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 1:00 ET.
POINT GUARD
Malcolm Brogdon - Indiana (at Miami) – Yahoo: $28, DK: $6900, FD: $7400
In these playoff slates, you have to decide early where you’re going to spend up. For me, it’s not on Damian Lillard, at least not on DraftKings or Yahoo. I’m not sure if the dislocated finger is an issue, or if he just ran out of steam Thursday night, but that performance tanked lineups all over the place. There is certainly a chance that he bounces back tonight, but I’m spending elsewhere (see below). That leaves me with Brogdon as my top PG play of the day. He’s just night-in, night-out consistency. An almost guaranteed 35 fantasy points.
Also Consider: Chris Paul, Damian Lillard (FD)
SHOOTING GUARD
Jimmy Butler– Miami (vs. Indiana) – Yahoo: $38, DK: $7600, FD: $8400
My goal is to use both Butler and James Harden today, but Butler gets the top billing here for his far lower salary. Also, I like some of the cheaper Rockets’ wings as Oklahoma is using its highly rated defense to limit Harden as best it can. Butler is analogous to Brogdon – far cheaper, just as consistent, with a solid floor and some upside. He has six steals through the first two games of this series, and is a multi-category contributor every time he plays.
Also Consider: James Harden, Victor Oladipo, CJ McCollum
SMALL FORWARD
Giannis Antetokounmpo – Milwaukee (at Orlando) – Yahoo: $56, DK: $11,000, FD: $11,300
Giannis is a bit of a risk at his price, given that he is dealing with some calf soreness, and the Bucks are 12-point favorites tonight. So what if the Bucks get up big and he only plays around 30 minutes? Well, that’s his normal. In the bubble, Antetokounmpo has played six ‘full’ games (30-34 minutes) and has returned between 50 and 70 fantasy points in each one.
Also Consider: T.J. Warren
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POWER FORWARD
Anthony Davis – LA Lakers (at Portland) – Yahoo: $50, DK: $10,200, FD: $10,700
Davis, too, makes the injury report today, but is fully expected to play through the knee injury he suffered in Game 2, which he finished with his second consecutive 53-fantasy point effort. PF is the toughest position to fill tonight, so I’m taking a star/scrub approach where I’m forced to roster two of them. You know the matchup stats by now – Portland ranks seventh overall in fantasy points allowed and is the fourth-best PF matchup. I’m more concerned about LeBron James (see below) than Davis today, and I’m expecting a third consecutive double-double from Davis tonight.
Also Consider: Bam Adebayo (FD), Antetokounmpo (DK, Yahoo) or see bargain options
CENTER
Jusef Nurkic – Portland (vs. LA) – Yahoo: $36, DK: $8900, FD: $7400
On some sites, it’s a real decision between Nurkic and Nikola Vucevic (Aaron Gordon will be out again tonight), but on FanDuel, there’s no contest. Nurkic is RotoWorld’s highest projected center tonight, and his FanDuel salary doesn’t do him justice. Paying top dollar on DraftKings is going to be hard to do, after his recent Game 2 struggles, but I expect a considerable bounce-back tonight, especially if Lillard is limited by the finger and Nurkic can take on a higher usage rate.
Also Consider: Nikola Vucevic, Brook Lopez
Bargains of the Night
Aaron Holiday (G - IND) Holiday is averaging about 21 fantasy points against Miami in the bubble (three games) and believe it or not, he is our best value PG tonight (in salary dollars per fantasy point). Costing just $14 (Yahoo), $4400 (DK) and $4000 (FD), he’s an easy fit to pair with Brogdon, Dragic, Paul or Lillard.
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 fantastic salaries ($10 Yahoo, $3600 DK, $4100 FD), Clark has been playing about 30 MPG and contributing across the board. He’s not afraid of shooting beyond the arc, having attempted 17 three-pointers in the first two games of this series. If he can only start hitting them at a higher rate, he could blow this slate up. Even so, the versatile forward is making marks in all categories and should be a very safe way to save salary today.
Carmelo Anthony (F - POR) almost made it into the upper section of this article, but I’m a chicken. Also, Anthony’s salary ($18 Yahoo, $5600 DK, $5000 DK) falls into the upper bargain range. He’s coming off an epically bad game, managing just two fantasy points in 27 minutes. That is hard to do. In fact, Melo has shot 33 percent or worse in his last four games, including his double-double in Game 1 of this series. A veteran will find a way to overcome, and I expect that Anthony will eventually find his shot. He has the potential to be Portland’s new source of inspiration and they desperately need him to step up tonight to keep this series in hand.
Also Consider: Danuel House Jr., Eric Gordon, Justin Holiday, Hassan Whiteside
GPP Pivots of the Night
LeBron James (F – LAL) I just don’t see him being highly rostered coming off the poor performance Thursday night. His groin soreness is not new, and he has been able to play through it effectively. As much as I want to see Portland extend this series, you know the Lakers are going to go all out to shut it down as soon as possible, to get James and Davis as much rest as they can. I think he’ll bounce back in a big way tonight.
Check out Louis Cangiano’s GPP Pivots for more ideas!
