Monday features a two-game slate starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Point Guard
Stud
Russell Westbrook started the playoffs at more than $12,000 on DraftKings, but his salary is down to just $11,000 for Game 4 vs. the 76ers. It’s a must-win contest for the Wizards – they’re down 0-3 in this series – so expect Westbrook to carry an even larger workload than usual.
He’s currently projected for 40.5 minutes in our NBA Models, which is the top mark at the point guard position. He’s averaged 1.58 DraftKings points per minute this season, so he can do a lot of damage with that much playing time. Westbrook also leads the position with a whopping 13 Pro Trends on FanDuel.
Value
Point guard doesn’t stand out as a particularly strong value position on Monday. Most of the top options in our NBA Models are the higher-priced players, but Jordan Clarkson does have some appeal on FanDuel. He’s priced at just $5,600, resulting in a position-high Bargain Rating of 78%. He’s posted a negative Plus/Minus in each of his first three playoff games, but he has averaged a stout 1.13 FanDuel points per minute over the past month. Now that his price has come down, he’ll have a better chance of returning value.
Fast Break
Ja Morant has been one of the breakout stars of the postseason. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in each of his first three playoff games on FanDuel, including a massive 58.3 FanDuel point performance in Game 2. He’s another nice value on FanDuel, where his $8,200 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 72%.
Ben Simmons continues to stand out as an elite option on DraftKings. He’s priced at just $7,900, resulting in a Bargain Rating of 98%, and he’s absolutely crushed against the Wizards this season. He’s scored at least 45.75 DraftKings points in four of five matchups, with the only exception coming in his last game. The 76ers won that game by nearly 30 points, so Simmons unsurprisingly played less than usual. He should bounce back if today’s game is more competitive.
Shooting Guard
Stud
Bradley Beal took a bit of a backseat to Westbrook over the second half of the season, but he still finished second in the league in points per game. He’s also had some nice performances to start the postseason, and his $9,100 salary on DraftKings comes with a Bargain Rating of 88%. He leads the position with 10 Pro Trends, and he’s currently projected for 40.5 minutes in our NBA Models. He’s the safest option at a relatively weak position on Monday, and he has some upside as well.
Value
Seth Curry is an absolute steal at just $3,700 on FanDuel. He’s currently projected for 31.8 minutes vs. the Wizards, and players with comparable salaries and minute projections have historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +4.37 (per the Trends tool). Curry has also averaged 0.85 FanDuel points per minute over the past month, which is an excellent mark for a player in this price range. His Opponent Plus/Minus of +1.45 also gives him the best matchup at the position, and his 82% Bargain Rating is second among today’s SGs. Add it all up, and he should be one of the highest-owned players on the slate.
Fast Break
Joe Ingles is another nice source of value on FanDuel. He’s priced at just $4,600, resulting in a Bargain Rating of 84%. He’s seen a reduction in playing time during the postseason, but Ingles is capable of paying off his salary without a ton of minutes.
Grayson Allen is an interesting value option on DraftKings at just $3,600. The Grizzlies are looking for answers in their series vs. the Jazz, and one adjustment that they made in Game 3 was playing Allen for more minutes. He saw 29.6 minutes in that contest, and he responded with 24.75 DraftKings points.
Small Forward
Stud
Small forward is absolutely barren on FanDuel. There are only five players who can conceivably be rostered, and one of those (Matisse Thybulle) is a stretch. That means the other four options should garner the vast majority of the ownership. Things aren’t quite as bad on DraftKings given the multi-positional eligibility, but it’s still a thin position.
Bojan Bogdanovic stands out as the top option on FanDuel. His $5,600 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 80%, and he’s coming off 37.0 minutes in Game 3. His playing time will likely come down a bit as Donovan Mitchell gets further removed from his injury, but his role should be solidified for the time being. He’s increased his production to 0.97 FanDuel points per minute over the past month, so he should be able to pay off his current price tag.
Value
Danny Green is very similar to Curry from a DFS perspective. Both players see roughly the same number of minutes on a nightly basis, and both players have the potential to fill it up from 3-point range. Green isn’t quite as good as Curry on a per-minute basis, but he’s a good bet to return value at his current salary.
Fast Break
Dillon Brooks is a flat-out scorer, and he’s been at his best recently. He’s posted an average Plus/Minus of +8.30 over his past 10 games on DraftKings, and his salary remains reasonable at $6,400 for Game 4 vs. the Jazz. It results in a Bargain Rating of 95%, which is tied for the second-highest mark at the position.
Kyle Anderson is another member of the Grizzlies who is underpriced on DraftKings. He’s capable of doing a little bit of everything on the court, which is why he’s averaged 1.05 DraftKings points per minute this season. He’s not as strong of a value on FanDuel, but he does lead all small forwards with 10 Pro Trends.
Power Forward
Stud
Tobias Harris has been excellent for the 76ers to start the playoffs. He’s scored at least 45.25 DraftKings points in two of his first three games, and he still managed to post a positive Plus/Minus in the other contest despite playing just 23.8 minutes. In other words, not even a lack of playing time has stopped him from returning value in this series.
He has excellent upside for his price tag if today’s game stays competitive, particularly at just $7,300 on DraftKings. He also leads the power forward position with eight Pro Trends on FanDuel.
Value
Davis Bertans moved into the Wizards’ starting lineup in Game 3, but he finished with just 10.0 FanDuel points. That was obviously a disappointing performance, but his increased playing time bodes well for his fantasy prospects moving forward. He’s currently projected for 31.2 minutes in our NBA Models, and players with comparable salaries and minute projections have historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +4.16 on FanDuel.
Fast Break
Jaren Jackson Jr. had been in a bit of a funk to start the postseason, but he bounced back with 29.3 FanDuel points in Game 3 vs. the Jazz. JJJ has averaged 1.14 FanDuel points per minute this season, which is one of the best marks at the position. He’s underpriced across the industry.
Royce O’Neale is another potential value option at the position. He’s become an important role player for the Jazz, and he’s seen more minutes than guys like Clarkson and Ingles during the postseason. He’s logged at least 31.7 minutes in all three playoff games, and he’s scored at least 23.4 FanDuel points in each of his past two. His Bargain Rating of 78% on FanDuel is the top mark at the position.
Center
Stud
Center is loaded with quality options for a two-game slate. Joel Embiid is the highest-priced player at the position, and he’s been an absolute fantasy monster this season. He’s averaged 1.62 DraftKings points per minute this season, which is one of the best marks in the league. The Wizards also represent a great matchup, giving Embiid an Opponent Plus/Minus of +2.48 on FanDuel.
The only real concern is that the 76ers really haven’t needed him during this series. They’ve been able to dispatch the Wizards pretty comfortably in the first three games with Embiid playing less than 30 minutes in each contest. He still managed to score 58.6 DraftKings points in Game 3, but he was a major disappointment in the first two games. There’s a chance he could play more in Game 4, but he does carry a bit of risk in this matchup.
Value
If you aren’t going to play Embiid, you can consider pivoting to Dwight Howard. He’s been one of the biggest beneficiaries of Embiid’s reduced role in this series, and he’s scored at least 20.25 DraftKings points in back-to-back games. He has some viability at his current price tag if you think Game 4 will be another blowout.
Fast Break
Rudy Gobert stands out as the top center option in our Models. He’s cheaper than Embiid across the industry, and he’s played significantly more minutes to start the postseason. His matchup vs. the Grizzlies is also excellent – he leads the position with an Opponent Plus/Minus of +2.38 on DraftKings – and he’s increased his production to 1.32 DraftKings points per minute over the past month.
Finally, don’t forget about Jonas Valanciunas on FanDuel. He’s the best pure value among the stud centers at $8,000, and he leads the position with 10 Pro Trends.
Pictured above: Bradley Beal #3 of the Washington Wizards
Photo Credit: Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images
