Yesterday was an interesting slate with the optimal lineup on DraftKings not having any player above 9K. It also only required players from three of the six games. Ironically, those three games — Washington at Orlando, Detroit at Toronto, and Boston at Cleveland — included three teams who each had one of their star players out and were the main sources of value. The optimal lineup ended up being a very balanced build, but it sheds light on how important it is to pay close attention to injury reports and all other news that comes out before tip so you can take full advantage of the value. It paid off in a big way yesterday, and it proved essential to take down tournaments.
Today’s slate has two different start times depending on whether you play on FanDuel or DraftKings. We get six games with a 6:00 p.m. EST lock over at FanDuel, and a five-game, 7:00 p.m. EST lock over at DraftKings. So without further ado, let’s go ahead and get into Sunday’s schedule as well as the key injuries. We’ll then jump into the core, GPP, and cash game candidates, along with today’s top value plays.
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Schedule and Odds
- MIL @ ATL (-1.5) O/U: 219- 6:00 PM EST (Start of FanDuel slate)
- GSW @ CHA (+5) O/U: 226.5- 7:00 PM EST (Start of DraftKings slate)
- PHX @ HOU (+8.5) O/U: 221.5
- BKN @ OKC (+9) O/U: 213.5
- DEN @ POR (+6.5) O/U: 213
- CHI @ LAC (-3.5) O/U: 218
Injury Report
Core Plays
CJ McCollum (SG/PG – POR): $7,600 DraftKings, $7,500
With Damian Lillard (abdomen) already ruled out for today’s game, it’s going to be very hard to get away from McCollum when he is this cheap. CJ benefits the most when Lillard is off the court, as he gains a team-high 4.7 percent usage increase and averages 28.1 points, 6.2 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in his absence. This Portland’s offense will run through McCollum on Sunday, and with him being under-priced, he should be a staple in most lineups across the board.
Yesterday was an interesting slate with the optimal lineup on DraftKings not having any player above 9K. It also only required players from three of the six games. Ironically, those three games — Washington at Orlando, Detroit at Toronto, and Boston at Cleveland — included three teams who each had one of their star players out and were the main sources of value. The optimal lineup ended up being a very balanced build, but it sheds light on how important it is to pay close attention to injury reports and all other news that comes out before tip so you can take full advantage of the value. It paid off in a big way yesterday, and it proved essential to take down tournaments.
Today’s slate has two different start times depending on whether you play on FanDuel or DraftKings. We get six games with a 6:00 p.m. EST lock over at FanDuel, and a five-game, 7:00 p.m. EST lock over at DraftKings. So without further ado, let’s go ahead and get into Sunday’s schedule as well as the key injuries. We’ll then jump into the core, GPP, and cash game candidates, along with today’s top value plays.
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Schedule and Odds
- MIL @ ATL (-1.5) O/U: 219- 6:00 PM EST (Start of FanDuel slate)
- GSW @ CHA (+5) O/U: 226.5- 7:00 PM EST (Start of DraftKings slate)
- PHX @ HOU (+8.5) O/U: 221.5
- BKN @ OKC (+9) O/U: 213.5
- DEN @ POR (+6.5) O/U: 213
- CHI @ LAC (-3.5) O/U: 218
Injury Report
Core Plays
CJ McCollum (SG/PG – POR): $7,600 DraftKings, $7,500
With Damian Lillard (abdomen) already ruled out for today’s game, it’s going to be very hard to get away from McCollum when he is this cheap. CJ benefits the most when Lillard is off the court, as he gains a team-high 4.7 percent usage increase and averages 28.1 points, 6.2 assists, and 5.0 rebounds in his absence. This Portland’s offense will run through McCollum on Sunday, and with him being under-priced, he should be a staple in most lineups across the board.
Stephen Curry (PG – GSW): $11,400 DraftKings, $10,300 FanDuel
The Golden State Warriors, led by MVP front-runner Stephen Curry, are off to an incredible start to the season. They boast the NBA’s best record through 12 games. Curry is second in the NBA in points with 28.4 per game and is shooting 40% from beyond the arc. He is on fire right now. Expect lineups featuring Curry to find their way to the top of leaderboards tonight, as he has a favorable matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, who have an OPRK of 24th. You can’t go wrong with getting Curry in your lineups, that’s for sure, but his price tag on FanDuel ($10,300) is especially appealing.
Nikola Jokic (C – DEN): $11,600, $FanDuel $11,000
If the Joker is on a DFS slate, he’s going to be considered a solid core piece to build your lineups around. He’s matchup proof and a threat to score a triple-double anytime he steps onto the court, and he is arguably the best passing big man in the history of the NBA. Jokic leads the NBA with 57.6 DraftKings points per game, and he has scored at least 42 fantasy points in every game this season. The floor Nikola Jokic offers to fantasy rosters is just absolutely insane — it’s higher than what most players’ ceilings are. He’s well worth the expensive price tag on a slate that has very limited options at center.
Cash Game Considerations
Mason Plumlee (C – CHA): $4,800 DraftKings, $4,900 FanDuel
As you know, when you’re playing cash games, you’re looking for players who are going to give you a solid floor and between 4X to 6X the return on investment. At his price point, that’s exactly what Mason Plumlee can give you. He is not an exciting pick, but he is an underrated fantasy player — he averages 24 fantasy points per game. At a sub $5K player, what more can you ask for? P.J. Washington has also been listed as OUT already, leaving more minutes and opportunities on the table for Plumlee. The Hornets’ center should give you around 25 or more fantasy points tonight, making him a good cash play at this price.
Will Barton (SG/SF – DEN): $6,800 DraftKings, $6,700 FanDuel
With Michael Porter Jr. (back) and Jamal Murray (knee) sidelined, Will Barton has stepped up and become the most productive Nugget outside of the Joker. Barton is averages 16.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He has stepped in to replace Murray as the team’s go-to point guard, giving him a usage and opportunity bump due to the extra time with the ball in his hands. Barton gives rosters a solid floor for cash games, scoring at least 36 fantasy points in four of his last five.
Eric Bledsoe (PG/SG – LAC): $4,900 DraftKings, $5,400 FanDuel
Bledsoe finds his way into this section for the second day in a row. He remains just too cheap on both DK and FD. He has been getting the minutes and has now scored 30 or more fantasy points in three consecutive games. Bledsoe has been getting it done with his peripheral stats as well, racking up five rebounds, nine assists, two steals, and a block last night, giving him close to 40 fantasy points (39.8 DKFP; 40.5 FDFP) on both sites in a game he only scored 14 real points. Bledsoe is playing really well right now, and the fact that he had one of his best fantasy performances of the season but didn’t see an increase in salary besides a $100 on FD is a mistake. Bledsoe needs to be in cash game lineups but can be played in GPPs as well.
GPP Targets
James Harden (PG – BKN): $10,800 DraftKings, $9,600 FanDuel
Harden is coming off a double-double and a season-high 39 points, arguably his best game this season. He might have finally figured out how to get his foul calls, as he went 11-of-15 from the charity stripe. He got going from deep, too, as he sunk six of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc. Hopefully, this is a glimpse into Harden’s return to the elite fantasy player we have grown accustomed to. Harden could be a nice GPP pivot off some of the other pay-up options that will more than likely garner a higher roster percentage than him.
Miles Bridges (SF/PF – CHA): $7,800 DraftKings, $8,300 FanDuel
Bridges usually isn’t a player most DFS players look to roster, but he has quietly been one of the better fantasy players in the league this year. With P.J. Washington out, we could see the Hornets look to Bridges to play the small-ball center role in an up-tempo game environment and get a lot of looks from three. In his first meeting against the Warriors this year, Bridges had his best fantasy performance of the season and finished with 32 points, nine rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks while going for over 55 fantasy points on both FD and DK. He’s averaging 41.7 fantasy points on the year and he will be a major part of this Hornets offense once again on Sunday.
Paul George (SF – LAC): $10,500 DraftKings, $10,000 FanDuel
Paul George is hard to keep out of GPP consideration with Kawhi Leonard (knee) out of the Clippers’ lineup. He has taken over this offense, logging a 34% usage rate on the year which is second in the NBA behind only Luka Doncic. George is taking full advantage of the extra responsibility and is averaging 26.4 points, 7.9 rebounds, 5.3 assists, 2.3 steals, and close to 50 fantasy points per game leading him to the best season of his career. The Clippers are on a back-to-back, but luckily Paul George only played 27 minutes and was able to rest in the fourth quarter of last night’s blowout win over the Timberwolves (129-102). It’s doubtful George will get much rest in tonight’s game against an 8-4 Chicago Bulls team, so look for him to get back to big minutes and his top-end usage rate. The matchup sets up well for Paul George to have a blow-up game, giving him a strong chance to end up in the optimal lineup tonight.
Value Plays
Anfernee Simons (PG/SG – POR): $3,500 DraftKings, $4,200 FanDuel
The Trail Blazers are like the Washington Wizards last night, as they will be without their star point guard in Damian Lillard (abdomen). His absence opens up a ton of value and makes Portland the go-to team for viable salary relief. Anfernee Simons should be one of the main beneficiaries from Lillard being ruled out. The young guard has flashed even in a limited role this season and is averaging 19.4 DKFP and 18.2 FDFP in just 22 minutes per game. Even in his normal role, Simons would be worth a look as a value option, but add in Lillard’s absence and he almost becomes a must-roster asset. We should see a bump across the board for Simons in minutes, shot attempts, usage, and fantasy points, making him the best value play on the night going up against a Denver Nuggets team that surrenders the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards. Simons will be a great play tonight in both GPP’s and cash games.
Grayson Allen (SG – MIL): $5,400 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel
Grayson Allen has played well as a Milwaukee Buck. He has started every game for them this year, and his role has increased a little each time. The Bucks aren’t on the main slate on DK, but Allen is still worth a mention as a go-to value option on FD if you’re looking to get away from the chalky Trail Blazers, even though it may be tough. Allen has had at least 25 fantasy points in his last five games, giving him an average of around 32. That’s more than 5X the value at his current salary. Now a lot of this is a result of Khris Middleton (COVID-19) and Brook Lopez (back) missing time, but he is taking advantage of his opportunity. Middleton and Lopez will be out again tonight, and Allen should be able to give you a nice return on your investment.
LaMarcus Aldridge (C – BKN): $4,300 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel
Obviously, Aldridge is much more appealing as a value play on DraftKings if you decide to pay down at center tonight instead of paying $11K for Nikola Jokic. Aldridge has scored 30 plus DKFP in two of his last three games and now gets to go up against a young, inexperienced Oklahoma City Thunder team. There’s a lot of good value options on tonight’s, slate but as always, you’re going to need to find different pivots and ways to differentiate your lineups to spread out your exposure. LMA is a viable cheap and contrarian option that should get you around 25 to 30 fantasy points.
Advantageous Pricing
- Stephen Curry (PG – GSW): $10,300 FanDuel, $11,400 DraftKings
- Nikola Jokic (C – DEN): $11,000 FanDuel, $11,600 DraftKings
- James Harden (PG – BKN): $9,600 FanDuel, $10,800 DraftKings
- Miles Bridges (SF/PF – CHA): $7,800 DraftKings, $8,300 FanDuel
- LaMarcus Aldridge (C – BKN): $4,300 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel
- Afernee Simons (PG – POR): $3,500 DraftKings, $4,200 FanDuel
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Evan Ritter is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Evan, check out his archive and follow him on Twitter.
