This slate may only be five games, but man is there a lot of injury news hanging in the balance. Anthony Davis, Donovan Mitchell, Kyle Lowry, Kristaps Porzingis and John Collins -- to name a few -- are all questionable. There could be boatloads of more value to open up if some of them are ruled out, so make sure you are actively checking the reports to know who’s in and who’s out. Here are my top value options of the slate (for now).
All Platforms
Shake Milton, PG/SG vs. CHI (DK - $4,500 / FD - $4,800 / Yahoo! - $12)
Ray Kuhn, who’s on the NBA DFS Playbook today, made a joke in our discord about Philadelphia not having enough players today. A joke, yes, but they are down a lot of key pieces. Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, Ben Simmons, Isaiah Joe are all confirmed out while Danny Green and Furkan Korkmaz are questionable and both sat out last time out. Milton started in place of Korkmaz and played 34 minutes, putting up 37 DKP. He’s too cheap across the industry and he has a spot in this rotation whether or not Green and Korkmaz play due to how depleted they are. Worth noting that Milton is OFF any minutes restriction he may have been facing.
Frank Kaminsky, PF/C vs. ATL (DK - $3,400 / FD - $3,500 / Yahoo! - $10)
There is two routes you can go here. JaVale McGee may have started the last time Deandre Ayton sat, but Kaminsky played 29 minutes. In that game, he had 35.25 DKP. Do I think he’ll get four steals and a block again? No, but he scored 17 actual and that alone would be enough to hit value. Going McGee is in the cards too because he was very productive while on the floor and we know he’s a strong FP/min producer. With Ayton off the floor this year, McGee averages 1.2 FP/min while Kaminsky averages 1.07. Both elite marks. Both in play.
DraftKings
Dennis Schroder, PG/SG vs. DAL ($5,400)
The Celtics will be without Jaylen Brown for the next couple of weeks, so our minds immediately move to Schroder as the next man up. He’s been great for Boston this year, averaging 13.3 points, 6.0 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals across 30.5 minutes off the bench. With Brown off the floor, he has a 24% USG rate this season. Schroder has scored 30 or more FP in all games he’s played 30+ minutes and that is seemingly the strategy with Brown out.
Norman Powell, SF vs. LAL ($4,800)
Please guys, if there’s one thing you take away from this article today, it’s that Norman Powell is consistently disrespected by the DraftKings algorithm. It actually makes zero sense that he’s once again under 5K here. Powell has been lighting it up from the floor, scoring 22 or more actual points in three straight games while pouring in 37.5 and 40.75 DKP in his last two. Powell is not only shooting 52% from the floor this year, but is knocking down 46% of his threes as well. The Lakers are second in pace and the Blazers should be able to maximize their offensive possessions here. Powell is elite in all formats on DK.
Yahoo! Fantasy
Georges Niang, PF vs. CHI ($11)
Before all of the injuries and COVID-19 absences, Niang was in the 76ers rotation. He saw a big role when Tobias Harris went out and now there are MULTIPLE guys out or bothered by something, leaving a large role for Niang likely for Saturday’s game. He’s topped 30 minutes in three straight games and has shown the ability to score the basketball at a very high clip, notching 14+ actual in each of those three games. He’s also poured in 26.1 Yahoo! points or more in each of them. We just saw this match-up and even though the Bulls have a very good defensive unit, Niang is someone we rely on for just $11.
FanDuel
Utah (if Donovan Mitchell sits) vs. MIA
I’m not saying this is an easy match-up, but look at the way Utah is priced if Mitchell sits. Mike Conley is $5,600, Bojan Bogdanovic is $5,500, Jordan Clarkson is $5,300 and Joe Ingles is $4,800. ALL too cheap. Three of the four scored north of 30 FP last time out while Ingles put up 27 FDP and he’s the cheapest of all. I wouldn’t use all four of them in a line, that’s not what I’m saying, but I would consider multiple members of the Jazz in the same lineup if Mitchell is ruled out. Mix and match based on the rest of your lineups.