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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on July 17, 2021. Mike Marteny provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
We are up to Game 5 of the NBA Finals between the Suns and Bucks, which has essentially become a best-of-three series. Dario Saric for the Suns and Donte DiVincenzo for the Bucks are the only players out as the series moves back to Phoenix. The Bucks dug themselves a 0-2 hole, but got back to level ground in the two games in Milwaukee.
We are in Showdown mode for DFS on DraftKings from here on out. To build our rosters for this particular format, we need to identify a Captain and five utility players. It's just like the analytics nerds dreamt it up: positionless basketball. The Captain will earn 1.5 times the amount of points he regularly tallies, but it also drives up the price for your more prominent players.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 7/17/21. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. With COVID-19 a significant factor, remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before lineups lock.
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Milwaukee Bucks (-4, 218 total)
Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF/C (Captain: $18,900, Utility: $12,200)
That's three straight games of more than 65 DraftKings points for Giannis. No one has the ceiling that he does. If you are planning on not playing him at captain in GPP formats, you'd better have the second-highest scoring captain and Giannis still needs to be in your lineup. I wouldn't even consider a fade in cash games right now. Giannis began the playoffs like a lamb, but he's a lion against Phoenix. They have no answer for him.
Jrue Holiday - PG/SG ($9,200)
We're beyond trying to punt captain with Holiday. He puts up good numbers, but not enough to survive triple digits in the captain slot from Giannis. I still prefer Holiday and the savings over Middleton, though Middleton did finally have a game worthy of his price tag in Game 4. Those have been few and far between this series. I think the floor is much higher for Holiday than Middleton right now. If you're going for a GPP takedown and can fit Middleton with Giannis, that might work. In most formats I'm will to roll with Holiday and pay a little more for role players.
Pat Connaughton - SG/SF ($4,800)
I still love the minutes for P.J. Tucker and the price, but Connaughton at least has some upside to him. He has cleared 25 DraftKings points two of the four games in this series. Connaughton had a rough series against Atlanta, but I'll chalk that up to him finding his role in the middle of the playoffs when DiVincezo went down. Connaughton's floor is the same as Tucker's, but the upside is almost double. That's a must in GPP formats.
Other options: Khris Middleton ($10,400), P.J. Tucker ($3,600)
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Phoenix Suns (+4, 218 total)
Devin Booker - SG (Captain: $15,300, Utility: $10,200)
We all know what kind of defender Holiday is, so his last three games against Paul are likely the norm and not Game 1. I will also preface this by saying that you should only run Booker at captain if you're going for first or last place. The upside is there, but he hasn't hit 50 DraftKings points in a game this series. He's way too expensive for what he has done against the Bucks. Booker scored 42 real points, but only managed 46.25 DraftKings points in Game 4. That's a problem.
Deandre Ayton - C (Captain: $12,000, Utility: $8,000)
Our days of questioning whether we can run Ayton at captain should be over by now. Ayton put up another 40 DraftKings point game and his price went down $400 bucks. Who says that DraftKings doesn't do us a solid from time to time? Booker has far more upside, but just look at that price differential. Is Booker going to be $3.300 better than Ayton? The chances of that happening are around 10%. If you're fading Giannis as captain, Ayton gives you the next best chance at making your money back based on price alone.
Jae Crowder - SF/PF ($7,400)
The last three games highlight just why the Suns wanted Crowder. He has a ton of playoff experience and can be relied upon for efficient shooting in most games. Most bailed on Crowder after he went 0-8 from the floor in Game 1, but Crowder has responded with 106.5 DraftKings points in the last three games. In fact, he had more DraftKings points than Chris Paul did in the two games in Milwaukee. It's hard to cram Crowder in there with Giannis, but I think it's necessary to do so.
Other options: Chris Paul ($8,800), Cameron Johnson ($4,000)
