Cash: Antetokounmpo, Towns, Haliburton, Horford, Anunoby, NeSmith, Bridges, Porter, Nembhard, McConnell, Portis, Hardaway,
GPP: Jokic, Cunningham, Leonard, Brunson, Banchero, Wagner, Siakam, Harden, Murray, Duren, Turner, Hart
Pending Injury News: Brown, Stewart, Mathurin
We are back with a four game slate, a lot of series could be ending today so let’s have fun with this slate before the teams get trimmed down!
MIL/IND
We begin with the Bucks who will have guys in elevated roles due to Lillard being out once again. The first of those players will be Kevin Porter who will likely see all the minutes he can handle and doesn’t have his price adjusted for the role he carries. He posted 43.8 FP in their blowout loss so we can only expect a similar score if this game stays competitive. He is good chalk on this slate that you’ll want to get to in cash games. After him we have Bobby Portis who has been inconsistent this series but still carries a 24% usage that we have seen him use to explode for 51 FP once already this series. In addition he also boasts a 14% assist rate and 15% rebound rate which is very good. Gary Trent had a dud in his last game but he should still be asked to carry the scoring load from beyond the arc and has an 18% usage rate which makes him a nice value once again. One of the lone bright spots in this series has been AJ Green who has helped keep Milwaukee in games with his three point shooting, scoring at least 22 FP in 2 of the 4 games this series. We wouldn’t call his shooting a fluke either considering he’s shot 42% from beyond the arc which makes him an awesome value. We saved the best for last with Giannis Antetokounmpo who is a tremendous spend up option. He has scored no less than 57 FP and is a 1.74 FPPM producer which makes him one of the best options on this slate.
On the Indiana side we have the entire Pacer starting lineup with McConnell off the bench. Pascal Siakam is the best option on this team because he has dominated the paint so easily which has led to him scoring above 41 FP in 3 of 4 games this series. Our favorite play on this team is a value in TJ McConnell who has made the most of his playing time. As a 1.16 FPPM producer, he has scored at least 20 FP in 3 of 4 games with a ceiling of 27 and has steadily seen his minutes increase every game. If you want to spend up at guard then Tyrese Haliburton is the guy because he has displayed a safe floor this series scoring at least 42 FP in 3 of 4 games this series. Milwaukee gets shredded by the PG position allowing 23.9 PPG so he is in a great spot. Andrew Nembhard and Aaron Nesmith are the two last plays to discuss. Nesmith has averaged 25.7 FP this series which is solid for a value. Nembhard is slightly more expensive but has crossed the 30 FP threshold three times which Nesmith has only been able to do once. Both are still great options so we would recommend simply choosing between whoever fits your lineup best as you build.
BOS/ORL
As we move on to the next game it should be shorter because Boston only has two players popping which are Al Horford and Jayson Tatum. Things could change with Holiday in but Horford might have earned himself quality minutes because of how well he has played. He has played three straight games over 32 minutes averaging 25 FP in that span. Jayson Tatum on the other hand has really carried this Boston squad after coming back from his injury scoring 55 and 67 FP in back to back games.
On the Orlando side it simply is Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner, Wendell Carter, and Cory Joseph who we like. The best play is Paolo Banchero who has averaged 51.2 FP this series because he has quite literally taken a majority of the shots, also averaging 29 field goal attempts which is insane. Franz Wagner has averaged 44 FP this series as he has also averaged 23 field goal attempts this series. Wendell Carter has provided a relatively safe floor scoring no less than 28 FP in three consecutive games as he has dominated the glass for Orlando. Our favorite value on the team is Cory Joseph who has earned himself quality playing time this series due to his veteran presence. which has led to an average of 18.6 FP in his last 3 games.
DEN/LAC
We move on to probably the best playoff series so far between the Denver Nuggets and Los Angeles Clippers who are tied 2-2. On the Clippers side we have James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac, and Norman Powell. Harden has averaged 46 FP this series and leads the team in usage so you can’t go wrong spending up for him as a way to pivot from some of the chalkier guards on this slate. Leonard has averaged 44 FP this series giving us a nice floor to work with as well and ranks 2nd on this team in usage, giving us a quality forward option on this slate who the Nuggets have yet to find an answer for with his offensive success. Ivica Zubac has the luxury of facing a Denver squad that allows centers to dominate them to the tune of 21.3 PPG and 14.6 RPG. Lastly, Norman Powell has finally got his shot back that we have known him for, scoring 20 real points in back to back games so he’s a nice upside play on this slate if he can continue stroking it with success.
On the other side of this game we have three players we truly like with Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic, and Christian Braun. The reason we like Gordon/Braun is because they are playing 40+ minutes as their presence on the floor is desperately needed. In the 2 games they have played 40+ minutes this series, Braun has averaged 29.5 FP and Gordon has averaged 36 FP which would make them quality options. Lastly, you can never go wrong with Nikola Jokic who is a 1.83 FPPM that has scored no less than 63 FP in any game this series.
DET/NY
The last game to discuss is between the Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks who are up 3-1 in this series. The four options on the Detroit side are Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Malik Beasley. Beasley and Hardaway are total wild cards because they live and die by what they do from beyond the arc. If they are on, then they are likely posting a ceiling game. The floor can be extremely ugly though because not only are they not scoring but Bickerstaff will elect to keep them out for players like Thompson/Schroeder who defend better. The highs for Malik Beasley have been 36/24 FP and the lows have been 17/12 FP. We will give him the benefit of the doubt though to use in our lineups because he does shoot 41% from downtown which is very good. Hardaway has been the more consistent of the two averaging 25 FP in 3 games excluding the scary floor game he had where he only scored 2 FP. Jalen Duren has been a pleasant presence for Detroit after getting in foul trouble Game 1. In the following three games he has averaged 35.6 minutes and 35.2 FP which is very good for his price point on both sites. Lastly, Cade Cunningham has been on a tear in his first playoff series as he has averaged 55.9 FP this series which is the best among any guard on this slate. The floor is fantastic, scoring at least 56 FP in 3 of 4 games and the ceiling is as good as it gets for a spend up guard option on this slate.
We move on to the New York Knicks who have their entire starting lineup popping but we will dissect and discuss our favorite Knick players to use. Our favorite would be Jalen Brunson who is $1k less than Cunningham on DK and has averaged 54.2 FP himself this series. Hehas really shouldered the scoring load for the Knicks which has led to him scoring at least 54 FP in 3 straight games which is no surprise considering he leads the team in usage. The next best play for us would be Josh Hart who has picked it up in his last two games after starting the first two off very slow. He has now averaged 41.4 FP in his last two games and has played over 40 minutes in three straight games which we love to see when spending for a player like him. OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Miles Bridges would be the GPP options on this slate because they have had their moments where they flash ceiling games and also moments where they give you a score that will simply sink your lineup because it is not good enough. If we had to choose one from them we would go to Towns for leverage from the chalkier centers around his range.