Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: DraftKings Breakout DFS Rookies and Sleepers
It's a Friday filled with great NBA action, as we have 12 games on tap and a load of daily fantasy basketball options. As you can imagine, there are quite a few high-priced players on Friday's list, such as Stephen Curry, Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins and Paul George, just to name a few.
So, while we take a look at the rookies who could make an impact Friday night, you'll find that not all of the players from the 2015 rookie class are "values" anymore. Regardless, we'll grab one value rookie and a few sleepers for you as well to make it a bit easier to fit those other expensive players in your lineup.
The action starts off with one of the more expensive rookies out there. While a guy like Kristaps Porzingis may not save you a ton of money, he's going to make a major impact on your roster and should perform like a top player on Friday. Also, the man above, Raymond Felton, is a fairly inexpensive player who should be in for a big night as well.
Let's jump right into the action.
Kristaps Porzingis, PF, New York Knicks ($7,400)
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Kristaps Porzingis isn't just my man crush, he's probably every generic NBA fan's man crush as well. While we've seen some up-and-down tendencies from Porzingis, specifically over the last five games, this one is a great matchup for him.
During that five-game span, Porzingis has scored 36, 6.75, 33.75, 7.25 and 38 fantasy points. His play has been very dependent on his minutes, as his two bad games came when he played 19 minutes or fewer.
Fortunately, on the season, Porzingis has been very consistent up until this mini-stretch, averaging 30.9 fantasy points per game. Next up? The Philadelphia 76ers, who have been the worst team in the NBA against opposing power forwards.
To this point in the season, Philadelphia has allowed 48 fantasy points per game to the position, setting Porzingis up for a stellar matchup. Expect him to light it up Friday, and while there are quite a few pretty expensive options, Porzingis is a guy you'll want to find a way to use.
Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Minnesota Timberwolves ($7,000)
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Karl-Anthony Towns comes in with a somewhat expensive price at $7,000. Fortunately, he's been more than worth it. To this point in 2015, he's averaged 33.6 fantasy points per game and has fallen below the 31.75-point mark just one time in Minnesota's previous seven games.
Towns has a matchup with the Sacramento Kings on Friday, who haven't been great against opposing centers, allowing 45 fantasy points per game on average. While Towns finished with just 20.5 fantasy points the last time these two teams faced off, it's safe to say that he's going to be looking to turn it around. In that matchup back on November 27, Towns played just 21 minutes and put up only five shots.
Expect Minnesota's big man to put up plenty of shots in this one, and a strong night on the boards is likely as well.
Stanley Johnson, SF, Detroit Pistons ($3,700)
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If you want to take a shot on a player who could save you some money and doesn't have a bad matchup, Stanley Johnson may be your man. The rookie small forward is still pretty unreliable, so putting all your faith in him probably isn't the best idea. You're going to find a few better options that are a bit more expensive and aren't rookies, but Johnson is intriguing, to say the least.
Over the previous 10 games, we've seen Johnson get 25 or more minutes three times. In those three games he scored 23.5, 18 and 42—yes, 42—fantasy points. In that game against the Houston Rockets, where Johnson played 30 minutes, we saw exactly what he was capable of. He scored 19 points, pulled down 10 rebounds, had two blocks, an assist and a steal.
Johnson is obviously capable of big things if he's given the opportunity and can do a little of everything. With a matchup against the Chicago Bulls on tap, who have given up 35.3 fantasy points per game to opposing small forwards, saving some of your cap here may not be a bad move.
Raymond Felton, SG, Dallas Mavericks ($5,400)
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Raymond Felton has not only been playing solid basketball as of late, but now he's going to see a few extra minutes added to his workload with Devin Harris ruled out Friday. According to Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com, head coach Rick Carlisle said Harris is still dealing with a right hamstring issue.
It's unknown when Harris will return, but in the meantime, Felton has topped 30 minutes in each of the past eight games. To make things even better, Felton has averaged 32.79 fantasy points over his past six games and has a strong matchup with the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday.
In a game where Felton could see 35 or more minutes, he draws a team ranked No. 10 in terms of most fantasy points allowed per game to opposing shooting guards. Felton seems like a great option on a night with high-priced players, and his cost of $5,400 won't break the bank in the slightest.
Trey Burke, PG, Utah Jazz ($4,300)
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While Trey Burke hasn't been playing with the first unit, it seems he's finally back to getting solid minutes. Fortunately, his cost is still just $4,300, making him an intriguing play on Friday against the Denver Nuggets. The Jazz had been looking to get rookie point guard Raul Neto rolling, but it hasn't happened, which means Burke's time may be back once again.
Over the past two games, we've seen Burke score 22 points, dish out seven assists and grab seven rebounds. These numbers aren't incredible, but in his most recent game he scored 24.5 fantasy points, showing that his upside is obviously there.
As for the matchup with the Nuggets, this is a team that has allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing point guards at 43.3. Burke may not jump off the page at you, but he's going to be a player worth rostering at least a bit when it comes to GPP games Friday night.
John Henson, PF, Milwaukee Bucks ($4,200)
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While Greg Monroe is technically listed as doubtful for Friday's game, according to Keith Langlois of Pistons.com, head coach Jason Kidd said Monroe would miss a week of action earlier in the week. So, with that said, it's time to turn our attention to either John Henson or Miles Plumlee.
When Henson started in Monroe's place against the Los Angeles Lakers on December 15, he wound up with 19.5 fantasy points. Interestingly, Plumlee started the second game of the back-to-back on December 16, and Henson had 25.5 fantasy points off the bench.
As for Plumlee, he had 21.5 fantasy points in the first game, which he didn't start, and 7.75 in the second game, which he did start. Confused much? Because I am.
While it seems as though the minutes are going to be close between these two players, Henson is the more reliable of the two. With a few extra minutes and the likelihood that he will come close to 25, he should be able to return his price of $4,200.
The Bucks have a bit of a strange rotation going on with Henson and Plumlee, but Henson is a strong shot-blocker and a stat-stuffer, which makes him pretty intriguing for daily fantasy players.
Pricing information and scoring data obtained from DraftKings.com. All statistics courtesy of ESPN.com or RotoWire unless otherwise specified.
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