DFSGhost 
We’re teeing off the last full day of the regular season in the NBA today, with a wildly anticipated play-in game between the Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers set for tomorrow. Today’s slate has a ton of injuries and players missing in action, with a plethora of more to come – that’s NBA DFS at this time of the season. Remember to stay active with the news and to continuously look for ways to improve your lineup throughout the day up until last tip-off. On DK, remember to put your players in earliest games at the PG, SG, SF, PF, C positions to allow yourself more flexibility for late swapping in the G, F, and UTIL spots. It’s an ugly one, but let’s get to it:
The Lock: James Harden, SG ($11,500 FD / $11,500 DK)
I’m going to sound like a broken record for the third game in row where Harden is running point without Russell Westbrook, so by now you know the drill: Mike D’Antoni seems to be continuing to play him, his usage goes up to nearly 45%, and he’s a walking triple double… in the first half. Give me 20 minutes of The Beard tonight, 25, 35, I don’t care. Harden has the highest ceiling of anyone on the slate, and with the amount of value that’s available to us, he remains a lock no matter what due to his raw points upside.
The Core Gems
Malcolm Brogdon ($6,600 FD / $7,400 DK)
With Indiana already ruling everyone out prior to lock except Malcolm Brogdon, a second-half benching is something to consider, but there is also the possibility that he can do work in such limited time versus a Miami Heat bench rotation playing the entire game. Keep an eye in Discord for updates on his minutes.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, SG ($7,600 DK / $6,900 FD)
Another player that should have his minutes limited; I’m not entirely sold on SGA as of yet barring that we get clarification surrounding his minutes for tonight. Nonetheless, the Canadian rookie sees a notable uptick in usage (33.7%) and FPPM (1.25) with both Chris Paul and Dennis Schroder out of the lineup. If the Clippers run their entire squad, or at least one of Kawhi Leonard or Paul George, I’ll feel much better about deploying SGA in my NBA DFS lineups today.
The Value Gems
Miami Heat Value
There is no secret in this one. They will be chalk. You need to play them. Miami is sitting out Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, and Goran Dragic, so look for notable minutes from Kelly Olynyk in the frontcourt and for Tyler Herro to run point for 30+ minutes.
Indiana Pacers Value
I mentioned it above in the Malcolm Brogdon blurb, and these value pieces become all that more attractive if his minutes are limited or if he is ruled out before lock. Aaron Holiday let us down tremendously last time out after carrying significant ownership, but he’d be the first man up yet again. TJ McConnell, Justin Holiday, Doug McDermott, and Edmond Summer will all be popular as well, with Jakarr Sampson and Alize Johnson likely being the lowest owned of the bunch.
Toronto Raptors Value
Despite no one being ruled out at the time of writing, I can’t foresee Nick Nurse running his starters into the ground here as they gear up to defend their NBA title. Serge Ibaka is questionable, and I’d be surprised if he played at all, so this will open up minutes for the ever-so efficient Chris Boucher behind Marc Gasol. Look for guards/wings such as Norman Powell and Matt Thomas, in addition to Terrence Davis, to also see an increase number of minutes in place of starters such as Pascal Siakam, Kyle Lowry, and Fred VanVleet.
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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