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Monday’s fantasy basketball Showdown contests on DraftKings feature a choice between two NBA games: Charlotte Hornets at Atlanta Hawks (7:30 p.m. ET) and Toronto Raptors at Utah Jazz (9:00 p.m. ET). Here are a few options to consider for Hornets-Hawks:
Set your lineups here: NBA Showdown $20K Excellent 8’s [$5K to 1st] (CHA vs ATL).
CAPTAIN OBVIOUS
Trae Young ($17,100 CP; $11,400 FLEX)
Young, who leads all players in this contest in fantasy scoring by a whopping 10 DraftKings fantasy points (DKFP), is an obvious choice for Captain’s Pick. Charlotte’s defense has been poor when adjusted for pace, and Atlanta’s fast pace could help increase possessions for Young to take advantage of against a weak defense. The Hornets have allowed the most assists per game to opponents and have been poor at defending the 3-point line. Charlotte has allowed the fourth most wide-open 3s per game based on the league’s player tracking system, which measures the closest defender to the shooter. Young is shooting 44% on wide-open 3s this season, better than his season average of 36% on all 3s.
CAPTAIN COURAGEOUS
Devonte’ Graham ($12,900 CP; $8,600 FLEX)
Graham is averaging about 15 less DKFP per game than Young, but he lands in a highly appealing matchup against one of the worst defensive teams in the league. The Hawks have allowed the second most points to opponents and rank in the bottom third of the league in assists allowed to opponents. Graham leads the Hornets in usage rate (24%) and facilitating, creating a solid 13 potential assists per game on 66 passes per game. Graham carries point and assist upside in this matchup.
FLEX MEN
PJ Washington ($7,400 FLEX)
In addition to being very poor defensively, the Hawks have been very poor on the glass, ranking as the league’s third worst rebounding team by the percentage of missed shots rebounded. This could put Washington in a good spot for rebounds, and Washington grabbed eight boards in his previous meeting vs. the Hawks this season, a boost from his season average of 5.5 rebounds per game. Washington has scored more than 30 DKFP in three straight games.
Cody Zeller ($6,200 FLEX)
After briefly falling out of the Hornets’ rotation, Zeller has returned to the starting lineup, playing at least 25 minutes in each of his last two games. Provided he remains in the starting lineup, Zeller could be positioned well to clean the glass in this matchup against the Hawks, who are one of the league’s weakest rebounding teams. The Hawks have also been poor at defending the basket, allowing the third most field goals within five feet of the basket, which could benefit Zeller inside.
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is timfinn521) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.