The NBA season is in full swing, and DraftKings has released a new Snake Draft fantasy format! Below, we break down strategy for Tuesday’s DraftKings NBA Snake slate.
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Favorable Early Round Targets
Stephen Curry, G, Golden State Warriors
NBA Snake Rank: 3rd
Curry is playing as well this season as he has at any point during his career. He’s averaging 29.5 points per game while shooting 48.4% from the field and 43.0% from 3-point range, resulting in an average of 49.2 DKFP per game. His average of 1.46 DKFP per minute this season trails only Joel Embiid’s mark of 1.63.
He takes the court tonight in an excellent spot vs. the Spurs. They’ve played at the 10th fastest pace this season, and the Warriors’ implied team total of 114.5 is the fourth-highest mark on the slate. Curry torched this team for 57.75 DKFP yesterday, and he should be able to repeat that success tonight.
Nikola Vucevic, F/C, Orlando Magic
NBA Snake Rank: 9th
Vucevic has been a reliable producer all season, but he has the potential to carry a larger workload than usual tonight vs. the Blazers. Evan Fournier has been ruled out, and he will join Aaron Gordon, Markelle Fultz, and Michael Carter-Williams on the sidelines. That leaves the Magic without four of their primary playmakers.
Vucevic has been one of the biggest beneficiaries with all four players off the court this season. He’s increased his usage rate by 5.7 percentage points and his assist rate by 6.8 percentage points in that situation, which gives him a significantly higher ceiling than usual. He’s already averaged a stout 1.43 DKFP per minute this season, so being able to grab him outside of the top five is pure larceny.
Early Round Player to Avoid
James Harden, G, Brooklyn Nets
NBA Snake Rank: 1st
Harden ranks first on the slate in both rank and ADP, and he’s also the most expensive player on the classic format. That said, I don’t think he necessarily deserves that designation.
Harden carried an increased workload in the Nets’ last game – he posted a usage rate of 34.8% in that contest – but that came with Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving out of the lineup. Irving is expected to return tonight vs. the Pistons, and he should cut into Harden’s usage rate pretty significantly. Harden is still a threat to rack up a triple-double, but it’s hard to get behind him as the best fantasy option on the slate given his projected usage.
Also, make sure to remove Durant (rank 5) and Christian Wood (rank 12) from your draft boards. Both players have already been ruled out.
Late Round Flyers
It should be noted that these players are ranked below the threshold of players that would be drafted. This section simply tries to exploit players who are in favorable matchups and are down the rank list.
John Wall, G, Houston Rockets
NBA Snake Rank: 25th
Wall is ranked outside the range of draftable players in three and four team drafts, which is absurd. He’s expected to return to the lineup tonight after getting to rest yesterday, while Victor Oladipo will get the night off tonight. That means Wall should carry a significant workload. He’s increased his usage rate by 5.2 percentage points with Oladipo and Wood off the court this season, resulting in an average of 1.2 DKFP per minute. He deserves to be off the board with a top-12 pick.
DeAndre Jordan, F/C, Brooklyn Nets
NBA Snake Rank: 83rd
Jordan has been a pretty reliable fantasy producer recently. He’s scored at least 21.0 DKFP in seven of his past eight games, and his playing time was up with Durant out of the lineup in his last contest. He saw 26.6 minutes in that game, which gives him solid upside given his average of 1.0 DKFP per minute this season.
Jordan is also in an excellent spot vs. the Pistons. They rank just tied for 22nd in terms of defensive efficiency, and they also rank 19th in team rebound rate. The Nets’ implied team total of 117.75 points is the top mark on the slate, so Jordan is a threat for a cheap double-double with one of your last picks of the draft.
Sterling Brown, F/C, Houston Rockets
NBA Snake Rank: 142nd
Brown is way down the draft board, and you frankly don’t need to consider him in anything less than a 12-team format. That said, he does have some deep sleeper appeal. He saw a boost in playing time last night for the Rockets, and he responded with at least 23.75 DKFP for the third time in his past four games. He should see another increased role tonight with Oladipo out of the lineup, and Brown is clearly capable of making the most of his minutes. He’s averaged 0.91 DKFP per minute over the past month, so he has some appeal if he plays 20+ minutes again on today’s slate.
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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.
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