NBA

DraftKings NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Friday 3/13/15

With the Warriors resting a number of their starters, look for Shaun Livingston to see a massive workload tonight against the Nuggets.

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Not sure who to select? Don't worry, we've got you covered with tonight's optimal lineup.

PlayerPositionProjected FPCostValue
DeMarcus CousinsC48.389500.005.09
LaMarcus AldridgePF43.539000.004.84
Dwyane WadeSG35.587200.004.94
Ty LawsonPG35.936600.005.44
Aaron BrooksPG34.95400.006.46
Harrison BarnesSF27.234100.006.64
Shaun LivingstonPG10004100.006.26
David LeePF10003900.009.39

Coach Steve Kerr decided to rest several of the Warriors' key rotation players tonight -- Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andre Iguodala and Andrew Bogut. With all of these guys sidelined for tonight's game, Golden State comes into tonight's matchup with the Nuggets with only nine active players. That means that all nine of those players should see a significantly increased workload, giving them a serious bump in value in a great matchup against Denver tonight.

The Nuggets have been a terrible defensive team all season long. They have allowed the fifth most points per game in the league (103.7), rank 23rd in Defensive Rating (107.4) and play at the fourth fastest pace in the NBA. With this in mind, our algorithm has identified three Warriors' players that you should target against the defensively-challenged Nuggets tonight -- Harrison Barnes, Shaun Livingston and David Lee.

Barnes has shown flashes of brilliance at times this season, but has seen a reduced role as of late with Iguodala playing his best ball of the season. With Iggy out, the former North Carolina standout should see all the minutes he can handle tonight. Denver has allowed the second most fantasy points per game to opposing small forwards this season and Barnes should see a very heavy workload at that position tonight. Barnes is averaging 12.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1.7 assists on a per-36 minute basis this season and will likely see close to that number of minutes tonight for the short-handed Dubs.

Similarly, Lee has seen his role greatly reduced from years past thanks to the emergence of Draymond Green this season. While Green is still playing tonight, Lee should see a lot of time at center in place of Bogut tonight, a position that Denver has struggled to slow down all season long. Denver has allowed the eighth most fantasy points to opposing centers this season, making Lee an elite play in all formats tonight.

As much as I love Barnes and Lee tonight, Livingston is probably my favorite play from Golden State tonight. He comes at an insanely low price of just $4,100 and has been playing some of his best ball of the season as of late. The Warriors' point guard is averaging 10.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4 assists in just 25 minutes per game in the month of March and will likely see increases across the board tonight. Livingston often plays off the ball while on the floor with Curry, but will be the Dubs' primary ball handler tonight and should see a massive increase on his 20.9% usage rate. He is dollar for dollar my favorite play on the board tonight.

While the Warriors do provide tremendous value tonight, they aren't the only team you should target players from tonight. For example, Dwyane Wade makes an outstanding play tonight for the banged-up Heat. Wade has been scorching hot as of late, averaging 26.2 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds per game in the month of March. Over that span, the Heat star has seen a massive 37% Usage Rate and has been forced to play a much larger role than anticipated at the beginning of the season with Chris Bosh out for the remainder of the season. Miami has played at a much faster tempo since acquiring Goran Dragic at the trade deadline and draw a great matchup against the Raptors' porous defense. Do not hesitate to plug in the Heat's aging superstar in all formats tonight.

Saving the best for last, our algorithm also recommends you spend big at center tonight and start the Kings' star DeMarcus Cousins. Boogie has been an absolute beast this season, averaging career-highs in points (23.3 per game), rebounds (12.2 per game), assists (3.2 per game) and rejections (1.6 per game). He's accumulated a massive 33.3% Usage Rate -- also a career high -- and has been virtually matchup proof all season long. That said, Cousins gets a dream matchup against a 76ers squad who has allowed the most fantasy points per game to opposing centers this season. Boogie should absolutely dominate the lowly Sixers en route to another massive outing for the Kings' big man.