NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Monday 2/1/16
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.
Oh, and if you're interested, check out our daily fantasy basketball heat chart for today's slate. It's full of information like tonight's Vegas lines, team offensive and defensive efficiency ratings, pace, fantasy points against and so much more.
As for today's picks -- let's get to it.
The Best of the Best
Russell Westbrook (FD: $10,900, DK: $11,000) - Westbrook was outstanding over the past month, nearly averaging a triple-double with 20.4 points, 10.9 assists, 8.4 rebounds and 2 steals per game in 16 games in the month of January. Currently ranking second in the league in Usage Rate (32.9%) and sitting fourth in our player power rankings with a 15.6 nERD, Westbrook is our top overall projected player on the board in what Vegas expects to be the highest scoring game on tonight's slate by a wide margin.
Kevin Durant (FD: $10,700, DK: $10,400) - The Wizards are a great defense to target in daily fantasy, ranking 22nd in the league in Defensive Rating (107.4), allowing the seventh most points per game (104.8) and playing at the fifth fastest pace in the league. Washington also give up the second most fantasy points per game to opposing small forwards on the year and should have their hands full with Durant, who should be in store for another monster outing.
Kyle Lowry (FD: $9,000, DK: $8,700) - Lowry has put together a career-year, posting career-bests in scoring (21 points per game), rebounds (5 per game), steals (2.3 per game) and Usage Rate (26%). He draws a tremendous matchup against a Nuggets' defense that ranks 25th in the NBA in Defensive Efficiency and has allowed the third most fantasy points per game to opposing point guards on the year, making him one of the top overall plays on the board tonight.
Top Mid-Range Values
Giannis Antetokounmpo (FD: $7,500, DK: $7,300) - The Greek Freak's breakout season continued in the month of January as he averaged 16.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, 3 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks in his last 15 games. With a matchup against a Kings' squad that allows the most points per game in the league (108.2) and plays at the fastest pace in all of basketball, Antetokounmpo is in play in all formats tonight.
Chandler Parsons (FD: $6,700, DK: $7,000) - Parsons comes into tonight red hot, having averaged 22.1 points, 6.5 boards and 2.5 assists in 36.5 minutes per game over his last eight outings. He should see another massive workload tonight and can still be had for a very reasonable price across the industry.
Myles Turner (FD: $5,200, DK: $5,800) - Turner has posted 14 points, 7.5 boards, 2.5 blocks and 2 dimes in 33.3 minutes per game since entering the Pacers' starting unit two games ago. He is averaging 18.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocks on a per-36 minute basis this season and should see minutes in the mid-30s once again tonight with Ian Mahinmi already ruled out for tonight's matchup with the Cavaliers.
Basement Ballers
Jordan Hill (FD: $4,500, DK: $4,800) - With Mahinmi out, Hill will draw his second consecutive start for the short-handed Pacers. He has played very well when given the opportunity, averaging 15.6 points, 11.4 rebounds and 2 assists per-36 minutes this season. And he's coming off of a 20-point, 7-rebound, 6-block, 3-assist performance in 38 minutes against Denver on Saturday. He should reach value easily against a Cleveland front court that has struggled to slow down opposing big men all season long.
Willie Cauley-Stein (FD: $4,100, DK: $5,200) - Cauley-Stein has been outstanding when given a heavy workload this season, scoring 10.5 points to go along with 10.2 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 1.2 steals on a per-36 minute basis this season. Although he has seen somewhat inconsistent playing time as of late, Cauley-Stein should push for 30-plus minutes tonight in a dream matchup against a Bucks' team that ranks 29th in the NBA in Defensive Efficiency, and could see an even bigger boost if the questionable DeMarcus Cousins is unable to suit up tonight.
Wayne Ellington (FD: $3,900, DK: $3,700) - Ellington has seen a significant increase in playing time as of late, averaging 11.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 1.6 assists in 30.2 minutes per game over his last five outings. He has seen at least 30 minutes in each of his last three games and should reach value easily tonight given his sub-$4,000 price tag on both FanDuel and DraftKings.
