DraftKings DFS NBA Strategy Advice: Tuesday (8/18)

After an exciting first day of the playoffs that saw Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell duke it out in overtime, Boston and Philly play it down to the wire, and Kristaps Porzingis get ejected, we’re all set for Day 2. There are four games on tap today, with Bucks/Magic kicking things off at 1:30PM and Lakers/Blazers wrapping up the day with a 9:00PM tip-off. As usual, we’ll go through the best values of the day, studs to target, and big names to fade. Because the slate is small and because player prices are a little higher for the playoffs, we’ll be diving deep on some of these picks, avoiding most of the mid-tier players in favor of some money-saving options that allow you to get some bona fide superstars into your lineups. Best of luck today in your matchups. Let’s get to it!

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Value Plays

Point Guard

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• Fultz will remain Orlando’s starting point guard at least for Game 1 of the playoffs, and at just $4.2K, he can be plugged into lineups as a relatively cheap option. With Terrence Ross and Aaron Gordon banged up, Fultz may see his role expand on offense in this one.
• The heat will roll with Dragic as the starting point guard Tuesday against Indiana, and he comes in at a nice price given his recent success in the starting five. Over his last two starts, Dragic has averaged 13.5 points, 7.5 dimes, 5.5 boards, and 1.5 steals.

Shooting Guard

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• With Russell Westbrook out, Gordon will start at shooting guard Tuesday. He can be a boom-or-bust option, but he’s mostly come off the bench this season. In 15 starts, he’s averaged 15.8 points, 2.2 triples, 2.0 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.1 steals.
• Diallo isn’t going to erupt for the 27 and 11 line he posted in the Thunder’s final seeding game, but in seven games prior, he averaged nearly 23 minutes per contest. Luguentz Dort will be out for this one, the matchup will be a pace-up spot for OKC, and the price is certainly right.

Small Forward

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• Dougie McBuckets comes with plenty of risk, but at just $3.3K, you’ve got to love the scoring upside if he’s hitting threes. Indiana rested some of its key players for the final three seeding games, but McDermott still saw over 20 minutes in each. For playoff contests, prices are usually a little inflated, and you’ll need to grab someone like McDermott at a discount to get studs into your lineup. He becomes an even better play if T.J. Warren is sidelined.
• Kuz may seem a little expensive to be considered a value, but he’s in a great spot against Portland. The Blazers’ defense is sub-par to begin with, and the frontcourt will now be without Zach Collins at least for Game 1. Kuzma was solid for the Lakers in the seeding games, and he has a great chance to carry that quality play into the playoffs.

Power Forward

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• Gallo gets the small-ball Rockets in a pace-up spot Tuesday, and he comes at an affordable price. His play as of late hasn’t been tremendous, so he may be under-owned here.
• The Lakers’ defense is solid, but most of the defensive attention should be on the backcourt of Lillard and McCollum. With Zach Collins out and the frontcourt thin, Melo should make his presence known. He’s got extra motivation facing off against his friend and fellow Class of ’03 alumnus, LeBron James.

Center

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• Whiteside will continue to come off the bench, but he may see more minutes in this one with Zach Collins out and the imposing size of the Lakers’ frontcourt. Even if Whiteside is limited to 18-20 minutes, he can still put up plenty of fantasy points making for a nice dart-throw in tournaments.
• Lopez priced at $4.7K is a steal, and he’s the type of player to get into your lineup and save some money to spend elsewhere. It can be a crap-shoot with Lopez if his three-point shot’s not falling or he’s not swatting shots, but he’s averaged 32.6 DK points over his last four games, and he has the ability to surpass 40 points. At this price, I’ll be owning a lot of shares of Lopez.

Studs Worth Their Salary

• James Harden (HOU) vs. OKC $11,700: Russell Westbrook is out, and Harden’s already robust usage rate should get a boost.
• Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL) vs. ORL $10,500: Giannis shouldn’t have any issues getting to the rim and scoring at will. His price is a little lower than usual, so take the savings while you can.
• Anthony Davis (LAL) vs. POR $10,400: Portland’s frontcourt defense isn’t one to fear, and AD is one of the strongest plays of the night.
• Chris Paul (OKC) @ HOU $7,700: Playing against his former team in a pace-up spot? Yeah, Paul should be in for a solid game.
• LeBron James (LAL) vs. POR $10,700: LeBron typically shines in the playoffs, and he’ll be squaring off with a team that plays little defense.

Notable Players to Fade

• Jusuf Nurkic (POR) @LAL $9,100: The Lakers’ frontcourt is one of the best in the league defensively, and at $9.1K, there are better options.
• Damian Lillard (POR) @ LAL $11,400: His price has shot up, and while I’m sure he’ll have a great game, I don’t think he’ll have one great enough to make this price tag worth it.
• T.J. Warren (IND) vs. MIA $8,000: Warren is limited with a foot injury, and it will be tough to trust him even if he suits up.
• Nikola Vucevic (ORL) @ MIL $8,800: He’ll have to contend with Giannis Antetokounmpo and Brook Lopez in the frontcourt and may not have Aaron Gordon to help take the edge off.

Check out today’s NBA Sharpshooter from DraftKings

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Zachary Hanshew is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Zachary, check out his archive and follow him @zakthemonster.