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The group play stage of the Olympics is coming to a close in men’s basketball. The last two games will take place early on Sunday morning, starting with Argentina vs. Japan at 12:40 a.m. ET and wrapping up with Spain vs. Slovakia at 4:20 a.m. ET.
Let’s dive into some of my favorite plays at each position.
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Point Guard
Stud
Luka Doncic, Slovenia at Spain ($12,900) – Doncic is easily the best fantasy option at the Tokyo Olympics. He has dominated in his first two contests, racking up 76.75 DKFP and 53.25 DKFP, and there’s no reason to expect any regression moving forward. Spain is one of the best teams in the tournament, but Doncic is simply too good to be contained. Slovenia owns the highest implied team total on DraftKings Sportsbook, and Doncic will have a huge hand in whatever their offense accomplishes.
Other Options – Ricky Rubio ($10,400), Facundo Campazzo ($9,800)
Value
Daiki Tanaka, Japan at Argentina ($3,500) – Japan owns the lowest implied team total on the slate, but Tanaka has been one of their most reliable fantasy options during the Olympics. He leads the team in assists per game, and he ranks fourth in minutes. He’s not much of a threat as a scorer, but he’s still racked up at least 12.75 DKFP in his past two games. That makes him a nice option at his current price tag.
Other Options – Luca Vildoza ($4,800), Sergio Rodriguez ($3,900)
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Shooting Guard
Stud
Klemen Prepelic, Slovenia at Spain ($6,500) – Shooting guard is one of the weakest positions on today’s slate. That said, Prepelic has provided nice value for Slovenia. He’s scored at least 25.0 DKFP in back-to-back games, despite the fact that he shot just 4-for-15 in his last game. He was also 2-for-9 from 3-point range, so some better shooting numbers on Sunday could result in a big fantasy performance.
Other Options – Zoran Dragic ($8,000)
Value
Alex Abrines, Spain vs. Slovenia ($4,300) – Spain has a deep roster, and they use a relatively large rotation. Abrines is a bench player, but he actually led the team with 28 minutes in their last game. He didn’t shoot the ball particularly well – he was 1-for-4 from 3-point range – but he still finished with 16.0 DKFP. He’s racked up at least 16 fantasy points in back-to-back games, so he’s underpriced at $4,300.
Other Options – Nicolas Brussino ($3,200), Makoto Hiejima ($3,100)
Small Forward
Stud
Gabriel Deck, Argentina vs. Japan ($8,200) – Deck is the clear top choice at small forward on Sunday. He racked up 31.0 DKFP in his first Olympic contest, and he finished second on the team with 29 minutes in their last game. His fantasy production wasn’t nearly as impressive in that contest – he finished with just 15.5 DKFP – but he shot a dreadful 1-for-8 from the field. That makes him a prime candidate for some positive regression moving forward. He’s racked up eight rebounds in both games during the group stage, so some better scoring numbers vs. Japan would make him an excellent value.
Other Options – Vlatko Cancar ($8,500), Gavin Edwards ($7,100)
Value
Edo Muric, Slovenia at Spain ($4,700) – The value options at small forward are thin. Muric is the only player at the position priced below $6,300 who is averaging more than 6.4 DKFP during the Olympics, so he’s your best bet if you’re paying down. He hasn’t been much of a threat as a scorer for Slovenia, but he’s made up for it by averaging six rebounds per game. The fact that Slovenia has been an offensive force during the Olympics only helps his cause.
Other Options – Yudai Baba ($6,300)
Power Forward
Stud
Rui Hachimura, Japan at Argentina ($10,000) – The big question at power forward is which stud for Japan is worth paying up for. Yuta Watanabe ($10,600) is slightly more expensive, but Hachimura is my preferred target. He’s the clear No. 1 scoring option for Japan, attempting at least 21 shot attempts in both games. Overall, he’s logged 49 shots over two contests, which gives him a sizable advantage over Watanabe in that department (28 shot attempts). If Hachimura is making his shots, he has the potential to challenge Doncic for the top scorer on the slate. He did just that in his last game, finishing with 52.75 DKFP vs. Slovenia.
Other Option – Yuta Watanabe ($10,600)
Value
Usman Garuba, Spain vs. Slovakia ($3,400) – Paying up at power forward is almost mandatory on Sunday’s slate. Not only is Hachimura one of the best options regardless of position, but there are really no possible value options either. Only two players are priced below $7,100, and neither player is averaging more than 7.4 DKFP per game.
If you absolutely must pay down, Garuba stands out as a stronger option than Kosuke Kanamaru ($3,600). Garuba was just selected in the first round of the 2021 NBA Draft, so he does have some ability. Juancho Hernangómez has also been blocked from playing in the Olympics by the Timberwolves, which has opened up a few minutes per game for Garuba. He logged 15 minutes in his first game before dipping to just nine in his last game.
Other Options – None
Center
Stud
Mike Tobey, Slovenia at Spain ($9,300) – Tobey is a bit more expensive than I’d like, but he’s the top option if you are paying up. Marc Gasol ($8,400) simply isn’t playing enough for Spain, but playing time isn’t an issue for Tobey. He’s logged at least 27 minutes in both games, and he’s responded with at least 25.75 DKFP in each. He’s not a big scoring threat, but he’s averaged 12.5 rebounds per game. If he can crack double digits as a scorer – as he did in his first game vs. Argentina – he should finish with a double-double. That’s enough to potentially return value.
Other Options – None
Value
Pau Gasol, Spain vs. Slovenia ($5,800) – Pau is still getting the job done at 41 years old. He’s coming off the bench and playing limited minutes for Spain, but he’s still very active when on the floor. He’s averaged around 1.3 DKFP per minute during his first two contests, which is an elite mark for the Olympics.
Other Options – Guillermo Hernangómez ($5,100), Ziga Dimec ($3,300)
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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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