The NBA season is in full swing, and DraftKings has released a new fantasy format — Snake drafts! Below, we break down some of the best targets for Thursday’s NBA Snake slate.
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Favorable Early Round Targets
Julius Randle, PF, New York Knicks
NBA Snake Rank: 4th
Randle is averaging 1.28 DKFP per minute. The Wizards play at the fastest pace in the league and are 27th in defensive efficiency. They are also the most generous to opposing power forwards, boosting their fantasy points per minute by 12.35% above league average. Randle has faced the Wizards twice this season, going for 55 and 49.5 DKFP, the latter coming on Wednesday. Over the last six games, Randle has gone for over 60 DKFP in three of those contests.
Jimmy Butler, SF, Miami Heat
NBA Snake Rank: 8th
In three of the last four games, Butler has scored fewer than 40 DKFP. Prior to that, he went for at least 50 DKFP in seven straight, with three above 60. The matchups in the recent four games were tough since Phoenix and Memphis are among the top 10 in defensive efficiency while Indiana is 13th. Now he gets a matchup against a Portland team that is 29th in defensive efficiency. The good times should roll once again. On the season, Butler is averaging 1.37 DKFP per minute.
Tobias Harris, PF, Philadelphia 76ers
NBA Snake Rank: 13th
In 322 minutes with Joel Embiid off the court, Harris has seen a usage bump by five percentage points to a team-high 29.3%. In the last six games without Embiid, Harris has gone for 50.75, 48.5, 41.75, 61.25, 33.5 and 49.75 DKFP. The Lakers boost the fantasy points per minute of power forwards by 10.86% above league average. Despite being the top team in defensive efficiency, the Lakers have given up 111 points to the Suns and 128 to the Pelicans in their last two games.
Richaun Holmes, C, Sacramento Kings
NBA Snake Rank: 19th
Holmes has been an inconsistent fantasy player all season. The lows have been low, but the highs have been high. Over the last five games, he’s gone for 48.5, 17, 53.75, 30.75 and 57.75 DKFP. What a roller coaster ride. Holmes is averaging 1.05 DKFP per minute, and this should be an up-and-down affair since the Kings play at the ninth-fastest pace and the Warriors are second. In addition, the Warriors have been the most generous to opposing centers, boosting their fantasy points per minute by 19.38% above league average.
Early Round Players to Avoid
Bradley Beal, SG, Washington Wizards
NBA Snake Rank: 7th
The Knicks play at the slowest pace in the league and are fourth in defensive efficiency. (Thibs!) These teams played on Tuesday with the Knicks holding Beal to 32.5 DKFP on 6-for-15 shooting. Can Beal pop off for 50 DKFP? Sure, he’s that good, but it’s not the path of least resistance.
DeMar DeRozan, SF, San Antonio Spurs
NBA Snake Rank: 14th
The Clippers have Kawhi Leonard defending opposing small forwards, so it makes sense that they neutralize those players’ fantasy points per minute by 8.7% below league average. DeRozan played the Clippers back on January 5th, shooting 3-for-9 from the field and producing 22.25 DKFP.
Later Round Fliers
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.
Mitchell Robinson, C, New York Knicks
NBA Snake Rank: 50th
The minutes have been all over the map for Robinson, but he played 31 minutes and had 40.5 DKFP last game. He gets a rematch against a Wizards team that plays fast and boosts the fantasy points per minute to centers by 10.22% above league average.
Tony Bradley, C, Philadelphia 76ers
NBA Snake Rank: 69th
Bradley is coming off a game in which he played 33 minutes and produced 40.75 DKFP. He and Dwight Howard had been splitting the center minutes down the middle, so this was likely an outlier performance. With that said, what if he does get more minutes? It’s within the range of outcomes, and Bradley is 26 slots lower in the rankings.
Ivica Zubac, C, Los Angeles Clippers
NBA Snake Rank: 39th
Serge Ibaka is out for this game, so Zubac should continue playing extended minutes. Over the last four games, Zubac has played 35, 35, 25 and 25 minutes, producing 32.75, 32.75, 21.75 and 30.75 DKFP. On the season, he’s averaging 1.02 DKFP per minute — when he gets the playing time he produces.
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