FanDuel DFS NBA Lineup Advice: Tuesday (8/18)

Welcome to the Tuesday edition of FanDuel NBA lineup advice from the bubble. The NBA Playoffs officially began yesterday and continue today with four more games. Today’s slate is littered with heavy hitters but there are also plenty of value plays to attack. Let’s dive in.

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Value Plays: Point Guard

 
Chris Paul should see a full allotment of minutes in what’s expected to be a high-scoring game against the Rockets. Attacking this game will be a theme today. He averaged 36.4 FanDuel points over the seven bubble games he played before taking the last game off to rest. With no Russell Westbrook to face on defense, Paul is about as safe as it gets.

In the same game,  Austin Rivers should see opportunities to contribute with Westbrook sidelined. He comes with more risk but has put up some strong performances thus far in the NBA reboot.

Shooting Guard

 
Dennis Schroder looked great in his first and only game since entering the bubble. He has a plus matchup with Houston, who gave up the eighth-most FD points to the position on the season. The potential NBA Sixth Man of the year comes at a nice discount compared to his teammate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.

Moving away from the Thunder-Rockets matchup, Tyler Herro has been playing reliable minutes for the Heat and producing quality FD performances with them. His teammate Duncan Robinson could also be an option if you’re short on salary, though he’s much more dependent on getting hot from three-point range.

Small Forward

 
Anthony has been playing like the Melo of old in the bubble, scoring consistently and even grabbing rebounds at a fairly consistent rate. He’s got guaranteed minutes in what’s expected to be the highest-scoring game of the night. 

James Ennis is our first target from the Bucks-Magic matchup that kicks off the slate. He’s been playing huge minutes and consistently hitting value. He may lose some usage if Aaron Gordon finally returns from his hamstring injury, but Danuel House can be used as a later game pivot if that concerns you.

Power Forward

 
Veteran Jeff Green has been extremely efficient, producing just over one FD point per minute played so far in the bubble. At that rate, he’ll need just over 20 minutes on the court to hit value, which should be safe considering he’s hit that mark in all but the first game of the seeding round. 

Rookie Wenyan Gabriel is a complete unknown but will draw the start for Portland with Zach Collins sidelined. It’s an extremely risky play but his minimum salary allows you to pay up for some of the more expensive studs featured on today’s slate.

Center

 
Lopez always has a chance to get hot from deep. He won’t be backing down Orlando center Nikola Vucevic in the offensive paint but could rack up some blocks battling him near the rim on the defensive end of the court. Lopez finished the season with 163 blocks, second-most in the entire association.

Hassan Whiteside has taken a back seat to Jusuf Nurkic in the bubble but he may be more involved against the Lakers. Anthony Davis, Dwight Howard, and JaVale McGee present plenty of size in the frontcourt that Portland may need to match with big man Zach Collins out. It typically doesn’t take huge minutes for Whiteside to fill up a stat sheet and rack up FD points.

5 Studs Worth Their Salary

James Harden, HOU ($11,500): He has the highest salary on the slate and deservedly so, given he should see massive usage with Westbrook sitting this one out. Another 80+ FD point explosion isn’t out of the question today; he’s put up two such performances in just seven games so far in the bubble.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL ($11,000): The reigning MVP ended the season on a sour note after getting suspended for the final game of the season. The Greek Freak has had plenty of rest after seeing just ten minutes of the court over the last three games. Don’t be surprised if he makes a big statement and puts up huge numbers in the opening playoff game against Orlando.

LeBron James, LAL ($10,300): LeBron, the NBA’s all-time leader in playoff points, tends to find another level in the postseason. He has triple-double potential every time he takes the court and that should be on full display in game one against the Trail Blazers. 

Damian Lillard, POR ($10,100): Lillard was deservedly named the MVP of the seeding round in the bubble after averaging 37.6 points and 9.6 assists in the first eight games in the bubble. You don’t fade a player like Lillard when he’s on this kind of hot streak.

Anthony Davis, LAL ($10,000): The Lakers have no reason to limit Davis in today’s game as falling behind Portland is the last thing they want to happen in game one. He has one of the highest ceilings of any player on any slate when he’s full go, which he certainly should be today.

5 Notable Players to Fade

Nikola Vucevic, ORL ($7,900): Vucevic is usually a reliable fantasy option at center but will be drawn out of the paint on defense and have to deal with shot-blocker Lopez on offense, not to mention having to battle Giannis Antetokounmpo for rebounds.

Jimmy Butler, MIA ($7,800): His price isn’t egregious but injury concerns combined with the game’s low expected point total make it easy to fade Butler today.

T.J. Warren, IND ($7,500): Warren was one of the best stories early in the reboot but he’s struggled since getting shut down by Jimmy Butler and then suffering a foot injury. Even if he does give it a go today, he draws the tough matchup with Butler again.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC ($6,900): SGA has a plus matchup and isn’t the worst play on the slate, but I’d rather take the $1,200 discount and roll with Dennis Schroder instead.

Victor Oladipo, IND ($6,100): The former DFS stud just hasn’t looked himself most of the time so far in the bubble. He could crank it up for the playoffs but I’m not trusting him until I see it, especially with the tough matchup against Miami.

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Aaron Larson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Aaron, check out his archive and follow him @aalarson.