Taylor was all over CJ McCollum and the Wizards value yesterday, and they nuked. Sadly (for me), the Hawks didn’t feel like matching their intensity and Jalen Johnson was a massive dud. In a smash spot, no less.
To make matters worse, Luka Doncic nuked. It was a brutal slate, but there’s always the next day. Luckily, that day is here, and I’m ready to push out a winning NBA Core. Remember, you can always pivot off of any of these plays to gain leverage, but I’d start most NBA DFS lineups with these picks.
DraftKings NBA Core
- Immanuel Quickley ($6.8k)
- Amen Thompson ($8.2k)
- Jordan Goodwin ($5.4k)
- Reed Sheppard ($5.6k)
Update 2: Giannis is out. All the regular Bucks (Myles, Bob, Kuz) are fine. Rollins looks like an elite pivot off of Amen. I am just playing Amen and paying up for Deni, but you could pivot there or pair them. Clint Capela is an elite punt at $3k flat with Steven Adams out, but he’s also super shaky. I am playing him, but he has numerous paths to failure.
Update: There is not much amazing value. Kalkbrenner is probably the best punt. I don’t mind Precious, but he feels risky. Sticking with this core for now. Deni is my preferred spend after him, but Sengun, KAT, Fox, and Booker all look great. You can always make the case for SGA or Giannis if they’re in, but I’m not seeing the value to get me there yet.
Zero chance this holds, but RJ Barrett is out so all the main Raptors get a bump. Quickley is simply the best value of the lot. Kevin Durant is out, so Reed gets a big bump and Amen looks like one of the best plays of the entire slate.
I think Goodwin is a guy we can look to replace if more value opens up (and why shouldn’t it?), but he does look good with Grayson Allen and Jalen Green both sidelined.
FanDuel NBA Core
- Goodwin
- Keldon Johnson
- Quickley
- Derik Queen
- Amen
Update: Can def work to get Bucks guys with Giannis out. No change to the core, though. Ryan Rollins and Bobby look like the two plays to get to from Milwaukee. Rollins looks better on FD than on DK, but he’s in play on both sites.
Reed also looks good here, but I’d rather play Queen on FD since he is PF eligible there. You can obviously still play Reed as well. Goodwin, Amen, and Quickley look great on FD as well.
KJ is in play on both sites but may be more necessary given the extra slot to fill on FanDuel.
It’s early and big injury news will surely blow this slate up. We’re waiting on Giannis and SGA news mostly, but I guarantee something else will pop up to ruin our lives.
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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