RADIO
With just five games on today's slate, it's the beginning of the end. There are no NBA games scheduled a week from today, and with the Western Conference playoff picture looking how it is, the fight for eighth is coming down to these final days, not to mention the play-in tournament is set to be historic with five teams, four games or fewer behind eighth. Diving deeper within the West, comparing Portland's last four games to Memphis' last three, the Grizzlies win over Oklahoma City might be their last. They face Toronto, Boston, and Milwaukee, in that order to close out the season, so hopefully the Grizzlies will face those squads with resting players. The Trail Blazers will go up against the Clippers, 76ers, Mavericks in three of their last four, but with Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum, and Carmelo Anthony, those games seem more winnable than a Jaren Jackson Jr.-less Grizzlies team beating a "potentially" healthy top of the Eastern Conference.
What "potentially" healthy means is what the Jazz did last night. They rested all their starters, but left a few key players in for some type of moral support, for example, Joe Ingles played, but only 16 minutes. Looking at the Heat tonight, a team flooded with actual injuries, they are likely to give their young players plenty of run. Tyler Herro has shown the knack for scoring, but anyone watching the Heat can see why he could see the biggest benefit from all the injuries on Miami's roster. Both Herro and Duncan Robinson have fought and earned their spots in the rotation, but they both need to work on their playmaking and become familiar with high-usage games. While the Heat need to fill gaps because of untimely injuries, most teams will be playing backups, simply to try and increase their depth for playoffs. Look for this to be a common trend among teams safely in the playoff picture for the last few days of the regular season
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/8/20. 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
Gary Trent Jr. - SG/SF, POR vs LAC ($4,800)
There have been a few players who have exploded since the NBA restart and the bubble has allowed for them to shine. Gary Trent Jr. is one of those players and DFS sites have not adjusted the price accordingly. First, T.J. Warren got the bump to $8,800, next is Michael Porter Jr., and after that has to be Gary Trent Jr. He has not only stepped up defensively on a team that lacks a defensive playmaker, but he has been hitting open shots. Too often do young players miss open shots and it leads to fewer minutes because they aren't able to contribute defensively to make up for the lack of scoring. Until Trent Jr. shows signs of slowing down on the offensive end, there is no downside here. His price needs to jump to $6,000 before he is worth a fade. Portland needs to keep winning and Trent Jr. is part of that winning formula.
Landry Shamet - SG/SF, LAC vs POR ($3,300)
As one of the few basement-level options that will actually see minutes, Landry Shamet is still finding his shooting stroke in the bubble. His last game was the first time he's played above 25 minutes, so this could be a great sign especially if the Clippers follow the trend of resting their top players. Shamet is in the ideal group that isnt' valuable enough to rest, but is way too skilled to not dominate playing with a second unit. If anyone sees less minutes in the Los Angeles backcourt, Shamet is going to see an immediate bump, with Rodney McGruder and Terrence Mann being the next guy up after that. Start looking for backups that still provide value, but won't sacrifice playing time.
P.J. Dozier - PG, DEN vs UTA ($3,300)
There may or not be a reason that P.J. Dozier is hidden beneath two shooting guards. With the Nuggets and Jazz committing to their backups, Dozier has ridiculous upside with his playmaking, scoring ability, and momentum heading into this game. Both of these teams are safely in the playoffs, and with neither wanting to risk injury to their best players, they also have the depth to run backups all game with minimal downside. Dozier, Justin Wright-Foreman (Jazz), Miye Oni (Jazz), Bol Bol, and Keita Bates-Diop all have upside this game.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Marvin Williams - PF, MIL vs DAL ($3,400)
Almost setting the tone for the rest of the league, the Bucks have been happily resting their superstars, allowing Marvin Williams to show why he would start on a majority of other teams. The Mavericks have held their own against some of the leagues top teams, but they lack the rebounding ability that doesn't come from their size. Williams just needs minutes to contribute and the only downside is that he gets passed over for someone like D.J. Wilson or Ersan Ilyasova.
Jae Crowder- SF, MIA vs PHO ($4,600)
When injuries are depleting a team, you have to go with the players who are willing, and have a track record of stepping up. Jae Crowder, time and time again has had underwhelming nights because of the role he plays, but when asked to do more, he goes above and beyond. The Suns have been playing like the best team in basketball, but even with their impressive play, the Heat are one of those teams that can still be a contender without their star players. Since adding Crowder, Andre Iguodala, and Solomon Hill, Miami has depth at small forward, but Crowder is still the best shooter of the bunch and he'll get the green light versus Phoenix.
Justin Holiday - SG/SF, IND vs LAL ($4,200)
This is one of those times where Justin Holiday gets the nod in the article, but his price is still a tad too high. He has yet to post over 20 FPTS since the restart and his price has somehow seen an increase, despite the Pacers returning players throughout the return to action. Holiday tends to step up to the competition, so if the Pacers manage to keep it close, Holiday will see his normal workload, but if the Pacers or Lakers decide to throw in backups, Holiday is still in that group of players who will benefit from backups seeing starter minutes.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Chris Silva - C, MIA vs PHO ($3,000)
Bam Adebayo had an underwhelming game last outing, but that isn't enough to make me think he will rebound versus the Suns. Based on the matchup, yes, he should have a great game against DeAndre Ayton, but the Heat are all over the place right now. Rather than going full force against the Suns, I expect roles to be somewhat reversed with players like Tyler Herro, Crowder, and Andre Iguodala controlling most of the ball-handling duties. Bam Adebayo is a solid play because his price is low for his ceiling, but unless he is getting a full workload, it's hard to buy-in with fewer games on the slate. On the other hand, Chris Silva is about as risky as you can get, but still has upside in terms of matchup. Adebayo could be in the running for playmaking duties, but he is too valuable to Miami's playoff success that it's not worth him getting hurt against an out-of-conference team. Look for players like Silva to start seeing 20 minutes and playing full quarters at a time.
DeAndre Ayton - C, PHO vs MIA ($7,600)
Based on his raw production, DeAndre Ayton's price should be way higher. His ceiling is limited by his defense, but lately he has shown across-the-board improvement. The Suns have been playing on an entirely different level and much of that has come from Ayton dominating the paint. He will need to establish himself on the defensive end, but he does alter shots and can block players that aren't consistently going to the rim strong. Even if he goes up against someone like Adebayo, he will be able to use his size to get by, although it will be difficult. For his price, there are very few defenders that will able to hold him beneath his projected.
Good luck to everyone in their NBA DraftKings contests!
