The first round of the playoffs was awesome, and we expect an even better second-round. One of those series is getting kicked off here, with Utah hosting Los Angeles. The other matchup on this slate is the Philly-Atlanta game, with the Hawks taking a 1-0 series lead into that Game 2. That means Philly should leave it all on the line here because not many teams have gone down 0-2 at home and prevailed. In any case, there's a lot to talk about from a DFS perspective, so let's go ahead and get into it!
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Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 43.88 DK - 43.53
Simmons has been a regular in this section throughout the postseason, and it's no surprise when you look at his statistics. The giant point guard has scored at least 35 DraftKings points in every game of this postseason, averaging 15.2 points, 9.2 rebounds, 9.3 assists, and 1.7 steals per game. That stat-stuffing ability makes him even more enticing in a matchup like this, with the Hawks ranked 22nd in defensive efficiency in the regular season. That certainly appeared to be the case in Game 1, with Sim dropping 46 fantasy points despite taking just seven shots. That makes it hard to believe he's barely cracking $8K, especially on such a short slate.
Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 29.18 DK - 30.5
It was a bold move to exile Patrick Beverley from the rotation and ride R-Jax as the starter, but it has definitely been the right move. The talented guard scored at least 21 DraftKings points in the final six games of the Dallas series, averaging nearly 30 fantasy points per game. That's a stupendous total from a guy sitting around $5,000, and one has to believe he'll continue it with his 32-minute average in that same stretch. Utah is definitely a tough matchup, but he'll need to play big minutes to oppose dangerous guards like Donovan Mitchell and Mike Conley.
Trae Young has been one of the best players in these playoffs and should continue his 25-10 ways.
Opponent - LAC
Proj Pts FD - 39.12 DK - 41.09
There's something about this guy when the lights are the brightest. Mitchell has been a stud in pretty much every playoff appearance he's made, averaging 43 DK points per game in his four first-round outings. He did that despite being limited in the first couple, and it's backed up by the fact that he posted a 49-point average in last year's playoffs as well. If you can get 40-50 fantasy points from someone in this price range, you're way ahead of the pack. That makes it even less surprising when you see his 43-point average for the season and his 45 fantasy points per game in his three meetings with the Clippers this year.
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 22.93 DK - 23.33
There are obviously some risky plays when talking about a two-game slate, and Huerter is definitely one of them. His role has been falling off a bit in the playoffs with everyone healthy, but it's hard to overlook how productive he's been at times this season. We're talking about a guy who averaged 25 DraftKings points per game in the regular season across 30 minutes a night. That's pretty much the guy we saw in Game 1 with Huerter dropping 30 DK points across 29 minutes of play. If he can duplicate that at this price, KH would be in every optimal lineup out there.
Paul George looks different in this postseason and is obviously a good play.
Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 52.46 DK - 53.1
Much like Mitchell, Kawhi is a different player when the games matter most. He showed that in his ridiculous Toronto title run and duplicated that absurd play in the first round against Dallas. In fact, Leonard dropped at least 55 DraftKings points in six of those seven games, generating a similar average in that series. That's hard to overlook no matter the matchup, and it makes it hard to believe that he's below $10K on DraftKings. Utah can be a tough matchup for most people but not this guy. Kawhi is averaging over 52 fantasy points per game in their two matchups this year.
Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 28.42 DK - 28.42
Batum will never blow up a stat sheet with 30 points or 10 rebounds or double-digit assists, but he's just a solid role player who continues to be undervalued for fantasy. He actually scored at least 21 DK points in his final four games of the Dallas series, averaging 28.4 DK points per game across 37 minutes a night in that span. That 37-minute total is the thing that's really hard to overlook because he should inevitably provide value at this price if he plays that much. The fact that he stuffs the stat sheet and doesn't rely on scoring makes him even more attractive in such a tough matchup because it allows him to provide value in other ways than just scoring.
Bojan Bogdanovic should be asked to fire up shots for Utah and remains too cheap, around $6K.
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 36.66 DK - 36.94
Collins was one of the most frustrating players to own in season-long formats because of his absurd price tag, but that's not the case with DFS. He mixed gems with duds all year, and it's gotten his price tags to some very attractive numbers on these sites. We're talking about a guy who sat between $7-8K at the beginning of the season, and he has that sort of ability anytime he steps on the floor. He actually averaged 32 FK points per game in the regular season, surpassing that total in two of his last three games. That'd be an amazing number from someone this cheap, and he should continue to play big minutes opposing a guy like Tobias Harris.
Opponent - LAC
Proj Pts FD - 20.82 DK - 21.17
O'Neale and Batum are actually in the same boat. Neither guy will pop off the page with their statistics, but they play such a valuable role for their teams that they stumble into fantasy value through their roles. Much like Batum, O'Neale piles up the minutes for Utah. In fact, Rollin' Royce averaged 27.3 DK points per game across 35 minutes a night in the Memphis series. That's actually pretty close to his averages over the final month of the regular season, and it makes him a great value around $5K. Facing the Clippers is no easy task, but it'll likely guarantee O'Neale 40 minutes to guard Kawhi and PG13.
Marcus Morris has been knocking down three's at a big clip and remains too cheap.
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 60.16 DK - 62.1
I was truly surprised to see Embiid suit up in Game 1 with a torn meniscus, but he looked far from ineffective. The big man dropped 62.8 DK points in that Game 1 defeat, playing 38 minutes. That minute total means that he's ready to go, and if he keeps playing 35-40 a night, Embiid is going to be in for a monster series. We say that because he posted a 50-point average in the regular season, in just 30 minutes a game. He's also killed Atlanta despite playing limited minutes in the regular season, averaging over 1.5 DK points per minute. All of that makes him the top play on the board, especially with Philly needing a win down 0-1 in this series.
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 46.12 DK - 46.03
Capela was quietly one of the best centers in the regular season, leading the NBA with 14.2 rebounds per game. That absurd total led to a 40-point average for the season, with CC recording double-doubles on a nightly basis. That's on full display when you see that he has four straight double-doubles coming into this matchup which is scary since he'll have to play even more here to guard Embiid. That sort of consistency is hard to find, and it makes Capela one of the best options out there with such limited options available.
Rudy Gobert should thrive against a terrible Clippers center rotation as well.
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