FanDuel NBA Daily Fantasy Picks 8/21/20
We are now looking at four Game 3s on this Friday as we head into the weekend. Two teams can take a commanding 3-0 lead on the series while two others are trying to break a 1-1 deadlock. You will see an injury tag on Kristaps Porzingis as you did last game but the heal is fine and he will play. Mike Conley is due back after missing games one and two due to quarantining after his wife gave birth. Patrick Beverley is doubtful and with Reggie Jackson struggling, you will see Lou Williams recommended below. A sneaky guy who is going to be out is Joe Harris. He is set to miss the next two games due to leaving the bubble. The highest total on the night is with Dallas and Los Angeles. It sits at 232. The other three are in the range of 216-221. Toronto remains the only blowout game expected, although their starters are still safe.
Point Guard
Kyle Lowry – $8,200
Kyle Lowry has continued to play big minutes and he is the top point guard for me on this slate. He has averaged 39 FD points between the two games and has played over 35 minutes in both games. This isn’t a big surprise as Lowry was playing excellently during the restart. This is a terrific matchup for him as we have seen him take advantage of already.
Mike Conley – $5,800
Mike Conley is due back for Game 3 and he is the cheapest of the four major point guards going. If you are planning on paying up elsewhere, Conley is a solid PG2 to use. He was finding his groove in the bubble and even before it after struggling for most of the season. Given the next priced point guard is Seth Curry, you can see how shallow point guard is.
Shooting Guard
Lou Williams – $5,600
Obviously, if you are paying up it is for Luka Doncic, but I will go two values here. Lou Williams is the other who has played 31 minutes in both games. He has scored 26 and 36 FD points and his salary is about $1,000 too short of where it should be. With the Clippers needing scoring in the backcourt, Williams is the one to deliver.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot – $5,100
There is certainly a lot of range of outcomes for this play, but he should go overlooked with Marcus Smart, Jordan Clarkson, Lou Williams, and Josh Richardson in this range. I am looking at him in GPPs, where the others are are relatively safe. Less so Clarkson with Conley back. But TLC will see strong minutes as Joe Harris is another Nets body leaving likely for the series.
Small Forward
Kawhi Leonard – $9,700
There is just nobody touching Kawhi Leonard at this position and still under $10,000 and with plenty of value we can fit him right in with a couple of studs and move on. He is going to continue to play big minutes as the Clippers secondary players have not been as reliable. Leonard does a little bit of everything but he has scored 35 and 29 real points over the first two games.
OG Anunoby – $4,800
OG Aunoby has played big minutes in the first two games at 36 and 34. He has scored 25 and 27 FD points in the first two games, chipping in each category. He isn’t a high usage guy, but he is someone who produces strong defensive stats and will chip in with rebounds. The defensive stats have that bigger value on FanDuel.
Power Forward
Jayson Tatum – $9,000
This is another situation where I can mix and match some value. I have talked about Tatum for most of the series and he has delivered 65 total real points. For exact fantasy points, he has scored 46 and 57 points and the 76ers just do not have an answer for him. He has played far better than Porzingis and below there isn’t much that is going to have a chance to get you 40+ FD points.
Royce O’Neal – $4,800
Royce O’Neal has had an up and down few games and is coming off a big one. He has the upside to hit 30+ fantasy points which is excellent at this price, but the single-digit floor isn’t appealing. He will play 30+ minutes as long as he can stay out of fantasy trouble. For the value, he opens up a lot and this is not a deep position. Serge Ibaka is the safer play for those playing cash games.
Center
Joel Embiid – $10,100
Back-to-back 50 burgers for Joel Embiid on FanDuel and he is a tough fade. Nikola Jokic isn’t cheap enough for me to mention him as a drop off value. The name that is interesting is Jarrett Allen at $7,400. Back to Embiid though. The Celtics just do not have the matchup and he will be able to hammer them in the paint. We can continue to go back to the well here, especially in a must-win game for Philadelphia. I will take the usage and volume here and move on.
