The 2024 Western Conference Finals continue Sunday evening with Game 3 between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks. The Mavericks won both games in Minnesota in close encounters, and now the Timberwolves will look to respond as the series shifts to Texas.
Here’s a look at one potential lineup strategy DFS managers can employ for Showdown contests involving Sunday’s game with a captain pick, utility plays and fades.
Captain Pick
Luka Doncic, $20,400
Even with his questionable tag (which is a smokescreen by the way), Doncic is the automatic captain for any manager considering him. Even though you can save some money with the combination of him and Anthony Edwards if you make the Timberwolves forward the captain, the point boost here still favors Doncic. He’s topped 60 fantasy points in four straight playoff games and shows no signs of slowing down in front of his home crowd.
Utility Plays
Anthony Edwards, $11,200
Edwards has maintained his stellar fantasy production despite some major hiccups in key moments over the first two games. The Timberwolves star has talked a big game and largely backed it up, so now it’s time to clock in once again. Minnesota going down 3-0 basically means the end of the series, which means Edwards has to step up. He’s delivered in road games plenty of times this postseason and I don’t expect him to fade completely on this stage Sunday night.
Naz Reid, $5,600
It’s hard to ignore Reid at this price point after his impressive showing in Game 2. He hit seven of his nine triples, although one of those misses was crucial because it gave Dallas the win at the end of the contest. The effort still resulted in 34.5 fantasy points for Reid, who will likely see more playing time as a result. He’s worth adding as a flex play.
Dereck Lively, $5,400
Lively has been one of the standout role players in this series. He has shown no fear battling the likes of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns, creating second and third opportunities for the Mavericks offensively with regularity. He’s gaining the edge on Daniel Gafford in playing time as well, so that’s an added bonus. Lively logged 28.4 fantasy points and has been around this mark for the last five playoff games, so I don’t expect a big dropoff in Game 3.
Derrick Jones Jr., $4,800
Jones Jr. has been down in terms of fantasy points to start this series. He logged 35 fantasy points in Game 6 against the Thunder, but has combined for just 30 fantasy points in two games against Minnesota. Role players tend to play better at home, which is why Jones Jr. is worth taking a flier on Sunday night.
Josh Green, $2,600
Spending heavily on Doncic and Edwards means taking a true flier on a low-cost play. Green had 18 fantasy points in 21 minutes of action in Game 2, so he’s the one who gets the nod here. The playing time has been consistent enough to where hitting double digits is a strong possibility. That’ll be good enough at this price point.
Fades
P.J. Washington, $7,600
One of these games, Washington will break out and have a big outing. However, he’s been sliding over the last three playoff games in terms of fantasy production. The change in scenery could help but I don’t see his three-point shooting suddenly turning around against this particular opponent. Even as the price point keeps dropping, Washington is best left on the bench.
Jaden McDaniels, $6,200
McDaniels popped off in Game 1 with 37 fantasy points before promptly falling back to Earth with just 14 fantasy points in Game 2. His expertise is defense and if his three-point shot isn’t falling, he isn’t going to offer much upside. At this price, there’s not enough upside to consider rostering him over some of Minnesota’s other role players.