It’s looking like things are on their way towards getting back to normal for Philadelphia from a COVID-19 and injury perspective but they will still be without Seth Curry as they face a Miami team that is slated to be without Jimmy Butler. Add this is in with the usual statuses we need to verify prior to tip off and we need to be able to pivot quickly right before lineup lock. Kyrie Irving will also be sidelined for a fourth game but when one door closes another DFS door opens. Now that I’m down with the profound cliches let’s take a look at some picks that can win you some cash.
For those who have yet to subscribe, what are you waiting for? Until then you will get one free pick to whet your appetite. Dejounte Murray’s ($7,200 DK, $7,500 FD) last few games are a perfect window into the risk and reward associated with the San Antonio point guard. Murray went from scoring four points against the Jazz to putting up succussive games of 21, 18, and 22 points before coming back down to earth with 11 points in his last game. While we have established that Murray is inconsistent with his shot he is still averaging 15.2 points per game but more importantly his 6.8 rebounds and 4.2 assists per game giving us a reliable floor.
Beginning our lineups tonight with Murray, Precious Achiuwa ($3,100 DK, N/A FD), and Caris LeVert ($7,600 DK, $7,900 FD) covers all the bases of upside, a clear value play, high usage, a solid production floor, but more importantly salary cap flexibility.
Subscribers can now expect us to continue digging into today’s slate and the rest of our core lineup plays. Where will we find tonight’s bargains below $6,000? So, keep on going and take a look at what we have to offer. This is just the beginning though. For a one-time fee of $99 per year we have all sports covered here including NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, PGA, NASCAR, and League of Legends. We know how profitable these picks can be so you can even try it out for one month for free.
Remember what we said about opportunity? Achiuwa might be the poster boy for that tonight but he isn’t the only Miami player with value tonight as Butler, Goran Dragic, and Bam Adebayo will all be sidelined. That means players will be in roles they haven’t been in for the majority of the season but what I’m really after is players taking on bigger roles. The rookie slides into the starting lineup after averaging 14.2 minutes per game to start the season and things are looking good for him. If we take a relatively conservative approach and double Achiuwa’s playing time and his production that gives us a double-double for just about minimum salary as the rookie is currently averaging 5.8 points and five rebounds per game.
With Butler and Dragic sidelined we know that there is backcourt usage and available shots that need to be filled. I want to use this opportunity to continue saving some salary cap space so Duncan Robinson ($4,800 DK, N/A FD) pops up on our radar. Robinson is already playing 32 minutes per game but it is in more of a complementary role which explains his 9.8 points per game. We have already seen an uptick in offense from Robinson at times this season so we know he is capable of stepping up.
Last season, especially in the bubble, LeVert carried the Nets on his back from an offensive standpoint. The return of Irving turned him into a sixth man and that led to the obvious adjustment period but for as long as LeVert is in the starting lineup, especially at this price, he is going to be on my list. The guard is working on four straight games of greater than 20 points as that corresponds with Irving’s absence which gives him 23.2 points per game overall along with 6.4 assists as he is a capable distributor and the Nets are currently thin at the point guard position behind him.
A common trend is resting players for one half of back-to-back outings and with Victor Oladipocoming off knee surgery that is likely tonight. I’m expecting that to lead to even more usage for Malcolm Brogdon ($8,600 DK, $8,400 FD) who has come out of the gates on fire so far this season. While Brogdan’s salary reflects his true value it still leaves room for upside and I would also argue he is flying somewhat under the radar to this point. The guard has emerged as a true scoring threat in Indiana with 27 points per game but it hasn’t impacted his playmaking abilities as he is also averaging 8.6 assists.
Nikola Jokic ($11,000 DK, $11,400 FD) barely broke a sweat on Sunday against the Knicks as he put up another double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds in just 30 minutes of a blowout victory and DFS players were left wanting more. Jokic has simply spoiled us so far this season and it’s crazy to say but that is his floor.
In cash games though I would drop down on the upside while retaining just about all of the floor, remember we don’t care about finishing first, and go to Andre Drummond ($9,100 DK, $9,800 FD) who is averaging 19.2 points and a staggering 16.2 rebounds per game to start the season.
Tyrese Maxey ($5,500 DK, N/A FD) emerged seemingly out of nowhere on Sunday and jumped into the starting lineup for the shorthanded 76ers and scored 39 points in 44 minutes. Regardless of how optimistic you could be that was a not a repeatable performance and that is especially the case as Ben Simmons and others return for Philadelphia. Maxey followed that performance up with 15 points, six rebounds, and four assists in his second start while playing 31 minutes and benefiting from Curry’s absence. We know what Maxey’s upside is so there are no complaints from me in either format.
Streaky, high usage, guards with upside. If I were to right a personal ad for setting my GPP lineups that would be it. Jamaal Murray ($6,900 DK, $7,000 FD) is coming off a nine-point performance as Denver won handily against the Knicks in their last game but he is averaging 18.6 points per game on the season and a few games ago we saw him put up 36 points and I wouldn’t consider it a fluke either. The Nets struggle defensively and I would expect to see a lot of offense tonight between these two teams which will benefit Murray.
As they are working through the rebuilding process Oklahoma City continues to look for offense. In the last two games they have found that from Hamidou Diallo ($5,300 DK, $5,500 FD) which has caused his salary to rocket up. Diallo is still affordable and with 22 minutes per game so far this season it’s not like he is getting playing time out of nowhere although he has been slightly busier in his last two games with 26.5 minutes. What is really catching everyone’s attention though is the 23 and 25 points he has scored to bring his average for the season up to 15.6. Diallo’s salary still leaves room for upside so I will be searching for a third straight 40-plus DFS point performance tonight.
