Welcome to Bales’ Stacks and Hidden Gems for today’s NBA DFS slate for DraftKings! Below, I will discuss my favorite NBA DFS plays for tonight’s slate!
Easy Breezy: Chalk Stack
Philadelphia 76ers
The Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks rank 18th and sixth in the NBA in pace, respectively. Philadelphia only ranks 21st in the league in pace, while Atlanta ranks 28th in defensive rating. The Sixers are -8.5 point favorites in a game set at 228.5 points, and they boast an implied team total of 118.5 points.
Josh Richardson
Ben Simmons has been ruled out tonight, allowing other players to take on larger roles in the offense. Josh Richardson has seen 30+ minutes in 2 of his last 3 games, scoring 27.25 and 33.75 DK points in those games. Richardson is coming off of a 14.25 DK point performance, though. He found success against Atlanta in their only matchup this season, scoring 30.3 DK points in 30.5 minutes. He’s expected to find minutes in the mid-30s tonight, making him an outstanding option for a low price tag.
Al Horford
Tobias Harris was initially ruled out tonight, but has since been moved to a game-time decision. Al Horford recently moved to the bench, causing his minutes and production to suffer. With that being said, Horford is averaging a healthy 0.98 DK points per minute through 52 games this season. He posted 29.25 DK points in 32.0 minutes per game against Atlanta earlier this season. If Harris is out, along with Simmons, Horford will likely slide into the starting minutes, and will see 30+ minutes once again tonight. Horford’s price tag has dropped significantly over his last few games, and he’ll be one of the highest owned players on the slate if he’s starting.
Joel Embiid
Joel Embiid is the final part of this stack. He has performed extremely well this season, only being limited by a lack of minutes. Embiid saw 30+ minutes in 5 of his last 9 games, averaging 55.4 DK points per game in those contests. Embiid also scored 65+ DK points in each of his last 2 games with 30+ minutes. He’s averaging 56.9 DK points in 33.4 minutes per game against Altanta this season. Embiid should be locked into big minutes tonight, and he’ll see an even larger offensive role than usual.
Important Odds: Vegas Stack
Milwaukee Bucks
The Milwaukee Bucks and Washington Wizards currently rank first and fourth in the NBA in pace this season. Milwaukee also ranks third in the league in offensive rating, while Washington ranks last in the NBA in defensive rating. The Bucks are -13.5 point favorites in a game set at 243.5 points, and they possess the highest implied team total on the slate at 128.5 points.
George Hill
George Hill has been a boom or bust fantasy option this season. He has scored as many as 27.75 DK points and as few as 6.25 DK points over his last 10 games. Hill is averaging 0.93 DK points per minute through 46 games this season. He’s expected to see around 20 minutes tonight, but he could be given a few extra minutes with Kyle Korver injured. Hill isn’t a safe option, but he comes with tremendous upside for the minimum price.
Giannis Antetokounmpo
Giannis Antetokounmpo continues to play at an elite level, but he comes with a surprisingly low price tag. He posted 60+ DK points in 8 of his last 9 games, including a pair of games with 70+ DK points. Antetokounmpo is averaging a ridiculous 0.99 DK points per minute this season, and his 37.7% usage rating allows him to find success in blowouts. He’s an elite scorer, who boasts triple-double upside. Antetokounmpo is one of the safest options in the NBA, and he can safely be used in all leagues.
Robin Lopez
Brook Lopez has been ruled out tonight, making way for Robin Lopez to take over at center. He’s averaging 14.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists, and 1.8 blocks (29.3 DK points) on a per-36 minute basis. Lopez isn’t likely to be locked into big minutes tonight, but he could see 20-25 minutes tonight. Washington has struggled against bigs throughout the season, and Lopez is another minimum priced player that can offset Antetokounmpo’s price tag.
Wildcard GPP: Low Owned Stack
Utah Jazz
The Utah Jazz rank 19th in the NBA in pace, while the Phoenix Suns rank ninth in the league in the same category. Utah also ranks ninth in the NBA in offensive rating, while Phoenix ranks 17th in defensive rating. The Jazz are -8 point favorites in a game set at 224.5 points, giving them an implied team total of 116.3 points tonight.
Mike Conley
Mike Conley has caught fire recently. He posted 30+ DK points in each of his last 5 games, while flashing 40+ DK point upside. He saw 30+ minutes in each of those games, and that’s expected to be the case once again tonight. Conley struggled against Phoenix in their only matchup this season, but they are a defense that has struggled against point guards this season. Conley is still a bit cheap, and he comes with tremendous upside.
Bojan Bogdanovic
Bojan Bogdanovic has struggled a bit recently, but boasts tremendous upside. He relies heavily on scoring, while adding rebounds on a nightly basis. In his only matchup against the Suns this season, Bogdanovic posted 29 points with 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, and 2 steals (43.75 DK points) in 37.2 minutes. He’s still reasonably priced, making him a great option in 30+ minutes tonight.
Rudy Gobert
Rudy Gobert posted 40+ DK points in 3 of his last 4 games. He’s a player that boasts significantly more upside, as well. He’s a 20/20 threat, while also coming with tremendous block potential. In his only matchup against Phoenix, Gobert posted 46 DK points in 35.3 minutes. They aren’t a team that has the size to stop him in the paint, making him an outstanding tournament option on this slate.
Hidden Gem: Value Guard
De’Anthony Melton
De’Anthony Melton has seen a plethora of ups and downs throughout the 2019 season. He played between 14 and 26 minutes in each of his last 10 games, scoring between 5 and 42 DK points in each of those games. Melton is a player that relies heavily on scoring, although he can produce rebounds, assists, and steals on any given night. He’s averaging a healthy 1.09 DK points per minute through 43 games this season, as well.
Melton gets an interesting matchup against the Los Angeles Clippers tonight. They currently rank eighth in the NBA in pace and sixth in defensive rating. In their only matchup, Melton posted 27.25 DK points in only 16.4 minutes. Melton is expected to find minutes in the mid-20s tonight, and he makes an outstanding tournament option on this slate.
Hidden Gem: Value Big
Josh Jackson
Josh Jackson has been heating up since the All Star Break. He posted 24.25 and 26.75 in 23 and 18 minutes in his pair of games since then. Jackson is averaging 0.91 fantasy points per minute through only 9 games this season. He has been limited by a lack of minutes, but has produced when given the opportunities throughout the season.
Jackson gets the same matchup as De’Anthony Melton above. He’s a player that will benefit from the recent injury to Jaren Jackson Jr. With JJJ out, Josh Jackson will be forced into bigger minutes. He’s expected to find minutes in the mid-20s, making him a solid option for the near minimum price tonight.
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