Welcome to the 2020 NBA Playoffs! This article aims to highlight some of the best plays at each position for today’s main NBA slate. Keep in mind that the following player write-ups were constructed earlier in the day, and sometimes injury/rest situations can alter the fantasy landscape. Monitoring our NBA News & Headlines Feed throughout the day will keep you in the loop. Today’s main slate on FanDuel, Yahoo and DraftKings includes all four games starting at 1:30 ET.
POINT GUARD
Malcolm Brogdon - Indiana (at Miami) – Yahoo: $31, DK: $7500, FD: $7600
Brogdon was my top play on Saturday and is again the best guard option for me tonight. His salary has gone up on the heels of the 65-fantasy point performance of his life. The Pacers can’t win, but Brogdon and his multi-category production remains a key piece of winning DFS lineups tonight.
Also Consider: Goran Dragic, Damian Lillard
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SHOOTING GUARD
C.J. McCollum– Portland (vs. LA Lakers) – Yahoo: $32, DK: $7700, FD: $7200
I have nothing against James Harden except his salary. McCollum is thousands less and is coming off a game in which he finally shot well and scored 28 real points including four three-pointers. His fantasy value was boosted by a slew of peripherals, including two steals, a block, four assists and eight rebounds. Portland desperately needs a win tonight and McCollum’s staying hot from the field is key.
Also Consider: James Harden, Jimmy Butler
SMALL FORWARD
T.J. Warren – Indiana (vs. Miami) – Yahoo: $34, DK: $7800, FD: $7600
Warren has been a little up and down but if you can’t afford Giannis Antetokounmpo comfortably, he’s the guy at SF today. He’s been cold from three-point range, but shooting well otherwise, and part of his big game success has come from his hustle – four steals in Game 1 and five in Game 3. He’s shown us his upside in the bubble, but don’t overlook the value of his solid floor when building lineups tonight.
Also Consider: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Carmelo Anthony
POWER FORWARD
Anthony Davis – LA Lakers (at Portland) – Yahoo: $51, DK: $10,500, FD: $10,900
Davis delivered his third consecutive double-double of the series Saturday night, and is there a more consistent player at the position? Exactly 11 rebounds per game, between 28 and 31 points per game, two steals, two blocks, ok, his assist numbers are variable, but come on. I was relieved to see that his salary didn’t jump more than 1-2 percent.
Also Consider: Antetokounmpo (DK, Yahoo) or see bargain options
CENTER
Jusuf Nurkic – Portland (vs. LA) – Yahoo: $32, DK: $8600, FD: $7000
Nurkic was the big disappointment for me on Saturday’s slate, and Yahoo and FanDuel have responded by lowering his salary considerably. He’s down just $300 DraftKings after the second dismal performance in a row. Call me stubborn, but I still believe he’s capable of that 40-plus fantasy point game, and as noted above, Portland needs heroes right now.
Also Consider: Myles Turner
Bargains of the Night
Jeff Green (F/C - HOU) The Houston non-Hardens are stepping up in this series, and Green is one of the more notable. His shooting has been fantastic, averaging 20 points per game in this series with 11 made threes. At just $16 (Yahoo), $5400 (DK) and $5500 (FD), he’s a nice way to save tonight.
Gary Clark (PF – ORL) With Gordon out again, I fully expect Clark to be heavily rostered. I mentioned above the scarcity at this position, and Clark has the salary and opportunity to make him one of the best bargains on the slate. With low salaries ($10 Yahoo, $4100 DK, $4400 FD), Clark has been playing about 30 MPG and contributing across the board. He apparently only shoots threes, but the versatile forward is making marks in all statistical categories and should be a very safe way to save salary today.
D.J. Augustin (PG - ORL) Augustin dominated Game 3 for the Magic, a game that saw Nikola Vucevic disappoint (relative to salary) and James Ennis Jr. get ejected. However, Augustin has quietly put up 35-ish fantasy points in three of his last four games. The Magic need a miracle, and with Markelle Fultz not really stepping up, it could be Augustin again that comes through – for his team and your lineups. Priced fairly-- $12 (Yahoo), $4600 (DK), $5000 (FD)—he’s an easy fit tonight.
Also Consider: Eric Gordon, Justin Holiday, Luguentz Dort
GPP Pivots of the Night
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (G – OKC) To my mind, Gilgeous-Alexander isn’t priced like a player averaging almost 50 fantasy points per game in the last two games of the playoffs ($30 Yahoo, $7400 DK, $7000 FD). The Thunder are coming off a win, which is huge for the intangibles that drive a player to keep making tough plays. SGA is shooting and scoring well in Games 2 &3, but it’s his peripherals that really increase his value. Our NBA DFS Optimizer tags him as the best dollar per fantasy point SG today.
Eric Bledsoe (PG- MIL) Bledsoe is a quiet pivot off the more popular Dragic today. Priced similarly, but projected slightly higher by our NBA DFS Tools, Bledsoe has been shooting 50 percent from the field in this series, while contributing ample assists and steals. He should be lower owned than the higher priced PGs, making another 35-40 fantasy point performance a little more valuable to your GPP lineups.
Also Consider: Myles Turner
