DraftKings contributors Jeff Pratt and Matt Meiselman join The Sweat to give their favorite high-priced DraftKings plays for tonight’s NBA slate.
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Video Transcript
Emerson Lotzia:
Seven games on the slate tonight dudes. Matty, who are you paying up for in DFS?
Matt Meiselman:
Well, I think this is a slate that’s going to have way more value plays than pay-up options, because we’re at the point in the season where rest is just normal, and there’s probably some news that we haven’t gotten yet that we’re going to get at some point today. Having said that, I think that two guys who are in pretty safe spots are in the head-to-head matchup between Minnesota and Dallas—Karl-Anthony Towns, Luka Doncic. I’ll take the Luka side, I think that a decent amount of people will be on him, but this is just someone whose usage rate is through the roof and I don’t really think there’s a great option on this slate.
I think Joel Embiid is going to get more of a look than Luka, but the price difference between those guys I think makes sense that Luka’s lower owned. So, it really comes down to this—I think Luka is the more contrarian of the pay-up options. Ultimately, though, I don’t feel great about this range, so I’m a little more excited to talk about value plays, but I think Dallas is in a really important spot. And that’s maybe what breaks the tie for me, is that the Mavericks do need to try to win games right now to avoid the play-in tournament.
Emerson Lotzia:
Jeff, four dudes that’ll cost you at least $10K, you want one of them?
Jeff Pratt:
Maybe. I like taking a look at Joel Embiid like Matt was saying. I think that Luka might be the better option, but if you want to pay all the way up, Joel Embiid at $11,200 makes the most sense to me. I mean, he’s the MVP favorite on DraftKings Sportsbook right now for a reason. The guy shows up and performs every single night. He’s racked up 56+ DK fantasy points in five of his last six games and he should have no problem staying hot against the Clippers, who rank 21st in fantasy points allowed to centers.
If you want to look a little bit under that $10K range, I like Donovan Mitchell too at $9K. The Jazz got dominated by the Celtics on Wednesday, but Mitchell still got his 50 fantasy points. He was relatively efficient as well. The West is tight in the 4 to 7 seed range and he’s doing everything he can to keep the Jazz out of the play-in game. He scored 30 plus points in four straight games—everything runs through him on offense. He’s seen a usage rate of 35 percent or higher in five straight and that shouldn’t change against Charlotte. The Hornets also rank near the top of the league in pace this season, so Mitchell should see more opportunities than usual.
Matt’s Pick: Luka Doncic ($12,100)
Jeff’s Picks: Joel Embiid ($11,200), Donovan Mitchell ($9,000)
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