NBA play-in tournament action continues Wednesday when the Atlanta Hawks and Chicago Bulls meet in the 9-10 matchup in the East bracket. The winner of this game will play again Friday for a chance at the No. 8 seed in the playoffs, while the loser will be sent home. Both the Hawks and Bulls were in the play-in tournament a season ago, and only Atlanta managed to come away with a playoff berth then.
Here’s a look at one potential lineup strategy DFS managers can employ in Showdown contests for this matchup.
Captain’s Picks
Dejounte Murray ($15,000) – Even though Trae Young has more upside as a perimeter threat, Murray has been the more consistent fantasy player. He recently had a massive outing with 76.8 fantasy points and should play heavy minutes for Atlanta with some key role players missing. Young is just coming back from a finger injury and might not quite be at 100%, while Murray has helped keep this team in the play-in picture. I like Murray in the captain’s spot over Young for the Hawks.
DeMar DeRozan ($14,700) – DeRozan has 40+ fantasy points in 10 of the last 11 games, and his lone under there came at 37.8 fantasy points. The Bulls veteran is getting heavy minutes as we’ve hit the postseason, so usage should not be an issue. This is a favorable matchup, with the Hawks ranking 27th in fantasy points allowed to opposing forwards. Even though DeRozan will play more like a guard in this game, he’s classified as a forward on DraftKings DFS. There’s no one else to consider for Chicago in the captain’s spot.
FLEX Plays
Coby White ($8,200) – White has been streaky at times but this has generally been a breakout campaign for the young guard. His three-point shooting gives him more upside than most flex plays, and he can do enough in terms of creation for others to generate assists. White has logged 30+ fantasy points in 10 of his last 14 games and has four straight games with at least 31 fantasy points. The Hawks rank 23rd in fantasy points allowed to opposing point guards.
Clint Capela ($8,000) – With Onyeka Okongwu out, Capela should be the primary big man in this game for the Hawks. He’s been a solid fantasy producer and averaged 31 fantasy points per game, although there’s not much upside here since he isn’t a scorer. Even though price point is a bit high, there’s enough consistency to feel good about Capela delivering a solid showing.
Fades
De’Andre Hunter ($7,000) – Hunter is going to see big minutes in this game with both Saddiq Bey and Jalen Johnson sidelined. However, he’s coming off some rough outings to close the regular season with 29 fantasy points combined in the last two games. Even though the volume is likely to be there in a favorable matchup (Chicago ranks 21st in fantasy points allowed to opposing power forwards), I think Atlanta’s guards do most of the heavy lifting offensively. Hunter seems unlikely to break out in this game.
Nikola Vucevic ($9,400) – Vucevic is coming off a few monster games but only managed 29 fantasy points against the Hawks in 31 minutes last time around. Atlanta ranks 25th in fantasy points allowed to centers and is a bit thin in the interior, so there’s some reasons to back Vucevic. However, I think the price point is just a bit too high for him in this game. For that reason, I’ll stay away and spread my cash out across a few other players.
The Outcome
The Bulls went 2-1 against the Hawks in the regular season but Atlanta won the most recent matchup despite missing Young. Chicago showed plenty of fight against the Knicks in the last regular season game, while the Hawks have lost six in a row and are missing a good chunk of their regular rotation. The Bulls are at home and should be able to grind out a victory to advance to Friday’s play-in game for the second year in a row.
Final score: Bulls 105, Hawks 100