The App is Back! Don’t forget to download the NBC Sports EDGE app to receive real-time player news, mobile alerts and track your favorite players. Plus, now you can check out articles and player cards. Get it here!
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 Tuesday’s two-game slate starting at 7:30 ET.
Editor’s Note: Dominate daily with our premium DFS Tools that are packed with our lineup optimizer, a salary tracker, projections and much more. And don’t forget to use promo code SAVE10 to get 10% off. Click here to learn more!
POINT GUARD
Trae Young – Atlanta (at Philadelphia) - DK: $9,200 / FD: $10,200 / Yahoo: $41
Salaries are tight tonight, and I think PG is the position I’m most flexible with. Assuming Mike Conley is out, Jordan Clarkson should be a solid play for the price, and Ben Simmons has been just as consistent as Young, albeit at a slightly lower level but for significantly less salary. Young has just been amazing in the playoffs. It’s like he knows he has arrived. Up one game in Round 2, the Hawks are surprising everyone this post-season. In the regular season, all three games were decided by a wide margin (Philly took the series 2-1), but spreads are narrow in the playoffs, and Vegas still believes in the home team (Philly is favored by six points tonight). This is all to say that we can expect Young to come out strong and compete for four quarters again tonight; he should be worth the salary.
Also Consider: Ben Simmons, Jordan Clarkson
SHOOTING GUARD
Donovan Mitchell – Utah (vs. LA) - DK: $8,200 / FD: $9,000 / Yahoo: $38
You also have some flexibility at SG with several cheap options (Bogdanovic and Curry have been good, and Ingles was generally worth it when he started during the regular season, again assuming Conley is out) or a pivot to the more expensive Paul George. The Jazz took the regular season series between these two teams, including one pretty massive blowout win against the Clippers’ scrubs. Mitchell’s numbers vs. LA are right in line with his season average – about 44 fantasy points per game. Utah definitely has the advantage in this series as the Clippers come off a seven-game slog, but I think we see some close games. Mitchell is the ideal SG play for his consistency/upside combination.
Also Consider: Paul George, Bogdan Bogdanovic, Seth Curry
SMALL FORWARD
Kawhi Leonard – LA (at Utah) - DK: $9,900 / FD: $11,000 / Yahoo: $46
Small forward is not pretty, even on sites with more generous eligibility. I’m seriously scared to fade Leonard tonight, which is why I noted the flexibility above. This is one spot I am not compromising on. Leonard in the playoffs is the best Leonard. He’s obviously a fantastic defender, but can be counted on for almost 30 points per game as well – he never had fewer than 20 PPG vs. Dallas in Round 1. Start with Leonard and build around him.
Also Consider: Bojan Bogdanovic
POWER FORWARD
Royce O’Neale – Utah (vs. LA) - DK: $5,100 / FD: $5,500 / Yahoo: $16
I know we can’t keep spending like madmen here, so consider O’Neale a salary compromise. He’s quietly been very good in the playoffs, sometimes even playing the most minutes of anyone on the team (range of 32-37 MPG in Round 1). He made over 50 percent of his three-point attempts vs. Memphis, and actually got better as the series went on. He increased his FG attempts, and ended the series with seven steals in the final two games. After a sluggish Game 1, O’Neale returned between 25-40 fantasy points per game. With Conley out, it’s likely Joe Ingles gets some attention tonight, but don’t forget about O’Neale for just a tiny bit more of the salary cap.
Also Consider: Tobias Harris, John Collins, Marcus Morris
CENTER
Clint Capela – Atlanta (at Philadelphia) - DK: $7,800 / FD: $7,600 / Yahoo: $30
I’m fine with any of the three centers tonight, so if you like the idea of saving at guard and want to roll with Joel Embiid tonight, that’s fine by me. Embiid carries a questionable designation tonight, but I expect he’ll play, as he did Sunday when he scored 39 points to go along with nine rebounds and three blocks. Still, a torn meniscus does give me pause – if it slightly tears more, will he be able to finish the game? His high salary has me looking to Capela for more security tonight, and Capela has upside too. He hasn’t been outstanding in the playoffs – Trae Young has taken care of that department, but he has been reasonable for the price. I think he’ll keep his streak of four consecutive double-doubles alive tonight, and if Embiid does somehow play a little less, he could have one of his 20-rebound efforts as well.
Also Consider: Joel Embiid, Rudy Gobert
[[ad:athena]]
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Jordan Clarkson (G – UTA) should always be on the radar when Conley is questionable or out. I wouldn’t count on that hamstring being ready to go, given that Conley missed time with it during the regular season as well. Still, the Jazz are deep and Clarkson is solid with the second unit under normal rotation conditions. He’ll just enjoy a bit more usage tonight and going forward. I’m less high on Joe Ingles and Bojan Bogdanovic, though either could be a nice ROI for big tournaments.
Joel Embiid (C – PHI) is a key to the slate. I think he’ll play, but if not, I’m bumping up Capela even more, and Tobias Harris will become a priority, Dwight Howard will be a factor, and maybe also Matisse Thybulle and Danny Green see more minutes and usage. Embiid falls into the high risk, high reward category for me tonight. His salary is the highest of all players on DraftKings and Yahoo, and behind only Leonard on FanDuel, meaning you’ll be compromising the rest of your lineup if you play these top two options. My preference is to save on center, as noted above.
