NBA DFS breakdown, lineup notes for August 20 [UPDATE]

Thunder-Heat: So, I completely whiffed on this one. Harden and Gordon combined to shoot 11-for-36 from the field. Harden Still manage to rack up a game-high 49.75 DKFP thanks to his 9 assists and 5 rebounds, but that’s disappointing considering what he’s capable of. Daniel House was well worth his $4,800 price tag and recorded 19 points and 9 rebounds to reach 36.25 DKFP. Paul was a dud with 26.5 DKFP while Gilgeous-Alexander remembered how to play and got a game-high 31 points. The second-year guard finished with 44.5 DKFP.

Heat-Pacers update: Myles Turner totaled a game-high 39 DKFP with 17 points, 8 rebound, and 5 blocks. He was trailed by Jimmy Butler, who finished with 38.25 DKFP on 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists. Duncan Robinson and Victor Oladipo were pleasant surprises in this one. Robinson was 7-for-8 from beyond the arc and ranked third overall in DKFP with 34. Oladipo bounced back from an eye injury that forced him to leave Game 1 for good after 9 minutes by scoring a team-high 22 points and to tally 32.25 DKFP.

Thursday will bring yet another four-game NBA main slate on DraftKings, and I’ll be going over how to attack it.

DraftKings has raised Goran Dragic’s price from $4,400 to $5,900, but there are still plenty of quality plays in the first matchup of the day between the Indiana Pacers and Miami Heat. Jimmy Butler should continue to stuff the stat sheet and T.J. Warren appears to have found his shooting stroke. Butler stands out as the better option because of his versatile skill set though.

The Houston Rockets-Oklahoma City Thunder game is suited for a stack. James Harden was right at 5x value when his price tag was $11,700 in Game 1, and that figure hasn’t changed. He should continue to carry a heavy workload on offense, and Houston’s small rotation is full of potential. Eric Gordon thrived as a Russell Westbrook fill in and scored 21 points as Houston’s second option in Game 1. His price has dropped from $5,500 to $4,900 for some reason, making him one of the best value plays in the slate.

Tuesday’s main slate was a wild one, as two 8 seeds won. Lineups built around the Orlando Magic-Milwaukee Bucks game were quite successful, as multiple starters for the Magic were priced just above $3,000. Gary Clark and James Ennis III both returned at least 8x value while Nikola Vucevic exploded for 62 DKFP. The prices for Orlando’s players have risen though, and that makes rostering them a little less desirable this time around. While it’s not likely that Vucevic will rack up 35 points and 14 rebounds again, he should still be one of the top plays of the day on a team lacking star power. The absence of Aaron Gordon helps Vuce maximize his potential. Markelle Fultz and D.J. Augustin should remain premium value plays at the point guard position.

Chris Paul was one of the few bright spots for Oklahoma City and was one assist short of a triple-double in Game 1. He’s been far more consistent than Shai Gilgeous-Alexander as of late and always steps it up in the playoffs. It’s no secret that the Rockets are at a disadvantage in the post because of their size, so Steven Adams should be a lock for a double-double. He has a good chance to exceed 40 DKFP if the Game 2 is more competitive than the series opener.

It’s clear that LeBron James will have to do a lot with Anthony Davis and the rest of his team in a shooting slump, and he seems like the Los Angeles Lakers’ only top-tier fantasy option right now. It wouldn’t be surprising if he averaged a triple-double for the series. Damian Lillard and Jusuf Nurkic are Portland’s top threats, but CJ McCollum and Gary Trent Jr. have a good chance to rebounds from underwhelming showings in Game 2.