NBA DFS Showdown Core for July 3, 2021

Injuries have taken over the Eastern conference finals. As we saw the Milwaukee Bucks and Atlanta Hawks play a crucial game five without either of their best players. We had a ton of value from both squads last time with all the injuries, and we will have a lot of great plays again tonight. Trae Young is questionable as of now, so we are going to talk about some potential priorities if he cannot play. With that said, we know that Giannis Antetokounmpo is doubtful here so we already have a really good idea of who we like from the Bucks. Our core lineup consists of three Milwaukee guys, as we cannot be sure about any of the Hawks priorities until we get the Young news.

Here’s a showdown core For DFS Basketball 7/3/21 (using DraftKings Values)

We saw a lot of guys step up from Milwaukee last time out and we expect them to take a huge role again tonight. Jrue Holiday is our favorite captain again tonight, as he is cheap at $14,400 with them multiplier. We saw both Holiday and Khris Middleton take over last time out, and they are our two favorite plays on the slate as of now. Middleton is significantly more expensive than Holiday, and we do not have a lot of cheap value tonight. We prefer to captain Holiday and put Middleton in the flex, as that saves us $400. Holiday scored 56 FPTS in 42 minutes and we saw him take a massive role offensively. If Holiday can put together a good shooting night, he should work out as a strong captain play.

We saw Bobby Portis play a ton of minutes in Antetokounmpo’s absence last time out, and we expect him to see similar run tonight. Portis has been priced up significantly to $6,200, so we only like him if he gets the starting nod again. With that said, he is the guy we expect to see start with Antetokounmpo out. Portis was great last game, with 43 FPTS in over 35 minutes. We expect Portis to see another nice opportunity tonight and there are a few ways he can hit value with all the playing time.

As we mentioned earlier our two favorite plays for the night are Middleton and Holiday. We like getting to Holiday at captain as the $400 in salary savings mean a lot on this slate. However, we want to roster them both and Middleton is a great captain play as well. It was not surprising to see Middleton dominate last time out with Antetokounmpo off the floor, as he scored 62.3 FPTS in 45 minutes of play. The Bucks relied on Middleton’s ability to create offense, and we saw him take a much bigger rebounding role. Middleton has some of the best upside on the slate, and we are not worried about his floor with the role he will be taking on.

Here’s a showdown core For DFS Basketball 7/3/21 (using FanDuel Values)

Trae Young – ($10,200 DK)The news of whether or not Young can play tonight is going to decide how we approach the slate from a Hawks perspective. We really like getting to Young at this price, as if he can play with no minutes restriction we expect him to be able to put out a normal performance. Young should do a lot if he plays, as the Hawks have a ton at stake here. If Young plays he is the only Hawks guard we really like, as a lot of other guys have been priced up. However, if Young does not play, we have a few other priorities whom we will mention.

Clint Capela – ($6,600 DK) Capela has continued to disappoint all playoffs. In his past four games he is yet to hit 30 minutes or 30 FPTS. However, his price has fallen $2,000 over the course of the series. We are not going anywhere near Capela for cash games our even single-entry tournaments. However, for bigger GPP’s we still like taking some chances on Capela. If he can put together a better scoring night and earn a few more minutes, he could break the slate with a price tag like this.

Bogdan Bogdanovic – ($8,800 DK) If Young plays tonight we are staying far away from this price tag on Bogdanovic, and he is even getting a bit pricey if Young is out. However, we have seen Bogdanovic dominate in the past two games without Young, scoring 41.25 and 43.75 FPTS, respectively. Bogdanovic should be taking on a huge role here and we still really like his upside. We are not prioritizing Bogdanovic over Middleton and Holiday, but we can likely fit him in alongside them if Young is out.

Brook Lopez – ($7,200 DK) Lopez really stole the show last time out, as his 33 real points lead to over 52 FPTS. Lopez could not be stopped last game, but we do not expect him to shoot fourteen of eighteen from the field again. However, we do expect to see Lopez do more inside without Antetokounmpo, so we like getting to him again as a midrange option.

Pat Connaughton – ($2,600 DK) Connaughton is a guy we have liked a lot due to the lack of value options this series. However, it was disappointing to see him only play 21 minutes with Antetokounmpo off the floor last game. With that said, it is likely that Connaughton ends up playing a bit more tonight, as he has typically played mid to high twenties in minutes throughout the playoffs. We do not have a lot of cheap options tonight, and if Young is in we have a lot of stars to pay up for. Connaughton gives us a ton of salary savings, and we know he will have a significant role in the Bucks rotation.

General strategy 

We are in a similar situation right now as we were in the afternoon prior to the last ECF game, as we are eagerly awaiting the news on Young. We really want to fit Young in alongside our two Bucks stars if he can play tonight, as we will need him if the Hawks can keep this close. However, the value will be spread around a lot more if Young is out like we saw last game. The Hawks players will all look better if Young cannot play, however a lot of them have already been priced up significantly. If Young is unable to play tonight, it will be hard to get away from Holiday and Middleton at the top end.

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