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Welcome to the NBA GPP Pivots article, where we’ll be looking to uncover some sneaky-good DFS plays away from the popular selections. These recommendations are usually risk/reward commodities meant to be used in large-field tournaments. Typically, blending these low-owned hidden gems with well-aligned staples contributes to a viable GPP strategy.
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 will be looking at Wednesday’s three-game slate starting at 7:00 ET.
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PRIMER
It pays to be different in these shortened playoff slates. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you’ll optimize every point-per-dollar selection throughout a lineup. Sometimes you’ll need to sacrifice a cheap punt play (even if they only get you 15 FP) in order to reach for GPP-winning upside elsewhere. Don’t worry so much about the outright projections when mixing and matching these tournament lineups.
Donovan Mitchell will play tonight. That is the biggest injury news of the slate. Mitchell missed Game 1, so his presence will likely mix up the rotation and usage for Utah. Mitchell will probably want to play a full 36-minute shift, but I’m guessing the Jazz will try to protect him with a few more breaks added in. After all, Mitchell hasn’t played in over five weeks.
Nerlens Noel is questionable. If he’s out, then Taj Gibson would likely pick up more minutes in the New York frontcourt.
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GPP PIVOTS
Danny Green - SF - Philadelphia
Wing players like Seth Curry and Alec Burks are generating a ton of buzz in the DFS community today, but don’t forget about good ol’ Danny Green. If Game 1 is any indication of his role moving forward, then I’m definitely looking his way for a cheap salary. Green saw 31 minutes on Sunday, coming through with 24 fantasy points. We all know the Wizards play fast while ranking bottom ten in defensive efficiency. Green should be able to translate his starting role into another 24+ FP showing with upside above 30.
Rui Hachimura - SF - Washington
Minutes, minutes, minutes! Rui saw 36 of them in Game 1, and he’s going to be a main factor in this series. Some DFS enthusiasts will avoid him after his inefficient 18 FP effort on Sunday, but Hachimura will have plenty of opportunities in the world to bounce back. Sure, he likes to hang back and let Westbrook/Beal take the lead, but a few more rebounds, a deflected steal, block, and a putback would boost Rui’s DFS total into a respectable range. He’s still really cheap too.
Daniel Gafford - PF / C - Washington
Gafford is basically the opposite of his teammate, Hachimura. By that I mean Gafford only plays around 20 or so minutes, but he’s highly efficient with his time. The rangy big man backed that up with a respectable 25 FP showing in 20 minutes on Sunday, and that came after his 47 FP outburst vs. Indiana in the play-in game. His salary is increasing, but Gafford seems to have a fantasy floor around 25 FP with upside well beyond that if he starts blocking shots.
QUICK NOTES
Taj Gibson (PF - NYK) was briefly mentioned earlier in the article. He would have a better floor/ceiling combination if Nerlens Noel was ruled out. As things stand, he’s a risk/reward option who relies on taking Noel’s minutes (fouled out last game) to fuel his fantasy viability.
Ish Smith (PG - WAS) is still a nice value filler to consider. He’s basically the PG version of Daniel Gafford’s write-up. Smith only plays around 20-24 minutes, but he’s seemingly a lock for around 25 FP. It seems unlikely that he would reach for a 35+ FP effort against a tough Philly defense, but it’s nice to know he has that ability in him.
Derrick Favors (C - UTA) posted 36 fantasy points in 22 minutes on Sunday. I’m not expecting anywhere close to a repeat performance. Rudy Gobert fouled out in the game, hence the expanded playing time for Favors. He would need that situation to play out again in order to maintain a realistic fantasy projection. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 15-18 minutes and 15-18 fantasy points seems much more realistic. In other words, don’t go chasing this game log!
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!
