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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on August 12, 2020. Dale Johnson provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
With Damian Lillard making history, the Portland Trail Blazers squeaking out a last-minute victory to jump the 8-seed, and the San Antonio Spurs narrowly keeping their playoff hopes alive, it will be hard to top Tuesday's slate. Especially difficult as we only have four games slated for Wednesday. Well you know what they say, quality over quantity.
We have a late start on Wednesday with the first game tipping off at 4:00 pm EST. All teams on display here have already clinched their playoff spots, but a few are still fighting for seeding. We also have a couple teams on the second leg of a back-to-back set in the Houston Rockets and Philadelphia 76ers. Keeping all this in mind, watch for some key players sitting out for rest purposes. James Harden (rest) will be taking the floor while Russell Westbrook (rest) gets his turn to sit. The 76ers had all five of their normal starters out on Tuesday, but could get some back in the lineup here. As every small slate, we will need to look at some value players to pair up with the popular stars.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/12/20. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. Remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before lineup lock.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Lou Williams - PG/SG, LAC @ DEN ($5,500)
Williams finally looked closer to his regular form on Sunday, despite the embarrassing loss to the Brooklyn Nets. Williams grossly outplayed starter Reggie Jackson (2-for-9 shooting, five points, -15 +/-) in mostly every category. The Clippers will be without both Landry Shamet (foot) and Patrick Beverley (calf), leaving extra minutes on the wing for Williams. The Denver Nuggets have allowed the best three-point percentage to opposing guards since the restart. With the Clippers hurting for wings, Williams will most likely be relied on for scoring rather than facilitating. and may even enter the starting lineup. Check back before game-time as the Clippers have not yet submitted their final injury report and lineups.
Tyler Herro - SG, MIA vs. OKC ($5,300)
The returns of Jimmy Butler (foot) and Goran Dragic (ankle) were supposed to take away some production from Herro. Instead, he kept his streak going and had an efficient 17 points in a huge win over the Indiana Pacers on Monday. Herro's game in the bubble evolved from a spot-up shooter to a wing who can cut for easy buckets, take defenders off the dribble and even facilitate the offense with their shooters. Kendrick Nunn (personal) is expected to rejoin the Heat on Wednesday, but may not be available for the game later that night. The Thunder are also dealing with some injuries to their wings in Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (calf) and Dennis Schroder (personal). If you are skeptical on Herro, his teammate, Dragic ($5,300), will have a similar workload at the same price regardless if Nunn will be available to play.
Aaron Holiday - PG/SG, IND @ HOU ($4,600)
Holiday have been solid since moving into the starting lineup in the absence of Domantas Sabonis (plantar fascitis) and has gotten plenty of run since the restart. Holiday has logged at least 30 minutes in each seeding game so far and has logged multiple games of over 25.0 DraftKings fantasy points. Unfortunately, Holiday's usage percentage is down to 13.9 percent in the bubble from 18.2 percent the rest of the season. The good news for Holiday is the Pacers have already ruled out T.J. Warren (foot) and could possibly be without Victor Oladipo (ankle) and Malcolm Brogdon (neck). Plus, they will face the Russell Westbrook-less Houston Rockets on Wednesday. The Rockets have given up the eighth-most overall points and ninth-most points to opposing guards since the restart. This should be a high-scoring affair and Holiday would get a ton of run if even one other wing is unable to go. Justin Holiday ($3,600) would also be worth a flier if Oladipo and Brogdon are out.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Norman Powell - SG/SF, TOR @ PHI ($5,300)
With the Raptors a lock for the two-seed in the Eastern Conference, they have been decidedly resting their regular starters. Enter Powell, who has four straight games in double digit scoring and has hit at least 50.0 percent of his shots in three of those contests. There are not any regular starters listed on the injury report ahead of Wednesday's contest, but they face a depleted Philadelphia 76ers team. The Raptors will most likely opt to limit their starter's minutes in this one as there is nothing on the line. Powell has logged 29, 30 and 27 minutes, respectively, in his last three games and would most likely hover around 30 minutes in this one.
Darius Bazley - PF/C, OKC vs. MIA ($4,800)
Another player making the most out of his increased opportunity due to load management, Bazley has become an integral part of Oklahoma City's rotation. Bazley has back-to-back games of at least 22 points and put up a 22-point, 10-rebound performance in a spot start on Monday. The Miami Heat have also been struggling rebounding the ball as of late. Miami allows the second-most defensive rebounds and ninth-most overall rebounds to opposing teams over the past three games. As previously mentioned, the Thunder are also one of many who have quite a few players iffy for Wednesday. Bazley would likely need at least one extra player to sit again in order to be worth it at this price. However, Bazley would have a good opportunity to make his presence felt on the boards in this one.
Chris Boucher - PF/C, TOR @ PHI ($4,600)
Boucher absolutely crushed Milwaukee on Monday with an all-around performance off the bench. Boucher dropped 25 points on 60.0 percent shooting, 11 rebounds, three three-pointers, two steals and two blocks in 29 minutes. Although it was an incredible box score, we have to pump the brakes here as Toronto held out three starters in the win. Despite this, Serge Ibaka (knee) is still listed on the injury report and is in danger of missing Wednesday's contest. Marc Gasol gained the spot start on Monday, but was outplayed by Boucher and only logged 20 minutes. If Ibaka is unable to go, Boucher would be a great value pick in this slate.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Bam Adebayo - C, MIA vs. OKC ($7,600)
The center position for Wednesday's slate is pretty scarce with seven of the top-10 priced centers carrying injury designations. Of the options, however, it is hard to ignore how important Adebayo has been to this Miami team. Adebayo has his consistency issues, but has shown his ability to not only facilitate on offense, but anchor down the team's defense. Adebayo has back-to-back games with three blocks and nearly notched double-doubles in each with rebounds and assists, respectively. The Thunder may also be without centers Steven Adams (leg) and Nerlens Noel (ankle) who are both questionable for Wednesday. Regardless, Adebayo looks like to be the most solid and affordable center in this slate.
