Yesterday’s NBA DFS core was spot on. I almost had a takedown and the only “bad” play was Vuc, who you still could have won with. Reed and Pritchard were straight flames.
Let’s keep the good times going into a fun 8-game Tuesday slate. There is a lot to pay for on this slate, but we’ll see what ends up materializing in the way of value. I’ll update my core plays closer to lock, but I’ll first dive into the top NBA DFS picks at DraftKings, while also highlighting the most stackable games and my favorite studs to pay up for.
NBA DFS Core Plays for Tuesday
- Goga ($3k)
- Quentin Grimes ($4.3k)
- Tyrese Maxey ($10.1k)
Update 4: Jaylin not starting. Wiggins/Joe/Cason are safer plays. Jaylin is playable but not as safe off the bench.
Update 3: Goga is starting so I’m going him over Reese. I think Goga/Reese double center punt is totally viable, but I am playing Wemby instead. Reese is still a good punt but Goga looks better.
Update 2: ANT is now Q. If he’s out Naz, Julius, and of course Bones Hyland get huge boosts. I may just play for the news and throw Bones in my lineups and hope for the best. One option is to just put McCain in a G or UTIL spot and if ANT plays, just roll with him. If ANT is out, pivot to Bones. WCJ is out, so you can go after whatever Magic center starts. Mo Wagner could be limited and Goga has been out of the rotation. I’m staying with Reese for now, but feel free to pivot to the Magic starting C if you’re wary. Jaylin enters the Core just because he should start, is a fine price, and gets the Bulls. Love Cason as well. Fine with any of Joe/Wiggins/McCain.
Update: There’s risk with playing a guy like Reese who admittedly isn’t very good. However, Washington has no other traditional bigs. He has a clear path to starting and getting 30+ minutes even if the game doesn’t stay close. He’s $3k flat, so I’ll hitch my wagon to him. If you’re not loving it, you can consider McCain from OKC or some other Wizards to help you save cash. Still love Maxey and Grimes is perhaps the best value of the slate.
If better value opens up I can take Maxey out, but he seems pretty necessary. He is the top spend of the slate when looking at projection and ceiling. There’s blowout risk for all but two games on this slate, so I am choosing to ignore that aspect.
Quentin Grimes is a much easier play than Maxey, but Kelly Oubre Jr. is out, so he looks like he’s walking into a 30-minute role whether he starts or not. He’s cheap enough that I’m fine with him even if he doesn’t start, but I’d expect him to.
Cason Wallace looks quite viable with SGA, J-Will, and Hartenstein all out. Wallace had been wrecking prior to SGA’s return, but a maintenance day gives him back the keys to the OKC offense. He gets a smash spot against the Bulls and his price dropped by $1k, so sign me up for that.
Joe, Wiggins, Jaylin, and McCain are all appealing values from the Thunder. I’d prefer to trust the guys that start, but considering the lack of bodies and the blowout risk, they’re all viable.
Top NBA DFS Game Environments for 3/3
- Nets vs. Heat (225.5 total)
- Thunder vs. Bulls (228.5 total)
- Spurs vs. 76ers (233.5 total)
The Mavs and Wizards also present nice spots for Charlotte and Orlando, but I wouldn’t have much interest in both sides of those matchups. That isn’t the case for the Nets and Heat. Bam/Herro look really good, and guys like Pelle, Wiggins, and Jaime are all viable for Miami. Heck, even Ware looks inviting.
MPJ, Traore, and maybe even Danny Wolf would look good on the other side, too. OKC is very appealing, but if their game stays close Giddey would become an awesome GPP flier, while Tre Jones and other values would have a chance of hitting.
Everyone will be into Sixers, but if that game stays close it could be a ton of fun. My interest mostly revolves around a seemingly unowned Wemby, but Fox/Castle could also get huge boosts if the game is competitive.
Best Studs to Pay Up For
- Maxey ($10.1k)
- Cade ($11k)
- Wemby ($10.7k)
- ANT ($9.5k)
- Banchero ($9.4k)
- Chet ($8.5k)
- Bam ($8.3k)
There’s a lot to like on this slate. Maxey is in my core as I write this, but I understand if you’re not feeling it. However, the usage is going to be there for him to go full nuke mode. He feels like a pretty scary fade.
If you want to fade him, though, Cade is just $1k more and Wemby is almost the same price. Both of them would be very strong GPP leverage spends. I don’t even mind ANT, who is pushing a 50-point fantasy projection and will be a fraction the ownership of Maxey.
Banchero, Chet, and Bam are all in smash spots and should churn out solid nights. None of them are slated for obscene ownership. Could there be a case to just go more balanced and fade all the guys north of $10k? When looking at blowout risk, DFS environments, and ownership, I think there is.
That said, I do think the best course of action is to start with tonight’s core in most of your lineups. If I am sticking to that, I want Wemby opposite of Maxey, assuming his ownership stays where it’s at.
Playing DFS since the days of DraftStreet, Kevin knows the ins and outs of DFS, specifically for NFL and NBA. He’s also been helping people win in fantasy football leagues for 15+ years and is one of many experts featured at FantasyPros.
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