The 2024 Eastern Conference Finals could come to an end Monday evening as the Boston Celtics go for the sweep over the Indiana Pacers. The Pacers put up an admirable fight in their return home but couldn’t do enough to keep the Celtics down. Boston mounted an 18-point comeback and made key plays to secure the 3-0 series lead. Will Game 4 be the last one of the series or will the Pacers find some home magic to send the series back to Boston?
Here’s a look at one potential lineup strategy DFS managers can employ for Showdown contests involving Monday’s game with a captain pick, utility plays and fades.
Captain Pick
Jayson Tatum, $18,000
After a few quiet games to start the series, Tatum erupted for 36 points and 10 rebounds which led to 70.5 fantasy points. The forward finally clicked from the perimeter with a 5-10 performance from behind the arc. Tatum has taken a bit of a back seat to some of Boston’s other players in the playoffs, but this is his opportunity to really assert himself as a superstar. I think he’s the obvious captain choice given his production.
Utility Plays
Myles Tuner, $8,000
Turner played just 24 minutes in Game 2 in one of his worst performances of the playoffs but bounced back in a big way in Game 3. He was aggressive on the interior and was rewarded for his effort with a double-double. DFS managers saw those rewards as well with 35 fantasy points. I expect Turner to once again have heavy usage in Game 4, especially if Tyrese Haliburton remains sidelined.
Derrick White, $7,800
White has a consistent floor in this series, averaging 41.4 fantasy points per game. He went for 38.8 fantasy points in Game 3, which was his lowest total of the series. The important thing here for DFS managers is White hasn’t broken out from behind the arc like he did in the Miami series in the first round. It’s been a while since he had a breakout game, and Monday could be the perfect opportunity for him to explode. With his floor and price point, he’s a strong flex play.
Andrew Nembhard, $6,200
I don’t know that Nembhard will go for 32 points again like he did in Game 3, but he’s been a great starter for Indiana this postseason. Nembhard is likely to have a similar role in Game 4 with Haliburton set to be sidelined again, so there’s no reason to fade him here. While 51.5 fantasy points might be an unrealistic expectation, it’s not out of the realm of possibilities for Nembhard to once again be Indiana’s top scorer Monday evening.
T.J. McConnell, $6,000
Similar to Nembhard, McConnell is unlikely to once again hit the highs he had in Game 3. His 45.3 fantasy points was his best performance of the postseason. However, I do think he continues to have a solid role as the team’s backup point guard. McConnell gets a huge boost from the home crowd, and is starting to be more aggressive with his shot offensively. He’s worth adding at this price.
Payton Pritchard, $3,600
I’ve picked a few players who are likely to fall back to Earth a bit after big games, so I’ll add one who I think has a stronger showing after a down Game 3. Pritchard hasn’t had a big outing off the bench in this series but he’s always crossed double digits when it comes to fantasy points. I think he’s got a good chance of bouncing back in Game 4 and that makes him a good value play at this price.
Fades
Al Horford, $6,400
I know, I know, Horford was the shining star in Game 3 with 40.3 fantasy points behind a career-high playoff performance from behind the arc. Is the big man likely to hit seven triples again? Given his shooting percentage over the three series, I’d vote against that. His price point hasn’t gone up, which does make it tempting to roster him. However, I believe he’ll be more tame in Game 4.
Aaron Nesmith, $5,200
Nesmith had some big showings against the Bucks early in the playoffs. He never quite hit those marks again but was consistently hovering around 25 fantasy points per game. He’s been below 20 fantasy points in each of the last two games and the miss in Game 3 at the buzzer might hurt his confidence. The price isn’t bad but I think there are other Pacers secondary players to slot into your lineup ahead of Nesmith.