After a whopping twelve-game slate last night, we are following up our first showdown slate of the entire season. The Orlando Magic host the Detroit Pistons here, with what is going to be a staunch change of pace from the slates we have been faced with lately. There are two key differences with showdown slates on DraftKings. The first is that we must decide on an MVP, whose salary is 1.5x higher and production counts for 1.5x FPTS. The other big difference is that the minimum price is only $1,000, so some budget options look great who are usually too unproductive for us to go after. We have a few gigantic questionable tags for this one, so we will do our best to prepare you to takedown the slate no matter what injury outcomes we get.
Here’s Two Core Plays For DFS Basketball 3/17/22 (using DraftKings Values)
| MVP | W. Carter Jr. | $9,400 | |
| Utility | R. Hampton | $3,200 | |
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As of now, Wendell Carter Jr. is questionable for tonight, and his status is going to completely define our interest in the Magic. If Carter plays, he looks fantastic in this matchup, and we love getting to him in the MVP spot. We do not have any superstars to spend up for, so there is no need to save salary and go to a cheaper MVP. Carter Jr. has been smashing over the past few weeks, and the Pistons frontcourt has no chance against him.
Jalen Suggs was sidelined last game and we know that he is going out again here. We saw RJ Hampton start in Suggs absence last time out, and he ended up seeing 31 minutes on the floor. Hampton was quite disappointing with only 12.25 FPTS, but we cannot overlook how much run he got. If we find out that Hampton is going to start for Suggs again, he is going to be one of our favorite salary savers on this slate.
Here’s a Fade DFS Basketball 3/17/22 (using DraftKings Values)
With only one game we have a completely different mentality around our fade. Here we are looking to fade a guy that does not fit with the narrative that creates our win condition. For example, if you were going to an MVP in Mo Bamba you probably want to fade Moritz Wagner, as it is unlikely both of those guys succeed with Wagner being Bamba’s backup. One fade we are getting from the more expensive guys is Saddiq Bey, who has just not been pushing the needle lately. Bey has not hit the 28 FPT mark in five straight games, and he even struggled last time out with Cade Cunningham off the floor.
Here Is What Your Get If You Subscribe For $15 Per Month or $99 For The Year…
• A stud guard we are plugging in for this one.
• One big man with amazing upside.
• A budget forward who has seen great run lately.
• A few potential locks if Cunningham or Carter Jr. are ruled out.
Cade Cunningham – ($10,800 DK) Cunningham missed the last game with illness, so there is certainly a chance that he is ruled out for this one as well. However, if Cunningham plays, he is an easy plugin for us. We do not have many studs on this slate, so there really is not a lot of competition for who we spend up for. If Cunningham goes for even a mediocre game by his standards, he will be an absolute must-have given the other guys we can get to here.
Marvin Bagley – ($7,600 DK) Bagley is a tournament play for us, but to be honest this would be a very strange slate to play 50/50s. Bagley offers a ton of variance in his production, but his floor has been raised by the generally consistent role he is playing in Detroit. Bagley has a ton of upside, and we have seen him go well over 30 minutes in some games. A big game from Bagley will take us very far with only one game tonight.
Isaiah Livers – ($2,400 DK) At this point you may be asking yourself, “who is Isaiah Livers?”, but that is what we are here for. Livers was recalled from the G-league at the end of February, and he has seen an increasing role over the past two weeks. His minutes have been incredible over the past two games playing 27 and 32 minutes respectively. Last game Livers flashed his upside, going over 30 FPTS. If he continues to get this kind of run, he could be one of the best value options on this slate, especially if more injury news does not open up.
Killian Hayes – ($5,200 DK) Our last two plays here will highlight a few potential locks depending on injury news. If we do end up getting the news that Cunningham will sit again, Hayes looks fantastic in his absence. Hayes started the last game, and he scored 27 FPTS in 30 minutes. Hayes always looks good when he plays without Cunningham, so he would be a no-brainer here if the star rookie is ruled out.
Moritz Wagner – ($4,600 DK) Wagner has been great lately, and he always has the potential to see a ton of floor time if Bamba ends up in foul trouble. He looks solid if everyone is healthy in Orlando, but we really need to talk about him for the situation that Carter Jr. is ruled out. Wagner is a good per-minute producer, and we would expect solid run for him without Carter. He would be another obvious value if we get that news.
General strategy
If this is your first season running with us the showdown style may be throwing you off a bit, but showdowns can make for some very interesting GPPs. For large field tournaments, you always have the option to go contrarian with your MVP, which could mean getting to a guy like Bagley, Hampton, or Wagner in the Captain spot. We also have the challenge of big questionable tags here, but we will know if Carter Jr. and Cunningham are going to play before lock. Value options like Livers and Hampton look a lot worse if the big guys are out, as their replacements will become our favorite budget plays. Good luck with this one and have some fun with the single gamer.
