Tuesday’s four-game NBA slate offers some appealing DFS bargains, with injuries creating opportunities for several affordable players. Sacramento’s depleted frontcourt and Detroit’s uncertain rotation are particularly worth monitoring, while a few productive veterans are still available at reasonable salaries. Let’s take a look at three value picks for tonight’s DraftKings slate.
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 $333K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
SG/SF Zach LaVine, Sacramento Kings at San Antonio Spurs ($6,500)
Look, I get it. $6,500 for LaVine (41.8 FPTS) is a deflated line due to the matchup against a tough Spurs defense featuring Victor Wembanyama, but that’s why we’re here. Who are the other guys in LaVine’s price range? There’s Paul George ($6,700, 39.1 FPTS), Damian Lillard ($6,600, 37.3 FPTS), and Ja Morant ($6,400, 33.3 FPTS). These guys are all producing less than LaVine is at the moment.
LaVine is attempting 19.7 FGA and 9.0 three-pointers per game, providing a healthy amount of scoring opportunities at this price. The veteran exploded for 37 points against Memphis on Sunday, adding five assists and two steals across 40 minutes for 51 DraftKings fantasy points. He’s played at least 34 minutes in every appearance thus far and has knocked down three triples in each game, giving him a reliable source of additional fantasy production. It’s just too tough of a fade for me, and we just have to grab him at this price point. It could be ugly, but we’re getting too much bang for our buck.
PF/C Precious Achiuwa, Sacramento Kings at San Antonio Spurs ($5,000)
Injuries have forced Sacramento to rely more heavily on Achiuwa, and that additional responsibility is already translating into some impressive fantasy production. With Keegan Murray (ankle), Maxime Raynaud (knee), and Dylan Cardwell (calf) all sidelined, Achiuwa drew the start Sunday against Memphis and logged 39 minutes, finishing with 12 points, 10 rebounds, two steals, and three blocks, good for 36 DraftKings fantasy points, well above his season average of 30.3, which is already pretty attractive at $5,000.
Achiuwa is also averaging 13.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG, and 2.0 SPG through three games, and those defensive contributions are tantalizing. Matching up against Victor Wembanyama won’t be easy, but Achiuwa’s expanded role and ability to contribute across several statistical categories give him an appealing path to outperforming his salary.
PG/SG Daniss Jenkins, Detroit Pistons at New York Knicks ($4,800)
Jenkins steps up when he’s needed, and we saw that last season whenever Cade Cunningham missed games. He made the most of his opportunity Sunday against Philadelphia, and he could be in line for another significant workload if Ausar Thompson (ankle) remains sidelined. With Thompson unavailable, Jenkins entered the starting lineup and recorded 18 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and one block across 38 minutes, totaling 39.5 DraftKings fantasy points. That’s a substantial improvement from his first two appearances, when he averaged just 18.5 MPG, although his 3-for-4 shooting from beyond the arc also contributed to Sunday’s impressive outing.
Thompson is questionable for Tuesday’s matchup against New York, while fellow guard Isaiah Joe (hip) is also questionable, potentially opening up additional minutes for Jenkins. At just $4,800, another opportunity to play starter-level minutes would make Jenkins an intriguing value option, but Thompson’s status is worth monitoring. Jenkins has decently high upside in this spot against a Knicks team that’s started sluggish, hungover from the championship celebrations.
