The NBA is officially back, and Tuesday’s three-game DraftKings main slate starts early with Celtics-Pistons at 3 p.m. ET, followed by 76ers-Knicks and Thunder-Spurs. With a new season comes a fresh set of rotations, and a couple of expanded roles already stand out.
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 $600K Opening Tip Off [$200K to 1st, 3PT Throne Eligible]
PF OG Anunoby, New York Knicks vs. Philadelphia 76ers ($5,300)
Anunoby doesn’t need a bigger piece of New York’s offense to justify this price. Last season, he averaged 16.7 PPG, 5.2 RPG, and 2.2 APG in 33.2 minutes, while adding 1.6 SPG and 0.7 BPG. Those defensive contributions are particularly useful because they give him ways to produce beyond scoring.
Anunoby also knocked down 2.3 threes per game at a 38.6% clip, adding another source of fantasy points without needing to really touch the rock. At $5,300, we’re getting a good price for a starting wing on a championship team. Anunoby is one of the best role players in the league, and his floor tonight is high enough to warrant slotting him into your lineup.
PF/C John Collins, Detroit Pistons vs. Boston Celtics ($4,700)
Collins is unlikely to touch the 21.6 PPG he once reached in Atlanta, but he’s still a more-than-serviceable big in today’s NBA. Collins averaged 25 FPTS in 27.1 MPG last season, shooting 55.2% from the field and 40.6% from three. All-NBA point guard Cade Cunningham will be sure to connect with Collins on various looks: lobs, corner threes, and backdoor cuts. We’ll see very soon what type of role Collins will have on this new team as he replaces Tobias Harris, but given his ability to stretch the floor, he’s far from redundant. While Jalen Duren will likely command most of the interior attention, Collins is a bit more versatile offensively, even if he’s not an adept self-creator.
PG/SG Dylan Harper, San Antonio Spurs vs. Oklahoma City Thunder ($5,100)
Alright, it’s finally happening. Harper’s move into the starting lineup is the reason our interest has been piqued. Mitch Johnson confirmed a starting group featuring Harper alongside De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle, giving the second-year guard an opportunity to expand on last season’s 22.6 minutes per game. He supplied 11.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 3.9 assists in that limited workload, so there’s already evidence of some nice peripheral production beyond his own shot attempts.
Sharing the floor with Fox, Castle, and Victor Wembanyama means we shouldn’t assume his usage rises significantly, but he doesn’t need to become San Antonio’s primary creator to return value. At $5,100, the case rests on more playing time translating his existing all-around production into a bigger fantasy line. We’re still early to the party with Harper, and the Spurs’ decision to move Harper into the starting lineups indicates that they’re going to be rolling with this core for years to come.
