After a strange year of injuries, Covid-19 breakouts, and late-season tanking, we have finally made it to competitive basketball. Tonight is the first night of the NBA play-in games as the Brooklyn Nets host the Cleveland Cavaliers, and later Minnesota Timberwolves host the L.A. Clippers. We are used to having crazy amounts of DFS value from all the injuries, but things are going to be a lot tighter tonight. We know that teams will play their core units big minutes, so we are looking for cheap starters as budget options.
Here’s Two Core Plays For DFS Basketball 4/12/22 (using DraftKings Values)
| Point Guard | |||
| Shooting Guard | P. George | $9,900 | |
| Small Forward | S. Curry | $4,400 | |
| Power Forward | |||
| Center | |||
| Guard | |||
| Forward | |||
| Utility |
Most of the stars have been priced up for tonight, but the top guys will all see a ton of minutes here. Paul George is a priority for us at $9,900, as we really like him in this spot for the Clippers. George is the only star on the Clippers with Kawhi Leonard out of the mix, so we expect him to take a massive role here in the play-ins. The Timberwolves are a great matchup, so George has a lot of upside for a big game here.
We really do not have a lot of value tonight, so it is hard finding viable cheap plays that we can use to spend up with. One of the few budget options that stands out here is Seth Curry at $4,400. Curry averaged 26.8 FPTs on the season, and we expect him to see a lot of floor time tonight. This is a great price to be paying for him, and a good shooting night could make him a must-have in this spot.
Here’s a Fade DFS Basketball 4/12/22 (using DraftKings Values)
There are only two games on this slate, so if you are making multiple lineups you can get exposure to all the big names. However, one guy we will pass on for single entry here is Darius Garland at $9,600. Garland will take on a big role tonight, but at this price, we would rather spend up a bit more to roster a more productive star.
Here Is What Your Get If You Subscribe For $15 Per Month or $99 For The Year…
• One budget guard with some nice upside
• A cheap star we are prioritizing tonight.
• Two forwards we expect to see a ton of floor time.
• Some general strategy for the shift from the regular season to play-ins.
Point Guard
Goran Dragic– ($4,200 DK) Our standard for budget plays is going to be a lot lower than it was in the regular season, as we do not have all the injuries creating value. Dragic should see some solid minutes come playoff time, as he is the guy we expect to play off the bench. Dragic is coming in at a great price tag here of $4,200, so if he hits his minutes upside, he could be a great play here.
Shooting Guard
D’Angelo Russell – ($7,000 DK) Most of the stars are a bit overpriced on this slate, so Russell really stands out at $7,000. Russell should play a ton of minutes for the Timberwolves tonight, and he has just as much upside as guys that are $3,000 more expensive. A big game from Russell could make him a must-have here as we can roster him alongside a few other stars.
Bruce Brown – ($5,800 DK) Brown is a bit on the expensive side here, but we do not have a lot of options at this position, and we expect him to see massive minutes. The Nets do not have a ton of depth at the wings, so we expect Brown to play somewhere in the field of 40 minutes. Brown has some solid upside, and he should be low-owned at this price.
Kevin Love – ($6,000 DK) We expect Love to see a lot of minutes for the play-ins especially as Jarrett Allen remains sidelined. Love is a great per minute DFS producer, as we saw last game when he had a crazy 55 FPTS in 15 minutes. He is coming in at a nice price tag here, and this is a great matchup for him against the Brooklyn Nets.
Center
Evan Mobley – ($7,300 DK) Mobley will start at center for the Cavaliers here, and we expect him to see a ton of time on the floor in tonight’s crucial play-in game. With the lack of value tonight we are looking at more of a balanced lineup, so a guy like Mobley at $7,300 fits very well with what we are looking to do.
General strategy
This is a staunch change of pace from what we were dealing with over the past regular season, as we go from too much value to not enough. We must change how we choose to spend up here, as we can not just jam in as many superstars as we want. The games tonight will be very competitive, as all four of these teams want to leave the night with the win. Starters will play a ton of minutes, so we are eager to see who winds up in the starting units.
