NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 4/13/15
If you’ve never played daily fantasy basketball before, it’s time to start. Unlike traditional leagues, you’re able to select the players you want on that specific day only, giving you a different squad to root for each and every NBA night.
And while there are many platforms to play daily fantasy basketball on, one of our favorites is from our partners over at DraftKings.com. Never played over there before? It’s time for that to change. Sign up now and use our optimal lineups here at numberFire.com to crush the competition. You won’t regret it.
As for today's lineups -- those can be found here. The information below is to help you understand why particular players are being picked, because we don't want you going into the night completely blind. We want to help you. Keep in mind, however, that things often change up until tip-off, so make sure you're refreshing the optimal lineups as close to the start of games as possible.
To get a general idea of who we're picking in tonight's slate, check out the video below, courtesy of Periscope. And be sure to follow us on there, @numberFire!
Note: Players mentioned here may not be part of some of our daily lineups because of particular sites' cost analysis. Always look at our optimized lineups to see what our algorithms say.
The Best of the Best
Russell Westbrook - Westbrook dropped a massive 54-point, 9-rebound, 8-assist line on the Pacers last night, but the Thunder were unable to pick up the victory and the Thunder point guard picked up his league-leading 16th technical foul in the process. The good news for Westbrook and Oklahoma City is that the league rescinded that technical, which means the Thunder star will avoid a suspension, however the Thunder still find themselves on the outside of the playoffs looking in with a must-win game tonight against Portland. Westbrook -- who has amassed a league-leading 38.3% usage rate this season -- should see another big workload tonight in a matchup against Damian Lillard and a Blazers squad that has allowed the third most fantasy points per game to opposing point guards this season in a game which is expected to be one of the highest-scoring matchups on the board tonight. The Thunder MVP candidate is our number one overall projected player on the board tonight.
Blake Griffin - After missing 15 games following elbow surgery, Griffin is finally fully recovered and has looked spectacular. In the 14 games since his return, the Clippers' star forward is averaging 19.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists per game while posting a whopping 30.1% usage rate. Tonight, Griffin gets a dream matchup against the Nuggets who have allowed the most fantasy points per game to opposing power forwards in what is expected to be the highest scoring game on tonight's slate with a massive over/under of 218. Although we do have Anthony Davis projected to score more fantasy points, at more than $2,000 cheaper on both FanDuel and DraftKings, Griffin provides more bang for your buck in the best matchup on the slate.
Top Mid-Range Values
Hassan Whiteside -Whiteside's minutes limit following his hand injury has been lifted and he has been nothing short of dominant in his last two outings. Over that span, the Heat center has averaged 17.5 points, 17 rebounds and 3.5 blocks in 36.5 minutes per game and should continue to log a ton of minutes as the Heat cling onto their last bit of hope to sneak into the playoffs. Tonight, Whiteside gets an excellent matchup with a Magic squad who has struggled to defend the paint all season long and has allowed the eighth most fantasy points per game to opposing centers this season. Considering his price is still somewhat diminished due to his recent injury, the Heat big man makes a strong play in all formats tonight.
Omri Casspi - With Rudy Gay and DeMarcus Cousins already ruled out for the remainder of the season, the Kings will be forced to lean on Casspi, Ben McLemore and Ray McCallum to carry the load on the offensive end of the floor for Sacramento's final two games. While McLemore and McCallum definitely make solid plays tonight, Casspi is easily my favorite out of the bunch. The Kings' swingman has been on fire as of late. He has averaged 19 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists and a steal in 33.7 minutes per game over his last seven outings and draws an outstanding matchup against the defensively-challenged Lakers tonight. Casspi should see minutes in the mid-30s with a massive usage rate in what is expected to be one of the highest scoring games on the slate. Fade him at your own risk.
Basement Ballers
Jabari Brown - The matchup between the Kings and Lakers features a ton of value, and not just for the Kings. Jordan Clarkson and Ryan Kelly both make strong plays at their respective positions, but Brown is easily the best value out of Los Angeles tonight. With Wesley Johnson, Jeremy Lin, Wayne Ellington, Nick Young and Kobe Bryant already ruled out for the season, the Lakers' backcourt is absolutely decimated which means Brown will continue to see a huge workload for the remainder of the year. Over his last three outings, Brown has posted 16.3 points, 3 assists and 3 rebounds in a whopping 38 minutes per game and gets a dream matchup against a Kings team who has allowed the most fantasy points per game to opposing shooting guards this season. Brown is an absolute steal at just $4,000 on DraftKings and $3,800 on FanDuel.
C.J. McCollum - Speaking of steals, McCollum will be in the Blazers' starting lineup for the second straight game tonight with Arron Afflalo still recovering from his shoulder injury. McCollum is coming off of a very impressive 26-point, 8-rebound, 3-assist, 3-steal performance in 40 minutes against the stingy Jazz defense and will have another great chance to produce tonight. The young Blazers' guard has averaged 15.9 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals on a per-36 minute basis this season and may very well eclipse that number tonight in what should be a fast-paced matchup with the Thunder. He provides spectacular value at just $4,500 on DraftKings and $4,700 on FanDuel.
