Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: Best DFS NBA DraftKings Daily Values for Dec. 26
Why were the games so low-scoring Friday? Six of the 10 highest scoring teams in the league were in action, per Basketball Reference, and only one team—the Chicago Bulls—managed to top 100 points.
Weird.
Maybe everyone was full from their Christmas Eve dinners? Maybe none of the players could sleep because they were so excited to open presents? Either way, I hope we get a lot more scoring on Saturday's 13-game slate.
Pau Gasol ($7,500) & Bobby Portis ($3,500) at Mavericks
Joakim Noah is out until mid-January with a shoulder injury. That's 22 minutes every game that will mostly be distributed between the veteran Pau Gasol and the rookie Bobby Portis.
Since landing in Chicago in the summer of 2014, Gasol has averaged well over 11 rebounds per game, according to Basketball Reference. This season, Gasol is posting a career-high 2.2 blocks per game. Though he played 38 minutes Friday, he likely won't see a dip in minutes. One of Pau's greatest traits as a basketball player throughout his career has been his stamina. Per Basketball Reference, the Spaniard has averaged 35.4 minutes per game for his career and played over 37 minutes per game in five separate seasons. He's in remarkable shape for a 35-year-old seven-footer.
Portis played pretty well in his extended role Friday in Oklahoma City. He had seven points, five boards, three assists and a steal in 20 minutes of action. He even hit a three-pointer from the top of the key, something you rarely see rookie big men do. If he can clean the defensive glass and stretch the opposition's defense with rangy shooting, he'll see plenty of action while Noah rehabs his shoulder.
Terrence Ross ($4,100) at Bucks
It's a bit nerve-racking playing anybody against the Milwaukee Bucks. They're so long defensively at every position and they play at the fifth-slowest pace in the league, per Basketball Reference. However, if they have a weakness, it's defending small forwards. Per RotoGrinders, opposing swingmen are averaging over 43 fantasy points per game against the Bucks so far this season—the fourth-highest mark in the league. That's where Ross has been playing the majority of his minutes since DeMarre Carroll went down.
Per DraftKings, Ross has averaged 32 minutes per game over his last five outings. He's also exceeded value in four of those five contests. He'll be a valuable cheap option against most teams, even those that like to slow the pace.
Other Value Plays:
Ish Smith ($4,500) or T.J. McConnell ($3,700) at Suns (If Smith doesn't suit up for his new team, McConnell should be in for a big night in Phoenix. The Lakers are the only team worse than the Suns at defending opposing point guards, according to RotoGrinders).
C.J. McCollum ($7,200) vs. Cavaliers (If Damian Lillard misses another game)
T.J. Warren ($4,400) vs. 76ers
John Wall ($9,600) at Nets
Monta Ellis ($5,600) at Timberwolves
Dirk Nowitzki ($6,400) vs. Bulls
Zaza Pachulia ($5,600) vs. Bulls
Ed Davis ($4,300) vs. Cavaliers
Enter the DraftKings $35K Sharpshooter contest this weekend. Use the promo code BLEACHER REPORT when you sign up.
