The Charlotte Hornets will wrap up their six-game road trip with a visit to Fiserv Forum in hopes of toppling the Milwaukee Bucks. Charlotte is still 5.5 games behind them, but getting a win over the third-place Bucks would be a good start in closing that gap. Milwaukee has been without Giannis Antetokounmpo for the last three games as he’s been sidelined with knee soreness, so Charlotte will hope to take advantage of that if he has to sit another game. Let’s go over a breakdown of the DFS Showdown contests as the 9:00 p.m. ET tip-off time draws nearer.
Note: Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) has been ruled out vs. the Hornets.
Update: Middleton and Lopez have been ruled out. So the total count is Middleton, Lopez, Giannis, Holiday and DiVincenzo, all sidelined vs. the Hornets.
Update: Add Middleton, Holiday, Brook Lopez and Donte DiVincenzo to the injury report for the Bucks. Holiday is out due to a knee injury. Middleton is doubtful due to a knee injury and Lopez is also doubtful with a back issue. DiVincenzo is out with a hip ailment. So basically everyone but Portis and Holiday are injured for the Bucks? Kidding, but Milwaukee is going to have a tough time sending out anything close to competitive vs. the Hornets.
Captain’s Picks
With Giannis ($18,600) possibly out of tonight’s lineup, it really opens up the game for plenty of diversity in the captain’s spot. Both Gordon Hayward (foot) and LaMelo Ball (wrist) are out of the picture with their own injuries, which could steer people toward guys like Jrue Holiday ($15,000) especially after he had that 64.25 DKFP performance less than a week ago against the Kings. In the two games since then, he’s dropped 40.25 and 24.75 DKFP respectively, but he’s generally good for at least a 40 DKFP game.
Bobby Portis ($10,800) could be a tempting choice as well if Giannis ends up sitting this game out, as his playing time has seen an uptick with Giannis’ absence. His average DKFP on the season is 24.4, but he’s gone for a decent 44.5 and 33.75 in his last two outings, so definitely keep an eye on the injury situation. Either way, Portis should probably be in your lineup even if it’s not at captain.
FLEX Plays
Look to guys like Khris Middleton ($9,800) if you don’t end up sticking him in a captain’s spot. He’s a little bit on the pricie side, but hasn’t scored less than 30 DKFP since March 29th against the Clippers. Even then, it’s the only time that’s happened in his last 10 games. He was only able to make 6 of 27 shots against the Mavericks last night, but that’s not a normal showing for Middleton and you can generally expect him to hit anywhere from 40 to 60 percent of his shots on any given night.
Devonte’ Graham ($8,200) is basically a must-have flex play as he’ll continue to see a larger role with Ball out for what could be the rest of the season. He’s been playing well and has turned in over 30 DKFP in six of his last eight games, capping out at 39.75 against the Wizards at the end of March. Miles Bridges ($7,000) has been seeing some extra playing time in Hayward’s absence as well and could turn in a decent performance against the Bucks tonight, especially if Giannis doesn’t go.
On the lower price tag side, Cody Zeller ($5,000) could be a good option as he just logged his second over-30 DKFP performance in his last five outings, grabbing a big 14 rebounds and adding 15 points. He’s at least good for double digits even if he doesn’t go huge, and at that price tag wouldn’t be a bad move.
Fades
PJ Washington ($7,400) has been in a bit of a funk lately fantasy-wise with the exception of his 34.25 DKFP game he turned in against the Thunder the other night. He’s been struggling to find the net, shooting only 27.7 percent since March 26th. He’s had a couple games recently where he only scored fantasy points in the low teens, frustrating DFS managers everywhere.
The Outcome
Given the injury situation for both teams, it’s tough to say who will come out on top in this one. Even if Giannis doesn’t see the floor, the Hornets don’t seem to have enough scoring options — especially without Hayward and Ball — to get it done on the road in Milwaukee tonight. The Bucks should take care of business at home and snap their two-game losing streak tonight.
Final score: Bucks win 119-112