We have finally made it to the NBA playoffs, as we have two games on tonight’s main DFS slate. The Philadelphia 76ers host the Toronto Raptors, and later the Denver Nuggets will visit the Golden State Warriors. The top end of this slate is pretty nuts, as we have multiple of the top superstar options in the league. Our challenge here is going to be finding the salary we need to spend up with, as the budget options are not the best tonight.
Here’s Two Core Plays For DFS Basketball 4/16/22 (using DraftKings Values)
| Point Guard | F. VanVleet | $7,900 | |
| Shooting Guard | |||
| Small Forward | |||
| Power Forward | |||
| Center | P. Achiuwa | $4,300 | |
| Guard | |||
| Forward | |||
| Utility |
Fred VanVleet is a priority for us tonight, as we expect him to take on a ton of floor time and usage. It is hard to score inside against Joel Embiid and the Sixers, so it would not be surprising if FVV takes a few extra shots from the perimeter. VanVleet averaged 41.2 FPTS on the season this year, so he is coming in on the cheaper side tonight at $7,900. These Raptors look good across the board in terms of price tags, so we are getting to a few of them here.
As we mentioned in the introduction the budget options are not great tonight, so we are desperate for cheap plays that we expect to see solid minutes. One priority for us tonight is Precious Achiuwa at $4,300. Achiuwa has been getting better and better throughout the season, especially on the defensive end. For that reason we expect the Raptors to give Achiuwa a lot of run tonight, as he is their best shot at slowing down Embiid.
Here’s a Fade DFS Basketball 4/16/22 (using DraftKings Values)
We are generally low on the Warriors tonight, as everyone is priced up from what they were doing without Steph Curry at the end of the season. Curry is a fade here himself as well with Steve Kerr’s announcement that his minutes will be limited in this one.
Here Is What Your Get If You Subscribe For $15 Per Month or $99 For The Year…
• A starting guard with a ton of upside.
• One superstar who is too cheap here.
• Our favorite of the two big centers on this slate.
• Some general strategy Cash games and Tournaments tonight.
Point Guard
Tyrese Maxey – ($6,400 DK) It is pretty likely that we see the Raptors commit their defense to slow down Embiid tonight, which could mean some easy looks for the other scoring options on the Sixers. Maxey just had a fantastic break-out sea\son averaging 30,5 FPTS per game, and he showed a ton of upside with big scoring games. He should play a ton of minutes tonight, so he looks good at $6,400.
Shooting Guard
James Harden – ($9,200 DK) We will probably keep it to just one of Harden or Maxey, as we do not want too much exposure to these Sixers. However, Harden is also coming in at a great price tag here at only $9,200. Hardens DFS upside is about as good as anyone in the league, and we know if he gets going, he can be just as productive as Embiid or Nikola Jokic. Harden is significantly cheaper than the other top studs tonight, so he gives our lineups a ton of upside.
OG Anunoby – ($5,500 DK) Anunoby averaged 32.4 FPTS per game this season, and he is a guy who will be on the floor for major minutes during the playoffs. At this price tag, Anunoby is one of our favorite plays on the slate tonight, and he is an absolute lock for Cash games. Anunoby has a ton of upside in this spot, and his floor is fantastic at only $5,500.
Draymond Green – ($6,100 DK) Between injuries and some unproductive stretches, we really have not talked about Green very much over the past season. However, he is a great playoff performer, and he is coming in at a very affordable $6,100. Green will play a ton of minutes, and he has a lot of upside with his ability to go for a big triple-double.
Center
Nikola Jokic – ($10,600 DK) We have two big superstar centers on this slate in Embiid and Jokic, and those two really stand out as the best producers available. For a lot of our lineups, we will be spending up to one of these guys, and the Joker is our priority. Jokic crushed all season, averaging 61.6 FPTS on the season. He is going to have to do everything for the Nuggets to compete with Golden State, so we expect him to take on a ton of usage in this one.
General strategy
Our strategy for Cash games tonight is going to be rostering Jokic and surrounding him with our favorite value plays – Anunoby and Achiuwa. We are taking a different approach for tournaments, as we are looking to a more balanced build. Most people will have Jokic or Embiid tonight, so fading both lets us get contrarian easily. We are also able to go for a great midrange lineup tonight, with great price tags on VanVleet, Harden, and Maxey. Good luck with this one and have fun watching the playoffs!
