Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: DraftKings NBA Lineup Advice, Strategy for Dec. 1
Tuesday's NBA schedule features six games, but it lacks marquee matchups. Outside of LeBron James and Anthony Davis, daily fantasy superstars are hard to come by—there are only five guys available who cost $8,000 or more.
For lack of a better alternative, it's a good day to employ some lesser-known players in your DraftKings lineup. Based on recent performances, the following five names should provide solid bang for your buck on December 1.
C Brook Lopez, Brooklyn Nets ($7,400) vs. Phoenix Suns
With the exception of a blowout loss in Boston on November 20, Brook Lopez has logged at least 34 minutes of action in nine of his last 10 games. He's posted four double-doubles in that stretch and fallen one rebound shy on three other occasions.
Lopez has topped 40 DraftKings points in each of his past three contests while averaging 46.3 per game. As the Nets' Twitter account noted, Lopez filled up the stat sheet in Brooklyn's win over the Detroit Pistons Sunday:
NumberFire projects Lopez will score 36.8 DK points Tuesday, the sixth-most of any player on the board.
SG Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic ($6,600) at Minnesota Timberwolves
It's a rare thing for someone to gain fantasy value after losing his place in the starting lineup, but that's exactly what happened with Victor Oladipo.
From November 11-23, Oladipo never scored more than 25 fantasy points. He came off the bench for the first time this season in a November 25 victory over the New York Knicks and responded with 32.5 DK points. Two days later, Oladipo poured in 39 more as Orlando knocked off the Milwaukee Bucks.
On Sunday, the shooting guard tallied 19 points, eight rebounds, six assists, a block and two steals—including the one in the above highlight clip—as the Magic routed the Boston Celtics. Oladipo's 44.5 fantasy points in that contest marked his greatest output since October 30.
Despite his spike in production, Oladipo's salary is $1,100 less than it was in early November.
PG Isaiah Canaan, Philadelphia 76ers ($5,000) vs. Los Angeles Lakers
Isaiah Canaan took over Philadelphia's starting point guard role three games ago and has seen at least 32 minutes of action in every outing since. Canaan has exceeded 25 DK points in five straight games while knocking down a total of 18 three-pointers in that span.
Even though his price rose $1,700 in the past 10 days, Canaan will still be an excellent value if he can maintain his recent numbers:
| MIN | 3P | REB | AST | STL | BLK | PTS | FPTS |
| 31.5 | 3.6 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 1.0 | 0.8 | 17.4 | 27.8 |
The 0-18 76ers are desperate to get their first win of the season, and a home tilt with the 2-14 Lakers is the best opportunity they'll have. Look for Canaan to help lead the way. Via RotoWire, Los Angeles is allowing 58 fantasy points per game to opposing point guards, the most in the league.
PF Jon Leuer, Phoenix Suns ($3,500) at Brooklyn Nets
Starting center Tyson Chandler missed two of the Suns' last three games. In both instances, Jon Leuer put forth outstanding fantasy performances for someone in his price range. Leuer posted a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds on November 25, then followed it up with 16 points, four rebounds, two assists and a block on November 29.
Combined, Leuer averaged 33 DK points with Chandler sidelined. According to Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic, Chandler is listed as questionable for Tuesday's game in Brooklyn. Make sure to check Phoenix's lineup before adding Leuer to your roster.
Per Odds Shark, the Suns vs. Nets matchup has an over/under of 206, the highest of the night. Even if you don't go with Leuer, it's likely a wise choice to select a few players from this contest.
SF Jared Dudley, Washington Wizards ($3,000) at Cleveland Cavaliers
After scoring a season-high 19 points in Boston on Friday, Jared Dudley got his first start of the year Sunday versus the Toronto Raptors. Dudley was inserted into the lineup at power forward in place of the injured Nene Hilario.
J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic reported that Hilario didn't practice Monday and could be out for a while.
Despite scoring just seven points against Toronto, Dudley saw 30 minutes of court time. In fact, the veteran has averaged 27.6 minutes per game over his last five outings. If Dudley starts in Cleveland Tuesday, he'll be well worth the minimum price tag of $3,000. Even as a reserve, he's a low-risk option with high upside.
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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