NBA DFS Picks For Fanduel 8/2/2020

After coming out with fire for the first two slates of the NBA restart, we put up a dud performance yesterday. Brandon Ingram, Mike Conley, and Jordan Clarkson all disappointed in blow-out losses, and Jokic only put up 7 FD points in the second half of his match-up. You can't win every day, and I will take 2 wins per loss any day of the week. I feel very confident in today's slate as we aim for 3/4!

Injury News:

- Jamal Crawford is listed as a GTD. It is unknown whether he will play or not. (Update: ruled out)

- Aron Baynes is also listed as a GTD but most likely will not play. He has been struggling with conditioning according to Monty Williams.

- Everyone else has already been ruled out unless there is a change, not much injury watch today.

Point Guard:

Russell Westbrook - $9,900:

Russell Westbrook has been downright spectacular for the Rockets since the All-Star break. The HOU-MIN game should be the highest scoring game on the slate, and there is no reason why Russ shouldn't go off for 50 FD points. Harden will likely draw Middleton, allowing more opportunity for Russell to go crazy. He is the obvious pay-up at PG.

De'Anthony Melton - $4,500:

$4,500 is terrific value for Melton today. His upside is not as high as White or Murray who you can get for paying roughly $1,000 more, but he is a safe play who should see plenty of minutes (29 last game). If you have the additional money I would go with one of the guys mentioned, but if not, he is a terrific play at this price.

George Hill - $3,800:

George Hill is the obvious play at PG today. Eric Bledsoe is still out, so he is going to see the bulk of the time at point guard. Although he only scored 18.8 FD points last game, he still logged 27 minutes. That kind of playing time at that cost cannot go wrong.

Other great plays (lots of good plays today): Damian Lillard - $9,000, De'Aaron Fox - $7,700, Dejounte Murray - $5,700, Derrick White - $5,500, D.J. Augustin - $4,100

Shooting Guard:

James Harden - $10,900:

Harden is one of the 3 players priced over $10,000 on the slate, and is absolutely worth it. Don't expect him to go for over 80 FD points like he did against Dallas, but he should get near or over 60. I would recommend putting him in your lineup and not thinking much about it.

Khris Middleton - $6,900:

Once again, Khris Middleton finds his way onto my article. As mentioned, the HOU-MIN game has the highest implied total on the slate, and I expect Middleton to be a large part of that. He actually saw a price decrease from when he last played on Friday, making him an even more appealing play.

Donte DiVincenzo - $4,700:

Another Buck finds himself as one of the best plays of the slate. DiVincenzo did disappoint with only 19.7 FD points in his last appearance, but he still did manage to play 26 minutes. I think he does better than that for today's match-up against a weak defensive team, and he should hit value.

Other great plays: Luka Doncic - $10,800, Demar Derozan - $7,800, Marcus Smart - $5,400, Garrett Temple - $3,900

Small Forward:

Giannis Antetokounmpo - $11,200:

Giannis is the highest priced player on the slate, and that is not going to stop me from playing him. He has a dream match-up against a small ball Houston lineup, and should excel in nearly every category. I would not be shocked to seem him go for over 70 FD points again, in fact, I almost expect it.

Jaylen Brown - $6,200:

There are not many studs at the position on the slate outside of Giannis. I would consider Jaylen to be the second guy in that regard. There is tons of value at the position today, but I would recommend playing him if you decide to skip on Giannis for some reason. Like on Friday, he is pretty safe to get near the value you'd look for.

Keldon Johnson - $3,600:

Keldon Johnson is up there with George Hill for the best play under $4k for the slate. In the Spurs' match-up with the Kings, Keldon Johnson saw a huge workload with 30 minutes of playtime. His usage rate might not be high, but playing 30 minutes at a near minimum price tag calls for him to be played. Popovich has also said that he is going to try to develop some players in the bubble, since San Antonio is essentially already out of playoff contention.

Other great plays: Rudy Gay - $4,700, Jonathan Isaac - $4,400, Danuel House Jr. - $4,200, Kyle Anderson - $3,900

Power Forward:

Robert Covington - $5,900:

Robert Covington exploded for nearly 50 FD points in Friday's overtime win over the Mavericks, including the game-tying put back shot as time was dwindling. There is tons of value at PF for the slate, and I would recommend not going over this price for a player (JJJ is same price as well). He is going to play a ton of minutes in the small ball lineup, and has the potential to score over 40 FD points again.

Brandon Clarke - $4,800:

Brandon Clarke is one of my favorite plays on the slate. Jaren Jackson Jr. is known to get in foul trouble almost every game, which means more opportunity for Clarke to pop off. Despite JJJ having a strong game against the Trail Blazers, Clarke still saw 34 minutes of playtime and scored over 40 FD points. Love the play for a price tag under $5k.

Nemanja Bjelica - $4,700:

Like Clarke, Bjelica is a superb play at a cheap price tag. He saw 30 minutes in the Kings' last game, and there is no reason why he won't see that playing time again. The Kings also have a good match-up with the Magic, making him a little more valuable than usual. Love the play.

Other great plays: Jaren Jackson Jr. - $5,900, Richaun Holmes - $5,200, Maxi Kleber - $4,200

Center:

Nikola Vucevic - $8,100:

Like most days, I don't like paying up for center today. However, Vucevic is an excellent play for anyone who has the available cap, especially against the Kings who have no real center. Vucevic is usually a steady 40+ point FD contributor, and that should be around what he does today.

Thomas Bryant - $5,400:

My favorite center on the slate. We know that the Wizards' team is not the strongest, but they face a Brooklyn team that is known to give up a lot of points to big men. For the volume that you expect Bryant to get, $5,400 is a very friendly price.

P.J. Tucker - $3,900:

P.J. tucker is here based on pure value. He is not always the most productive player, but we know he is going to get the minutes. Good play for anyone who needs someone very cheap at center, unless you like Wagner more.

Other great plays: Jarrett Allen - $6,500, Jakob Poeltl - $5,900, Moritz Wagner - $3,500

Core/Example Lineup:

There are tons of really good plays all over the slate, particularly at point guard. I initially had Westbrook in my lineup, but found it tough to make a line I liked with him. He is certainly a great play if you can find a way to make him work. My core 3 for the slate are George Hill, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Thomas Bryant. I found my best lineup having all of the big 3, (Harden, Luka, Giannis) as it did Friday, something that won't happen much after all their prices increase.

PG - De'Anthony Melton - $4,500 PG - George Hill - $3,800

SG - James Harden - $10,900

SG - Luka Doncic - $10,800

SF - Giannis Antetokounmpo - $11,200

SF - Keldon Johnson - $3,600

PF - Brandon Clarke - $4,800

PF - Nemanja Bjelica - $4,700

C - Thomas Bryant - $5,400