DraftKings’ main NBA DFS slate for Sunday starts at 6:00 PM EST and features five games. DraftKings continues to offer huge contests for DFS players and below, I dive into three of my favorite bargain plays for this slate.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $100K Fadeaway [$25K to 1st]
PG, Ajay Mitchell, Oklahoma City Thunder at Utah Jazz, $5,000
The Thunder will be without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (elbow) Lu Dort (adductor), Alex Caruso (quad) and Isaiah Hartenstein (soleus) tonight. In this situation, Mitchell should see big minutes and a large usage rate in this prime spot vs. the Jazz, who rank fourth in pace and 29th in defensive rating this season.
Despite not having Gilgeous-Alexander available, Oklahoma City carries the highest implied team total on the slate at 123.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook, which is a testament to how strong of a matchup this is vs. Utah. With Gilgeous-Alexander off the court this season, Mitchell is leading the Thunder with a 27.2% usage rate, resulting in 1.1 FPTS per minute for the guard. Mitchell should score 30+ FPTS tonight and he is No. 1 value on the board at only $5,000.
PG, Pat Spencer, Golden State Warriors at Chicago Bulls, $3,900
With Stephen Curry (quad) out for the last three games,, Spencer has been an excellent surprise for the Warriors, scoring 32.25, 29 and 37.5 FPTS, in that order. That final performance came last night and Spencer logged 29 minutes in his first career start, helping Golden State secure an impressive 99-94 road win over the Cavaliers.
Curry will remain out tonight and while Jimmy Butler (probable, knee) will return from a two-game absence, Spencer should continue to start at point guard in place of Curry and garner a large role. Spencer has earned himself the starting job and this is a terrific matchup vs. the Bulls, who rank second in pace and 22nd in defensive rating. The guard is scoring 1.1 FPTS per minute with a 20% usage rate and a 30% assist rate with Curry off the court this season, and Spencer will be a must-play if he is confirmed a starter again as expected.
C, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Charlotte Hornets vs. Denver Nuggets, $4,200
Kalkbrenner is an awesome punt play with LaMelo Ball (ankle) sidelined. In the six games Kalkbrenner has played without Ball this season, Kalkbrenner’s usage rate is rising 2.3 percentage points and he is amassing 26.1 FPTS in 25.1 minutes per game.
Kalkbrenner will be at home and facing the Nuggets, who remain without Aaron Gordon (hamstring). Denver ranks dead last in defensive rating since the forward got hurt eight games ago and Kalkbrenner should cruise past five-times value in this plus spot.
