Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: DraftKings NBA Lineup Advice, Strategy, Dec. 22
Tuesday's NBA schedule is an unusual one for daily fantasy purposes—the evening's four games are almost entirely devoid of superstars. There isn't a single player on the board with a DraftKings price above $10,000, and there are only two, Andre Drummond ($9,400) and Kyle Lowry ($8,300), who cost as much as $8,000.
With so few big names to choose from, second-tier stars like Marc Gasol and DeMar DeRozan are the key to building a winning lineup.
Here are five picks for December 22 to point your roster in the right direction.
C Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies ($7,500) at Philadelphia 76ers
As Pete Pranica of Fox Sports Southeast pointed out, the Grizzlies are most successful when Gasol is a focal point of their offense:
Gasol has totaled at least 50 fantasy points twice in his last four games, logging double-doubles on both occasions. Over his past seven outings, Gasol has averaged 36.6 minutes and 39.3 DraftKings points per game.
Drummond is averaging more than 45 DK points in the same time, but included is a four-overtime marathon in Chicago in which he played 54 minutes. Throw that one out, and the two players have similar fantasy numbers lately. However, Gasol is the much better value at $1,900 less.
SG DeMar DeRozan, Toronto Raptors ($7,400) vs. Dallas Mavericks
DeRozan is one of the hottest scorers in the league at the moment. Since December 9, he's averaging 27 points per contest, fourth highest in the league. He's also poured in 20 or more points in seven straight outings.
In DeRozan's last three games, he's scored 31, 30 and 28 while topping 40 fantasy points each time.
The Raptors shooting guard appears to have taken over for Lowry as the club's primary weapon on offense. Through Toronto's first 22 games, Lowry averaged 22.2 points compared to DeRozan's 21.1. But over the last seven, DeRozan has outscored the point guard by nearly 10 per game, 27.0-17.3.
He's also averaging 41.1 DK points in that stretch to Lowry's 34.3, yet DeRozan can still be had for a much cheaper price.
SG Will Barton, Denver Nuggets ($6,600) vs. Los Angeles Lakers
The above video features highlights of Will Barton's career-high 32-point showing in Sunday's loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. Barton's salary increased by $400 following that game, but he's still a great buy at $6,600.
The 24-year-old has been undervalued for quite some time now. Dating back to late November, Barton has averaged 33.8 DK points over a 12-game stretch.
Barton is the Nuggets' leading scorer this month, with a December average of 19.4 points per game. The Denver Post's Chris Demspey reported that Danilo Gallinari is questionable Tuesday with a sprained ankle. If Gallinari doesn't suit up, Barton may shoulder even more of the scoring load than usual.
For the season, the Lakers are surrendering 107.2 points a night, the second-highest total in the league. Their porous defense is an excellent matchup for Barton.
PG Lou Williams, Los Angeles Lakers ($5,400) at Denver Nuggets
Lou Williams joined the Lakers' starting lineup seven games ago. His price tag has jumped $1,100 since then, but he's still producing enough to justify the cost. As a starter, Williams is averaging 30.9 minutes and 28.8 fantasy points per contest:
| MIN | 3PM | REB | AST | STL | PTS | FPTS |
| 30.9 | 2.1 | 4.0 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 16.9 | 28.8 |
When he last faced the Nuggets on November 3, Williams put up his best stat line of the season, tallying 24 points, five rebounds, two assists, three steals and a block.
According to RotoWire, Denver is allowing 52.7 fantasy points per game to opposing point guards, second most in the NBA.
SG Terrence Ross, Toronto Raptors ($4,100) vs. Dallas Mavericks
With DeMarre Carroll sidelined, Terrence Ross has averaged 31.5 minutes over his past seven games. Before Carroll's injury, Ross was playing only 16.7 minutes a night.
Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun noted that the team is starting to cater to Ross' strengths:
In his last three outings, Ross has knocked down a total of 13 three-point shots on 28 attempts, good for 46.4 percent.
Ross' fantasy production is up-and-down, but it's hard not to like a guy playing significant minutes at such an inexpensive price.
All prices courtesy of DraftKings. Statistics via NBA.com and Basketball-Reference.com. Mark Vandeusen is a featured columnist for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @LucidSportsFan.
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