This article aims to highlight some of the best NBA DFS Plays at every position for your cash game lineups. 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 while giving you the subsequent DFS consequences of each information piece.
We’ll take a look at Saturday’s one-game slate starting at 8:30 ET.
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NOTES
The NBA playoffs just don’t disappoint, do they? Expect the unexpected and enjoy the ride. This series set up from the beginning to be the highlight of the post-season, and as we are here at Game 7, it has lived up to the hype. Despite the even series, only one game has been close at the end of the fourth quarter. We’ve had some wild swings, with an average margin of victory of just over 13 points (17.7 for Brooklyn wins, 8.3 for Milwaukee wins). Vegas has an over/under of 216.5 points on tonight’s showdown and the Nets are home favorites by 1.5 points. Kyrie Irving will remain sidelined.
TOP PLAYS
Kevin Durant – F – BKN
You’re probably going to have two of these stars in your lineups tonight, so I thought I’d just give my thoughts on each. Durant is a must-have. He’s cheaper than Giannis Antetokounmpo on both Yahoo and DraftKings, which I don’t really get, though you’re really splitting hairs as both have been spectacular in this series. Durant is home, and I expect him to continue to play the starring role on both ends of the court.
Giannis Antetokounmpo – F – MIL has taken some heat this series for his free-throw shooting and lack of a signature finish move, but overall he has been consistently fantastic for DFS. His stat lines look more machine than man, with over 30 points per game, six consecutive double-doubles in this series, and 3-4 assists. He’s critical, but still, the Bucks need someone else to step up if they’re going to win tonight.
Khris Middleton – F – MIL was that man in Game 6, and my pick to do it again. Jrue Holiday is the other obvious candidate, and he is coming off his best game of the series with 21 points and four steals. Both have been better fantasy-wise at home than in Brooklyn, but Middleton has overall been the superior option. The salary difference between he and Holiday isn’t enough to talk me down to Holiday (it’s one dollar on Yahoo, $600 on DraftKings and $1500 on FanDuel) except where I’m looking to hedge in multi-entry GPPs.
James Harden – G – BKN could be the wild card here, and serious tournament players will want some exposure to Harden in the MVP/multiplier spots. My objective opinion based on what I know now is that he’s overpriced relative to his most likely range of outcomes (30-45 fantasy points). The flip side of looking at his results in last two games (while playing 40-46 MPG) is that he hasn’t had any setback with the hamstring, has improved dramatically from Game 5 to Game 6, and has a ways to go before hitting his ceiling. In other words, he could make another leap tonight and get you 60 fantasy points. It’s not something I’d bank on considering he’s priced similarly to Middleton and Durant, which is why I consider Harden a tournament only play tonight.
NOTABLE BARGAINS
Brook Lopez – C – MIL is the safest play in the bargain range. He hasn’t been outstanding, he hasn’t been terrible. You know you’re getting about 23-26 fantasy points a night from him, with potential for a small double-double. It’s not exciting, but it will get the job done in one of your non-multiplier spots.
Joe Harris – G – BKN is playing heavy minutes despite limited production, which keeps him in contention as an upside bargain play tonight. He’s most fairly priced on Yahoo ($13), but doable on FanDuel ($8500) and DraftKings ($7200). Steve Nash’s philosophy seems to be to rely on his superstars to win these games, as his bench rotation has been inconsistent with each player seeing maybe 4-5 minutes. I think it’s unlikely he switches things up dramatically at this point, so I trust Harris to see his usual 35-plus minutes tonight. Whether he can actually get back to scoring points remains to be seen, but at this point it’s about rostering cheap opportunity.
Pat Connaughton – F – MIL is the only Bucks player off the bench to play consistently high minutes (average 20.5 MPG). The fact that he’s coming off an 0-for-5 shooting performance (all three-point attempts) shouldn’t discourage you that much from using him in tournaments. His salary ($2000 on DK!!, $8000 FD, $10 Yahoo) might dictate where you use him (not on FanDuel) but the upside is clearly there. Game 4’s victory stands out; even though he shot poorly his four steals and two blocks led him to around 30 fantasy points.
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OTHER NOTES
Blake Griffin – F/C – BKN remains an affordable accompaniment to the stars. He’s been going all out to see his team advance to the Eastern Conference Finals, with double-digit points in the last two games. He can make a difference on both ends of the court which has led to his achieving at least 21 fantasy points in every game of this series.
Jeff Green – F – BKN has seen his action increasing over the last three games, largely at the expense of struggling Bruce Brown and Mike James. Green has played 27, 35 and 36 MPG in the last three, highlighted by a 27-point performance in Game 5. No longer a bargain per se, Green is still affordable on all three sites ($5200 DK, $14 Yahoo, $9500 FD).
