Daily Fantasy Basketball 2015: DraftKings NBA Optimal Lineup for December 28
Making up for the holidays, Monday's 11-game NBA slate packs a heavy punch. DraftKings contestants must sift through a variety of matchups, weighing top teams and debilitated squads ripe for fantasy exploitation.
Daily fantasy sports reinforces the cruel "next-man-up mentality" which happily discards a human being for a new one. The injured guy is probably a nice dude, but his reserve now gets more minutes. Or a star sidekick becomes the big man on campus, enjoying a sudden spike in usage.
Some of those scenarios, along with the standard matchup plays and/or hot hands, frequent Monday's sample DraftKings lineup.
| PG | Brandon Knight, PHO | vs. CLE | $7,600 |
| SG | Eric Gordon, NO | @ ORL | $5,200 |
| SF | Gordon Hayward, UTA | vs. PHI | $7,200 |
| PF | Draymond Green, GS | vs. SAC | $9,300 |
| C | Nikola Vucevic, ORL | vs. ORL | $7,400 |
| G | Trey Burke, UTA | vs. PHI | $4,000 |
| F | Jon Leuer, PHO | vs. CLE | $5,700 |
| UTIL | Paul Pierce, LAC | @ WAS | $3,500 |
Brandon Knight, PG, Phoenix Suns ($7,600)
It takes a burning village to lose to the Philadelphia 76ers. With Markieff Morris serving the first of a two-game suspension and Eric Bledsoe leaving early, the Phoenix Suns did just that on Saturday.
Reinforcements aren't coming for Monday's matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers. According to the Arizona Republic's Paul Coro, Bledsoe will not make a speedy recovery:
Brandon Knight is suddenly left alone to carry the load. The starting guard has registered three consecutive 20-point outings, and he attempted 23 shots Saturday without his backcourt mate occupying the ball. Per NBAwowy.com, he has accrued a 30.3 usage percentage and 1.15 DraftKings points per minute with Bledsoe and Morris off the court.
A week after getting benched—he finished with 26 points in 35 minutes anyway—Knight is the top scoring option for a Suns offense operating at the third-fastest pace. Ranked No. 6 in defensive rating, Cleveland isn't a favorable matchup. Yet Knight is going to get myriad opportunities to accumulate value through 35-40 minutes.
Eric Gordon, SG, New Orleans Pelicans ($5,200)
Priced appropriately ($5,200) to fit this lineup, Eric Gordon has averaged 28.8 DraftKings points over the last six games. The Houston Rockets couldn't stop the New Orleans Pelicans guard from brandishing a special shooting display over the weekend.
NBA.com/Stats provided the shot chart for Gordon's spectacular Saturday:
He's not going to replicate those stats against the Orlando Magic, but his upcoming opponent ranks No. 26 in DraftKings defense to shooting guards. Logging 33.8 minutes per bout, the team's second-highest clip behind Anthony Davis, he'll at least get the opportunity to try.
Investors won't need Gordon to finally make the Chris Paul trade worthwhile. He has hit at least 20 on the DraftKings tally in seven consecutive slates, so he offers a steady floor an evening without any first-class 2-guard studs.
Gordon Hayward, SF, Utah Jazz ($7,200)
The Utah Jazz have already lost Rudy Gobert and Dante Exum. Derrick Favors' status remains unclear after missing Saturday's game with back spasms. As reported by Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski, they're now down one more contributor:
Before getting hurt, Alec Burks posted a team-high 25.6 usage percentage and attempted 11.6 field goals per contest. Short of offensive weapons, the Jazz will now miss their most aggressive perimeter scorer.
Utah faces Philadelphia on Monday, so keep an eye out for the team's starting lineup. Trey Burke should receive an expanded role, making him a useful $4,000 bargain. In addition to locating discounts, gamers should pay up for Gordon Hayward, especially if Favors sits again.
The small forward took charge Saturday, producing 45.5 DraftKings points in a 109-104 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Now he gets an even juicier matchup against the 76ers, who holster the sixth-worst defensive rating while allowing the fifth-most DraftKings points to small forwards.
He has a lower floor than most highly priced stars, as shown by Wednesday's 2-of-15 shooting debacle against the Golden State Warriors. Hayward also has too much working in his favor to ignore on Monday night.
Draymond Green, PF, Golden State Warriors ($9,300)
Listed at an exorbitant $9,300, Draymond Green costs more than any player on the slate after Anthony Davis, Stephen Curry, DeMarcus Cousins, LeBron James and John Wall. He's not a high-profile scoring machine like those superstars, but he's working his way into the top tier of stars.
Friday's 22 points, 15 boards and seven assists against Cleveland were far from a Christmas miracle. The overlooked Warriors stud has flirted with a triple-double throughout a demonstrative December:
| 37.4 | 17.2 | .446 | 1.2 | 10.4 | 7.0 | 1.6 | 1.5 |
Those numbers give him an average of 46.9 DraftKings points this month; Cousins (47.4), James (47.8) and Davis (47.9) all average between 47-48 points during the season. While his price spike may seem steep, it properly reflects his current play.
Usually content handling the dirty work, Green has scored at least 15 points in seven straight games. While he didn't light up the scoreboard in either of Golden State's two clashes with the Sacramento Kings this season, he recorded a triple-double (13 points, 12 assists, 11 rebounds) on Nov. 28.
Round 3 provides a showdown between the league's two leaders in pace. Per RotoWire.com, the Kings yield the most steals (1.8), second-most assists (3.8) and third-most DraftKings points (45.4) per game to opposing forwards. Green makes a fine building block.
Nikola Vucevic, C, Orlando Magic ($7,400)
Nikola Vucevic delivered more fantasy goodness last season, when he tallied 19.3 points and 10.9 rebounds a game for the Orlando Magic. Due to fewer minutes caused by a deeper roster, those averages have dipped to 16.9 and 8.7, respectively.
Lately the 25-year-old has looked like the seven-foot scoring machine of old. He has submitted 20 or more points in five consecutive contests, pairing three of them with double-digit boards:
| 35.2 | 22.8 | 57.1 | 9.4 | 3.2 | 1.0 |
Vucevic hasn't suffered any efficiency dip this season—he's shooting a career-high 52.6 percent—so it's encouraging to see a heavier workload returning his way. He attempted 98 field goals during those five games, far eclipsing his season's average of 14.9.
The Pelicans place No. 29 in defensive rating and hold a 47.9 rebounding percentage. They're prime picking for Vucevic to continue his climb back into the fantasy elite.
Pricing information and scoring data obtained from DraftKings.com. All advanced statistics courtesy of NBA.com unless otherwise noted.
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