The 2015-16 NBA season is officially underway. The first week of the season always offer up the toughest choices, as decisions must be based off of results from last season— or worse, the preseason. In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 10/27/16. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays on DraftKings.

Guys like Stephen Curry, James Harden, LeBron James and DeMarcus Cousins are obvious; they are essentially matchup-proof. The only reason not to choose these players is cost, but you already know that. What we’re looking for here are players who are undervalued at their current price. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @hayudi18.

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DraftKings DFS Guards

Isaiah Thomas - PG, BOS ($7,200)

The Celtics improved in the offseason, signing Al Horford and adding a deep draft class headlined by Jaylen Brown. Still, Thomas is the man in Boston. He is their No. 1 scoring option (22.2 PPG in 2015-’16), he shoots a decent percentage in all three categories (.428/.359/.871) and can rack up assists in bunches (6.2).

Thomas is significantly cheaper than Damian Lillard, Chris Paul and John Wall, and while he isn’t likely to keep up with them over the course of the season, he is more than capable of exploding for 30 and 10 in a single game. Thomas matched up with Rajon Rondo, Chicago’s new point guard, twice last season, averaging 21.5 points, nine assists and one turnover.

C.J. McCollum - SG, POR ($6,800)

Like most games the Trailblazers play, Thursday’s game against the Clippers will probably be decided by the backcourts— for Portland, that means McCollum and Lillard. McCollum scored 21 points per game at home last year compared to 24.8 for Lillard. That’s not a huge difference, especially considering Lillard costs $2,400 more. Additionally, McCollum will not have the burden of being guarded by Chris Paul for most of the game. This could be as cheap as you find the 25-year-old all year.

Tony Parker/Patrick Mills - PG, SA ($4,400/$3,900)

Parker scored just 11.9 points per game last year, his lowest since he was a rookie in 2001-’02. His usage has decreased over the last few seasons, and at 34 years old, that can continue this year. However, he is still the starting point guard for a contending team who majors in efficiency.

Ty Lawson, who is filling into for the injured Darren Collison at point guard, is not known to be the most formidable defender. Thursday could provide Parker with some additional scoring opportunities, and this price, he is worth the risk. Mills, who is $500 cheaper, could also be a solid option considering the likelihood that this game turns into a blowout.

 

DraftKings DFS Forwards

Kawhi Leonard - SF/PF, SA ($8,400)

Yes, the Spurs are tough to use in daily fantasy because they are so balanced and Gregg Popovich is so unpredictable. However, as long as Leonard is under $9,000, it’s hard to pass on him. He is as close to a No. 1 scoring option as the Spurs have, and he can fill up the stat sheet in a hurry. The 25-year-old put up 35 points on 10-for-21 shooting, five rebounds, three assists and five steals in San Antonio’s season opener against the Warriors. On Thursday against the Kings, Leonard will match up with a group of wings that is led by Rudy Gay. Unless this game is over by the second quarter, the reigning defensive player of the year should end up with another huge night.

Paul Millsap - PF, ATL ($7,900)

Millsap posted a career highs in rebounds (9.0) and assists (3.3) in 2015 to go along with 17.1 points on 47% shooting. With Jeff Teague and Al Horford out of town, Millsap should shoulder a heavier workload on offense— Dennis Schroder and Dwight Howard are more defensive-minded.

Markieff Morris, the Wizards’ starting power forward, isn’t the toughest defender, so the Hawks could feed Millsap continuously on Thursday night. The 31-year-old could post numbers similar to those of Blake Griffin, but is $700 cheaper.

Allen Crabbe - SG/SF, POR ($3,700)

Crabbe took a major step forward in 2015, becoming a key piece of the Trailblazers’ bench. He continued to show improvements in Portland’s season opener against the Jazz, scoring 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting with three rebounds and three assists. Crabbe has been known to produce in bunches— he scored just six points on 2-for-12 shooting over the first three games in the opening round of the playoffs against the Clippers last year, but totaled 36 points on 14-for-24 shooting throughout the final three games of the series.

Crabbe has dual-position eligibility and is dirt cheap. He is not a sure bet, but there is plenty of upside here. The 24-year-old can be a nice source of production who will allow you to spend a little more on some other spots.

 

DraftKings DFS Centers

DeAndre Jordan - C, LAC ($7,700)

Jordan has managed 14.1 rebounds per game over his last three seasons. To put that into perspective, Portland’s starting bigs — Mason Plumlee and Al-Farouq Aminu — combined for 11.7 rebounds per game in 2015. Jordan is double-double machine who has increased his scoring total every year since joining the NBA in 2008.

In Wednesday’s season opener, the Blazers yielded 12 points and 14 rebounds to Rudy Gobert, whose style of play is similar to that of Jordan. The Clippers’ big man is the second-most expensive center-eligible player for Thursday night, but sits $2,600 cheaper than DeMarcus Cousins.

Mason Plumlee - C, POR ($4,300)

Plumlee became a full-time starter for Portland last season, when he averaged 9.1 points and 7.7 rebounds. Against the Jazz on Tuesday, the 26-year-old played just 15 minutes as a result of being in early foul trouble— a common occurrence for Plumlee.

A matchup with the Clippers won’t necessarily excite anybody, especially considering Jordan’s propensity for drawing fouls, but Plumlee is, by a good margin, the cheapest starting center in Thursday’s slate of games. He is a risk, but if he is able to limit the fouls, he can return solid value at that price.

 

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