The home stretch of the NBA season has arrived with plenty still to be determined in the coming weeks. It is a loaded slate today with 10 total games taking place across the league.
Most notably, the action got started with the Celtics and Knicks squaring off in a heavyweight Eastern Conference bout. Then, the Dallas Mavericks and Golden State Warriors will face off following both sides having some significant shakeups at the trade deadline. At 5:00 p.m. ET, the Indiana Pacers will host the Los Angeles Clippers.
It will be a more traditional night slate with three games beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET and two taking place at 7:00. The final matchup of the night will be a rematch of last season’s heavyweights as the Minnesota Timberwolves and Oklahoma City Thunder face off.
This article will look at three players with a path to overperforming their DraftKings DFS price with a chance to give you an edge. You can check out all the DraftKings DFS contests in the lobby: NBA $200K Fadeaway ($50K to 1st). Here are my favorite value DFS plays on the Sunday slate.
Center Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies at Cleveland Cavaliers ($4,600)
Both the Cleveland Cavaliers and Memphis Grizzlies have exceeded their regular season expectations and have their sights set on a deep playoff run. Cleveland will be playing on the second night of a back-to-back after blowing out the New York Knicks yesterday. Unfortunately, Jarrett Allen suffered a hand injury in the matchup and his status is uncertain for today. Cleveland leans on its big man duo of Allen and Evan Mobley as a huge part of its identity and it will be a big loss if the former All-Star cannot go today.
Look for Zach Edey to be at the top of the list as one to take advantage of this. The 7-foot-4 rookie has seen his role go up and down as the season has progressed but he has had one of the better rookie seasons across the league. Edey is averaging 9.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game across his 20.5 minutes of play. He is averaging 22.7 fantasy points per game this season and should see an increase in opportunity due to the matchup.
This will be the first matchup between these two teams this season. Edey has logged three double-doubles across his past eight games and will be counted on to match up with the Cavaliers’ interior weapons in this game. While he still has some playstyle concerns that will limit his full output, expect Edey to see an expanded opportunity in this game and make the most of his chances.
Look for Edey to be active on the glass and take advantage of plenty of putback opportunities. Expect him to outperform the $4,600 price point and continue proving his worth to this Grizzlies team.
SG/SF Max Strus, Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Memphis Grizzlies ($4,400)
On the other side of the matchup sit the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have held the best record in the league for most of the season. Max Strus missed a large chunk of the start of the season but his shooting abilities have proven important since his return. In the 27 games Strus has played, he is averaging 8.4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.2 assists. He is averaging 20.9 fantasy points per game based on DraftKings scoring and this is a matchup where his shooting should prove important.
Even with all their success, the Memphis Grizzlies still have some significant concerns on the defensive end. They rank 22nd in opponent points allowed and are 27th in opponent three-point attempts allowed. Strus trails only Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland for the most three-point attempts on the team and Garland is listed as questionable with a hip issue. The star guard missed the Cavaliers’ shootaround this morning and his absence would further push Strus up the offensive pecking order.
With or without Garland, expect the Cavaliers to focus on creating three-point looks for Strus in this game. He has connected on at least one three-pointer in 24 of the 27 games he has played this season and attempted at least two perimeter shots in each game. Strus is capable of getting red-hot with the best shooters in the league, so expect these chances to arise tonight. Especially with Garland potentially being sidelined, look for Strus to make his impact felt on the offensive end and outperform his average fantasy output tonight.
PF/C Sandro Mamukelashvili, San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Pelicans ($5,000)
The entire NBA world received bad news when it was announced that Victor Wembanyama is set to miss the remainder of the season due to a blood clot issue he is dealing with. The Spurs are wisely taking the full precautions to give them their best chance of maximizing his potential and the productive career still to come. While this changes the outlook for the season, as the Spurs seemed primed for a playoff push following the De’Aaron Fox addition, it also creates opportunities for other members on the roster.
Look for Sandro Mamukelashvili to be one of the biggest beneficiaries of Wembanyama’s absence. The Seton Hall product was selected with the 54th overall pick in the 2021 draft and has yet to find his full footing at the NBA level. He is in his third season with the Spurs and is averaging just 4.7 points and 2.4 rebounds in 8.4 minutes per game. In the first game since the Wembanyama announcement, Mamukelashvili logged a season-high 22 minutes of game action, producing 10 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block. He had 28.8 fantasy points based on DraftKings scoring, which is well above the 9.8 fantasy points he has averaged this season.
This is a favorable matchup for the Spurs as the Pelicans rank 27th in opponent points per game, 29th in opponent field-goal percentage and 29th in points in the paint allowed. Mamukelashvili averaged 10.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game across his 23.3 minutes of play in the 2022-23 season for the Spurs, so the evidence of him being capable is there. He will still be hungry to prove he is capable of producing at the NBA level and be looking to make the most of his expanded opportunity for the remainder of the season. Count on him to capitalize on the favorable matchup against the Pelicans and keep him in mind for your lineups for the remainder of the season.
