DFS Alerts
Thriving off the Bench
His salary is elevated now, but the Bucks continue to give him more minutes. He played 32 minutes in Game 4, which was his highest total of the series. He’s clearly a better option than Tyler Zeller with the team facing elimination, as his offensive presence gives them more options against the Celtics. Parker put up 17 and 8 in Game 4 and should be up for a similar or better line this evening, and he will be a key piece in a lot of my Showdown Slate DFS lineups.
Fred VanVleet ruled out Wednesday, OG Anunoby will play
Toronto will be without Fred VanVleet for game 5 tonight against the Wizards. VanVleet is dealing with a shoulder injury, and has played just a grand total of three minutes in this series. Delon Wright is the main beneficiary with VanVleet out of the lineup, and the top value play on this slate. Wright played very well in the 1st two home games, but struggled a bit in Washington. Kyle Lowry is also seeing some time with the second unit. OG Anunoby will play tonight after he hurt his ankle last game, but the injury wasn’t that serious. He should play about 20 minutes tonight.
As reported by: Holly MacKenzie via twitter
George Hill ruled out Wednesday.
George Hill will miss his second straight playoff game Wednesday, with back spams. Jose Calderon will once again start for Hill. Last game, Calderon finished with 5 points, 2 assists, and 2 rebounds in 19 minutes of action. Jordan Clarkson should also see a couple more minutes tonight, and even Cedi Osman might even crack the rotation.
As reported by: Sam Amico via twitter Elite Production at a Premium Price Point
John Wall has been the chalk play in each of the last two games, but his price is well over $10,000 on both FanDuel and DraftKings. He should fly under the radar tonight, despite scoring 63 and 68 fantasy points in the last two games of this series. We know that Wall has a massive ceiling and he clearly has no issue with his matchup against the Raptors. Give me Wall against Toronto instead of Westbrook against the Jazz.
Fade Him if You'd Like
Carmelo Anthony has not played well in this series. He has been ice cold from the floor and he has taken some really poor shots late in games. The crazy part is that he is still averaging 30.5 fantasy points. He’s basically locked into 35+ minutes a night, which boosts his floor and his ceiling. All he needs is one good shooting performance to really exceed value at a price point below $6,000 on both FanDuel and DraftKings.
Higher Floor than Most Realize
If you take out the game where Marcin Gortat got into foul trouble, he has played at least 25 minutes and has scored at least 18 fantasy points in every game this series. His salary is dirt cheap across the industry, which not only makes him a strong play, but it also allows us to pay up for the likes of LeBron James, Russell Westbrook, or James Harden. This pick is as much about Gortat as it is about what it allows you to do with the rest of your roster.
Searching for Upside at Center
The center position is the best spot to find upside tonight, and Capela remains a solid bet for production. After a quiet Game 3, he dominated at times in Game 4 on his way to 14 points, 17 rebounds, and four blocks. Towns is not known as a strong defender, so Capela can get his production when he is engaged in the game. As the Rockets look to close out this series, I think he has another strong game here.
Big Upside with his Team on the Brink
The Thunder are on the verge of being quietly eliminated in the first round, but I think we will see a focused effort by the team as they face elimination at home. Paul George has been logging massive minutes in this series, and he attempted 21 shots and 12 free throws in the last game. It’s clear that the usage and playing time will be there, which gives him a nice combination of safety and upside. He’s a fine mid-to-high end play in all formats.
Just Keep Playing The King
James is the Cleveland offense at this point. Just get out of his way and let him try to win games. That’s basically where the Cavs are at. He has posted full lines in pretty much every game since the series opener, and his price tag remains much cheaper than it should be on FanDuel. I’ll happily play him as my top spend on every site, but it’s virtually a no-brainer over on FD.
A Lot Of Minutes At A Mid Tier Price Tag
Porter saw his minutes spike in Game 4 up to almost 40. Whether or not we see that many tonight is up for debate, but I would certainly be chasing it in all formats because of the cheap price tag on DK ($5,400). I think he makes a ton of sense in all formats tonight simply due to that price tag. In cash games, he won’t kill you even if the minutes are back in the low 30’s. And in tournaments, there is plenty of profit potential if he sees that amount of run again while combining it with an efficient night. He is one of my favorite plays on DK tonight.
Risk/Reward GPP Value
Sabonis has quietly been seeing a little more playing time as this playoff series has gone along. He racked up 19 points and six boards in 25 minutes in Game 4, and I would expect him to see a similar allotment of court time this evening. While there is some risk here, the price tag is also very cheap, and value is better served at a position like power forward this evening — especially on a site like FanDuel with the limited availability at the position.
Way Too Cheap On DraftKings
This price tag is just way too cheap not to lock into cash games on DK. The price has come down because of abysmal shooting nights the past two games, but the floor gets propped up because of the insane minutes and ability to contribute in other ways. If the shooting normalizes even a little bit, he easily surpasses most value thresholds. And due to the extreme discount, there is all sorts of upside for tournaments too. It would be tough for me not to lock button Dipo tonight on DK.
Take The Salary Relief Where You Can Get It On FanDuel
Cheap plays are strangely tough to come by tonight on FanDuel, even on a four-game slate. So I will look to plug in J.R. at one of my shooting guard spots for only $3,600. While he is usually a little too scoring dependent for my tastes in cash games, the price mitigates a lot of that risk. And it’s not like we have many other options to look at in this range. The minutes are what brings him the most safety, as he has logged 34-35 minutes in the past three games. There is actually a ton of upside here in tournaments too, as he is a hot shooting night away from destroying this price tag.
A Great Play Again Tonight At Point Guard
Especially for cash games, I will continue to lock in Rubio’s safety. The usage rate and shooting percentage slipped a little in Game 4, and he still came through with 34.2 FD points and 35 DK points. With the price barely budging, he appears to be another no-brainer for cash games tonight. Keep an eye on ownership tonight, as he perhaps he goes a little overlooked with more games on tap. If that is the case, I would want to be overweight on him in tournaments.
A Lock At Small Forward On FanDuel
I will happily lock in LeBron in all formats on FD. For whatever reason, the price came down below $12,000, where it hasn’t been all series. Coming back home for a pivotal Game 5, The King is my favorite play on FD. Lock him in to one of your small forward spots and move on.