There were too many cards that Wednesday! He played a total of 12 games, but his injury rate was laughable. It was hard to keep track, but I'm glad I only got two games here. This isn't enough for a huge player base, but there are plenty of good options among these premier teams. There are so many things I want to discuss, so let's get straight to the point.
Use our NBA Prop Betting Cheat Sheet to see the best player prop bets for tonight's slate.
NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer:
schedule and odds
- BOS in ATL (BOS -12.5) O/U: 226
- MIL at NOP (MIL -1.5) O/U: 223
Check out the consensus game odds and odds for each sportsbook at BettingPros..
Reporting an injury
core play
Jayson Tatum (SF/PF – BOS): $9,900 DraftKings, $10,400 FanDuel
There aren't many players as reliable as Tatum. The All-Star has scored at least 30 points per DraftKings in all but one game this year, averaging 49 points. This is one of the highest totals on this small slate and will easily make him play against Atlanta's awful defense. The Hawks rank 27th in points allowed and defensive efficiency, and JT is averaging 52 DK points per game in three games against the Hawks this year.
Zion Williamson (PF – NOP): $8,900 DraftKings, $9,500 FanDuel
With Brandon Ingram out, Zion needed to take over, and he did just that. The former top pick has scored at least 44 DraftKings points in nine of his last 11 games, dropping 55 DK points and 56 DK points in his last two games. That's what we expected from this generation of talent, and we love playing against Milwaukee. The Bucks rank 22nd in points allowed.
Cash game considerations
Giannis Antetokounmpo (PF/C – MIL): DraftKings $11,100, FanDuel $11,800
It can be difficult to choose among a large slate of superstars, but Giannis is the clear best option on the board, so it's easy to pick him. The Greek Freak is the leading scorer on this card, and over the past two months he has averaged 62 DraftKings points per game. He's been even better lately, averaging 65 points in his past seven games. It won't be easy to play against New Orleans, but Giannis has scored at least 57 fantasy points in all three games against New Orleans since the beginning of last year.
Dejounte Murray (PG/SG – ATL): $9,600 DraftKings, $10,100 FanDuel
Murray is one of the best DFS options right now. He's been doing his best for Atlanta in the absence of Young and Johnson, scoring at least 41 DK points in 15 of the last 16 games. He's averaged over 50 fantasy points per game during this sensational span, and he doesn't care about playing against the Celtics. Because he records the stat sheet with such ease. When they played over the weekend, Dejounte dropped 56 DK of his points against them.
GPP target
Al Horford (PF/C – BOS): $5,700 DraftKings, $6,100 FanDuel
Big Al was a consummate professional throughout his career, serving as Boston's backup for most of the season. The good news is that he can start even if someone gets hurt, and he's a stud in that role. In his last 28 starts, Horford is averaging 30 DK points in 31 minutes per game. That's what we want from a player at this price point, especially since Atlanta is giving up the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing big men.
Brook Lopez (C – MIL): DraftKings $5,000, FanDuel $5,700
Brolow has struggled in the second half of the season, but his strong performance makes him an attractive GPP option. The former All-Star averaged 40 DK points per game for several weeks and is still averaging 30 points per game. He showed that ability against New Orleans, averaging 37 DK points per game in three games since the beginning of last year. If he can get 35-40 DK points from a player in this price range, he will have acquired an optimal stack.
value play
Clint Capela (C – ATL): DraftKings $6,100, FanDuel $7,000
With Okongwu and Johnson out, Capela will have to swallow every rebound the Hawks get. He's happy with that, scoring at least 34 DraftKings points in seven of his last nine games. It's directly related to those injuries, and this big man could play at the $7,000 level if given the 30 minutes we expect. He also scored 39 fantasy points against Boston over the weekend, and using his rebounding ability to score 30 DK points is one of his safest bets.
Trey Murphy (SG/SF – NOP): DraftKings $6,200, FanDuel $6,500
Murph has directly benefited from Ingram's absence, averaging 35 minutes and 15 shots per game without BI. It's not a waste of money for him either, as he has scored at least 27 DK points in 13 of his last 15 games. He is also averaging 33 points in this expanded role and should take over Ingram's usage on the bench. Not to mention, Milwaukee owns his 23rd OPRK against opposing wingers.
Advantageous pricing
- Clint Capela (C – ATL): $6,100 DraftKings$7,000 FanDuel
- Brooke Lopez (C – MIL): $5,000 DraftKings$5,700 FanDuel
- Kristaps Porzingis (PF/C – BOS): $7,700 DraftKings$8,400 FanDuel
- DeAndre Hunter (SF/PF – ATL): $5,500 DraftKings$6,200 FanDuel
- Vit Craige (SF – ATL): $4,000 DraftKings$4,800 FanDuel
- CJ McCollum (PG/SG – NOP): $7,200 DraftKings$7,900 Fan Duel
- Bobby Portis (PF/C – MIL): $5,800 DraftKings$7,300 FanDuel
- Herbert Jones (SF – NOP): $5,100 DraftKings$6,000 FanDuel
- Jonas Valanciunas (C – NOP): $4,600 DraftKings$5,400 FanDuel
- Naji Marshall (SF – NOP): $4,300 DraftKings$5,200 FanDuel
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Joel Bartillotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more information about Joel, check out Joel's article. archive and follow him @bertilottajoel.
