In NBA DFS, there will always be some flashy names that may tempt you to pay up — even in an unfavorable matchup. Name value sometimes comes with reliability, but the trick to cashing in on your NBA lineups is to maximize the boom while operating under the salary cap. Sometimes, this means fading the chalk plays and spending elsewhere.
Here, we’ll break down three top NBA DFS fades for the game slate on Thursday, May 6th.
Andre Drummond, Los Angeles Lakers ($6,900)
Drummond, while generally conjuring up 30 or more DKFP in any given game, played 22 minutes in the Lakers’ win over the Nuggets and only managed to score eight DKFP, scoring four points and adding one assist. At that kind of salary, especially going up against a tough team like the Clippers, Drummond might be a risky move tonight and your salary cap could be better spent elsewhere. He’s also failed to score 30 DKFP in several of his last few outings, so his inconsistency might be a deal breaker.
Kent Bazemore, Golden State Warriors ($5,500)
While Bazemore sees roughly 30 minutes per game, he’s been able to rack up anywhere from 30 to 50 DKFP on any given night as of late. In their last game against the Pelicans, though, he struggled as he saw 30 minutes but only scored 13.25 DKFP with five points, three rebounds, and two assists on the night. Sure it could just be a one-time thing, but he had some lower scoring games in April as well, so it looks like he just might not be all that reliable going forward for the time being even as a semi-value play at $5,500.
Lauri Markkanen, Chicago Bulls ($4,600)
While Markkanen has generally been seeing over 20 minutes each game on the court, some games see his playing time and his output dip as minutes are eaten up by players higher on the depth chart. In his last game against the Sixers, he only saw 17 minutes and logged 9.5 DKFP in that time. With his performance starting to become more inconsistent, there are plenty of other value plays you could use to round out your lineup who could all but guarantee double digit fantasy points.