NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Tuesday 11/3/15
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.
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
Anthony Davis - Davis is one of the best basketball players on the planet. Period. After struggling in the opening game of the season against the defending champion Warriors, Davis has averaged 25.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 blocks per game over his last two outings. Tonight, the Pelicans' star gets the pleasure of facing off against a Magic team that has allowed the seventh most points per game in the NBA this season (106.3) and are coming off of a game in which they gave up 32 points and 11 boards to Bulls forwards Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic. Davis should dominate the undersized Tobias Harris en route to a huge fantasy outing in what Vegas expects to be the second highest scoring game on tonight's slate. He is our top overall projected player on the board tonight.
Jimmy Butler - Following a breakout campaign that very few people saw coming last season, Butler has picked up right where he left off a year ago. Through the Bulls' first four games of the year, Butler has averaged 19.5 points, 6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.8 steals per game while ranking third in our player power rankings with a 26.4 nERD. He continues to play huge minutes with a high usage -- he's averaged 36.5 minutes per game with a 21% Usage Rate -- and draws an outstanding matchup against a Hornets backcourt that has allowed the fifth most fantasy points per game to opposing shooting guards this season. The Bulls' swingman makes an elite play in all formats.
Top Mid-Range Values
Victor Oladipo - The Pelicans' defense has been terrible this season. They rank 29th in Defensive Efficiency (114.7), 29th in Defensive Rating (116) and have allowed their opponents to score the most points per game in the league this season (119). They also play at the third fastest pace in the league which means tonight's matchup with Orlando should feature a very high number of possessions and a ton of fantasy opportunity. Meanwhile, Oladipo has been scorching hot to open this season, averaging 17 points, 9 rebounds, 5.7 assists, 2.3 steals and 1.3 blocks in a whopping 41.7 minutes per game. He has accumulated a 22.5% Usage Rate and plays against a Pelicans' backcourt that has allowed the sixth most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards so far this season. Look for Oladipo to post another big performance tonight in what is expected to be the highest scoring game on tonight's slate.
Julius Randle - After missing nearly his entire rookie season with a leg injury, Randle has come back with a vengeance to open up the 2015-16 season. The Lakers' sophomore forward is averaging 13.3 points, 9.3 boards, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals on the year while accumulating a massive 25.6% Usage Rate. He is coming off of a monstrous 22-point, 15-rebound, 4-assist, 4-steal performance against Dallas on Sunday and draws another plus matchup tonight against a banged-up Nuggets frontcourt that has not been able to defend the paint for years. Randle is dollar for dollar my favorite player on the board at just $5,100 on FanDuel and $6,100 on DraftKings.
Basement Ballers
Willie Cauley-Stein - DeMarcus Cousins will not play tonight, which means the Kings will be forced to roll with a starting front court of Kosta Koufos and rookie Cauley-Stein tonight. While a matchup against the Grizzlies seems brutal on paper, Memphis has not looked nearly as strong on defense this year as they have over the past few seasons. Additionally, Cauley-Stein will likely draw the start at power forward which means he avoids the stout defense of Marc Gasol and gets to face off against the aging Zach Randolph and his abysmal 112 Defensive Rating to open the year. The Kings' rookie big man has impressed when on the floor through the first three games of the year, averaging 15.9 points, 11.8 rebounds, 2.4 blocks and 2.4 steals on a per-36 minute basis and should see more than 30 minutes of playing time tonight as long as he can stay out of foul trouble. Cauley-Stein provides excellent value at just $5,200 on FanDuel and is an absolute steal at just $4,000 on DraftKings.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope - KCP has gotten off to a solid start this season, averaging 14.3 points, 4.3 boards, 1.3 dimes and a steal in 37 minutes of action per game. Although he has yet to have a true breakout game this season, Caldwell-Pope's ability to fill up the stat sheet gives him a very high floor, especially considering his low price tag of just $4,900 on both FanDuel and DraftKings. The Pistons' guard draws a great matchup against the defensively-challenged Monta Ellis and should continue to see a massive workload against a defense that has looked less-than-stellar so far this season. He makes a very safe value play in what should be a pretty high scoring affair.
