Welcome to the DFS Army NBA Full Court Press! You have to start your research somewhere, and often times going game by game and breaking down every matchup and its key players is the first step in our process. My name is Michael aka @MadnessDFS on Twitter, make sure to give me a follow as I’ll occasionally make updates to the advice in the article. But, you’ll mostly find me in our VIP coaching forums where I provide detailed lineup maneuvers and answer all lineup questions. With that said, let’s get it started!
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Full Court Press:
Orlando Magic @ Toronto Raptors
Vegas Total: 206.0
Vegas Spread: Tor -12.0
Pace: Orl +2.4
Orlando will look to avoid elimination today as they go on the road to Toronto. Starting with Orlando, Nikola Vucevic’s price has fallen way down, but for good reason. The Raptors have been sticking Marc Gasol on him and locking him down for the most part. He’s only scored over 30 Draftkings points in one game in this series, I will likely avoid him here, but the price is enticing. Evan Fournier is playing around 35 minutes per game in the playoffs, but really not doing a whole lot with them. Of the two, I would prefer Terrence Ross who has a much higher upside but comes with a little risk. But the upside outweighs the risk for me. My favorite play from the Magic is probably Aaron Gordon, who has had a very nice series. DJ Augustin draws the best matchup as the Raptors rank 27th in defense against opposing point guards on the season, but he’s a secondary play for me. From the Raptors, Kawhi Leonard has gone over 50 fantasy points in two games in this series, I like him to try and close this thing out at home tonight. You’ll have to make a decision on where you want to go tonight, as there are a number of stars in play. Pascal Siakam has had a very good series but is coming off of a bit of a dud game last time out. He’s playing around 40 minutes per game, I like him a lot here. Kyle Lowry is also playing around 40 minutes per game, but we know his struggles in the postseason are real. His price makes him playable, but I may go elsewhere. I was expecting Marc Gasol to take advantage in this series but he really hasn’t, there are centers around his price range that I would rather go with. Serge Ibaka, Danny Green, and Fred VanVleet aren’t the safest plays, but they’re viable if you fall on them in GPPs.
5-star plays: Aaron Gordon, Kawhi Leonard, Pascal Siakam
4-star plays: Terrence Ross, Evan Fournier, Nikola Vucevic, Kyle Lowry
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: Fred VanVleet, Danny Green
GPP Sleeper: DJ Augustin, Serge Ibaka, Danny Green
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Brooklyn Nets @ Philadelphia 76ers
Vegas Total: 229.5
Vegas Spread: Phi -8.5
Pace: Phi +1.1
Brooklyn will also look to avoid elimination tonight as they travel to Philly. Starting with the Nets, my favorite play this whole series has been Spencer Dinwiddie because of his ability to get to the basket on the pick and roll while Philly switches their big onto him. However, he hasn’t taken advantage like I would’ve liked him to, both he and Joe Harris are tied for the team lead in point per dollar based on the Draftkings price tag according to the Research Station.
Joe Harris has been shooting awfully, but he’s getting shots up and draws a good DvP%, so he’s certainly in play here. Caris LeVert is one of my favorite plays on the slate, they will need his scoring tonight and I expect him to do everything he can to keep them in this series. D’Angelo Russell finally broke out of his slump in their last game. At his price, I think the risk outweighs the upside, however. Jarrett Allen is a GPP play just because of his foul trouble risk. From the Sixers, Joel Embiid is listed as probable so it looks like we’ll finally avoid that whole pre-lock saga. Embiid looked much better last game and is one of the top raw fantasy scorers on the slate. Ben Simmons has disappointed and also put up some big games in this series. You can certainly go back to the well here and feel comfortable with it. Jimmy Butler was ejected after 24 minutes in their last game and I like him as a GPP play here tonight, as the upside is certainly there. Tobias Harris has scored at least 47 Draftkings points in two straight games, look for his to stay hot here at a very cheap price tag. JJ Redick is a GPP only play given his postseason volatility with this matchup.
5-star plays: Caris LeVert, Ben Simmons, Tobias Harris, Joel Embiid
4-star plays: Spencer Dinwiddie, Joe Harris, Jimmy Butler
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: None
GPP Sleeper: Jarrett Allen
San Antonio Spurs @ Denver Nuggets
Vegas Total: 211.0
Vegas Spread: Den -5.5
Pace: Den +0.3
This is not an elimination game for either team, as the series is tied 2-2, but the Spurs will give their best to steal a road win here. Starting with the Spurs, JaKob Poeltl grades out as the best point per dollar play on the team and has scored at least 20 fantasy points in three straight games and makes for a nice value play. LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan can be analyzed as one here, as they are a similar price and have had similar production in this series. I like both of them as secondary plays. Derrick White came back down to earth in his last game after his 50 point fantasy outing, he’s a GPP play for me, the same can be said for Rudy Gay. Lastly, Bryn Forbes makes for a fine value play if you want to try and jam in some higher priced guys. From the Nuggets, the Research Station loves them as point per dollar plays…
Torrey Craig received the start for Will Barton in their last game, if he starts again he is one of the best plays on the slate in order to jam in some more stars. I don’t have a ton of interest in Paul Millsap, the Spurs rank number one in defense against opposing power forwards on the season and really hasn’t had a great series. Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray are my favorite plays, while Jokis is up there with Russ, Embiid, and Paul George as the top scorers of the slate. Gary Harris is a secondary play, while Beasley is a GPP value play.
5-star plays: Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray, Torrey Craig (If starting)
4-star plays: JaKob Poeltl, LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan, Gary Harris
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: JaKob Poeltl, Malik Beasley, Torrey Craig, Bryn Forbes
GPP Sleeper: Derrick White
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Oklahoma City Thunder @ Portland Trail Blazers
Vegas Total: 220.5
Vegas Spread: Por -4.0
Pace: Por +3.9
This is an elimination game for the Thunder, and really should be an entertaining game. With that said, Russell Westbrook is the best play on the slate for me. I completely expect him to take over tonight and do what he can to force game six. In Westbrooks last three elimination games he’s scored 46,45, and 47 REAL POINTS. Paul George is also in play here, the problem will be trying to fit him in over guys like Jokic and Embiid, but he’s certainly playable. The only other guy I have interest in from the Thunder is Steven Adams. Adams has been a little disappointing, but I expect him to go at Kanter here. From Portland, I like Damian Lillard a lot and like the idea of stacking him up with Westbrook, as I could see these two battling it out all night. Enes Kanter continues to play well here, but I like Adams in this spot, so I’m viewing him as a secondary play. CJ McCollum has played out of his mind in this series and gets a good matchup, as the Thunder rank 24th in defense against combo guards. Both Al-Farouq Aminu and Maurice Harkless are GPP plays here, as they can flash some upside.
5-star plays: Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum
4-star plays: Steven Adams, Enes Kanter, Al-Farouq Aminu, Maurice Harkless
Deeper Value/FD Drop Candidate: None
GPP Sleeper: Dennis Schroeder, Al-Farouq Aminu, Maurice Harkless
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