The weekend will wrap up with a full slate of 2015 NBA playoffs action on Sunday with the action beginning at early in the afternoon. The loaded schedule makes it that much more important to find the best possible balance between superstar players and sleeper value.
Once again, we have done our best to come up with the perfect balance. Here is a quick look at the ideal lineup for Sunday’s DraftKings NBA daily fantasy leagues.
PG: J.J. Barea, Dallas
Salary: $4,800
Rajon Rondo’s dramatic fall from grace has left the Mavericks in a desperate position turning to Barea as their starting point guard in the playoffs. While it might not work out for them, the potential is there for him to register a solid fantasy line for Game 4 against Houston on Sunday. Barea isn’t an elite point guard by any stretch but both the situation and the price point make him a quality sleeper fantasy play. Keep in mind that as a starter this season, he’s averaged 11.0 points per game, 4.6 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 threes per game.
SG: Evan Turner, Boston
Salary: $4,500
The Celtics might be down 0-3 to the Cleveland Cavaliers but that should only help their sense of urgency with Game 4 on Sunday. The best fantasy option on the board for Boston remains Turner. He filled the stat sheet with a team-high 19 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, two steals and one three-pointer in Game 3 and if he can match those totals, it will make him an absolute steal at under $5,000.
SF: Kawhi Leonard, San Antonio
Salary: $7,800
The Spurs finally seemed to figure out the best way to attack the Clippers defense: a heavy dose of Leonard. Last year’s Finals MVP is the type of player that fills a number of categories across the board, as evidenced by the 32 points, four rebounds, three threes, three steals and two blocks in Game 3. Considering his relatively low price point, it makes sense to take him here.
PF: Tim Duncan, San Antonio
Salary: $8,600
Duncan has already proven it’s not wise to write him off just yet and with San Antonio back home, there is a good chance he finds his legs with another big performance on Sunday. He had a quiet scoring performance in Game 3, finishing with just four points but still contributed elsewhere with seven rebounds, four assists and three blocks.
C: Dwight Howard, Houston
Salary: $9,000
Howard was the Rockets MVP through the first two playoff games, including his game-high 28 points, 12 rebounds, two assists and two blocks in Game 2. Suddenly, all of the time he missed this season means that much less to basketball fans in Houston now that they have watched him dominate the Mavericks defense so far in this series. As long as Howard is healthy and playing at such a high level, it would be unwise not to have him in daily fantasy leagues when the Rockets play.
G: J.J. Redick, Los Angeles
Salary: $4,400
Redick had quietly been very good for the Clippers before Game 3 and they may need to rely on him even more thanks to Gregg Popovich and the Spurs figuring out a way to break down their offense. He averaged 13.0 points per game, 3.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 2.0 three-pointers through the first two games, so he should approach that in Game 4.
F: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas
Salary: $6,500
With another quality sleeper play locked up at the FLEX position, we can afford to spend a little more money here and considering the options left for this spot, it makes a lot of sense to go with Nowitzki. Mavericks fans are still waiting for him to step up with a dominant performance and with Dallas fighting for its playoff lives, this could be the game where we see Nowitzki really step up with one dominant fantasy performance.
FLEX: Jae Crowder, Boston
Salary: $3,000
Crowder started the second half of Game 3 against the Cavaliers and finished with 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals, two blocks and two three-pointers in 31 minutes of action. He might not be able to match those numbers in Game 4 but Brad Stevens understands his Celtics need to have as much size as possible on the floor to help guard LeBron James. Considering the way he performed when given the chance, it’s likely that Crowder will get another opportunity on Sunday.
