It's the final day of the regular season. If you're playing DFS today, god bless you! You know we'll be playing, though, and it's actually a great day to capitalize if you follow the NBA as closely as we do. Over half of the starters in the NBA will be resting on this slate, and it'll be easy to ride some stars-and-scrubs stacks. We have a few superstars in must-win games and numerous minimum-priced players who will step into some prominent roles. With that in mind, let's kick things off with one of those studs and then dive into the cheap guys!
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Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 48.31 DK - 51.47
There are only a few superstars that we know will suit up and play a full allotment of minutes, and Curry is one of them. The Warriors are battling to hold the six-seed in the west, and that should force Curry to play his usual 30-35 minutes. We love that with the way Chef Curry is cooking right now, scoring at least 44 DraftKings points in eight of his last nine games. The former MVP also has a 50-point average for the year and should be locked in for a must-win game for the Warriors. That victory will be much easier against Portland, with the Trail Blazers ranked 27th in defensive efficiency. Not to mention, Curry has scored at least 51 DK points in four of his last five meetings with Portland.
Opponent - BKN
Proj Pts FD - 29.96 DK - 30.86
We've always enjoyed watching Shake get busy in limited minutes off the bench, and it was a treat to watch him run the show on Friday. With the whole starting lineup sitting on Friday, Milton scored 44 DK points across 43 minutes of action. He did that damage despite shooting just 7-of-22 from the field, and he'll surely have a better shooting night here. Shake has also started and played at least 35 minutes in nine games this year, totaling a 38-point average in those outings. That means our projections are a bit low because he's likely facing a Brooklyn team that will also rest most of their starters.
Kris Dunn (FD $7000 DK $7500) just had 44 and 58 DK points in his two most recent outings and is doing everything for this shorthanded Jazz team.
Opponent - SA
Proj Pts FD - 39.65 DK - 42.05
This is an excellent spot for Hardy to get going. He's been struggling recently since Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving returned to the lineup, but he was a stud when both of those guys were out a few weeks ago. In a three-game stretch when both of those studs were out at the beginning of March, Hardy had at least 31 DK points in all of them. He also averaged 38 fantasy points per game, leading the team in minutes, shot attempts, assists, and usage. That looks even better here because Dallas is expected to sit even more starters. San Antonio couldn't be a better matchup either, ranked dead last in every defensive metric.
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 32.23 DK - 32.98
TD has always done a nice job off the bench for Sacramento, but he could be the showman in this spot. Sacramento is expected to sit all of their starters, and it'll likely force Davis into a playing role in the starting lineup. The talented guard has played at least 25 minutes in seven games this season, averaging 36 DraftKings points per game in those outings. That would be absurd from a sub-$5K player, and it could be his floor with every significant Sacramento player sitting. Denver can be a daunting matchup for some, but they're likely resting most of their players as well.
Cam Thomas (FD $5000 DK $3200) averaged 50 DK points per game in a two-week stretch earlier in the year, and he could return to that 35-40 minutes and 20 shots in this meaningless game.
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 26.97 DK - 28.52
This rookie from Yakima Valley College has been buried in this Bucks rotation, but he always steps up when this roster is shorthanded. That's expected to be the case here because Milwaukee is expected to sit their top-seven leading scorers. That will make Beauchamp one of the focal points of the offense, scoring 35 DK points across 43 minutes in this role on Friday. It's not the first time we've seen him do this, though, with Marjon scoring at least 34 DK points in three of the four games he's played at least 30 minutes. Toronto is usually a treacherous matchup, but this is yet another team sitting most of their rotation.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 27.82 DK - 28.88
Remember when Cedi was bleeding some yellow bile from his mouth? That was strange, but we have never heard anything about it since. In any case, this Turkish forward is in a great spot here and could be running the show for the Cavs. Cleveland has decided to rest their whole starting lineup like many other contenders, and Osman is always outstanding in these circumstances. He had 33 DraftKings points with all of those guys out on Friday and has a 38-point average when he plays at least 33 minutes this year. He should reach 35-40 minutes at ease, which should bode well against a 26th-ranked Charlotte defense.
Brandon Ingram (FD $9800 DK $10600) is one of the few players playing for anything and is flirting with a 50-point average over the last month. He still might be limited, though!
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 30.64 DK - 29.8
The Knicks are one of few teams who might not rest players, but Hartenstein is the benefit of some frontcourt injuries. Julius Randle and Mitchell Robinson are both expected to sit here, and that should force Hartenstein to play at least 30 minutes as the starting center. We love that since this is one of the best per-minute producers in the NBA over recent years. The big man has scored at least 24 DK points in all 10 games he's played at least 26 minutes, generating a 30-point average in those outings. That's all you can ask for from a $5K player, and it's possible he could play 35-40 minutes here. Indiana is an incredible matchup, too, ranked 26th in defensive efficiency and 28th in points allowed.
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 37.82 DK - 38.71
Sharpe is one of our highest projected per-dollar plays on the board. The reason for that is that he's expected to start at center for the Nets. Nic Claxton is likely resting in this meaningless game, and Moses Brown is the only other center on the roster. With Clax out, Sharpe should play at least 25-30 minutes. That's huge because we're talking about a guy who's averaging 12.4 DK points per game across just 11 minutes a night. Seeing both of those totals triple would be far from surprising, which is right on par with our lofty projection. You might notice that Philly is a tough matchup for opposing big men, but replacing Joel Embiid with Montrezl Harrell is also huge for Sharpe's value.
Jalen McDaniels (FD $6000 DK $6700) might play 40 minutes with all of the big-name Sixers sitting and dropped 52 DK points in that role on Friday.
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 32.9 DK - 31.38
Big O is actually a prime breakout candidate for next season. There's some thought Atlanta will move on from Clint Capela, and the primary reason is the play of Okongwu. This guy has been a freak off the bench this year, averaging 24 DK points per game across 23 minutes a night. He's been a solid fantasy producer whether Capela plays or not, but the center has already been ruled out here. In 17 starts for Cap this year, OO is averaging 32 DK points per game across 33 minutes a night. That's awesome from such an affordable player, and this Boston defense is not the same with all of their starters likely sitting.
Opponent - NY
Proj Pts FD - 31.1 DK - 28.91
Elite per-minute producers have been a theme in this article, but I-Jax might be the best of the bunch. This guy has been held back because of Myles Turner and Jalen Smith, but both of those bigs are sitting here. That's big news because Jackson is averaging 18 DK points per game across 16 minutes a night. We expect both of those to double here, with Jackson averaging nearly 40 fantasy points per game when he plays at least 26 minutes. It's not like New York is a scary matchup, sitting most of their frontcourt players as well.
Jock Landale (FD $5200 DK $5000) should be locked into 30 minutes with most of the Suns sitting, and he's way too cheap in that sort of role.
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