Week Five of the NBA means we’re in full swing, baby. The Cavs are still undefeated with the Celtics trailing close behind, the Jazz are sitting at the bottom of the West, and Jimmy Butler is taking one of his annual ankle tweak vacations. The NBA cup has kicked off seemingly without much fanfare (how ugly were those 76ers blue courts?) but the games have been good. Let’s talk buy-lows.
We’re shooting the Three Lists of Threes today for your weekly dose of fantasy tips: Buy-lows, sell-highs, and streams.
Here are some buy-lows we can consider.
Buy ’em
Jamal Murray, PG, Denver Nuggets
If you squint at Jamal Murray this season, he still looks like the Jamal Murray you picture in your head. Good scoring, excellent shooting, great second-fiddle to Nikola Jokic. But you get closer. You rub your eyes, wipe your glasses, and stand in front of his stat page. Suddenly, you realize Jamal Murray has become an inefficient shot chucker. He’s averaging 17.3 PPG, 5.4 APG, and 4.3 RPG. He’s shooting 40% from the field and 30% from three. His assists are down, his points are down, but his playing time is up.
I’m not sure what’s going on with him, but he looked bad during the Summer Olympics, too. He’s a fringe top-100 player right now, and for a player who was drafted in the mid-rounds, that’s not exactly what you want to see. I have doubts about Murray cracking the top-50 range this season, but I have no doubt this is his floor and that he should be better than this.
Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers
In his much-anticipated return against the Knicks, Embiid logged a modest stat line of 13 points, three rebounds, and five assists with a block in 26 minutes. He saved his night by going 8/8 from the line, a routine we’re very familiar with, but he’s still clearly playing himself into shape. His next game against the Magic was similar: big free throws, poor shooting, but higher minutes. He’s trending up and his impact is undeniable. The 76ers are sitting at 2-10 but if they have any hope of making the playoffs, it presumably rests upon Embiid’s shoulders to carry them there.
Fortunately for us, the 76ers play in the Eastern Conference, so we don’t need to panic too much about the 2-10 start. Embiid has even come out and said that he wants to play in back-to-back sets, but it’s the medical staff that’s restricting him. I’m cautiously optimistic about Embiid this season. We all know what his upside looks like; even on a minutes restriction, he’ll be a fantasy monster provided he can stay healthy.
Jimmy Butler, SF/PF, Miami Heat
I could’ve copy and pasted Butler’s feature here from last week, but I’ll just add on, instead. Butler is now sitting at rank 123, but has been sidelined for the past few games with an ankle sprain. He is still dirt cheap. He is still Miami’s guy. It is a contract year. I’d be flying out offers to buy Butler right now. He’s not the pinnacle of health, but he’ll play enough games to help your team in a big way. Butler is a strong per-game player who the Heat will rely on and it’s a good time to attack his owner’s skepticism regarding his long-term health.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $300K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st].
All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is thegreatdansby9) 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
