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Fantasy Basketball Picks: Top DraftKings NBA DFS Targets, Values for August 21

Matt LaMarca gives his top studs and value plays at each position for Friday’s fantasy basketball slate on DraftKings, which starts at 1:30 p.m. ET.

The NBA playoffs keep rolling right along, and we have another four-game slate on Friday. The action gets underway with the Nets vs. the Raptors at 1:30 p.m. ET and concludes with the Mavericks vs. the Clippers at 9 p.m. ET.

Let’s take a look at some of the top studs and values at each position on DraftKings.

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Point Guard

Stud

Kyle Lowry, TOR @ BKN, $7,800 – Lowry has been carrying a pretty massive workload for the Raptors during the postseason. He’s logged at least 37.2 minutes in each of his first two games, and he’s coming off 43.25 DKFP in his last contest. He’s in another excellent spot today vs. the Nets – they posted the fifth-worst mark in defensive efficiency during the eight seeding games – and the Raptors’ implied team total of 115.0 is the second-highest mark on the slate.

Other Options – Luka Doncic ($10,800), Kemba Walker ($6,600)

Value

Reggie Jackson, LAC @ DAL, $3,500 – Patrick Beverley missed the Clippers’ last game with an injury, and he may miss today’s contest as well. Jackson moved into the starting lineup in his absence, and he’ll likely draw another start today if Beverley is out again. He ultimately played 26.3 minutes in his last game, and he’s averaged 1.04 DKFP per minute this season.

The Clippers are also expected to score a lot of points in this contest: they lead the slate with an implied team total of 118.75.

Other Options – Shake Milton ($4,500), Tyler Johnson ($4,200), Chris Chiozza ($3,200)


Shooting Guard

Stud

Caris LeVert, BRK vs. TOR, $8,100 – Poor Brooklyn. They were already playing shorthanded in the bubble, and now Joe Harris had to leave Orlando for personal reasons. It seems unlikely that he’ll play another game for them this season.

That will obviously hurt the Nets’ chances of winning, but it should be a positive for LeVert from a fantasy perspective. He’s increased his usage rate by +9.6% with Harris, Kyrie Irving, and Spencer Dinwiddie off the court this season, resulting in an average of 1.34 DKFP. The Raptors are a tough matchup, but he has massive upside in this contest.

Other Options – Fred VanVleet ($7,600), Jaylen Brown ($7,200)

Value

Norman Powell, TOR @ BRK, $4,300 – Powell looks like one of the strongest values of the day at just $4,300. He’s coming off more than 32 minutes in his last game, and he’s averaged 0.95 DKFP per minute this season. That is a lot of potential production at just $4,300.

Other Options – Tim Hardaway Jr. ($5,200), Seth Curry ($3,900)


Small Forward

Stud

Kawhi Leonard, LAC @ DAL, $9,600 – Leonard clearly doesn’t care about the regular season, but he’s one of the best fantasy players in the league during the postseason. He logged 59.5 DKFP in Game 1 vs. the Mavericks, and he followed it up with 53.5 DKFP in Game 2.

He played 40.8 minutes in his last game, and he can do a lot of damage with that much playing time given his average of 1.50 DKFP per minute.

Other Options – Paul George ($8,300), Tobias Harris ($7,500)

Value

Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, BRK vs. TOR, $4,600 – TLC is a prime candidate to move into the starting lineup with Harris out of the lineup, but he should see a bunch of playing time even if he comes off the bench. He’s been playing awesome recently – he’s averaged 0.93 DKFP per minute in the bubble – so he has the potential to smash this price tag with a few additional minutes.

Other Options – Josh Richardson ($4,800), OG Anunoby ($4,600)


Power Forward

Stud

Pascal Siakam, TOR @ BRK, $7,300 – Siakam is another member of the Raptors who is definitely in play today. He’s struggled to start the playoffs, shooting just 10-27 from the field, which has caused his salary to drop to $7,300. Siakam has been an excellent option with a comparable salary this season, averaging 39.54 DKFP per game.

Other Options – Jayson Tatum ($9,200)

Value

Maxi Kleber, DAL vs. LAC, $3,900 – Kleber is really cheap considering the volume of minutes he’s playing for the Mavericks. He logged 32.8 minutes in his last game, and he’s averaged a very respectable 0.85 DKFP per minute. It’s hard to see a scenario where he busts if he sees that much playing time again.

Other Options – Marcus Morris ($5,000), Royce O’Neale ($4,100)


Center

Stud

Joel Embiid, PHI vs. BOS, $9,800 – The 76ers have their backs against the wall today, so expect Joel Embiid to be aggressive. He was already pretty aggressive in Game 2 – he increased his usage rate to 38.1% — but his playing time was ultimately limited in a blowout. If he can produce at the same level today and see a few additional minutes, he has monster upside.

Other Options — Nikola Jokic ($9,300)

Value

Montrezl Harrell, LAC @ DAL, $4,100 – The Clippers’ bench has been getting absolutely crushed in this series, which is pretty ironic considering they have two finalists for the Sixth Man of the Year award. Harrell is one of those players, but he’s played a limited workload over his first two playoff games. He didn’t play in any of the Clippers’ eight seeding games, so it makes sense that they’re working him in slowly.

That said, his playing time should only increase moving forward, and he’s averaged 1.20 DKFP per minute this season. That makes him an excellent target at just $4,100.

Other Options – Daniel Theis ($4,300), Marc Gasol ($4,000)


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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is mlamarca) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.