Five. That’s how many games the schedule-makers have contrived. So, it’s time to do a deep dive in order to strive to not only to survive, but to thrive. There is nothing in the world that beats this, it makes me feel alive. Unfortunately, silly season has arrived, so we will be deprived of many of the stars, all by design! The Cavaliers have purged their roster for a night, with only sub-$4K players who have survived. We must make do with what we have, so make sure to keep abreast of all the news on DK Live. In order to win, you must deviate from the hive. May your lineups be as fruitful as a bottle of Saint Ives.
MIA, ORL, PHI and PHO are playing the first game of a back-to-back. No teams played on Wednesday. Nikola Jokic ($11,600), Bam Adebayo ($7,600), Jamal Murray ($7,900) and Shaedon Sharpe ($7,800) are the notable player on the injury report. Keep abreast of all the injury news @dklive.
DraftKings Sportsbook has the OKC/UTA game with the highest total at 239.5. The CLE/ORL game has the lowest total at 217.5. ORL is the largest favorite at 9.5 points over CLE while the MIA/PHI game has the tightest spread at 3 points in favor of Philadelphia.
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Guard
Studs
Talen Horton-Tucker, Utah Jazz vs. Oklahoma City Thunder ($8,100) – The Lakers once thought highly of THT, as they gave him a robust contract extension and refused to include him in trade scenarios. The situation wasn’t right for everyone involved, though.
THT was a young player who still needed some development. In addition, his skillset did not mesh well with how the Lakers were constructed, and they were in win-now mode. As a result, he was shipped off to Utah. THT was a part of the rotation, but not an integral member early on. Due to injuries and development over the season, THT received his opportunity and has flourished.
Over the last five games, he’s gone for 39.5, 56.5, 46.5, 49.5 and 43.5 DKFP. He’s been the defacto point guard and the usage rate has been at least 35% in each of the last four games. The Jazz are only 1.5 games behind the Thunder for the 10th seed, so both teams will be giving it everything they have.
Other Options - Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,200), Markelle Fultz ($6,400), Skylar Mays ($6,400), Tre Jones ($6,100)
Value
Ricky Rubio, Cleveland Cavaliers at Orlando Magic ($3,100) – With the Cavaliers locked into the four seed, the team has decided to sit all their relevant players for tonight, so Cleveland will be Value Town for tonight’s slate. Every available player is priced below $4,000, so the questions are how many Cavs are you going to roster, and which ones will you choose? Since returning to action, Rubio has played at least 20 minutes only six times. He may be needed for 24 or more tonight out of necessity. Rubio is averaging 0.89 DKFP per minute, which is far superior to Raul Neto’s 0.71.
Other Options - Cole Anthony ($5,700), Malaki Branham ($5,400), Ochai Agbaji ($5,100), Raul Neto ($3,000)
Forward
Studs
Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic vs. Cleveland Cavaliers ($7,100) – The Cavaliers are one of the best defensive teams in the league....when their starters play. Cleveland will be resting everyone tonight, so Banchero should feast with Dean Wade ($3,800) likely guarding him for much of the game.
Banchero garners a usage rate in the 27% to 32% range, is a three-level scorer and dishes out dimes proficiently. Over the last four games, he’s gone for at least 40 DKFP in three of them, with a high of 61 DKFP.
Other Options - Kelly Olynyk ($6,900), Michael Porter Jr. ($6,100)
Value
Cedi Osman, Cleveland Cavaliers at Orlando Magic ($3,400) – Osman has been pretty awesome at times this season. He’s gone for over 30 DKFP six times, with two over 40 DKFP. Out of all the forward options for Cleveland, Osman is the only one who garners a relatively high usage rate and can get his own buckets. He also contributes more in the dime and rebound categories, so he’s more well-rounded. Wade is more of a spot-up shooter while Stevens is more defensive-oriented.
Other Options - Keita Bates-Diop ($5,300), Luka Samanic ($3,900)
Center
Studs
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers vs. Miami Heat ($11,500) – I have some concerns with this game because there isn’t much motivation for either team. That said, DK Sportsbook has Philadelphia favored by three points, so it could be a competitive one. In addition, there aren’t other options at the position that I feel comfortable with, so the risk/reward ratio is the most favorable with Embiid.
He is coming off a 52-point, 13-rebound, six-assist and two-block performance vs. Boston, which was good for 81.3 DKFP. Prior to that, though, he finished in the 40-DKFP range in three straight.
Other Options - Deandre Ayton ($6,500), Wendell Carter Jr. ($6,000)
Value
Robin Lopez, Cleveland Cavaliers at Orlando Magic ($3,000) – Lopez is only averaging 0.7 DKFP per minute. He hasn’t played much this season, appearing in only 35 games and receiving at least 10 minutes in only 10 of those. He should approach 30 minutes in this one, though. Last season with Orlando, he did put up over 30 DKFP in four starts. He’s the bare minimum and should get all the minutes he can handle with 10x upside.
Other Options - Udoka Azubuike ($4,200), Damian Jones ($4,100), Cody Zeller ($3,800)
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $200K Shootaround [$50K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is sontzu) 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 do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. 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.