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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on August 25, 2020. Euan Leith provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
It's a sad day for basketball fans as Tuesday marks the first day in three weeks that we have less than four NBA games to watch. Thanks to the Toronto Raptors and Boston Celtics sweeping the Brooklyn Nets and Philadelphia 76ers from the playoffs, we are down to just two games on Tuesday. Miami also wrapped up their series with Indiana last night while Milwaukee continued to get back on track and take a 3-1 lead on the Magic. Let's hope the Western Conference can give us some seven-games series.
Regardless, with only two games on the schedule, it's going to be hard to differentiate our lineups for the rest of the pack on Tuesday. I'm going to avoid talking about Luka Doncic, Kawhi Leonard, Nikola Jokic, and Donovan Mitchell today. They are all priced above $8,000 on FanDuel, and it's not hard to recommend playing them in your contests. Today, I'll provide some cheaper pivots if you are looking to stray away from the chalk and distance yourself from the rest of the daily fantasy herd.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 8/25/20. You can also check out today's DraftKings lineup picks. Remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before lineups lock.
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FanDuel DFS Guards
Jamal Murray, PG - DEN vs. UTA ($7,800)
This series versus the Utah Jazz has perfectly showcased the good and the bad sides of Jamal Murray. The good is a 50-point explosion in game four and a 36-point heat check-in game one. In games two and three, the point guard combined for 26 points. Murray can show the superstar flashes but has not put it together in a consistent stretch. Game five is a win or go home situation for the Nuggets, and they should rely on the Murray-Nikola Jokic two-man game to get them back into this series. Daily players shouldn't bank on another 76.7 fantasy points tonight, but anything close to his 55.5 fantasy points in game one of the series would return great value on his salary.
Jordan Clarkson, SG - UTA vs. DEN ($5,100)
We want players in our lineups that can return four to five times value on their salary. Jordan Clarkson is priced at $5,100 for tonight's tilt and is averaging 28.7 FPPG this series and is perfect for a lineup looking to be more rounded in Tuesday's contests. The shooting guard is putting up 19.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in 29.9 minutes per game and is a safe bet to continue that form today. Clarkson's role has shrunk since Mike Conley returned to the team, but there is still plenty of points to go around against a Denver defense that is allowing 125.5 points per game in the series.
Monte Morris, PG - DEN vs. UTA ($4,000)
Monte Morris doesn't have an elite ceiling, but when you look at the choices for point guard tonight, there is not a lot of inspiring options. Reggie Jackson and Trey Burke were in consideration for this final recommendation, but I know that Morris has a role in his squad. He has played at least 23 minutes in every game of the series, while Jackson and Burke have seen their minutes fluctuate wildly throughout their matchup. I will take the steady Monte Morris over those two. His salary is the lowest of the three, and the point guard is averaging 19.44 FPPG in his last five games. That's close enough to five times return on value to have him in my lineups.
FanDuel DFS Forwards
Tim Hardaway Jr., SF - DAL vs. LAC ($5,600)
Tim Hardaway Jr. has been a silent hero for the Mavericks in this series versus the Los Angeles Clippers. The sharpshooter has played at least 34 minutes in every game and has yet to put up a clunker. In his 36.4 minutes per game, Hardaway is averaging 19.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.5 made three-pointers per contest. He hasn't given daily players a game with less than 26.9 points in the entire series. That is reliable production that any fantasy managers would want in their lineups to fill out their roster.
Marcus Morris, PF - LAC vs. DAL ($5,300)
As of this point in the series, Marcus Morris looks like the sidekick to Kawhi Leonard more than Paul George. Morris has been playing his tail off in the first round of the playoffs, and a slight uptick in production is all we need to make him a great play. In games one and two, the power forward averaged 35.1 fantasy points with 16.5 points, seven rebounds, three steals, and 1.5 assists. The numbers have fallen in the last two games, but there is plenty of opportunities for him to get back to his form from earlier in the series tonight. Kristaps Porzingis is a game-time decision, and I am more than happy to save the $4,300 extra it costs to have the European in my lineups tonight with a guy like Marcus Morris.
Paul Millsap, PF - DEN vs. UTA ($5,000)
If everything goes wrong for the Nuggets tonight, this could be the last game for Paul Millsap in a Denver jersey. He's only been with the team for four years, but he has guided this franchise, and Nikola Jokic, from playoff hopefuls to Western Conference contenders. Unfortunately, we don't get fantasy points for leadership and positive narratives, but that doesn't exclude Millsap as an option for lineups tonight. The power forward is coming off his best performance of the series, where he produced 16 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and two blocks in 35 minutes. He was priced at $4,300 and returned eight times his value with 35.4 points. I don't believe that will happen again, especially with the price jump to $5,000, but I think he can reach the 30-point mark and give fantasy managers another reliable performance in a Nuggets shirt.
FanDuel DFS Centers
Ivica Zubac, C - LAC vs. DAL ($4,600)
Montrezl Harrell hasn't played more than 21 minutes in any game since his return, and it looks like the Clippers are taking the long-term approach to getting him back into game shape. That's terrible news for Harrell truthers, but great news for fans of Ivica Zubac. In the three games of this series that Zubac has played at least 21 minutes, the center is averaging 11.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, and one block per game. That adds up to 25.3 FPPG and is well above the five times return on the salary we look for in our starting lineups. With his salary sitting at $4,600, Zubac is a must-start if you need some salary relief to fit in some stars at the guard and forward positions.
