NBA DFS Picks For Fanduel 8/7/2020

2 wins, 2 losses, 2 wins, 2 losses. That has been the pattern of our success with the lineups in the NBA bubble. My picks in the articles have been pretty solid, but I tend to make 1 or 2 wrong picks for my lineup within my player pool on the days that I lose. Yesterday, the line finished just short of the money (about 2 points out) due to a bust performance from Bam Adebayo. I need to be more consistent at putting out better lineups, even if my articles are accurate. I will not accept having equal number wins and losses. We have an odd slate with no players priced over $10,000 and only one above $8,000, so let's dive in!

Injury News:

- Ben Simmons is out indefinitely with a dislocated knee cap. He won't see the court for at least a few games.

- Michael Carter-Williams has been ruled out for today's game with a foot injury.

- Dennis Schroder is still out of the bubble with the birth of his second child.

- Joe Harris/Jarrett Allen are listed as questionable, but played in the Nets' most recent game. They were held out of Tuesday's contest however. (update: will play)

- Aaron Gordon has been ruled out for today with a hamstring injury.

- Richaun Holmes/Kent Bazemore are questionable to play.

- Zion Williamson will rest and not play today.

- Steven Adams is questionable to play today. (update: ruled out)

Point Guard:

De'Aaron Fox - $8,000:

De'Aaron Fox has been going beast mode in the bubble so far. Besides the game where the Kings were getting blown out and he hardly saw the court in the second half, Fox has put up FD outings of 54.6, 49.1, and 57.6 points. Today, Fox will be facing the Nets who have been one of the worst defensive teams against guards this season. It is the second game of a back-to-back for the Kings, and Fox did play a ton yesterday, but I don't expect it to affect him too much.

Kyle Lowry - $7,200:

Lowry has put over 35 FD points in each of his 3 bubble games thus far. In his 2 most recent affairs, he did so while only scoring 8 and 14 points. You don't expect Lowry to score under 15 points on most nights, so his fantasy scores should only increase. The Celtics are one of the better perimeter defensive teams, but it shouldn't be too much of a concern for Lowry.

Kemba Walker - $4,800:

Kemba Walker is the obvious play at point guard today. He is still recovering from his injury and adapting back to his full work load, but he saw 26 minutes in the first day of a back-to-back before taking off the second game for rest. His price tag is very cheap, and I'll take that all day for a player of his caliber with over 25 minutes of play.

Other great plays: Ish Smith - $5,300, Shake Milton - $4,700, Markelle Fultz - $4,400, D.J. Augustin $3,900, Chris Chiozza - $3,700

Shooting Guard:

Jrue Holiday - $7,700:

If you are looking to pay up at shooting guard for the slate today, then Jrue Holiday is the way to go. He hasn't produced quite as well in fantasy as we would expect during the bubble, but he gets a great match-up today against a weak Washington team. Most models project Holiday to do extremely well today.

Bogdan Bogdanovic - $4,900:

Bogdan Bogdanovic is coming off of a monster 35 point scoring outing against the Pelicans yesterday. For the scoring potential that he has, $4,900 is just too low. He has seen over 30 minutes in 3 out of 4 of the Kings' games so far, and his minutes should be around there for this slate too. Terrific option in all formats.

Josh Richardson - $4,800:

At just about the same price as Bogdan, Josh Richardson is another excellent play in all formats for today. The 76ers will be without Ben Simmons for a few games at the least, which is going to give a usage bump to the rest of the roster. Play time wasn't a problem even with a healthy Simmons, but expect Josh Richardson's production to increase during those minutes.

Other great plays: Fred VanVleet - $7,200, Buddy Hield - $4,900, Josh Hart - $4,100, Alec Burks - $3,500

Small Forward:

Pascal Siakam - $7,500:

Pascal Siakam has not been super effective for the Raptors thus far in the NBA restart, but I still like him as a play tonight. I love a lot of the players in the TOR-BOS game, it is definitely my favorite stack of the slate. Siakam plays at a very fast-pace and is going to get a ton of volume against one of the better teams in the East, so he will be in my player pool. Another play that is good in all formats.

Jaylen Brown - $6,000:

As just mentioned, I love the stack of Raptors and Celtics players, particularly their forwards. Brown has been a very consistent contributor in terms of fantasy, including hitting value in all of his bubble games so far. I really like the $6,000 price tag for him, so he is one of my top plays.

Gordon Hayward - $5,900:

I could copy and paste everything I just wrote for Jaylen Brown and use it for Hayward as well, except for the name of course. Hayward is a consistent fantasy scorer and is just about the same price as Brown. In fact, they both average 33 FD points a game this season. Unless playing both Celtics' small forwards, which isn't a bad option at all, you will likely need to choose between them, which is no easy task.

Other great plays (lots of great plays today): Brandon Ingram - $7,500, Tobias Harris - $6,800, Evan Fournier - $5,200, O.G. Anunoby - $4,400, Harrison Barnes - $4,300, Kyle Anderson - $4,300

Power Forward:

Jayson Tatum - $7,500:

Jayson Tatum's inconsistency usually scares me into not playing him, but I really like him today at his price tag. Chances are that he is going to be very high owned, so he won't hurt you too bad if he does have a bad showing. I think that he will want to prove himself in a game with 2 of the top teams in the East, so I predict a big game out of him tonight.

Al Horford - $4,800:

Al Horford is going to be the chalk of the slate. With the 76ers going to a smaller lineup for the bubble, Horford found himself as the odd man out of the starting rotation, but he will gets himself back in with the Ben Simmons injury. He is super cheap and should see quality minutes, so there is no reason not to play him.

Nemanja Bjelica - $4,800:

Bjelica has seen varying minutes during the NBA restart, so he is the least safe play of the the 3 mentioned. However, there aren't many good plays at the power forward spot on the slate today, and he has still managed to exceed value in 3 out of 4 of his games. Holmes is listed as questionable for the game today, so if he sits, Bjelica will get a pretty big bump in his value. He is a good play if you want to take a risk and fade one of the guys above, but I wouldn't recommend it for cash.

Other great plays: Rui Hachimura - $5,900, Serge Ibaka - $4,900, Nerlens Noel - $4,200 (update: extremely good option with no Adams), Nicolo Melli - $3,700

Center:

Joel Embiid - $9,800:

Joel Embiid is going to be chalk on the slate. He is the only player on the entire slate who is priced over $8k, which is pretty insane. Also, as I have said a ton already, the other 76ers players are going to see more usage with the Ben Simmons injury. I would play him in cash and not think much about it, but Vuc is also a good play if you want to go with the high-risk route.

Nikola Vucevic - $7,800:

If it wasn't for Embiid being the only "expensive" player on the slate, then Vucevic would be a tremendous play today. He will face Embiid who is a good defender, but the Magic are without a lot of their players, including Aaron Gordon who takes a decent amount of production from Nikola. He is still a good option if you are feeling risky and don't play Embiid, but I wouldn't recommend it in cash formats.

Steven Adams - $5,900: (update: ruled out)!

* RULED OUT*

A third center has to be listed in the article, so I decided to go with Steven Adams, even though he is now questionable. I would greatly warn against not playing one of the centers above, but Adams is a solid option if he plays his normal load. He has big rebounding and decent shot blocking potential, which is always good for fantasy. Obviously, make sure to check his status before playing him, but I still wouldn't love the play even if he is healthy. There aren't a ton of options at PF or C on the slate.

Other great plays: Jarrett Allen - $7,000, Marc Gasol - $4,300

Core/Example Lineup:

The slate is very weird today with only one player being priced over $8,000, and I am not a huge fan of it. One PG slot (Kemba), SG, PF, and C are all going to be pretty chalky with only 3 or 4 players being used in those spots for most people. There is some freedom at the other PG spot and at SF, but a lot of people's lines are going to be very similar still. My core 3 for the slate are Kemba Walker, Al Horford, and Joel Embiid, but you probably already knew that with the chalk today. Make sure to stay up to date at @SportsVerseHQ for late swaps in case of injury news.

PG - De'Aaron Fox - $8,000 PG - Kemba Walker - $4,800

SG - Jrue Holiday - $7,700

SG - Fred VanVleet - $7,200

SF - Pascal Siakam - $7,500

SF - Jaylen Brown - $6,000

PF - Al Horford - $4,800

PF - Nerlens Noel - $4,200

C - Joel Embiid - $9,800