Hawks vs. Magic Simulated NBA Game: DraftKings DFS Showdown Strategies and Captain’s Picks

With real basketball currently on hiatus, DraftKings has launched simulated basketball games! Take note of the rules since this contest doesn’t work like any other contest we have had before. Here, we will focus on Tuesday’s free simulated game between the Hawks and Magic, which locks at 3:00 p.m. ET.

Set your FREE to play lineups here: Simulated Basketball $2K FREE Contest (ATL vs ORL)

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SHOWDOWN STRATEGY

Atlanta Hawks

Trae Young ($17,400 CP/$11,600) is an elite option whenever the Hawks are involved in a fantasy contest. He averages 51.47 DKFP and has a massive ceiling. Young has six games this season in which he scored over 70 DKFP. The only real risk with rostering him is that he’s had a few games that he left early with an ankle injury. If we draw one of those games, Young is going to be a massive bust. As long as we don’t get any of those games, Young should be one, if not the top fantasy producers in this contest. Since there aren’t a ton of elite players in this game, Young is by far my favorite choice in the Captain’s spot.

John Collins ($8,400) doesn’t have the name value of a guy like Young, but that doesn’t mean we should look past him. He is averaging 41.8 DKFP and he’s only scored under 30 DKFP in five games all season. This is far greater production than some of the Magic players who are priced above him. Collins deserves to be a bit more expensive.

Per dollar, Clint Capela ($4,600) is my favorite player in this contest by a mile. We have yet to see him play for the Hawks in real life, which doesn’t matter for this contest. For our purposes, he can draw any of the box scores he had during his time with the Rockets. While with Houston, Capela averaged 38.54 DKFP. It’s crazy that a player like De’Andre Hunter ($7,200), who averages 22.75 DKFP is significantly more expensive than Capela.

If looking for a bargain player, Dewayne Dedmon ($1,800) is worth considering. The benefit of rostering Dedmon is that he’s had a handful of games that he’s started and played well in that role. In 18 starts, Dedmon has averaged 21.49 DKFP. If we get one of these games, he should provide excellent value and he allows us to easily pay up for a guy like Trae Young as Captain.

Orlando Magic

The best fantasy producer from the Magic is Nikola Vucevic ($9,600). He averages 43.36 DKFP, more than 10 DKFP more than any other player from Orlando, making him the obvious choice for a player to spend up for. Vucevic also comes with a ton of security since he scores around 40 DKFP just about every game. Even though his ceiling isn’t massive, there aren’t many other strong plays worth breaking the bank for.

One player from Orlando who stands out for being too expensive is Evan Fournier ($10,400). He averages 29.92 DKFP, so way less than Vooch and he’s oddly more expensive. Markelle Fultz ($6,600) is a solid option with an average of 26.29 DKFP, so he barely scores less than Fournier, yet is priced $3,800 cheaper. He also has upside since he’s shown the ability to rack up counting stats, leading to a ceiling of 55.75 DKFP. One other player I think we can ignore around this price point is Terrence Ross ($8,800). He’s only scored 24.23 DKFP per game. Rostering John Collins at a cheaper salary is way more sensible.

My favorite value play from this side of the game is Jonathan Isaac ($3,800). Prior to suffering a devastating knee injury, Isaac was on his way to making an All-Defensive team. He was also rounding into a really strong fantasy player. Isaac averaged 30.7 DKFP this season, making him the fourth-best fantasy player on a per game average in this contest. Despite the lofty fantasy production, he’s the 14th most expensive player in this contest.

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is gehrenberg) 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.