The Milwaukee Bucks will host the Toronto Raptors again as they play the second of their back-to-back games this week. Despite an impressive 34-point performance from Giannis Antetokounmpo on Tuesday night, the Bucks still lost to Toronto 124-113, making it their fourth straight loss.
Regardless of the tonight’s outcome, there are plenty of DFS plays you can use to get one up on your opponents, so let’s look at some of the best options ahead of tonight’s nationally-televised game.
Captain’s Picks
Giannis Antetokounmpo ($17,100) - Giannis is unsurprisingly the most expensive player in tonight’s contest, and it’s for good reason. He’s averaged 28.2 points per game and 56.6 DKFP per game throughout this season, but since guard Jrue Holiday has been out over the last five games, his average has bumped to 32.8 points per game and a staggering 66.1 DKFP per game.
In Tuesday’s loss against the Raptors, Giannis grabbed 72.5 DKFP while ripping down 10 rebounds with eight assists. He logged a triple-double in the Bucks’ 109-114 loss to the Thunder earlier this week as well. Even if the Bucks lose tonight, Giannis is a no-brainer at captain and will probably be worth the extra cash.
FLEX Plays
Fred VanVleet ($9,000) - While you could also pick VanVleet at captain, his stats pale in comparison to Giannis, especially at what would be a relatively high price tag with $13,500. He put up 33 points, four rebounds, and seven assists for 53 DKFP in the Raptors’ win over Milwaukee on Tuesday, but so far this season he’s only been averaging 41.1 DKFP per game. He’s a much better flex play at only $9K and will still get you some great stats, averaging 21.2 points per game over his last five outings.
Chris Boucher ($7,200) - Boucher has been scoring well above his season DKFP average of 29.5 throughout his last few games, with the exception of Toronto’s 112-116 loss to Minnesota where he only played 18 minutes and scored 14.5 DKFP. In Tuesday’s contest against the Bucks, though, he put up 14 points, six rebounds, and five blocks for a decent 34.5 DKFP on the night with 30 minutes played. He went 4-for-7 on three-pointers as he notched his second-highest total attempts of the season so far, as his shooting from beyond the arc continue to improve.
Fades
Norman Powell ($7,400) - Although it might be tempting to pick up the Raptors’ Normal Powell with a DKFP season average of 25, he’s been somewhat inconsistent lately, scoring under 20 DKFP twice in his last three games. He only bagged a measly 19.75 DKFP in the last game against the Bucks while scoring 11 points on the floor. What’s worse is that he did in with 34 minutes of playing time. This is the same guy who racked up 47.25 DKFP just last week against the Wizards in only 32 minutes, but the very next game he was down to 19.5 DKFP in the same amount of time. Steer clear of Powell while his points will likely see even more fluctuation with OG Anunoby (calf) back from injury.
The Outcome
It’s easy to look at Tuesday night’s performance and just assume the same thing will happen in this game. The Bucks are hoping to redeem themselves from Tuesday’s poor showing and snap their four-game losing streak, and really all it will take is a little more help from anyone whose name isn’t Giannis. We know he’ll likely put in a 30+ point performance, and the difference could be made up with guys like Pat Connaughton and Donte DiVincenzo who will need to find a way to step it up with Jrue Holiday’s absence. With that all in mind, you’ve got to look at the trends and recent history, and realize that this Bucks team just might not be good enough to figure out how to start winning again without Holiday quite yet.
Final Score: Raptors 128, Bucks 122