We have already witnessed some monster performances throughout the 2015 NBA playoffs and with the field narrowed down to the final four teams, we can only expect the drama and excitement to pick up another level once again. The Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets open up their Western Conference Finals series on Tuesday night and we have identified the perfect mix of superstar talent and value plays to create the optimal lineup for DraftKings NBA Daily Fantasy Leagues.
PG: Stephen Curry, Golden State
Salary: $10,400
It only makes sense to begin building our lineup with the league’s MVP and the home team’s best player. He could potentially be the best fantasy player available in this series too. The fact that the second-best option at the point guard spot for Tuesday night is Pablo Prigioni is enough to seal the deal here as we slot in a star in Curry that has averaged 28.2 points, 6.8 assists, 5.1 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 4.6 three-point shots per game this postseason.
SG: James Harden, Houston
Salary: $9,500
The only thing better than watching two of the top fantasy performers from this past season go head-to-head in the Western Conference Finals is doing it with both of them locked in to our DraftKings Daily Fantasy Leagues lineups. Harden will do everything in his power to upstage Curry in this series and since he is listed at under $10,000, we can plug him in to this spot and still have enough money to fill out the rest of our lineup. Harden has averaged 26.7 points, 8.0 assists, 4.8 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 2.4 three-point shots per game throughout these playoffs and we expect a big performance in Game 1.
SF: Josh Smith, Houston
Salary: $5,500
Smith hasn’t been the most consistent fantasy option in these playoffs but neither has Trevor Ariza or Harrison Barnes, so we feel very comfortable plugging him in here at the SF spot. Smith’s size and shooting ability will be important against the Warriors and it will be very interesting to see just how big of a role he plays in this series as perhaps a sleeper pick to have a very productive Game 1 as a potential sleeper play in DFL’s.
PF: Draymond Green, Golden State
Salary: $7,700
Green has emerged as one of the sleeper stars of these NBA playoffs and it’s his versatility and ability to stuff the stat sheet in so many different areas that makes him such a unique play. Green has averaged just 13.8 points per game this postseason but he has also averaged 10.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 2.1 steals and 1.5 three-point shots per game. Those are excellent numbers for a player that costs under $8,000 and with no other real option available at the position it only makes sense that we plug Green in here.
C: Andrew Bogut, Golden State
Salary: $5,500
Dwight Howard is the obvious play here but he also costs $3,200 more than Bogut and we can’t justify committing the extra salary to him in this spot. That would really limit us elsewhere, so we’ll go with the Warriors’ starting center. Bogut has averaged only 5.3 points per game this postseason but he has recorded 8.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 blocks per game and we would rather plug him in to this spot hoping he has a big game rather than committing much more money to Howard and hoping he doesn’t have a terrible game.
G: Corey Brewer, Houston
Salary: $4,500
The money saved by taking Smith and Bogut over Ariza and Howard will pay off over these final three spots where we get three capable contributors beginning with Brewer. Brewer has averaged 12.4 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.0 three-point shots per game off the bench for Houston in these playoffs but he had 19 points and 10 rebounds in the Rockets’ Game 6 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. If he can come close to hitting those totals in this contest, he will be more than worth the money in this spot.
F: Terrence Jones, Houston
Salary: $4,400
Jones had his minutes limited in Game 7 against the Clippers but he has averaged 11.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in these playoffs. If he can at least match those totals in Game 1 against Golden State, then he will be worth plugging in to this spot. Jones has the highest potential of any player we can afford in this spot and still have just enough money left over to add one more player that can contribute at a decent level.
FLEX: David Lee, Golden State
Salary: $3,600
Lee has been very inconsistent when given the opportunity by the Warriors but when you consider that he played in each of Golden State’s three straight wins to close out their second round series against the Memphis Grizzlies, it’s clear how important he can be. Lee had a couple more days off to rest and prepare for Game 1 against Houston and if he can match his production from Game 6 against Memphis when he scored six points with seven rebounds, a steal and an assist in just 17 minutes off the bench, he will be a decent play here. Remember, it’s important to lock in Curry, Harden and Green elsewhere and with those star fantasy players carrying the load, players like Brewer, Jones and Lee will do just enough to make this a winning lineup in Daily Fantasy Leagues.
