The NBA playoffs continue Wednesday with a two-game slate. DraftKings continues to offer huge contests for DFS players, and below, I break down some of my favorite NBA DFS options at each position for Wednesday’s playoff action.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $400K Shootaround [100k to 1st]
Guard
Stud
Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks, $8,200
The Celtics devastatingly lost Jayson Tatum to a torn Achilles in the final moments of Game 4, and they will be without the superstar for the rest of the postseason. To make matters worse, Boston is on the brink of elimination, trailing this series 3-1. Game 5 in Boston on Wednesday is do-or-die for the defending champions. Brown should do everything in his power to keep Boston alive with Tatum missing. With Tatum inactive for Game 2 vs. the Magic in the first round of these playoffs, Brown posted a huge double-double with 60.5 FPTS across 42 minutes. It was an impressive feat considering Orlando ranking second in defensive rating this season.
Brown is leading the Celtics with 45.3 FPTS per game with Tatum inactive this season (eight games). Furthermore, with the Duke product off the floor, Brown’s usage and assist rates increase 3.7 and 8.8 percentage points, respectively, resulting in 1.3 FPTS per minute. After dealing with plenty of criticism this season, this is a chance for Brown to prove to all his critics that he is still one of the best wings in the NBA. He should score nothing less than 50 FPTS as he attempts to save the Celtics’ season.
Other Options: Anthony Edwards ($9,400), Jalen Brunson ($8,900), Derrick White ($7,700)
Value
Payton Pritchard, Boston Celtics vs. New York Knicks, $5,200
Continuing with the Tatum-less Celtics, Pritchard is a great GPP target for this two-game slate. In the eight games Pritchard has played alongside Brown without Tatum this season, he is amassing 33.9 FPTS per game with a 22.6% usage rate and a 20.9% assist rate.
Pritchard is generating 1.1 FPTS per minute with Tatum off the floor this season, and he should see 30+ minutes in Game 5, especially with Kristaps Porzingis (illness) far from 100%. Pritchard has a ceiling near 40 FPTS and should get relatively overlooked as a bench player.
Other Options: Mikal Bridges ($6,200), Jrue Holiday ($5,400)
Forward
Stud
Julius Randle, Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Golden State Warriors, $7,900
Randle continues to impress and the forward is underpriced at this sub $8K salary. In the last three games of this series vs. the Warriors, Randle has scored 50.25, 63.5 and 45.75 FPTS, in that order. During this span, the forward is handling a 28.8% usage rate and is shooting 50.8% from the field.
The Timberwolves have won each of the last three games and don’t have a reason to stop feeding Randle. Minnesota has a chance to eliminate the Warriors during Wednesday’s Game 5. Randle should receive around 40 minutes in this close-out situation and surpass five-times value.
Other Options: Jimmy Butler ($8,700)
Value
Jonathan Kuminga, Golden State Warriors at Minnesota Timberwolves, $5,500
Kuminga remains too cheap for life without Stephen Curry (hamstring). In these last three games with the sharpshooter out, Kuminga has scored 25.25, 46.5 and 25.5 FPTS, in that order. Kuminga is scoring 29 FPTS per game with Curry inactive this season (14 games) and in these contests, he is leading the Warriors with a 30% usage rate in 27 minutes per game.
Kuminga really has been the only consistent source of offense for Golden State with Curry sidelined, so he should continue to see a large role in Game 5. The forward should exceed five-times value and is one of the best values on the board.
Other Options: Mikal Bridges ($6,200), Jaden McDaniels ($5,900), Nickeil Alexander-Walker ($3,300)
Center
Stud
Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks at Boston Celtics, $8,000
Towns is averaging 40 FPTS per game against the Celtics this season (eight games). He may have an easier time in Game 5 with Tatum sidelined, as the forward has been one of his primary defenders this series.
Towns is scoring an elite 1.4 FPTS per minute with a 27.3% usage rate this season. He has a strong chance to top 40 FPTS in Game 5.
Value
Draymond Green, Golden State Warriors at Minnesota Timberwolves, $5,300
This is the cheapest Green has been all season and he should see around 35 minutes with the Warriors facing elimination. It gives him a great chance to easily outproduce this low price tag. This season, Green is scoring 1.0 FPTS per minute and 29 FPTS per game.
The veteran is averaging 27.3 FPTS per game against the Timberwolves (six games). Green should stuff the stat with over 30 FPTS in this win-or-go home situation.
Other Options: Al Horford ($5,600), Kevon Looney ($3,100)
