On the menu for Wednesday night is a two-game slate. 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 Shootaround [$100K to 1st]
For up-to-the-minute news, analysis, and lineups, download the DK Network app. You also can follow DK Network on Twitter @dknetwork.
Guard
Stud
CJ McCollum, New Orleans Pelicans at Oklahoma City Thunder, $7,500
With Zion Williamson (hamstring) sidelined, McCollum is an appealing option at this price tag. The veteran finished with 38.25 DKFP in Sunday’s Game 1 vs. the Thunder with Williamson inactive and is amassing 36.5 DKFP per game with the forward out this season (10 games).
McCollum’s usage rises 2.8 percentage points to 27.9% with Williamson off the court this season and Sunday wasn’t McCollum’s first strong effort against Oklahoma City this year. The guard is generating 40.3 DKFP per game against the club in four matchups this season and he should score near this average on Wednesday, with New Orleans looking to even this series at one win apiece.
Other Options: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($9,400)
Value
Trey Murphy III, New Orleans Pelicans at Oklahoma City Thunder, $6,700
Murphy is another strong value from the Pelicans with Williamson unavailable. Murphy has started with Williamson sidelined for the last two games and he has been terrific, scoring 37.8 DKFP per game, bringing Murphy’s average sans Williamson this season up to 34 DKFP per game (nine games).
In these past two games, Murphy has barely left the floor, leading New Orleans with a whopping 43.5 minutes per game. There is no reason why this elite volume wouldn’t continue in Game 2 and Murphy should beat this salary with ease.
Other Options: Derrick White ($6,500), Payton Pritchard ($4,700), Delon Wright ($3,800)
Forward
Stud
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics vs. Miami Heat, $9,500
Tatum is a steal at this sub $10K salary. The forward notched the second triple-double of his career in Sunday’s Game 1 over the Heat and has scored 58 DKFP in back-to-back games against the rival club. By a large gap of seven minutes, Tatum led the Celtics with 41 minutes in Game 1, despite the Celtics being ahead by a comfortable margin for most of the contest. The Duke product should see around 40 minutes again on Wednesday and simply is underpriced for this being the playoffs.
Over the last two seasons, Tatum has eclipsed 50 DKFP in 14 of his 21 postseason starts.
Other Options: Jaylen Brown ($7,600)
Value
Naji Marshall, New Orleans Pelicans at Oklahoma City Thunder, $3,800
Marshall is one of the better full punts this two-game slate has to offer, with Williamson on the shelf. Coming off the bench, Marshall has produced 24.3 DKFP per game in these last two without Williamson. Overall, Marshall is amassing 20 DKFP per game with Williamson inactive (12 games) and 0.9 DKFP per minute with the forward off the floor this season.
Marshall has a solid chance to beat this sub $4K salary with over 20 DKFP and he should come with decent ownership as a bench player.
Other Options: Jalen Williams ($6,800), Hebert Jones ($5,100), Duncan Robinson ($3,500)
Center
Stud
Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. New Orleans Pelicans, $6,900
While not priced like a “stud”, Holmgren is the best high-end target at center for this short slate. In his playoff debut Sunday, the rookie didn’t disappoint vs. the Pelicans, posting 44.75 DKFP – including five blocks – across 32 minutes. After this excellent showing, Holmgren is now providing 42.4 DKFP per game in four matchups against New Orleans this season, with no efforts less than 37 DKFP.
Holmgren was just priced up to $7.6K a few weeks ago and is criminally underpriced for the expanded workload he will see this postseason.
Other Options: Bam Adebayo ($8,200)
Value
Jonas Valanciunas, New Orleans Pelicans at Oklahoma City Thunder, $5,700
Not having to share the paint with Williamson has meant the world to Valanciunas this season. The center has scored 44 and 43 DKFP in these past two with Williamson unavailable and is collecting 38.3 DKFP per game with the forward inactive this season (14 games).
This is nearly 10.0 DKFP per game higher than Valanciunas’ average this season and he should tally another large double-double Wednesday, facing this Thunder defense that is most susceptible to opposing big men.
Other Options: Kevin Love ($3,800), Jaylin Williams ($3,100)
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $400K Shootaround [$100K to 1st]
The Crown Is Yours: Sign up for DraftKings and experience the ultimate host for games and betting experiences!
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.
