DFSGhost 
Welcome back, WinDaily family. We have yet another NBA slate filled with all-day action to tackle. We’ll be looking at some elite options to target on both sites and pairing them with value plays who have enough upside to warrant consideration in a ‘Stars and Scrubs’ type of build. With the amount of injuries, or should I say, “injuries” in the last week of the NBA season, what is happening right now is no mystery to the experienced NBA DFS player. For those that are getting their feet wet this season, this is what it is like every season: guys get ruled out midday, some are eligible to play but never see the court, and there a bunch of lesser-known names to fill out our rosters in order to remain competitive against the field. Keeping up with the news is key, and your lineup building never stops until final tip-off. Let’s dive in!
The Lock: James Harden, SG ($10,800 FD / $11,100 DK)
This will come to no surprise, but I will say again: with Russell Westbrook out, you lock James Harden. Every. Single. Time. James Harden always ranks in the Top 5 in ISO percentage and usage percentage, and the latter is rather intriguing when Westbrook is off the court; Harden sports a 36.5% usage rate on the season, which, as it is, is already high enough, but that number jumps to 43.8% with Westbrook off the court. With his minutes can certainly be a caution, Harden averages 1.61 DK points/minute played – with the amount of value on the slate, you need him in your lineups today, not only from a ceiling perspective, but from raw points alone. While the field may be wary of Harden today because the Rockets got blown out by the Spurs yesterday, I don’t expect that to happen today with Indiana possibly missing their entire Starting 5.
The Core Gems
Kawhi Leonard ($8,700 FD / 9,500 DK) & Paul George ($7,500 FD / $8,400 DK)
Known to be one of the deepest rosters in the NBA, the Clippers surprisingly find themselves shorthanded tonight. Landry Shamet, Montrezl Harrell, and Patrick Beverly are all ruled out at the time of writing, so look for Doc Rivers to deploy Kawhi and PG13 for a decent amount of minutes here. Even if they have their minutes cut to the high 20s or possibly hit 30, they both carry a safe floor on a slate with few studs to pay up for.
The Value Gems
Indiana Pacers Value
With Domantas Sabonis and TJ Warren already ruled out, in addition to the Pacers possibly missing both Malcolm Brogdon and Myles Turner today with neck injuries, players such as Aaron Holiday, TJ McConnell, and Justin Holiday should see a ton of minutes at reasonable prices. Victor Oladipo is also listed as questionable so the three mentioned will get all they can handle in a game like this should one of many of the names listed miss today’s game.
Philadelphia 76ers Value
After seeing all of Joel Embiid, Al Horford, Josh Richardson, and Tobias Harris miss yesterday’s game, in addition to Ben Simmons who is ruled out for the remainder of the season, look for the 76ers to give the remaining members of their starting 5 some much needed rest here heading into playoffs given that they’re all nursing injuries. Players such as Alec Burks, Raul Neto, Mike Scott, and Kyle O’Quinn will all be popular and rightfully so, but if Josh Richardson is the only member of the starting group to play, he’ll be a target to consider as well as Shake Milton. Obviously, if the members of the 76ers starting unit return, all these value plays take a massive hit outside of Alec Burks.
Houston Rockets Value
With Russell Westbrook sidelined once again and the Rockets gearing up for their playoff push in Orlando, all of Austin Rivers, Ben McLemore, and the returning Eric Gordon will see a ton of minutes both in the starting 5 and off the bench. Eric Gordon is coming off an injury that kept him sidelined for a long duration, but his price is attractive for someone that will be responsible for solely running to the corner and knocking down 3’s. In the frontcourt, Robert Covington, Danuel House, and Jeff Green will be viable as well, but I prefer to target the backcourt here given the absence of Westbrook and Houston’s tendency to go small.
OKC Value
There isn’t much detail to give at the time of writing, so look for updates in Discord, but all of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Steven Adams, Danillo Gallinari, and Dennis Schroder are listed as questionable. If this was the case, we can go back to guys such as Darius Bazley, Lugentz Dort, Hamidou Diallo, and Nerlens Noel (also listed questionable) or Mike Muscala.
A Quick Note on NBA DFS
While there are many different sports and various contests pertaining to DFS along with their respective strategies, we focus on the main approaches to build both reliable cash and GPP lineups for a successful NBA night including pace, the projected over/under, one on one matchups (DVP), a player’s usage rate, and a team’s defensive rating. Make sure to stay active when building NBA lineups – if you cannot be in front of a computer, tablet, or on your phone an hour before lock, do not throw your money away! NBA DFS lineups can change at the blink of an eye and are the most variable compared to any other sport in DFS; players get injured, some sit for load management, and others find themselves on the DNP list for other reasons; any of which can sway your lineup and where to find value. Stay alert on the WinDaily Discord chat to follow along with our updated plays. GOOD LUCK TO ALL!
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