DFSGhost 
Luka steals Game 2 in LA to come back home with a 2-0 lead, AD comes back from the dead to tie the series, and Brooklyn rolls on in another blowout; yesterday’s NBA games were full of action, and today’s slate is even better. It’s Wet Wednesday’s edition of the Gems – let’s ride.
Before running to the DraftKings, FanDuel, or Yahoo lobby to construct your NBA DFS lineup after reading this article, please make sure to utilize the abundance of tools we have at Win Daily:
NBA Core Member #1: Alec Burks ($5,500 FD / $4,600 DK)
Top value play on the board for me today and it just happens to be at the weakest position on the NBA slate. Thibs knows that Elfrid Payton and Reggie Bullock can’t be counted on, but they’ll continue to start; while this may seem far from ideal, it’s exactly what the Knicks need: leave Burks and Derrick Rose to come off the bench and provide offense. With a closing lineup of Rose-Burks-Barrett-Randle-Noel/Gibson, the Knicks have four guys that can handle the ball, and handle it well. Burks just dropped 27/3/4 in 26 minutes and will be counted on yet again here tonight.
NBA Core Member #2: Trae Young ($9,000 FD / $8,500 DK)
Not sure why the pricing algorithms hate two of the star PGs today, but I will gladly play both if it means getting elite studs at a joke of a price. Applying the same concept as Kawhi Leonard yesterday, I don’t care if Trae is the highest owned stud on the entire NBA slate, I’m locking him in – sporting a 38.9% usage rate in Game 1, Young dropped a cool 32/7/10 with the Knicks having no answer for the slash-and-dash point guard; he was getting to the hoop with ease, his shot was dropping, and his offensive game is as good as it’s been all season long.
NBA Core Member #3: Ben Simmons ($8,100 FD / $7,300 DK)
The second point guard that is massively underpriced, Ben Simmons is simply too cheap for someone that has triple-double upside every game in this series versus Washington. You know all the statistics by now; Washington plays at the fastest pace in the NBA, Westbrook is an extremely favorable matchup, and Simmons’ defensive talent gives him the boost he lacks in the scoring department. He’s fresh off a 6/15/15 performance while d’ing up Westbrook all night long.
NBA Core Member #4: Donovan Mitchell ($8,000 FD / $8,400 DK)
I’m perfectly fine with going Bradley Beal here over Mitchell, but I’ll ride with the Jazz superstar in his first game back from injury. Some will shy away because of the long absence – I will do the opposite. The Jazz know he’s ready to go, and Mitchell’s public frustration about not playing in Game 1 only fuels my fire to play him. Brooks is going to D him up? Sure, ride that out – I’ll take one of the purest scorers this NBA slate has at low ownership while taking advance of a price tag that is $1,500 cheaper than it should be. Mitchell finished the campaign with a 33.5% usage rate while averaging 26.4/4.4/5.2 across 33.4 MPG and it looking to make amends after last year’s first round exit against the Nuggets – we all remember the Mitchell/Murray battle, right? If you don’t, go watch it.
Value Gems: Check the projection model.
I will continue to stress the importance of having both the projection model and cheat sheet open when building lineups for a further player pool and to ease a decision between two players, in addition to finding additional value plays.
You can find me on Twitter @DFS_Ghost
