RADIO
We have our Western Conference Finals matchup set with the Denver Nuggets convincingly knocking off the distraught Los Angeles Clippers in game seven on Tuesday night. We'll be focusing on the Thursday-Friday slate on DraftKings, which includes the Heat/Celtics game tonight and the Nuggets/Lakers game on Friday.
Here are our daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 9/17/20 - 9/18/20. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. Remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before lock.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Goran Dragic - PG ($7,400)
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Jamal Murray - PG/SG ($9,000)
It seems like his production is unsustainable and that he's bound to fall off at some point, but all he does is keep exceeding expectations during this remarkable Nuggets run. His salary is now at $9,000, which means he has to hit 45 DK points to reach 5x value. He has exceeded that total in two of his last three and five of his last 10, with three games of at least 55 DK points thrown in for good measure. His usage rate is up by 2.7% in the playoffs and he has taken at least 25 shots in six of his last 10 games. The Lakers possess elite interior defense and both Danny Green and KCP have positive defensive ratings in the playoffs, but Murray's current usage and form in undeniable and they Nuggets will need to lean on both him and Jokic in order to keep this one close.
Gary Harris - SG ($4,800)
Harris is now fully back and getting huge minutes on a nightly basis for the Nuggets, and it's expected that he'll get significant playing time in the Lakers series as well. He has taken 11 shots and played at least 37 minutes in his last two games, going for 27.5 and 31.5 DK points in those contests. He doesn't provide much scoring punch and has just a 14.9% usage rate in the playoffs, but his usage rate has jumped to third on the team (17.8%) in the last two games and he has contributed solid peripheral stats lately as well. He's a great budget-saver with his minute projection and recent form.
Other Options: Marcus Smart ($6,900), Tyler Herro ($5,800), Jaylen Brown ($7,700)
Large-field GPP Play(s): Brad Wanamaker ($3,500), Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($3,500), Danny Green ($3,900)
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Anthony Davis - PF/C ($10,400)
AD feels underpriced here as he has exceeded what would be 5x value in the five previous games prior to the game five blowout win over Houston. He hasn't quite spiked for the huge 70+ DK point outings that we're used to seeing from him, but he did pop for 63.75 and 65.25 DK points in the Portland series. Unsurprisingly, he's a close second to LeBron in playoff usage rate at 28%, with the next closest being Rajon Rondo and Kyle Kuzma. Davis has loved playing Denver this year as he averaged 29.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.3 steals, and 2.3 blocks over four games against them in the regular season. He should eat again on Friday night and he's an easy buy at his salary, especially relative to Lebron's.
Jayson Tatum - SF/PF ($9,800)
Tatum has turned it up a few notches as of late as he has poured in at least 60.5 DK points in his last three games, including a monster 67-point effort in game one against the Heat. He has averaged 29.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, seven assists, 1.7 steals, and two blocks per game in those three contests. He has clearly taken the lead dog role for this squad and ranks first on the team in the playoffs in usage rate at 27.9%. He has been gobbling up a ton of rebounds since the switch over to Daniel Theis as the small-ball center, and there's no reason to think that his string of DFS success won't continue. There's definitely merit to paying up for two (or even three) bigs on this two-game slate.
Jae Crowder - PF ($6,000)
Crowder is getting reliable minutes and he has been putting up very consistent DFS outputs as well. He has at least 31 minutes and at least 31 DK points in each of his last six games - now that's consistency. He'll need 30 DK points to reach 5x value in this game, which is exactly what he has been giving us. Boston represents a tough matchup defensively, but Crowder didn't have a problem in game one as he made 7-of-11 shots (5-of-9 from three) and put up 37.25 DK points over 39 minutes. He's a great mid-range option on this slate.
Other Options: LeBron James ($11,200), Daniel Theis ($5,300), Jerami Grant ($4,500)
Large-field GPP Play(s): Markieff Morris ($3,700)
DraftKings DFS Centers
Nikola Jokic - C ($10,500)
Many have known for a few years now, but The Joker has officially introduced himself to the world with his incredible finish to knock off the Clippers. He scored just 16 points in game seven...and still put up 75 DK points. He added 22 rebounds, 13 assists, three blocks, and two steals in what was an instrumental effort from the big man. He hasn't dipped below 51.75 DK points in his last six games, and he's the rare case of a center leading his team in playoff usage rate at 29.4%. The Lakers were able to easily diminish Nurkic and Whiteside in the first round, but the Rockets didn't play anyone over 6'7". They do have Anthony Davis manning the middle and ranked well against centers in the regular season, but Jokic's ability to stretch the floor could give the team trouble. Joker is definitely in play as a pay-up option with a huge ceiling.
Other Options: Bam Adebayo ($8,300), Daniel Theis ($5,300), Paul Millsap ($4,400)
Large-field GPP Play(s): Robert Williams ($3,200) #TimeLord
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Good luck in your DFS contests and make sure to give me a follow on Twitter @kringstad19!
