Thursday’s two-game NBA slate features the Cavaliers visiting the 76ers before the Nuggets take on the Thunder. Jarrett Allen’s questionable status could create additional opportunities in Cleveland, but there are already affordable options worth targeting as we build around tonight’s expensive stars.
You don’t want to grab too many high-end players, as that will leave the rest of your lineup bare. We’ll take a look at some bargain pickups ahead of today’s matchups.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $300K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
PG/SG Anfernee Simons, Philadelphia 76ers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers ($3,500)
Philadelphia has plenty of mouths to feed, but Simons still found room for 10 shots in 25 minutes off the bench during Tuesday’s win over the Knicks. He finished with 13 points and two rebounds, connecting on three of his eight attempts from beyond the arc. That translated to 17 FPTS, just shy of the 17.5 needed to return five fantasy points per $1,000 of today’s salary.
The encouraging part is the opportunity: Simons received substantial playing time and shot volume even with Philadelphia’s star-studded starting lineup available. His lack of peripheral production makes him dependent on scoring, but $3,500 is an appealing price for that workload, especially with PG/SG eligibility making him easy to fit into lineups.
SG/SF Sam Merrill, Cleveland Cavaliers at Philadelphia 76ers ($3,700)
Merrill doesn’t need to dominate the ball to make this salary work. He averaged 12.8 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 2.4 APG in 26.5 MPG last season, knocking down 42.1% of his 7.2 three-point attempts per game. His spacing complements the playmaking abilities of Cleveland’s back court. His volume from downtown is nice since each trey comes with an additional half-point bonus.
Merrill’s established shooting volume gives us a reason to target him tonight given his importance to the Cavaliers’ offense. Merrill is also expected to return after missing the end of the preseason, while Allen’s questionable status leaves open the possibility of Cleveland leaning further into smaller lineups, which can only benefit this sharpshooter at such an affordable price point.
PF Chet Holmgren, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Denver Nuggets ($5,800)
Holmgren didn’t look great in the season opener, but few players look great when they go up against the best defender in the world. He shot just 3/8 against the Spurs and still managed to deliver 33.25 FPTS, showcasing his ability to contribute outside of scoring. Despite only putting up 14 points, he managed seven rebounds, two assists, and a whopping four blocks. While the four blocks won’t be typical (they aren’t unusual, either), last season’s 17.1 PPG, 8.9 RPG, and 1.9 BPG show us a large sample of Holmgren putting up healthy stats.
Denver finished 21st in defensive rating last season with 117.4 DEFRTG, so I suspect that Nikola Jokic will be a little easier to deal with than Victor Wembanyama is when Chet’s looking to score.
