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The hoops action keeps on rolling at the Olympics, and we have another two-game slate available on DraftKings. The contest locks at 12:40 a.m. ET on Sunday, so make sure to get your lineups in if you go to bed early!
Let’s dive into some of my favorite plays at each position.
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Point Guard
Stud
Luka Doncic, Slovenia @ Argentina ($11,800) – I don’t think I’m going to have to sell you too hard on Doncic. He’s blossomed into one of the biggest stars in the NBA, and he’s capable of racking up fantasy points in a variety of categories. If he can do that in the NBA, I have zero doubts about his abilities to do it vs. Argentina. He posted some ridiculous stat lines in Slovenia’s four Olympic qualifiers, resulting in averages of 21.3 points, 11.3 assists and 8.0 rebounds per game. He probably deserves to be about $15,000 on this slate.
Other Options – Ricky Rubio ($10,500)
Value
Sergio Rodriguez, Spain @ Japan ($3,300) – Rodriguez has been a factor in the backcourt during Spain’s tune-up games for the Olympics. He’s scored at least nine points in three straight games – one vs. the USA and two vs. France – and he recorded at least 13 points in two of those contests. He should be able to drill a few 3-pointers and provide a handful of rebounds and assists, which makes him a nice value. Alberto Abalde ($3,000) will likely see a few more minutes, but Rodriguez is the better fantasy producer.
Other Options – Daiki Tanaka ($3,200), Alberto Abalde ($3,000)
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Shooting Guard
Stud
Zoran Dragic, Slovenia @ Argentina ($7,600) – Doncic is not the only Slovenia player worth paying up for on this slate. They’re favored by six-point vs. Argentina, and their implied team total of nearly 92 points is the top mark on the slate. Dragic ranked third on the team in points per game during the qualifying tournament, and he also ranked fourth in minutes.
Other Options – Sergio Llull ($6,900)
Value
Makoto Hiejima, Japan vs. Spain ($3,100) – Japan earned automatic qualification into the field due to being the home country, and they are the lowest-ranked team by a wide margin. That said, they did pull off an impressive upset over France during exhibitions and they do have some NBA talent on the roster. Still, it’s important to keep our expectations in check. They’re 18.5-point underdogs in this matchup, and their implied team total is nearly 20 points lower than every other team on this slate.
I’m looking to keep my exposure to this squad minimal, but Hiejima does stand out as underpriced. He ranked third on the team in scoring during the exhibitions, and he also averaged 23.3 minutes per game. That’s significant for someone who costs just $3,100.
Other Options – Nicolas Brussino ($3,200), Alex Abrines ($3,000)
Small Forward
Stud
Gavin Edwards, Japan vs. Spain ($5,900) – Small forward is a brutal position on this slate. Rudy Fernandez ($8,800), Vlatko Cancar ($8,200) and Gabriel Deck ($7,300) are the three highest-priced options, but none has a starring role for their team. All three are role players at best, so they seem significantly overpriced.
Edwards makes more sense at $5,900. He was Japan’s fourth-leading scorer during their exhibitions, and he also led the team with an average of 8.3 rebounds per game. His ability on the glass makes him the safest option at the position.
Other Options – Vlatko Cancar ($8,200)
Value
Edo Muric, Slovenia @ Argentina ($3,800) – Unfortunately, the value options at small forward aren’t great either. Muric is probably going to give you the best bang for your buck among the cheap players. He averaged 17.0 minutes per game during the Olympic qualifiers for Slovenia, which gives him the best playing time expectation among the cheapies.
Other Options – Leandro Bolmaro ($4,700), Gregor Hrovat ($4,100)
Power Forward
Stud
Rui Hachimura, Japan vs. Spain ($9,700) – Power forward is the complete opposite of small forward on this slate. There are a ton of high-priced studs to pay up for, so getting as many of them as possible into your lineup has value.
Yuta Watanabe ($10,000) and Luis Scola ($9,300) both stand out as strong targets, but I’m giving the edge to Hachimura. He averaged 19.0 points per game during Japan’s tune-ups – tied with Watanabe for the top mark on the team – and he ranked second on the squad in rebounds. He was also an NBA lottery pick in the prime of his career, which is something that Watanabe and Scola can’t say.
Other Options – Yuta Watanabe ($10,000), Luis Scola ($9,300)
Value
Kosuke Kanamaru, Japan vs. Spain ($3,300) – I cannot stress this enough: Do not pay down at power forward. That said, if you absolutely must, Kanamaru is your best option. The only other player in this price range is Usman Garuba ($3,100), who averaged just 12.6 minutes and 4.4 points in Spain’s exhibition games. That makes Kanamaru the default option.
Other Options – None
Center
Stud
Mike Tobey, Slovenia @ Argentina ($9,000) – Tobey is only $400 cheaper than Marc Gasol ($9,400), and it feels a bit weird to put him in your lineups instead of a former All-Star NBA center. Still, Tobey was arguably Slovenia’s second-best player during the qualifying tournament. He averaged 15.0 points per game – the second-highest mark on the team – to go along with 7.5 rebounds per game. He’s also the clear top center option for Slovenia, while Spain has like 1,000 big men on the roster. Spain could also easily turn their game vs. Japan into a blowout, which makes Tobey the preferred option.
Other Options – Marc Gasol ($9,400), Guillermo Hernangomez ($5,000)
Value
Pau Gasol, Spain @ Japan ($4,800) – Pau is still on Spain’s Olympic roster, and he’s still capable of stuffing the stat sheet. He played 17 minutes in Spain’s final exhibition vs. the USA, and he finished with eight points, five rebounds, two assists and a steal. His minutes will likely be capped vs. Japan, but Gasol should dominate when he’s on the floor.
Other Options – Marcos Delia ($3,900)
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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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