Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant (7) passes over Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker during the third quarter of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 25, 2021, in New York. (AP Photo/Kathy Willens)
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Opponent - MIL
Proj Pts FD - 49.11 DK - 52.55
The Cavs would really like to win this game against the Bucks in order to keep the 8th seed and the Bucks have already signaled their intention with what they want to happen. Giannis and the rest of the crew are going to sit so this should be an easy win. But for the Cavs’ sake, it would make sense to keep everyone going as long as possible in order to secure the win, and from that perspective, it makes sense to play Garland here. There aren’t a ton of big money plays on this slate and plenty of ways to save so this is a cash game way to go.
Opponent - SA
Proj Pts FD - 58.32 DK - 62.38
There is still a world in which the Mavericks really want to play for seeding and if that’s the case then Luka is basically a must-play on this big slate. Again, we are in weird waters here with not knowing where everyone stands. But this is also a guy averaging 33 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds over the last six games. That’s as good as a line as you’ll see from anyone in the game and when he’s dialed up the fantasy output is at an all-time level. Again, we are going to need to wait to hear on starting lineups here, but Luka avoided a suspension for this game with his 16th foul so we should have him going full in this game.
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 25.03 DK - 25.31
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 34.9 DK - 38.82
The 76ers are sitting everyone on Sunday and that’s going to mean some folks will need to play a lot. While we have some teams with totally unknown dudes taking the court, Philly isn’t one of them. Shake had an earlier stretch in the season, back before things got crazy in which he was playing 34 minutes a game and needed to be a big part of the offense. During that time, he was averaging 15 points, five rebounds, and five assists per game. At these prices, that’s more than enough to pay the day. I think among all the punts, he’s one of them we can trust going here on Sunday even if Maxey were to start.
And then there is Quickley who should get the start here on Sunday against the Raptors. RJ Barrett is out and the Knicks are eliminated, but we know Thibs can Thibs and I wouldn’t be shocked to see mid-30s minutes out of the second-year guard. There’s a chance he has some solid usage as well considering the projected role in the offense. We know that he can score and he will have to do it in bunches at these prices, but I do think the floor is pretty high considering the context.
LaMelo Ball (FD 9200 DK 9200) also has a very high floor in a game Charlotte would likely want to win here.
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 53.46 DK - 54.87
The Nets need to win to secure the 7th seed in the East and guarantee they have a home game to advance into the playoffs. And on Sunday they get one of the best matchups around against the punting Pacers. Durant has been on a different level even for him of late, averaging 33 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists over the last 11 games. Brooklyn has needed everything out of their superstar down this home stretch and that should be the case again on Sunday. There’s some blowout risk in this one, though the Nets have had some trouble in that department this season.
Opponent - LAC
Proj Pts FD - 48.85 DK - 52.34
Opponent - LAC
Proj Pts FD - 20.2 DK - 21.84
The Thunder are doing something hilarious down this final stretch of games, bringing guys in off the street and running them tons of minutes. It’s made for a pretty unique position all things considered and Hoard has been one of the primary beneficiaries. He’s had some ridiculous games in the short term with a 27 points, 17 rebound game last time out against the Lakers. And in the last five games, he’s had three with 17+ rebounds. It’s kind of silly to think about playing a $7K Jaylen Hoard on the final day of the regular season, but the NBA can get around this time of year.
Kalaitzakis played 45 of the 48 minutes last time out for the Thunder, putting up 25 points on 19 shots, the second-most on the team. He also dropped six assists. Look, if these guys are just playing the whole game for the Thunder then the floor is pretty damn high. It’s an almost unprecedented situation considering how far in the tank OKC is right now, but as I said, the NBA can get weird.
Talen Horton-Tucker (FD 6700 DK 5200) is still a very good play on DraftKings.
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 39.55 DK - 42.04
With the Knicks playing without RJ Barrett and Julius Randle, there are a lot of shots to redistribute and Toppin is likely part of that plan here on Sunday. He’s played 35+ minutes in each of the last three games and averaged 24 points and five rebounds in that stretch. He should be in line for similar production again here on Saturday and, if anything stands to see even more shots in the offense. He took 22 last time out and that could be a number that happens again here on Sunday. Additionally, if Mitchell Robinson is out again then Jericho Sims (FD 4800 DK 4100) becomes a very solid punt play, especially on DraftKings.
Opponent - CHI
Proj Pts FD - 31.52 DK - 32.73
At power forward and center, I think we are going to be able to go pretty cheap with a lot of different options filling in for stars on Sunday. Karl-Anthony Towns is set to sit out for the Timberwolves. That should put Reid in the starting lineup and we know that he’s been able to pile it on from a points-per-minute standpoint when given this kind of opportunity before. Keep an eye out for what other movies Minnesota makes leading into this game.
Opponent - GS
Proj Pts FD - 37.91 DK - 40.76
The same situation is going on with the Pelicans here as well. They are sitting almost all of the starters in a game that’s essentially meaningless for the team. That should put Hernangomez in the starting center slot and there’s a chance he plays a decent number of minutes with the team light on players. Last time out, off the bench, he ran 34 minutes and put up 15 points and 10 rebounds. We have a track record here with Wily on a points-per-minute basis and he should make a high floor play if in the starting lineup.
Opponent - BKN
Proj Pts FD - 40.55 DK - 39.59
The Pacers have been in the tank for a while now and Jackson has been performing well from a fantasy perspective. We know that the Nets allow opposing bigs to get on the glass and over the last three games, Jackson is averaging 17 points and six rebounds. I do think about 30 minutes is the plan for one of the few remaining Pacers bigs.
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