Daily Fantasy NBA Playoff Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - Round 1 4/20/18

Friday in the NBA brings us plenty of playoff action. The Cavs look to keep the momentum going as they travel to Indiana. The Raptors try to firm up their chances of moving on with a 3-0 lead. And the Bucks try to remember they have the best player in the series.

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Cleveland Cavaliers at Indiana Pacers

Series tied 1-1

I’ll just it out there: The Cavs should have lost Game 2. They got a near-historic performance from LeBron James (FD $12500 DK $11800) and still barely squeaked out a three-point win. And the result is likely much different had Nate McMillan not inexplicably sat Victory Oladipo for extended minutes because of “foul trouble”. Oladipo was +11 for the game and ended with only the three fouls he originally sat with. It was a terrible coaching job, and if Dipo runs 6-7 more minutes I think the Pacers win the game.

Regardless, the series moves to Indiana where the Pacers will look the take the lead and the Cavs will try desperately to hang on to any championship dreams they might have (hint: it’s not looking good). From a fantasy perspective, Game 2 was very much the Lebron Show. He went for 46 points, 12 rebounds and five rebounds and was really the only Cav worth a lick in fantasy. I’m still encouraged by Kevin Love’s minutes even though he struggled from the floor and did leave the game early with a hand issue. I’d consider rostering him in cash still (he’s easily the “safest” play on the board) but have issues on shooters always worries me some.

George Hill fouled out and looked completely and utterly washed. Kyle Korver drew the start and played a lot of minutes but if he’s not knocking down threes he doesn’t have much in the way of upside. I suppose Game 2 was the fantasy basement of expectation for J.R. Smith’s 35 minutes. I’d be okay rostering him on the cheaper end of things if he’s going to play this much again.

Like I said before, Victor Oladipo (FD $9800 DK $8800) should have played more and has proven he can work over the Cavs’ “defense”. The usage has been there in the first two games, he’s able to take advantage of sometimes sloppy play by Cleveland and I can’t imagine a scenario in which he doesn’t run very high 30’s minutes. Not playing your best player enough is inexcusable and not a mistake I expect McMillan to make again. I love the DraftKings’ price and he’s a solid cash game option there.

Myles Turner (FD $6000 DK $5600) has had two good games in this series thanks in large part to the Cavs being so very small on the interior. The Pacers can afford to keep Turner out there for longer stretches and I think the minutes are still safe for him. He remains an excellent center value considering the price started low and hasn’t overcorrected on either site. Darren Collison (FD $5900 DK $5400) remains affordable on both sites, but I’d caution that his extended Game 2 run had a lot to do with Oladipo sitting.

Toronto Raptors at Washington Wizards

Raptors lead series 2-0

The Raptors won Game 2 130-119 and the game never even felt that close. Toronto went into halftime with an 18 lead and put up 44 in the first quarter. DeMar DeRozan (FD $7900 DK $7800) has been a value play at his prices in each of the first two games and nothing really changes for Game 3. The salaries tick up a little, but I’m happy to roster him on FanDuel. He went for 37 points on 14-23 shooting and knocked down 3-6 from beyond the arc. He got Bradley Beal in foul trouble early and basically decimated anyone the Wiz threw his way.

I’m also very much into the DraftKings price on Kyle Lowry (FD $7800 DK $7500) who double-doubled in Game 2 with 12 points and 13 assists. He struggled from beyond the arc, going only 1-8, but expect some regression back to the mean there.

I supposed some will get sucked into Jonas Valanciunas (FD $6000 DK $5900) after his 19 point, 14 rebound performance in Game 2. But it’s worth mentioning a few things regarding those numbers. One, Marcin Gortat got in early foul trouble and Valanciunas was able to have his way down low. Two, he only played 23 minutes and simply isn’t going to play in crunch time for the Raptors. His minutes are capped and you are asking a lot of him at these prices if he’s not going to see mid-20’s run.

The Wizards were a complete mess in Game 2. Bradley Beal (FD $7800 DK $6700) was horrendous (-34 for the game) and in foul trouble early. John Wall (FD $10200 DK $9300) and Markieff Morris (FD $6300 DK $5500) had foul issues as well, leading to major minutes for Ty Lawson (lol) and Mike Scott off the bench. If anything, expect all three of the starters to bounce back in Game 3. Beal is a great DraftKings value after the stinker. Morris as well.

Boston Celtics at Milwaukee Bucks

Celtics lead series 2-0

The Celtics weren’t forced to extend their starters a ton of minutes in Game 2 because they had the game relatively in hand and could manage their rotations with matchups that worked throughout. Jaylen Brown (FD $6800 DK $6500) was the real story and he’s continued a fantastic playoff run, averaging 25 points and five rebounds a game. It makes sense seeing as how he becomes Boston’s second-highest usage guy when Kyrie Irving is off the court. He’s put up 41 shots total in the first two games and I doubt much, if anything, changes in Game 3. The Bucks have not shown the ability to adjust anything on the fly and I don’t think that starts now.

Jayson Tatum (FD $7100 DK $6400) struggled from the field in Game 2, but I’m expecting a bounce-back game on Friday. He’s still a versatile fantasy contributor and the 30 minutes on Tuesday have to be the floor. In a close game, he’s going to see mid 30’s. And Al Horford (FD $8300 DK $7200) is still a complete bargain on DraftKings. He was another victim of a rather easy win for Boston but should see an uptick in minutes on Friday.

John Henson (FD $5500 DK $4900) has played 37 minutes in each of the first two games. I don’t totally understand it, but we’ll take it. If it continues, he’s easily the value cash play on both sites. The fantasy production has been (mostly) there and you have to think the minutes could dictate even more production.

On these short slates, it’s tough to roster two big money guys. Between Lebron and Giannis Antetokounmpo (FD $11500 DK $10600). I’ll take the former. But Giannis does have upside considering the Bucks have to basically play him the whole game.

And finally, I’m still advocating for Eric Bledsoe (FD $7800 DK $6300) on DraftKings.

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