There are five games for Tuesday’s main DraftKings NBA slate, which starts at 7:30 p.m. ET. No teams are playing the second leg of a back-to-back. DraftKings Sportsbook has one game with a double-digit spread — ATL-ORL (-12.5). There are two games with an O/U of at least 230 — BKN-NO (234) and MIN-SAC (238).
Let’s break down some of the top studs and values at each position to help you build your DraftKings lineups.
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Point Guard
Stud
Kyrie Irving, Brooklyn Nets at New Orleans Pelicans, $9,900 – James Harden and Kevin Durant are out, along with Chris Chiozza and Tyler Johnson in the backcourt. Irving has played 112 minutes with all those players off the court. During that span, he’s seen a 5.8 percentage point bump in usage rate, to 36.5%. In three games with both Harden and Durant out, Irving put up 46.75, 54, and 59.25 DKFP. Now he gets a matchup against a Pelicans team that is 13th in pace and 28th in defensive efficiency. Against point guards, in particular, they boost the FPPM by 8.28% above league average. The stars are aligned for a monster game.
Other Options – De’Aaron Fox ($9,800), Trae Young ($9,000), CJ McCollum ($8,900), and Terry Rozier ($8,000)
Value
Bruce Brown, Brooklyn Nets at New Orleans Pelicans, $4,900 – Brown could get the start in this one, but even if he doesn’t, there will be plenty of minutes for him due to all the injuries. Over the last four games, he’s played 30, 21, 31, and 23 minutes, contributing 30.25, 24, 27.25, and 37 DKFP. New Orleans plays fast and eschews defense so the environment is a good one. On the season, Brown is averaging 0.87 DKFP per minute.
Other Options – Cole Anthony ($6,000)
Shooting Guard
Stud
CJ McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Clippers, $8,900 – The matchup isn’t a great one as the Clippers are 25th in pace and 10th in defensive efficiency. They also stifle the FPPM to point guards by 9.04% below league average. With that said, Damian Lillard and Jusuf Nurkic are out for this game. When those two have been off the court, McCollum has seen a 4.9 percentage point usage rate bump, to 33.3%. That mitigates some of the above concerns.
Other Options – Terry Rozier ($8,000), Bogdan Bogdanovic ($7,800), Norman Powell ($6,400)
Value
Anfernee Simons, Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Clippers, $3,800 – Damian Lillard missed the last two games. As a result, Simons stepped into the rotation and played 30 minutes in each game. He went for 29.5 and 16 DKFP as he shot 2-for-6 in one game with no defensive stats and 5-for-10 with a full line in the other. There’s tons of variance but the upside is there, and at $3,800 with the number of minutes he should receive, Simons should exceed his salary expectation.
Other Options – Delon Wright ($4,100), Landry Shamet ($4,400), Naji Marshall ($5,000)
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $325K Shootaround [$100K to 1st, Record Breaker]
Small Forward
Stud
Editor’s Note: Clippers SF Kawhi Leonard (foot) has been ruled out for tonight’s game vs. the Trail Blazers.
Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers at Portland Trail Blazers, $9,200 – The Kawhi-bot is averaging 1.34 DKFP per minute. His usage rate is 30% and he attempts 18 shots per game while contributing in every statistical category. He faced Portland two weeks ago and put up 56 DKFP. The Clippers won that game by 17 points and he still played 36 minutes. In the most recent game for the Clippers, they handled the Timberwolves by 19 points and Kawhi only played 23 minutes. He still contributed 43.75 DKFP. If the game is a blowout, which is a good possibility with no Lillard or Nurkic for Portland, Kawhi will be a big reason why and his DKFP production shouldn’t suffer too much.
Other Options – Brandon Ingram ($8,400), Norman Powell ($6,400)
Value
Reggie Bullock, New York Knicks vs. Charlotte Hornets, $4,500 – I’m not crazy about the value at small forward today so Bullock it is. His ceiling is limited as he’s exceeded 30 DKFP only six times this season. He’s scored at least 20 DKFP in each of the last five games, though. I know, I know. Not exciting but he’s averaging 34.2 minutes over that span with 10.2 shot attempts per game, 7.2 of those from beyond the arc. Now he faces a Hornets team that boosts three-pointers by 11.09% above league average.
Other Options – Bruce Brown ($4,900), Naji Marshall ($5,000), Marcus Morris Sr. ($5,500)
Power Forward
Stud
Julius Randle, New York Knicks vs. Charlotte Hornets, $10,100 – This the fifth time that Randle has been priced above $10,000. He’s only gone for 64.75, 74, 50, and 57.5 DKFP in the last four games. Hail, Julius! He is the new emperor of New York. Over the last three games, he’s played 42, 41, and 47 minutes! Now he gets a matchup against a Hornets team that boosts the FPPM to power forwards by 10.2% above league average.
Other Options – Zion Williamson ($9,700)
Value
Carmelo Anthony, Portland Trail Blazers vs. Los Angeles Clippers, $4,400 – With Lillard and Nurkic out, there’s tons of usage available. McCollum is going to soak up most of it but Anthony has seen a 3.6 percentage point bump to 27.3% with those two off the court. The Trail Blazers are going to need his offense in order to keep up with the Clippers. He has played 28, 26, and 28 minutes the last three games while contributing 25.25, 17.75, and 31.5 DKFP. The important numbers are the 19, 12, and 15 shot attempts.
Other Options – Blake Griffin ($5,000), Marcus Morris Sr. ($5,500), Chuma Okeke ($5,500)
Center
Stud
Clint Capela, Atlanta Hawks vs. Orlando Magic, $9,100 – Capela is coming off his 10th career 20/20 game and fell one point shy of accomplishing the feat three games ago. Over his last nine games, he’s scored at least 40 DKFP in eight with two games above 60 DKFP. He should feast once again going up against Wendell Carter Jr. ($6,600) and Mo Bamba ($4,600).
Other Option – Enes Kanter ($6,100)
Value
Nerlens Noel, New York Knicks vs. Charlotte Hornets, $4,500 – Noel averages 0.85 DKFP per minute on the season. Over the last four games, he’s played 29.4 minutes and put up 36.75, 31.75, 25.5, and 26 DKFP. Noel derives his value from rebounds, steals, and blocks. It’s a pace-up spot for the Knicks as the Hornets play at the 14th fastest pace while the Knicks are 27th, so there are more opportunities for steals and blocks. The Hornets also boost rebounds to centers by 13.66% above league average.
Other Options – Blake Griffin ($5,000), Chuma Okeke ($5,500)
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $325K Shootaround [$100K to 1st, Record Breaker]
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