Wednesday’s two-game slate features the two Eastern Conference matchups of the Play-In Tournament: The 76ers vs. the Heat and the Bulls vs. the Hawks. Whoever wins between the 76ers and Heat will be the No.7 seed in the playoffs and face the Knicks in the first round, while the loser will be forced to play the winner of Wednesday’s Bulls vs. Hawks matchup on Friday, with the winner of that contest securing the No.8 seed and facing the Celtics in the first round. The loser of Bulls vs. Hawks will be eliminated from the postseason.
DraftKings continues to offer huge tournaments for DFS players and below are some of my favorite targets at each position.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $400K Play-In Special [$100K to 1st]
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Guard
Stud
Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks at Chicago Bulls, $9,200
Young got up to 31 minutes in the regular season finale and should get back to seeing huge minutes in this win-or-go-home matchup with the Bulls. The guard leads the Hawks with a 30.2% usage rate and 1.4 DKFP per minute this season and has been great against this Chicago club, amassing 45.1 DKFP per game in two meetings. Also, Young posted 43.5 DKFP across 36.3 minutes in the Hawks’ lone Play-In game last season and Wednesday’s matchup with Chicago presents a tight spread of only three points on the DraftKings Sportsbook.
In spreads under five points this season, Young has been excellent, scoring 49.8 DKFP per game. Given the guard has been quiet by his standards since returning from a 23-game absence last week, Young may get overlooked and come with decently low ownership for this short two-game.
Other Options: Tyler Herro ($7,500), Coby White ($7,000)
Value
Alex Caruso, Chicago Bulls vs. Atlanta Hawks, $5,800
Opposite of Young, Caruso is arguably the best guard value this short slate has to offer. The veteran supplying 28 DKFP per game in two matchups with the Hawks this season and he has exceeded 30 DKFP in five of his last eight starts, including two outings north of 40 DKFP.
The Bulls need Caruso’s prowess on the defensive end to slow down this Atlanta backcourt of Young and Murray, and Caruso should see nothing less than 35 minutes in this must-win for Chicago. With the heavy volume, the guard should surpass 30 DKFP.
Other Options: Kyle Lowry ($4,500)
Forward
Stud
Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers, $8,700
While Butler coasted to the finish line of the regular season, scoring less than 30 DKFP in his final three starts, the savvy veteran should rise to the occasion and put up a big fantasy score in this Play-In matchup with the 76ers. The Heat want to win this game to book themselves a first-round matchup with the overachieving Knicks and Butler should see massive minutes in this 5.5-point spread vs. Philadelphia. The forward logged 39.7 minutes per game during the Heat’s incredible run to the NBA Finals last season and Butler exceeded 40 DKFP in 17 of those 24 games Miami played from the Play-In to the Finals.
With Butler possessing an underwhelming recent game log, the veteran should be one of the lower-owned high-end options Tuesday and is a sharp target for GPPs.
Other Options: DeMar DeRozan ($8,400)
Value
Caleb Martin, Miami Heat vs. Philadelphia 76ers, $4,800
With Terry Rozier (neck) sidelined, Martin is a solid value play. Rozier has missed four in a row and as his replacement in the Heat’s starting five, Martin has seen 30 minutes per game and has scored at least 25 DKFP twice.
The veteran provides 0.81 DKFP per minute with Rozier off the court this season and he has a 29.5 DKFP performance against the 76ers on his resume this season. Martin brings that type of upside Wednesday and must be considered with his starting role.
Other Options: Tobias Harris ($6,200), De’Andre Hunter ($5,900), Haywood Highsmith ($3,900)
Center
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat, $11,100
Embiid (knee) is listed as questionable, but almost certainly will play in this pivotal matchup vs. the Heat. Both the 76ers and Heat desperately want to win this game and face the Knicks in the first round, instead of playing another Play-In game and then facing the Celtics in the first round if they advance. Embiid hasn’t played since last Friday and with plenty at stake, the reigning MVP should see 35-40 minutes Wednesday and post a massive double-double.
Embiid closed with regular season with 68 DKFP per game in his final two starts and he has handled a mammoth 39.6% usage rate this season, which is the highest in the league and even higher than the usage rate Embiid saw during his MVP campaign a year ago. Additionally, this game will take place in Philadelphia, where Embiid is producing 66.4 DKFP per game this season, which is nearly 10.0 more DKFP per game than when he competes on the road.
Other Options: Bam Adebayo ($8,400), Nikola Vucevic ($7,800)
Value
Bruno Fernando, Atlanta Hawks at Chicago Bulls, $4,500
While he lacks upside, Fernando is a viable cheap option, with this short slate severely lacking appealing punt plays. Jalen Johnson (ankle) and Onyeka Okongwu (toe) both remain unavailable and with them sidelined, Fernando is the Hawks’ primary backup big man. The 25-year-old should see around 20 minutes Wednesday and this is a strong matchup, with the Bulls ranking 23rd in defensive rating over their last 10 games.
Fernando is amassing 20.6 DKFP per game with both Johnson and Okongwu inactive this season (10 games) and has the potential for over 20 DKFP.
Other Options: Clint Capela ($6,800), Andre Drummond ($4,700)
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $400K Play-In Special [$100K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
