NBA

NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 11/2/15

Can Klay Thompson break out of his early-season slump tonight against Memphis?

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.

Today's lineups 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.

Let's get to it.

The Best of the Best

Russell Westbrook - After putting together a transcendent campaign in the 2014-15 season, Westbrook has picked up right where he left of a year ago, averaging 32 points, 8.7 assists, 7.3 rebounds and 2 steals per game through the first three contests of the year. Additionally, while many people were concerned that he may see a dip in production with the return of his running mate Kevin Durant, that doesn't seem to be the case, considering the Thunder point guard leads the NBA in usage percentage at 36.2%. Tonight, the Thunder draw a matchup with a Rockets squad who has allowed the sixth most points per game (108.7) and ranks 25th in Defensive Rating (110.5) to start the year in what Vegas expects to be the highest scoring game on the slate by a mile. The Thunder star is our top overall projected player on the board tonight.

Blake Griffin - Much like Westbrook, Griffin has gotten off to a scorching hot start this season. The Clipper forward is averaging 32 points, 9 boards and 4 dimes per game and has accumulated at least 26 points and 8 rebounds in each of his first three games of the year. With a matchup against a Suns team who gave up the fifth most points per game (103.3) and who played at the third fastest pace in the league last season on the docket, the Clippers have the second highest expected team total of any team playing tonight. Griffin has led Los Angeles in usage rate every season since his rookie year and should continue to see the offense work through him this year with a 34.1% Usage Rate through the first three games of the year. He is an elite option in all formats tonight.

Top Mid-Range Values

Klay Thompson - Thompson is off to a bit of a slow start this season. He's averaging just 13 points per game and is shooting just 43.3% from the field on only 10 shots per game. That said, there are a number of reasons to be optimistic about Thompson moving forward. Part of the reason he has taken so many shots is because Stephen Curry has been playing out of his mind -- he's averaging 39.3 points per game while shooting 58.8% from the field and leads the league in our nERD metric (48.2) by nearly double the pack. With Curry playing this well, Thompson will continue to see an outrageous amount of attention from opposing defenses which should create more open shots for Thompson. Additionally, as Curry falls back down to earth some, Thompson will continue to see an increase in shots and usage rate. The Warriors' shooting guard is one of the best pure shooters on the planet and will not remain in this slump for much longer. Take advantage of his diminished price tag at just $6,700 on FanDuel and $6,900 on DraftKings while you still can.

Kevin Love - Despite the fact that the Cavaliers made it all the way to the NBA Finals, last season was one filled with disappointment for Love. The Cavaliers' stretch four did not live up to expectations a year ago, however, with Kyrie Irving sidelined for the first few months of the season Love has emerged as the clear cut number two option in Cleveland's offense. The long time Timberwolves' great is averaging 19.7 points, 11.7 rebounds and 4 assists per game so far this season and has seen his usage rate skyrocket up from 21.7% to 25.6% in his second season with the Cavs. Love draws an elite matchup against the 76ers and, despite some concern of this game turning into a blowout, should be in store for another big outing tonight in Philadelphia. He should reach value easily at just $7,600 on FanDuel and $7,500 on DraftKings.

Basement Ballers

Jerryd Bayless - Although he is coming off the bench, Bayless has seen a significant role for the Bucks' this season. He has played 26 minutes per game with a 16.2% usage rate and gets a great matchup against a Brooklyn backcourt that does not feature a single player with a Defensive Rating better than 107. The Nets have given up the eighth most points per game (106), rank 27th in Defensive Rating (111.9) and have allowed the eighth most fantasy points per game to opposing point guards this season. Bayless is a steal at just $3,600 on FanDuel and $3,200 on DraftKings.

Corey Brewer - Terrence Jones is looking iffy for tonight and Donatas Motiejunas will remain sidelined without a definitive timetable for his return. This means that Brewer should see plenty of action tonight, even if Jones is able to suit up. Brewer has averaged 27 minutes per game with a usage rate of 20%. The Rockets' swingman has scored at least 10 points in each of the last two games and continues to fill up the stat sheet as long as he is on the floor. The Thunder have allowed the most fantasy points per game to opposing small forwards this season and tonight's matchup between Oklahoma City and Houston is expected to be the highest scoring on the slate with a massive over/under of 215. Brewer makes a sneaky play on a night where value plays are not particularly easy to come by.