NBA DFS Showdown Core for July 11, 2021

It is starting to feel like the 2021 NBA season belongs to the phoenix Suns. The Suns are up two to zero in the series after two fantastic wins. The Suns look amazing out there, as there big three have consistently risen to the occasion and they have proven to have far more depth than anyone else that has come in their way. The Bucks on the other hand, are going through the same struggles we have seen trouble them the last few playoff runs. One of which being that their perimeter scorers just cannot find consistent production. We have an interesting slate for DFS tonight, as we continue to have fantastic plays at the top of the price spectrum. We have had no strong value plays recently, but tonight there is a glimmer of hope from a cheap punt option who is battling an injury. 

Here’s a showdown core For DFS Basketball 7/11/21 (using DraftKings Values)

Giannis Antetokounmpo was our favorite captain option going into last game, as he was priced down after his injury. Antetokounmpo can play a full role right now, as we saw him score over 70 FPTS in 40.1 minutes last time out. Antetokounmpo averaged over 15 FPTS more then anyone else on this slate, which makes him a guy you want to have regardless of the price. If Antetokounmpo goes for one of his 60 or 70 FPT nights, you will need him somewhere on your roster. We really like getting to Antetokounmpo at captain again, as we know it is always likely he is the optimal captain. Antetokounmpo will be high owned in the captain spot, so that is the route we want to take for Cash games. For tournaments, we like Antetokounmpo, but we do not mind getting to a cheaper captain like Chris Paul, as we can fit four stars in our lineup with that approach.

As we hinted in our introduction, we have a great punt option tonight in Torrey Craig. We really like a lot of the stars on this slate, so we will need some cheap plays to unlock the salary. Craig is only $1,000 here, which is why he is a core play for us here. The way the salary works out for DraftKings showdown slates, sometimes we need little to no FPTS from a minimum priced guy for them to work out. Playing Craig allows us to be flexible with the rest of our lineup, and we do expect him to play. Craig is currently listed as probable, an upgrade from the uncertain tag he had before. If Craig can play tonight, we feel very good getting to him at this price.

As a fan of the NBA, it is hard not to have a massive appreciation for what Chris Paul is doing right now. He continues to further proves himself as one of the greatest to ever do it with massive games in the biggest playoff run of his career. For DFS, we are seeing Paul take on an offensive role that dwarves he has been doing throughout the past few regular seasons. Paul has been playing close to 40 minutes a night lately, playing 41 minutes in game two of the finals. He is taking massive usage putting up 24, 19 and 20 shot attempts respectively in the past few games. Combine that with his consistent assist numbers and ability to steal the ball, and he is an absolute fantasy stud. We love the $9,800 price tag on Paul, and the $800 savings is what lands him in our core lineup over his teammate Devin Booker. 

Here’s a showdown core For DFS Basketball 7/11/21 (using FanDuel Values)

Jrue Holiday has been disappointing lately, as his inefficient shooting has been one factor holding the Bucks back. Regardless, we still really like getting to Holiday on both sites tonight as he is far cheaper than the other studs on this slate. Holiday has a decent floor because of how good he is at collecting peripheral stats and his upside is fantastic if he has a good shooting night. At the $12,000 price on FanDuel, we can roster Holiday along with a few other stars quite easily. There is some risk with Holiday, but his price tag makes the floor a lot less of a problem.

Khris Middleton – ($9,600 DK)Middleton has gotten a lot cheaper over the past few slates, and we really like getting to him at this price tag. We will be using one of Middleton or Holiday in a lot of our lineups, as they fit naturally alongside Antetokounmpo and one of the Suns stars. Middleton is inconsistent with his production, as he has some awful shooting nights. Middleton only scored 34 FPTS last time out on 31 percent shooting. However, if Middleton can put together one of his big scoring performances he will be key for tournaments tonight.

Deandre Ayton – ($9,000 DK) Ayton remains a solid play here, but he is not our absolute priority over the other stars. He has been good in the finals scoring 49.25 FPTS in game one and 41.25 FPTS in game two. He is playing a ton of minutes right now, and we know he has fantastic upside. 

Pat Connaughton – ($3,800 DK) We still do not have a ton of value options tonight, so we find ourselves coming back to Connaughton. Connaughton has been playing around 30 minutes a night lately, and he has been showing some decent games. Connaughton has scored over 25 FPTS in two of his past three games, which is fantastic value for this price. Connaughton and Craig together open a lot of salary, so that is the approach we will be using for a lot of our lineups.   

General strategy 

One thing that is really going to determine how this slate plays out is if Holiday and Middleton can put together better performances. Both of those guys have been priced down significantly after some subpar games, so there is a ton of upside there if they can come back stronger here. Holiday and Middleton are both taking a massive role right now, so there is upside if they can shoot the ball well. However, it is hard to feel safe with either of these guys right now especially for cash games. Our strategy for Cash tonight is going to be to captain Antetokounmpo, and roster Paul beside him. We like getting to Holiday for Cash games, as his assists and defensive stats give him a solid floor. We also expect Holiday to be highly owned tonight due to how easily his price tag fits into lineups. For tournaments we really like Holiday and Middleton, as their low prices allow us to get a ton of upside throughout our whole roster.

Go win your lineup and tell us how you did. Twitter (@FantasyDFSX) is a good place for that.