Playoff NBA DFS Picks For Fanduel 8/17/2020

We have playoff bubble basketball! I honestly am super stoked to get to watch playoff sports for the first time since the Super Bowl, and it is going to create some intense fantasy days. During the bubble NBA regular season, I had an 8-7 record with my lines with a few of those wins smashing all formats, but I know I can do much better. A few of the losses I had were close and unlucky, but that is the name of the game when you sign up for fantasy sports. The fact that it is playoffs means that no players are going to get rested or play limited minutes, so DFS now is going to get much more skillful, and less random. We have a great 4 game playoff slate, so let's get right to it!

Injury News:

- Gary Harris/Will Barton/Jamal Crawford are still listed as out.

- Mike Conley is out for the Jazz. He left the bubble to attend the birth of his son.

- Patrick Beverley is questionable with a calf injury.

- O.G. Anunoby is questionable for Game 1 with a knee injury.

- Montrezl Harrell is questionable to make his bubble debut.

- Kristaps Porzingis is probable to play today.

Point Guard:

Jamal Murray - $6,100:

We are now in the playoffs, so there are going to be no more restricted minutes for Jamal Murray. In his only full game in the bubble, he managed to put up 50.4 FD points. I don't know if he goes for that many here, but he has the potential to, especially against a Jazz team without Mike Conley. He is only 1 of 3 healthy point guards on the slate who are over the cost of $4,300, so he is an excellent play, especially at that price. He is going to be very high owned.

Kemba Walker - $6,000:

Most players on this slate are going to pair Jamal and Kemba together at the point guard position. Kemba has not been amazing during the bubble, but he was still adjusting back into his full workload. In what should be a competitive playoff series, I fully expect Kemba to be at the top of his game. With him getting back to his normal minutes, $6,000 is not a bad price to pay.

Emmanuel Mudiay - $3,700:

If you feel like adding some uniqueness to your lineup, then Emmanuel Mudiay is a great option. He is currently listed as questionable on Fanduel, but I haven't seen many reports that indicate that he won't play. The Jazz are without Conley, so Mudiay is in position to have a potential boom game given his super cheap price tag.

Other great plays: Kyle Lowry - $7,300, Monte Morris - $3,700, Trey Burke - $3,700

Shooting Guard:

Luka Doncic - $10,200:

If you are reading this, then you are going to want to have Luka Doncic in your lineups. Most of the other superstar fantasy options will play their game 1's tomorrow (Harden, Giannis, LeBron, AD, Lillard, etc.), so you are going to want to include Luka today. This will be Luka's first playoff game, and he will most likely be guarded by a great defender in Kawhi Leonard, but we know that Luka is going to get a ton of usage regardless of the scenario. Play him.

Donovan Mitchell - $7,300:

As mentioned, the Jazz are going to be without Mike Conley for the first few games of playoffs, so Donovan Mitchell is going to be tasked with carrying a large part of their offense. Mitchell has been known as a "boom or bust" type player for fantasy, but all the signs are pointing more towards the boom for today. $7,300 is not a bad price to pay either, given that he is probably going to be bringing the ball up a court a lot with the absence of Conley.

Josh Richardson - $4,800:

Josh Richardson is an interesting fantasy play. We know that without Ben Simmons, he is going to get even more minutes than usual, but he has been very inconsistent with his fantasy output thus far. He has had some big games in the bubble, but has also scored under 10 FD points three times. He is a somewhat risky option, but his cheap cost and quality minutes make him a great play.

Other great plays: Caris LeVert - $8,300, Paul George - $8,100, Fred VanVleet - $7,000, Jordan Clarkson - $4,400, Garrett Temple - $3,800

Small Forward:

Tobias Harris - $7,100:

A lot of models still aren't projecting Tobias Harris well, and I am not sure why. He has scored over 30 FD points in all his bubble games except for one, and that is including some recent games where he played limited minutes to rest for playoffs. I really like Harris as a play if you can afford him, and I expect him to score over or right around 40 FD points. He is going to be the number two option behind Embiid, and will see a ton of usage without Ben Simmons.

Joe Ingles - $5,000:

As I have said a ton already, the other Jazz players will see a boost in their fantasy projections while Mike Conley doesn't play. Ingles has rested a bunch recently, but in his last two games where he saw over 20 minutes of play time, he scored 34.1, and 35.3 FD points. He will be one of the top scoring options for the team, so you can't go wrong with plugging Ingles into your lienup.

Dorian Finney-Smith - $4,100:

Dorian Finney-Smith is one of the highest projected value players on the slate, and rightfully so. He has played limited minutes in his last three games to monitor his injury and play it safe, but he will be back to a full workload for playoffs. He scored over 28 FD points in each of the three games prior to being restricted, including a 50.7 point performance. At his friendly price, he is safe to reach value, and has the potential for a boom performance.

Other great plays: Kawhi Leonard - $9,300, Pascal Siakam - $7,400, Jaylen Brown - $6,200, Gordon Hayward - $6,100, Joe Harris - $4,800

Power Forward:

Kristaps Porzingis - $8,600:

Kristaps Porzingis is another one of the expensive options on the slate that I likely will be rostering. He is still listed as probable, but I expect him to play his full workload today, unless future reports say otherwise. Kristaps has been terrific in the bubble, only failing to score over 45 FD points once. At $8,600, 45 points would be over value, and I think it is very likely that he reaches that mark.

Al Horford - $5,300:

Al Horford should be a player who is high owned on the slate. $5,300 is too cheap for him given the current 76ers situation, he should reach value fairly easily. Horford is a great play in all formats, and is pretty much a lock for me.

Paul Millsap - $4,300:

If you need a little bit of a value play at power foward, then Millsap is your guy. Being the most experienced player on the Nuggets, I expect Millsap to get a boost in his production and minutes during these crucial playoff games. I wouldn't say he is one of the better candidates for a monster performance, but he is relatively safe given his price, skill, and experience.

Other great plays: Michael Porter Jr. - $6,800, Royce O'Neale - $4,500, Marcus Morris - $4,300

Center:

Nikola Jokic - $8,600:

At center today, you are likely going to want to play either Jokic or Embiid. I would slightly lean toward Embiid, but Jokic is definitely a great option if you prefer him. Both of their prices are too cheap, and they both could smash value and have monster performances. With Murray back and MPJ looking like a star, I think Jokic gets a slight cut in his value, but he will see a lot of usage regardless.

Joel Embiid - $8,500:

As said with Jokic, I would recommend playing either of these two centers for the slate today. I slightly prefer Embiid because he will be expected to do more given the players around him in comparison to Jokic, but both are great plays. On DraftKings, I would go Jokic because he is much cheaper, but on Fanduel, they are about the same cost, with Embiid actually being slightly cheaper.

Rudy Gobert - $7,600:

I wouldn't recommend fading either of the players above, but Gobert is a good option if you wish to take a different path than most. He is going to get a ton of rebounds and has great shot-blocking potential, but also should get a boost in his offensive production with no Mike Conley. The two players above have much higher ceilings, but Gobert is capable of putting out a big fantasy performance too.

Other great plays: Jarrett Allen - $7,200, Montrezl Harrell - $5,800, Marc Gasol - $4,900

Core/Lineup:

My core 3 players for the slate are Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, and either Embiid/Jokic (slight preference to Embiid). I would keep your player pool pretty small for today since most of the good plays are pretty clear.

PG: Jamal Murray - $6,100

PG: Kemba Walker - $6,000 SG: Luka Doncic - $10,200 SG: Jordan Clarkson - $4,400 SF: Gordon Hayward - $6,100 SF: Joe Harris - $4,800 PF: Kristaps Porzingis - $8,600 PF: Al Horford - $5,300 C: Joel Embiid - $8,500

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