RADIO
There are four NBA games today, a pair of 4-5 seeds continue their series and both conference's #1 seeds will be looking to rebound from their disastrous losses in Game 1.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/20/20. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. Remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before lock.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Eric Bledsoe - PG, MIL vs ORL ($5,300)
Bledsoe hasn't set the world on fire, but he's averaging around 30 DK points/game on the season and this may be a game where he sees increased minutes and/or usage rate as the Bucks definitely don't want to fall down 0-2 in the series. It's more likely that Giannis sees the most significant usage bump, but Bledsoe is still a 1.15 fpts/min player with a 25.6% usage rate on the season, so getting him at a salary that comes in below 5x value of his season average of 30.9 DK points is certainly appealing. The Magic rank 9th in DVA but 20th in DEFF against PG's as Markelle Fultz and D.J. Augustin serve as the team's primary point guards. Expect the Bucks to come out aggressive in this one and for Bledsoe to follow suit.
James Harden - PG/SG, HOU vs OKC ($11,700)
Is Harden's price the highest on the slate? Yes. Does he have the highest ceiling on the slate, especially without Russell Westbrook in the lineup? That's also a resounding yes. Harden reached "just" 58.3 DK points in Game 1, but he did so with only three assists and no blocks or steals. For the record, he averaged 7.5 assists, 1.8 steals, and 0.9 blocks per game this season. He has legitimate 80-90 DK point potential every time he steps on the floor without Westbrook as his usage rate spikes to 44.1% and he puts up a ridiculous 1.88 fpts/min without him this season. Additionally, the Thunder rank 25th in defense against combo guards this season.
Goran Dragic - PG, MIA vs IND ($5,900)
Dragic started and poured in 42.5 DK points over 34 minutes played in Game 1. He hit 4-of-9 threes and generally orchestrated the offense well in the win, finishing with 24/6/5 and a steal. Dragic figures to remain in the starting lineup moving forward and he's just simply too cheap with that in mind. He has a 25.9% usage rate on the season and even though the Pacers are solid defensively and rank 5th in both DVA and DEFF to the PG position, they somehow rank 22nd in the league in fantasy points allowed to the position. Dragic is a great buy at his minute and workload projection.
Other Options: Damian Lillard (POR vs LAL) $11,000, C.J. McCollum (POR vs LAL) $7,700, Chris Paul (OKC vs HOU) $8,000, Markelle Fultz (ORL vs MIL) $4,500
Note: Bump up Lillard if Rajon Rondo is active and projected to play
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF, MIL vs ORL ($11,300)
Giannis did his thing in Game 1 with 31/17/7 en route to 65.25 DK points, but the Bucks lost to the Magic in shocking fashion. Expect Greek Freak to take charge and do everything he can to ensure they don't fall down 0-2 to the #8 seed in the series. He shot just 12-of-25 from the field, missed five free throws, and didn't record a block, so his fantasy ceiling certainly wasn't even approached in the first game. The Bucks are the fastest-paced team on the slate and they have the highest implied total as a team at 120.3 points. It's hard to pinpoint Giannis as a "versatile forward," but for what it's worth, the Magic rank 18th in the NBA defensively against that player archetype. There's only one player with a higher ceiling on Thursday, and his name rhymes with Shmames Shmarden.
Anthony Davis - PF/C, LAL vs POR ($10,500)
A.D. could easily be a bit of a "forgotten stud" on this slate with Harden, Giannis, Lillard, and LeBron all priced ahead of him. Davis posted 52.25 DK points in Game 1, but he was very inefficient by his standard as he shot just 33% from the field, 0-for-5 from three, and recorded just one assist. Portland ranks dead last in DVA and 29th in DEFF to the PF position, but that's mainly because they didn't have Nurkic's big body defending the rim until the bubble rolled around. Expect Davis to revert to his typically efficient self and with his massive 29.2% usage rate (33% in Game 1) and 1.44 fpts/min, he should be able to exceed 5x value at his current salary. He may also come in at lower ownership than where he should be at, which means it's a perfect time to take advantage by seeking to gain leverage on the field.
Eric Gordon - SG/SF, HOU vs OKC ($4,900)
Gordon looks to be all the way back to playing around 30 minutes per game again, which is great news for his fantasy upside with Russell Westbrook still out. Gordon holds a 29.9% usage rate and a 1.01 fpts/min rate when Westy sits, and he works as a pairing with Harden or by himself as a one-off leverage play to get away from the field (which I wouldn't recommend). Gordon scored 30.75 DK points in Game 1 on just 7-of-17 shooting (2-of-6 from three), so there's definitely room for improvement in Game 2. The Thunder are adept at defending the three-ball but it's likely that all the defensive attention will be placed on stopping/containing Harden, which (in theory) should free up open looks for Gordon to fire away. His price is just too cheap relative to the expected minutes and fantasy production from the veteran.
Other Options: Jimmy Butler (MIA vs IND) $7,900, Carmelo Anthony (POR vs LAL) $5,900, LeBron James (LAL vs POR) $10,900
DraftKings DFS Centers
Nikola Vucevic - C, ORL vs MIL ($8,800)
Vooch (aka Vucci Mane) hit the smash button in Game 1, going berserk for a 35/14/4 line with a steal over 36 minutes played. That stat line was good for 62 DK points. The Magic appear to be fully ready to put up a fight in this series and it's not a guarantee that the Bucks have the ability to slow Vucci down in the paint, despite boasting two of the best rim-defenders in the NBA in Antetokounmpo and Brooke Lopez. Curiously, the Bucks rank 1st in DVA but 28th in DEFF against the C position this season. He has a 25.5 usage rate and an impressive 1.31 fpts/min rate this season, and he should continue to be at the forefront of this Magic squad as they try to pull off one of the more improbable upsets in NBA history. He's the stud to pay up for at the center position on Thursday's slate, though an argument can certainly be made for Nurkic against the basically Center-less Lakers.
Other Options: Jusuf Nurkic (POR vs LAL) $9,000, Bam Adebayo (MIA vs IND) $7,500, Brooke Lopez (MIL vs ORL) $5,000
Good luck to everyone in their NBA DraftKings contests!
