NBA DFS Picks For Fanduel 8/6/2020

Last slate was the worst fantasy day of the new NBA bubble season. Most of my picks in the article I put out were spot on, but Anthony Davis let me down big time and Garrett Temple quite literally finished with negative points. Bad days are bound to happen in DFS, and the great thing is, you can bounce right back the next day, and that is what I plan on doing today. We still have a positive record on the restart season, and I am confident we can advance to 5-3 today. This slate is loaded with tons of stars, so let's dive right in!

Injury News:

- Russell Westbrook is questionable with a bruised right quad. It looks like it is unlikely he plays, but there is no official word yet.

- Malcolm Brogdon is still listed as questionable, but has played in the last two games. (update: will play)

- Jamal Murray/Gary Harris/Will Barton are still GTDs. They haven't played yet for the Nuggets in the bubble.

- Goran Dragic is questionable with a sprained ankle he got during the game against the Celtics. (update: ruled out)

- Seth Curry is doubtful to play today. He missed the Maverick's last match-up as well.

- Jimmy Butler will not play today.

- Brook Lopez has a GTD tag on Fanduel. He was a late scratch for the Bucks on Tuesday. (update: will play)

- LeBron James was ruled out with a groin injury.

- Anthony Davis/Dwight Howard/KCP are all listed as probable.

- (update: Paul Millsap/Gary Harris/Will Barton ruled out)

Point Guard:

Ricky Rubio - $6,000:

Ricky Rubio is a safe cash play once again on today's slate. He slightly under-performed in terms of fantasy production last game against the Clippers, but he went for over 35 FD points both games prior to that. The Pacers do have a pretty good defense, but they have been playing at a fast-pace with T.J. Warren's bubble outbreak. Rubio will have the ball in his hands a ton, so there aren't many scenarios where he doesn't reach value today.

Monte Morris - $4,500:

As I said yesterday, as long as Murray is out and Morris is under $5k, he is an excellent play. Jamal Murray is still questionable as of the time writing this, so make sure to check his status before locking in Morris to your lineup. Monte Morris is still a pretty good option even if Murray plays, but I think his value would drop just enough to where he would fall out of my line.

Reggie Jackson - $4,000:

The Clippers will be without Patrick Beverley today, so Reggie Jackson should see the bulk of the load at point guard in the game. Lou Williams will be back and should see a slight minute increase from the Clipper's last game, but I still expect Jackson to see near 30 minutes of play time. Excellent option to pair with Morris if you want to stack other positions today, or also a good pivot off of him if Murray plays.

Other great plays: Malcolm Brogdon - $6,400, Aaron Holiday - $4,200, Trey Burke - $3,500, Austin Rivers - $3,500 (if Russ doesn't play)

Shooting Guard:

James Harden - $10,600:

James Harden is my favorite star of the slate. It looks like the Rockets may be without Russell Westbrook today, which means that Harden's usage rate is going to be insane. They will play the Lakers tonight who will be without LeBron, and don't have much to play for since they have clinched the first seed. On the other hand, the Rockets are still fighting for seeding, so expect Harden to play hard for the win.

Victor Oladipo - $5,600:

It has been the T.J. Warren show in the bubble for the Pacers, but don't forget about Oladipo. He is cleared of all injury tags and should see around 30 minutes of action today. The Suns are not one of the better defensive teams in the league, so I can see Oladipo attacking the rim a lot today. I don't think his ownership will be too high either, so he could be an effective play.

Lou Williams - $4,700:

Strip club wings? Lou Williams is back for the Clippers, and should get an increase in minutes tonight as he gets back into rhythm with his full load. He always has the high scoring upside that you look for in players, even with him seeing a little less court time than usual. At $4,700, he is a potential boom candidate on the slate.

Other great plays (lots of good plays today): Luka Doncic - $10,700, Paul George - $7,700, Andre Iguodola - $4,000, Gary Trent Jr. - $3,900, Delon Wright - $3,600. Ben McLemore - $3,600 (if Russ doesn't play)

Small Forward:

Kawhi Leonard - $8,400:

I didn't think that Kawhi's price tag could possibly get lower from the $8,600 it was last game, but here we are. He hasn't been incredible so far in the bubble, but you are still getting one of the best players in the world at a price tag that is extremely reasonable. You have the option to fade him in GPPs, but I wouldn't pass on him in cash formats.

Dorian Finney-Smith - $4,500:

Dorian Finney-Smith quietly put up 35 FD points with an insane 41 minutes of play-time on Tuesday against the Kings. I don't expect him to see numbers like that again today, but he is still going to have plenty of opportunity to get points with the minutes he will get. He is somewhat inconsistent, but he had to be mentioned after his last performance and cheap cost.

Jae Crowder - $4,000:

Jae Crowder should be another player who is fairly high owned today. The Heat will be without Jimmy Butler for the second straight game, which is going to create tons of additional opportunities for the other players on the Heat. He has averaged right around 30 minutes per game in the NBA restart, and at $4,000, there aren't many things that could go wrong.

Other great plays: Tim Hardaway Jr. - $5,100, Carmelo Anthony - $5,100, Mikal Bridges - $4,800, Danuel House - $4,500

Power Forward:

Bam Adebayo - $7,800:

Bam will be another one of the players who I expect to see a ton of exposure in all formats today. As mentioned, Jimmy Butler is out, so he is going to be the focal point of the Heat team against the Bucks. Also, he has played exceptionally well against the Bucks so far this season, even more of a reason to roster him. I will be looking to build around him today.

Michael Porter Jr. - $5,500:

Well, here we are again. The trend continues. I play MPJ, he does nothing. I don't play him, he drops 107 points. I can't sit back and not play him anymore, so he will be in my lineup today. Of course, that probably means that you shouldn't. In all seriousness, he has been going off these past 2 games and there is little that indicates that he will be slowing down. Even if he does have a bad day, it won't hurt you too bad with the amount of people who are going to play him.

Dario Saric - $4,000:

I was stuck on who to go with for the third mention at the power forward position in the article since I will likely be playing the other two, but I decided to go with Dario Saric. He hasn't been the most exciting DFS option so far, but he has hit value and scored between 20-27 FD points in every match of the Suns' 3-0 bubble performance so far. He isn't the most high-ceiling fantasy option, but he is relatively safe and cheap for everyone who wishes to play him.

Other great plays: Kristaps Porzingis - $8,600, Paul Millsap - $4,800, Maxi Kleber - $3,900, Kyle Kuzma - $4,700 (update: LeBron not playing, Kuzma is a great option

Center:

Nikola Jokic - $8,900:

I have talked about Jokic a ton in my articles, and here we are again. With all the injuries to the Nuggets, Jokic's usage rate has been exceptionally high. His price tag went below $9k again for some reason, which I think allows him to hit value fairly easily. I didn't mention Nurkic in this article because if I am spending up at center today, I would much prefer the Joker.

Deandre Ayton - $7,500:

Deandre Ayton has an excellent match-up today against the Clippers who don't have a real presence down low. In most models, he has one of the highest expected returns for all of the more expensive options regardless of position, so it goes without saying that he is an excellent play. I think this is where I would go at center for the slate.

Kelly Olynyk - $5,000:

Kelly Olynyk has smashed his value in every game of the bubble so far, which is why he finds himself as one of my picks today. The Heat have some significant players missing the game today, so I expect Olynyk to have a strong fantasy showing again. Great play in all formats.

Other great plays: Myles Turner - $6,400, Ivica Zubac - $4,500, P.J. Tucker - $3,800

Core/Example Lineup:

There are a lot of injuries to watch for the slate, so make sure to stay up to date with @SportsVerseHQ on twitter in case there are changes with the lineup. Although many of the players on these teams are projected well, I am going to be fading the expensive Bucks and Lakers players as they aren't playing for much since they have both clinched the 1 seed in their respective conferences. I can see either team resting players in the second half of play, and I don't want to get screwed by that. My core 3 for the slate are James Harden, Bam Adebayo, and Deandre Ayton, but that is subject to change with announcements.

PG - Ricky Rubio - $6,000 PG - Kendrick Nunn - $4,500 (update: swapped off of Morris with Dragic news)

SG - James Harden - $10,600

SG - Victor Oladipo - $5,600

SF - Kawhi Leonard - $8,400

SF - Jae Crowder - $4,000

PF - Bam Adebayo - $7,800

PF - Michael Porter - $5,500

C - Deandre Ayton - $7,500