And we’re back. After relatively underwhelming versions of the Slam Dunk Contest and the NBA All-Star Game, Wednesday will welcome regular season basketball’s return to our televisions and the DraftKings lobby. As someone who’s been forced to try his luck at DFS NHL in the meantime, this all comes not a moment too soon.
Anyway, we’ve got the Washington Wizards and we’ve got the Memphis Grizzlies. Let’s break it all down from a Showdown perspective.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $60K Pull Up Jumper [$15K to 1st] (WAS vs MEM)
SHOWDOWN STRATEGY
Captain’s Picks
Bradley Beal ($17,400 CP) - I think things have gotten a little out of hand when it comes to Russell Westbrook’s ($12,600) salary on this slate. Don’t get me wrong, with the way offensive usage is distributed in Washington, you’re still going to be using both Westbrook and Beal in all your lineups; yet when it comes to choosing a Captain, efficiency matters just as much as volume. We can all agree that the Wizards’ past 10 games have been Westbrook’s best fantasy stretch of 2020-21. However, even in that cherrypicked swath of starts, Westbrook has just a .486 true shooting percentage and his 30.2% usage rate is dwarfed by Beal’s (33.6%). Westbrook is averaging more raw DKFP within this span than Beal, but both players have basically shown a floor of 45.0 DKFP and a ceiling around 60.0 DKFP. I truly believe it’s a coin flip as to who scores more DKFP this evening, so I’ll take the better real-life asset at a much cheaper price tag.
Ja Morant ($14,700 CP) - Honestly, if your goal is to comfortably fit both Westbrook and Beal into the same build (and it probably should be), there’s a chance that captaining Morant is the way to make that happen. While the sophomore has been somewhat inconsistent as a DFS asset so far this season, he finished the first-half strong with back-to-back 35-point performances — one of which came against this same Wizards squad. That matchup also saw Morant produce his largest fantasy output since Opening Night, as the guard registered 58.75 DKFP in a 125-111 victory. It shouldn’t be all that shocking to discover Washington’s defense tends to make opponents salivate. For the season the Wizards have conceded the fourth-most DKFP to opposing point guards, due mostly to the fact that they lead the league in pace (104.4). Extra possessions can make a huge difference when you have the ball in your hands as often as Morant does.
Value UTIL Plays
Justise Winslow ($4,400) - There’s some give and take when it comes to Winslow on this slate. While the former lottery pick has struggled with his shot since coming back from injury, he’s consistently been a focal point of the Grizzlies’ offense when he’s been on the court, racking up an extremely notable 24.7% usage rate in his six games. There’s also value in knowing exactly what you’re getting as it pertains to the 24-year-old’s role. Winslow has logged at least 20 minutes in every appearance he’s made with Memphis, which is a sizeable chunk of action considering he’s averaging a respectable 0.9 DKFP per minute in 2020-21.
Robin Lopez ($3,200) - It’s been under the radar, but Lopez has been playing pretty well as of late. Heck, it’s important to simply note that Lopez has been playing a lot as of late. Across the Wizards’ past five games, Lopez ranks fifth on the team in minutes logged (110) and that’s translated into the veteran big man registering double-digit points four times. With a traditional center like Jonas Valanciunas ($9,000) on the other side of the court, Washington is going to need someone with size to battle in the paint. It could end up being Alex Len ($2,200), but I’d wager Lopez gets the first crack due to recent success. If that’s the case, he won’t need to do much to bring back value at this modest price.
Fades
Rui Hachimura ($7,000) - This isn’t even really about Hachimura, it’s about the idea of rostering a Wizards asset that isn’t Westbrook or Beal for more than $5K. While the sophomore is deserving of being the third-highest priced Washington player on this slate, that’s a little like being the third member of Destiny’s Child if Destiny’s Child had two Beyoncés — it just doesn’t matter a whole lot. While Hachimura has shown flashes in 2020-21, he’s also scored fewer than 17.0 DKFP in each of his past four starts, the direct result of playing alongside two teammates with usage rates well above 30%. Showdown slates that feature the Wizards are just inherently going to be top-heavy, meaning that even if you wanted to roster Hachimura, you wouldn’t be able to afford him anyway. Stars and scrubs is the name of the game on Wednesday.
THE OUTCOME
Both these squads come into tonight’s matchup in good form, with the Wizards having covered nine of their past 11 games and the Grizzlies 4-1 ATS in their last five. Heck, Memphis and Washington sit 10th and 11th, respectively, over the past 10 contests in overall net rating, truly showcasing just how tight a script this could end up being. With that in mind, I’ll side with the Wizards and take the points, especially with Washington sitting at 5-1 ATS in its previous six matchups on the road.
Final Score: Washington 118, Memphis 114
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Showdown $60K Pull Up Jumper [$15K to 1st] (WAS vs MEM)
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