NBA DFS Bargains: Tuesday
Every NBA DFS lineup needs to draw from the bottom of the player well to balance those stars who spend through the DraftKings or FanDuel salary cap with such ease. Bargain players are ideally those with low salaries, but plenty of upside. Opportunity is often the key to success for our low-cost lineup fillers.
With the weird post-All Star break scheduling very much in effect, there are only three NBA games on Tuesday night’s slate. And to be frank, they’re not the most fantasy-friendly matchups. Four of the six teams taking the court tonight rank in the bottom 10 in fantasy points allowed to their opponents, with Boston coming in 30th and Orlando 26th. The New York Knicks are our only truly good matchup to target (Orlando is in NYC tonight). Denver gets the biggest pace bump, as the Thunder rank second in pace this season, and one of the Nuggets’ now crowded wing rotation should take advantage of Oklahoma City’s weak perimeter defense. The only major injury news to watch for is DeAndre Jordan, who is listed as a game time decision with an ankle sprain.
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FanDuel/DraftKings bargains
D.J. Augustin – PG – Orlando (FD: $4800, DK: $4100)
Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon check in as much higher priority Magic players to roster tonight, but if you’re looking to take advantage of the worst defensive team on the slate – and 4th-most generous for fantasy in the league – on a budget, Augustin fits the bill. He’s been steadily returning about 20-30 fantasy points per game, with a few outliers in both directions, and averages 24 fantasy points in two games vs. the Knicks so far this season. He’s a safe play for the price.
Marcus Smart – G – Boston (FD: $5100, DK: $4100)
This game features high quality defense on both sides with zero good positional matchups for either team. However, Vegas has a 225-point total on it so these Eastern Conference rivals are expected to be active offensively tonight. Smart’s salary is a bit more attractive on DK, but he’s the kind of player I’ll turn to for his high floor and superb ceiling in a gritty game like this one on a (rhymes with gritty) slate like this one.
Damyean Dotson – SG – New York (FD: $5400, DK: $4400)
Dotson might be too popular tonight given the matchup and the Knicks unpredictability, not to mention his unsustainable shooting percentage (especially from three-point range) over the past few games. For those reasons, I’m still regarding him as a high upside tournament player rather than a trusted cornerstone player as far as lineup building goes. That said, the SG position is a difficult one tonight, so it makes sense to save here and no one is hotter than Dotson right now.
Gary Harris – G/F – Denver (FD: $4800, DK: $4500)
The Thunder have been a great defensive team, tied for third in defensive efficiency at this point in the season, but are consistently a fantasy-friendly matchup for opposing wings (second-most fantasy points allowed to SGs). With Monte Morris, Will Barton and Malik Beasley also in the mix, it’s a tempting situation to fade. However, given the 236-point total on this game and the positional weakness, it’s one I’m keen to take advantage of. My vote is for Harris, who was efficient in his limited minutes during Sunday’s big win over the LA Clippers. His price is right and he’s definitely going to get at least 20 minutes, something I can’t say about the other guys in the rotation, as Denver is trying to get Harris back up to speed from the bench.
Jerami Grant – PF – Oklahoma City (FD: $5800, DK: $4600)
Grant profiles as an interesting tournament play tonight, at an especially nice price on DK. He’s coming off a poor game in which he recorded no blocks or steals, a major source of value for him in DFS. Prior to that poor performance vs. Sacramento, Grant had been exceeding value. I think the combination of a difficult matchup with the league’s top rebounding team and the recency effect will have most of the field fading Grant tonight. A bounce-back into the 25-35 fantasy point range is definitely possible in what should be a high scoring and close game.
Lance Thomas – F – New York (FD: $3700, DK: $3300)
A desperation salary saver, Thomas was surprisingly good in his starting role vs. the Spurs on Sunday. He played 30 minutes, scoring 16 points and bringing down seven rebounds. If –and only if – DeAndre Jordan misses tonight’s game with his sprained ankle, I’d roll with Thomas despite the bad on-paper matchup. The salary is simply too low to ignore if he gets the opportunity to start and play 30 minutes again.
