Luka Doncic vs. Trae Young: Who to start in DFS lineups

Just as the Hawks did in 2018 (and technically the Kings) you have a choice to make this evening between Luka Doncic ($12,400) and Trae Young ($10,200). However, unlike Atlanta, your choice will only matter for the next nine hours, it won’t completely shape the path of an entire NBA franchise or your future career endeavors. I’m looking at you Travis Schlenk.

Let’s break down the top-two salaries at point guard on DraftKings.

Fantasy Basketball Analysis: Mavericks PG/SF Luka Doncic vs. Hawks PG Trae Young

On the surface, it might appear that Doncic is the obvious answer to this debate, especially considering Kristaps Porzingis (knee) has already been ruled out for this evening’s matchup with Portland. In 528 minutes without Porzingis on the floor so far this season, Doncic has posted an eye-popping 39.7% usage rate and has produced 1.88 DKFP per minute. He’s also going up against a Portland defense that has been downright underwhelming in recent weeks, surrendering the league’s second-most points per 100 possessions over its last 10 games (115.8).

Yet, at the same time, both the Mavericks and the Blazers operate at a glacial pace, while the Hawks have averaged the most possessions per 48 minutes across their last 15 contests (104.8). Additionally, it’s not as if Young doesn’t maintain a similar ceiling to that of Doncic. In fact, across both players’ past 11 starts, each has eclipsed the 60.0 DKFP mark on six occasions. Plus, within that identical stretch of action, Young has reached 5x value nine times, with one of his two failures coming in a game where the sophomore had to leave early due to injury. He’s simply been fantastic as of late.

DFS Recommendation

Start Trae Young over Luka Doncic