DraftKings Advice: March 2, 2016

There are a handful of NBA superstars to choose from in daily fantasy on an 11-game Wednesday. In real life, the matchup between Chris Paul $9800 and Russell Westbrook $11200 is compelling stuff. James Harden $10400 leads the Rockets into New Orleans, where Anthony Davis $10100 (toe) is expected to return after missing just one game.

Any (or all) of them could earn those lofty salaries, but in DFS we look for value — underpriced players with a good chance to succeed. Will Barton $6000 is my #1 guy tonight. He was relatively quiet on Monday in a loss to Memphis, but with Kenneth Faried $6200 (back) questionable and Danilo Gallinari (ankle) out, The Thrill is the primary offensive threat as the Nuggets host the Lakers. Emmanuel Mudiay $5300, Darrell Arthur $3900 and Gary Harris $5000 are also affordable.

L.A. did beat the Nets last night with our bargain pick D’Angelo Russell $5800 draining eight threes among his 39 points, plus a double-double from Julius Randle $6200 and a rare good effort from Roy Hibbert $3400. It remains to be seen if they can be as effective in a back-to-back on the road at altitude, though Kobe Bryant $5700 (shoulder) should return.

$215,000 Contest Free To New Users

The $215K Sharpshooter is only a $3 buy-in (FREE with your initial deposit at DraftKings) where the top 18,900 finishers (from up to 82,416 teams) win cash. First place earns $10,000. The deadline is 7:00 EST; enter early and make lineup changes until each player’s game begins.

If every player in your 8-man lineup outperforms his cost, you’ll win money. My rule-of-thumb is FPTS = 5$, or five times the player’s cost should at least equal his fantasy points scored. For Harden, that’s a score of 52.000 to “break even” on his salary. Barton has the better chance to earn six or even seven times his price. Eric Gordon $5100 showed zero rust with 31 points (44.3 FPTS) after missing a month and is also worth considering.

The decision at PG is extremely tough. John Wall $9700, Kyle Lowry $8400 and others could beat Westbrook and CP3 in points-per-dollar. We touted Kemba Walker $8100 here yesterday with a caveat about garbage time; though the Hornets won by 34 and he saw less than 30 minutes, he still earned 6.5 times his cost. A repeat in Philadelphia tonight would be no surprise.

Kevin Durant $10200 is clearly the best SF on the board and priced accordingly, but Kawhi Leonard $7700 and the Spurs are playing their first home game in 25 days (they were 7-1 on the road) and might entertain the crowd. The underrated Jerami Grant $4700, not much of a scorer, contributes in rebounds, assists, blocks and steals.

DeMarcus Cousins $10600 faces the tough Grizzlies D, so Davis gets the nod as our Premium PF but again, we’re looking for value. LaMarcus Aldridge $6900 warrants strong consideration and Arthur (my top choice under $4000) is a decent punt play.

Center is also a tossup, with Karl-Anthony Towns $8500 and Marcin Gortat $7100 both playable in a potentially high-scoring affair. Dwight Howard $7600 has been profitable in three of last four and was a break-even play vs. an inspired Tim Duncan $4800 in the other.

We always create a Short List of 15 players before trying to assemble the best lineups. Some nights there are more ultra-cheap bargains with upside, which makes a stars-and-scrubs approach more viable, but this evening’s value appears to be in the middle. As always, breaking news between now and game time can create opportunities.

Pos	Premium	Midrange	Bargain
PG	Chris Paul $9800	Kemba Walker $8100	D’Angelo Russell $5800
SG	James Harden $10400	Will Barton $6000	Eric Gordon $5100
SF	Kevin Durant $10200	Kawhi Leonard $7700	Jerami Grant $4700
PF	Anthony Davis $10100	LaMarcus Aldridge $6900	Darrell Arthur $3900
C	Karl-Anthony Towns $8500	Dwight Howard $7600	Tim Duncan $4800