RADIO
The final week of regular season in the bubble is underway and we have already seen a few teams mathematically eliminated from playoffs. We still have a few days before the eliminated teams will be leaving the bubble for good and this could be a good opportunity to find some hidden gems.
Even the bubble is not safe from our favorite term: load management. We have already seen numerous stars take their fair share of rest days in the bubble. With a couple teams on Tuesday's slate already eliminated or in the midst of a back-to-back set, the injury report keeps getting longer. We will see James Harden (rest) take his place on the bench, meaning Russell Westbrook, who rested Monday, should be a popular option in Tuesday's slate. Luka Doncic (ankle) and Kristaps Porzingis (knee) both sat Monday, but are expected to return Tuesday in the second leg of a back-to-back. This will lower the value of Tim Hardaway Jr. (29 points), Seth Curry (22 points) and Boban Marjanovic (20 points, nine rebounds) who all played well in Monday's win. As always, keep a close eye in case any of the injuries change ahead of tip-off.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/11/20. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. Remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before lineup lock.
DraftKings DFS Guards
Dejounte Murray - PG, SA vs. HOU ($6,200)
Coming out of a mini-funk, Murray just dropped 18 points and 33.8 DraftKings fantasy points in a much-needed win Sunday to keep their playoff hopes alive. On Tuesday, Derrick White's (knee) status against the Houston Rockets is very much up in the air. With Bryn Forbes (quad) already ruled out, Murray would have a hefty workload on Tuesday if White is unable to go. The Rockets will also be without James Harden (rest) who leads the league in steals this season. The Rockets are also bottom-10 in points scored by opponents since the restart, mostly due to the high pace they play at.
Markelle Fultz - PG/SG, ORL vs. BKN ($4,600)
We started seeing Fultz come into his own before the shutdown, but it seems like the situation has regressed yet again and the saga continues. Fultz is coming off the bench behind veteran D.J. Augustin and had five straight games with less than 25 minutes played. However, Fultz ended up playing 33 minutes on Sunday, most of them next to Augustin, and flirted with a triple-double. The Magic will be without Michael Carter-Williams (foot), Evan Fournier (non-Covid illness) and Terrence Ross (off-campus) on Tuesday, playing against a shell of the Brooklyn Nets. At only $4,600 and Fultz gaining some trust back from the coaching staff, he should be a good value play even in limited minutes.
J.J. Redick - SG, NO vs. SAC ($4,300)
Unfortunately, Redick's postseason streak of 13 years came to an end on Sunday with a loss to the San Antonio Spurs. On the bright side, Redick was masterful in the loss, scoring 31 points on 62.5 percent shooting from the field and cashing in eight three-pointers. He has hit at least three threes five times since the restart and scored at least 11 points in all contests. With the Pelicans eliminated, Jrue Holiday (elbow), Brandon Ingram (knee) and Zion Williamson (knee) have all been ruled out. Redick was moved into the starting lineup last Friday with Williamson sitting and is likely to do so again Tuesday. As a starter this season, Redick averaged 16.3 points on 44.2 percent shooting from the field and 44.7 percent shooting from three.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Al Horford - PF/C, PHI vs. PHO ($6,300)
The 76ers are extremely banged up right now, facing off against the only remaining undefeated team in the bubble: the Phoenix Suns. With Joel Embiid (ankle), Josh Richardson (rest) and Ben Simmons (knee) already ruled out and Tobias Harris (ankle) questionable, the Sixers will have to get creative with their lineups. Even Horford (knee) is questionable to play in this one. However, Horford would have a free shot at all the volume he could handle in this one. All four other players on the injury report have usage percentages of over 20.0 percent. If Horford is not able to go in this one, Rudy Gay (SF/PF, SAS, $5,800) has been playing very well and the Rockets give up the most fantasy points to small forwards this season.
Bogdan Bogdanovic - SG/SF, SAC vs. NO ($5,500)
Another team out of playoff contention, the Sacramento Kings have jumped on the bandwagon of resting their stars. De'Aaron Fox (shoulder) has already been ruled out of Tuesday's game with soreness, who was averaging 26.2 points on 20.5 field-goal attempts in 34.7 minutes per game. All this production along with an insane usage percentage of 30.5 percent will have to be spread around on Tuesday. Bogdanovic has been the second-best scorer on the Kings since the restart and is the prime candidate to fill the hole left behind by Fox.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Nikola Vucevic - C, ORL vs. BKN ($8,600)
The Brooklyn Nets have officially clinched the seventh seed. To celebrate, they are resting five of their regular rotation players, including starting center Jarrett Allen. The Magic have a long injury report themselves with five rotation players either doubtful or out. Enter Vucevic who is looking for his third straight 20-point, 10-rebound performance against an undermanned Brooklyn squad. In the bubble, the Nets are the 16th-ranked defense against centers out of 22 teams. It would take a lot for Vucevic to not dominate the paint in this one.
Brook Lopez - C, MIL @ WAS ($5,300)
Coming off a 34-point outburst, it truly baffles me how Lopez is priced this low in an incredible match up. Lopez is averaging 22.0 points on 45.3 percent shooting, 6.75 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 2.5 three-pointers per game since the restart. The Wizards have no playoffs to play for and have given up the second-most blocks and eighth-most points to opposing centers in the bubble. However, Milwaukee does have a tendency to rest players and will make the call right before tip (they have not submitted their injury report at the time of this post). Lopez looks like a steal at this price, as long as he plays.
