We have a nine-game slate and these are the final few days of the regular season. Several teams in the Western Conference still have yet to clinch a playoff spot. There are five teams, all within one game, who have yet to clinch. Super exciting time of the year, and it should be a wild few days to end the season.
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Guards
Russell Westbrook (OKC): $11,900 @ MIA
Westbrook and the Thunder are one of those teams who need to win, and they are not ending the season on a high note. They are 5-5 over their last 10 games and have fallen into the seventh spot in the West. Westbrook has the ability to win games on his own, and he’s one of few players on this slate who can legitimately put up 70 fantasy points. He is up against the Heat, who he has played one time this season, putting up 59 fantasy points in only 35 minutes. Westbrook is the second most expensive player on the slate, so if you are rostering him you will need to find the savings elsewhere.
Jrue Holiday (NO): $8,400 @ LAC
Holiday and the Pelicans are in a spot where they need to win to clinch a playoff spot, and he is staring down a very favorable matchup. Tonight he is up against the Clippers, who are giving up 44 DraftKings points per game to shooting guards, which is second worst in the league. He has a usage rate sitting at 27% along with averaging 1.22 fantasy points per minute, both of which are second highest on the team. He will see touches tonight and should be able to make the most of them. In the three games he has played the Clippers this season, he is averaging 43 DraftKings points per game.
We have a nine-game slate and these are the final few days of the regular season. Several teams in the Western Conference still have yet to clinch a playoff spot. There are five teams, all within one game, who have yet to clinch. Super exciting time of the year, and it should be a wild few days to end the season.
Create Optimal DraftKings lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool
Guards
Russell Westbrook (OKC): $11,900 @ MIA
Westbrook and the Thunder are one of those teams who need to win, and they are not ending the season on a high note. They are 5-5 over their last 10 games and have fallen into the seventh spot in the West. Westbrook has the ability to win games on his own, and he’s one of few players on this slate who can legitimately put up 70 fantasy points. He is up against the Heat, who he has played one time this season, putting up 59 fantasy points in only 35 minutes. Westbrook is the second most expensive player on the slate, so if you are rostering him you will need to find the savings elsewhere.
Jrue Holiday (NO): $8,400 @ LAC
Holiday and the Pelicans are in a spot where they need to win to clinch a playoff spot, and he is staring down a very favorable matchup. Tonight he is up against the Clippers, who are giving up 44 DraftKings points per game to shooting guards, which is second worst in the league. He has a usage rate sitting at 27% along with averaging 1.22 fantasy points per minute, both of which are second highest on the team. He will see touches tonight and should be able to make the most of them. In the three games he has played the Clippers this season, he is averaging 43 DraftKings points per game.
Forwards
Jimmy Butler (MIN): $7,000 vs. MEM
Butler is back from his injury. In his first game, he put up 29 DraftKings points in just 23 minutes. That’s great production after his injury, and he makes a very interesting option on tonight’s slate. This is a pace down spot against the Grizzlies, and Butler seems to be on some type of minutes limit or restriction. This could easily lead to no one wanting to play him, thus making him a potential target for lower ownership in tournaments. He is simply too cheap for his true skill level. I would take the upside from his true skill combined with the contrarian play tonight and slot him into tournament lineups.
Al-Farouq Aminu (POR): $5,000 @ DEN
The Trail Blazers are one of the few teams out west who have clinched a playoff spot, but their seed has yet to be determined. They could slip down the standings, so there’s no coming off the gas pedal just yet. They are up against the Nuggets who need to win games, ensuring that this matchup will be hard fought and will see starters playing full minutes. Aminu has scored 19 or more fantasy points in eight of his last 10 games and is up against the Nuggets who are giving up 48 DraftKings points per game to power forwards, which is fourth worst in the league. This game has an over-under set at 218 points, so we should be in for plenty of scoring.
Centers
Jarrett Allen (BKN): $5,300 vs. CHI
Allen has scored 22 DraftKings points or more in four of his last five games, which is great production out of a player in the $5K price range. He is up against the Bulls who are giving up 54 DraftKings points per game to centers, which is fourth worst in the league. This puts him in a great spot to continue this level of production, making him one of the safer options at this price point. This game has an over-under set at 220 points. Despite both of these teams being well out of the playoffs, we should see plenty of scoring.
Nikola Jokic (DEN): $10,800 vs. POR
Jokic has scored 52 DraftKings or more in five straight games and is doing everything he can to get his team into the playoffs. This is a tougher spot for him since he is up against the Trail Blazers, who are fifth best in the league against centers. A 50-point floor in recent games is hard to find, and this is coming from a player who needs to win. That means full minutes for him, and despite the tougher matchup, he has the production to make his salary worth it. This game has an over-under set 218 points, with the Nuggets only favored by three points.
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Thomas Vecchio is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Thomas, check out his archive and follow him @DFS_Tom.
