by 17.5 points over the Lakers, and a blowout seems imminent. If Curry makes an early exit, Leandro Barbosa will be there to pick up the slack.
This matchup features an over/under of 213 points, so it should be a high-scoring affair. Via RotoWire, Los Angeles is allowing 58 fantasy points per game to opposing point guards, easily the most in the NBA. Shaun Livingston could also be an excellent play off of Golden State's bench at $3,000, but he doesn't have the same three-point shooting stroke that Barbosa does.
Over his last five contests, Barbosa is averaging 0.8 three pointers and 12.6 DK points in 14 minutes. If he plays 20 or more versus the Lakers, the veteran will easily be worth his $3,000 salary.
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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