Best lineup strategy for Trail Blazers vs. Raptors NBA Showdown

The Portland Trail Blazers and Toronto Raptors are set to play one another in Sunday’s first game. The two teams exchanged payers head of this year’s NBA trade deadline. Rodney Hood, Gary Trent Jr., and Norman Powell are set to pay their second games of the year with their new teams. We’ve broken down some ideal DFS plays for showdown contests centered around the matchup ahead of its 7 p.m. ET tip-off.

Note: Kyle Lowry (foot) has been ruled out.

Captain’s Picks

Damian Lillard ($15,600) is usually captained at a high rate, but he probably won’t be in this matchup. There are four players with DKFP averages around 40, and Lillard has struggled to shoot since picking up a knee bruise. Lillard can get numbers against ant team in the league, but banking on him to outperform this game’s other stars despitematching up across from two above-average defenders — Fred VanVleet and Kyle Lowry — might be a stretch. If you feel like you have some cutting edge flex plays that nobody else will have, take a risk and captain Lillard.

VanVleet ($12,900) has been Toronto’s best fantasy option this season and cracked his DKFP average in seven of his last 10 games. The Raptors’ defense ranks second against shooting guards on DraftKings, so CJ McCollum ($13,500) might not be the best. Pascal Siakam ($12,600) is worth considering, though. He’s moved into a small-ball center role and has a clear speed advantage against Enes Kanter, who struggles to protect the rim. If Siakam’s jumper falls, he can take advantage of his matchup on the perimeter and in the post.

FLEX Plays

The Trail Balzers threw Norman Powell ($7,200) right into the mix in his Portland debut, and the wing piled up 33 DKFP in 36 minutes. He rattled in seven of his 13 shot attempts and tallied 22 points. Opportunites won’t be uncommon for him on offense, and few role-players can match his upside. Kanter’s ($7,600) minutes will likely be on the downstroke now that Jusuf Nurkic ($6,200) is back in the fold.

Trent ($4,800) is relatively cheap for a player who fired off 11 shots in 31 minutes in his Rators debut. Toronto values his ability to contribute on both ends, and getting a player with his level of involvment for under $5K is a steal.

Fades

Nurkic flirted with a double-double in 19 minutes when he returned from a two-month hiatus on Friday. However, he won’t have a full workload for a while, so cashing in on cheaper players is probably the safer option at this point.

The Outcome

Portland is looking to contend in the Western Conference this year while Toronto is making moves to buid for the future. The Raptors are 1-9 over their last 10 games, so competing against a Trail Blazers team that’s gotten a major boost on offense is unlikely. Portland should take this one on the road

Final score: Trail Blazers win 118-110