There are two games on Monday’s NBA slate as the second round of the playoffs commences.
This article was written on Sunday night. Any changes will be updated. Keep track of all the injury news at DK Network.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $350K Shootaround [$100K to 1st]
Guard
Stud
Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks ($8,500)
In the first round, Maxey put up over 50 FPTS in four of seven games. The most important number, though, is that he played at least 40 minutes in all but one of those contests. During the regular season, Maxey averaged 1.18 FPTS per minute. In this series, Joel Embiid is going to be a handful for the Knicks defense, which should provide plenty of seams in the defense for Maxey to exploit with his roadrunner speed. The Knicks have excellent wing defenders, but they will likely be employed on Paul George and VJ Edgecombe.
Other Options: Jalen Brunson ($8,100), Stephon Castle ($7,000), De’Aaron Fox ($6,900)
Value
Terrence Shannon Jr., Minnesota Timberwolves at San Antonio Spurs ($4,600)
With Anthony Edwards, Donte DiVincenzo and Ayo Dosunmu out for Game 6 in the Denver series, Shannon got the start and played 35 minutes, finishing with 24 points, six rebounds, one assist and two steals, good for 37.5 FPTS. Shannon has the athleticism and scoring prowess to rack up fantasy goodies. The defense is a question mark, so there is some risk Shannon gets played off the court. That said, Edwards and DiVincenzo are out while Dosunmu is day-to-day, so he should still remain a significant part of the rotation.
Other Options: Josh Hart ($6,000), Mike Conley ($4,100), Keldon Johnson ($3,900)
Forward
Stud
Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers ($8,600)
Towns is feeling mighty good right now, as he put up over 50 FPTS in each of the last four games of the series with Atlanta, racking up two triple-doubles in the process. Like the Hawks, Philadelphia plays smaller with Paul George at power forward. Smaller defenders have given him trouble in the past, but Towns is more comfortable now, even though he still doesn’t punish the matchups as often as he should. That said, Towns is still one of the more unique and versatile big men in the league and scores fantasy goodies in a variety of ways.
Other Options: OG Anunoby ($6,800)
Value
Julian Champagnie, San Antonio Spurs vs. Minnesota Timberwolves ($4,400)
This is a floor/salary saver play. Champagnie likely won’t play more than 30 minutes, but somewhere in the high-20s seems viable. He doesn’t contribute much in the periphery categories, so it’s mostly about points and rebounds. Champagnie has good size at 6-foot-7 and 217 pounds and converts 43% of his attempts from downtown. His ability to space the floor and not be a liability on the defensive end of the floor makes the playing time relatively secure. In the series against Portland, Champagnie put up at least 20 FPTS in all but one contest with a high of 34.8 FPTS.
Other Options: Josh Hart ($6,000), Naz Reid ($5,500), Devin Vassell ($5,200), Terrence Shannon Jr. ($4,600), Keldon Johnson ($3,900)
Center
Stud
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers at New York Knicks ($8,800)
The allure of Victor Wembanyama is so enticing, and he has the higher ceiling for sure. Will he put up a “had-to-have-it” score? It’s well within the range of outcomes but the probabilities are likely low. The likely scenario is that both Wembanyama and Embiid finish in the 50 FPTS range. If so, then the $2,000 discount is huge. In the Boston series, Embiid put up at least 50 FPTS in three of four games with a high of 61.5 FPTS.
Other Options: Victor Wembanyama ($10,800), Karl-Anthony Towns ($8,600)
Value
Mitchell Robinson, New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers ($3,700)
Robinson has mostly been playing in the teens. In the series against Atlanta, he exceeded 15 minutes only twice with a high of 18 minutes. I think there’s a chance he gets into the 20s against Philadelphia for the matchup against Joel Embiid. And minutes are half the battle. Yo, Joe! The more he’s on the court, the more chances for rebounds and blocks i.e. fantasy goodies.
Other Options: Naz Reid ($5,500)
