NBA

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Monday 8/3/20

With six games to choose from on tonight's opening NBA slate, let's take a look at how to utilize the DFS possibilities.

Here are some of the top plays on DraftKings. As always, good luck.

Point Guard

Ben Simmons ($9,100) -- In Simmons' first game as starting power forward and occasional second-string point guard, he totaled 19 points, 13 rebounds, and four assists in 38 minutes. In the only meeting with the San Antonio Spurs this season, Simmons averaged a triple-double with 10 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists. While he may not dish out nearly as many assists at the power forward position, he's just a double-double threat with points and rebounds.

Simmons was one of the motors in this offense despite letting Shake Milton ($5,800) run the point. In Simmons' second game of the bubble, numberFire's model predicts 15.7 points, 8.1 assists, and 7.2 rebounds. The Spurs allow the seventh-most rebounds per game to power forwards (11.62) and the third-most assists (4.04). Simmons is going to be on triple-double alert in his second and final meeting versus the Spurs.

Lonzo Ball ($8,000) -- Ball and the Pelicans struggled in their last game versus the Clippers, but this matchup with the Grizzlies is much more favorable. Ball had seven points, six rebounds, and three assists in his last game, and had four points, six rebounds, and seven assists in his first game with versus the Jazz. His numbers haven't been stellar, but the Grizzlies allow the 10th-most fantasy points per game to point guards (48.60) and the most rebounds (6.78).

This is an excellent matchup for Ball to get back on track. Teammate Jrue Holiday ($8,700) will likely guard Ja Morant ($7,300), who's on the second night of a back-to-back, leaving Ball open for more offensive opportunities. The Grizzlies also allow the eighth-most three-pointers per game to point guards (2.87), and Ball has made (2.4) and attempted (6.4) the most three-pointers in his career this season.

Shooting Guard

DeMar DeRozan ($8,200) -- DeRozan is the most experienced Spurs' player on the roster outside of Rudy Gay, and they're only going as far as he can take them. He scored 17 points in the fourth quarter alone versus the Kings and kept his squad in playoff contention. DeRozan played 38 minutes, and even though you can't expect him to do that again, you can expect his 1.22 fantasy points per minute and 29.6% usage rate to increase without LaMarcus Aldridge. DeRozan's projected by numberFire's model to total 23.5 points, 5.9 assists, and 5.9 rebounds versus the Philadelphia 76ers.

Jordan Clarkson ($4,900) -- Clarkson is not only a reliable stream in DFS because he's playing his former team (Lakers), but LA is without their starting guards. With Avery Bradley and Rajon Rondo out, they have struggled to stop the likes of Kyle Lowry, Fred VanVleet, Paul George, and had their moments versus a few others. Clarkson is a pure scorer, the sixth man for the Jazz, and an energizer off the bench.

Clarkson scored 23 points off the bench in 32 minutes versus the New Orleans Pelicans and 11 points in 24 minutes versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. Over both games, he averaged 17 field goals per game and 6.5 three-point attempts. If he's shooting at that volume and they're only immediate scoring threat off the bench, he's going to have more than a few solid DFS nights over the next few weeks.

Small Forward

Brandon Ingram ($8,100) -- Ingram almost had a walk-off game-winner in the NBA's opening night Thursday, but his shot went in and out. He scored a game-high 23 points and a team-high eight rebounds and followed that up with 14 points and two boards in 24 minutes versus the Clippers. New Orleans ranks second in pace (106.4) and Memphis seventh (105.2), meaning this could be a track meet.

The Grizzlies allow the sixth-most points per game to small forwards (21.56) and the fifth-most three-pointers made (2.68). Ingram is averaging career-highs in both categories and averages 22.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and five assists in two meetings with Memphis this season. numberFire's model projects Ingram to record 25.1 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.2 assists Monday.

Dillon Brooks ($5,100) -- Brooks went 6-for-16 shooting (37.5%) for 15 points, four rebounds, and four assists in Memphis' first game. Brooks is often forgotten about with the Grizzlies, but he's a more than capable player. Mostly a scorer, he averages the most points per game on the season (17.7) in back-to-backs. This will Memphis' first, and versus New Orleans, he averages 20.5 points per game, 6 assists, and 3 rebounds.

If this matchup does indeed feature a ton of scoring, Brooks has a matchup advantage versus New Orleans. The Pelicans allow the fifth-most points per game to shooting guards (24.3) and the fourth-most to shooting guards (22.12) on the season. Brooks plays a little bit of both positions, and his usage rate is the second-highest on the team with 23.5% and 0.86 fantasy points per minute with Ja Morant ($7,300).

Power Forward

T.J. Warren ($7,400) -- Warren was a human-flamethrower versus the 76ers scoring a career-high 53 points on 20-of-29 shooting (68.9%). How do you follow up a career-high 53-point performance on a solid defensive team? Half of the answer is to play the NBA's worst defensive team in the next game. The Indiana Pacers will play the Washington Wizards and their NBA-worst 119.7 points per game allowed.

The Wizards allow the 12th-most points per game to power forwards (22.39) and the sixth-most rebounds per game (11.66). Warren scored 21 points in the only meeting with them this season, and without Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis on the floor, Warren averages a team-high 28.9% usage rate. numberFire's model projects Warren with 18.7 points and 4.3 rebounds in 32 minutes versus Washington.

Zion Williamson ($7,800) -- The matchup we've all been waiting for. The Grizzlies versus the Pelicans. Morant versus Williamson. Yes, this will be an exciting matchup, and the Pelicans are on win now or go home mode after dropping the first two games of the bubble. Williamson had 24 points, six rebounds, and three assists in his first meeting with Memphis playing 29 minutes.

In Williamson's first two bubble games, he's played 14 and 15 minutes, respectively. In this meeting, he should play more than 15 minutes in this game, and numberFire has him at a hopeful 32 minutes Monday. The model also projects the No. 1 overall pick to record 25 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 2.5 assists on a no-minute restriction.

Center

Joel Embiid ($10,300) -- Embiid went off in the 76ers' first game back. He totaled 41 points, 21 rebounds, and four assists in a loss, and has an even more favorable matchup versus the Spurs. His matchup will be Jakob Poeltl, who's going to need all the help the Spurs can afford after Embiid went 15-for-23 (65.2%) and visited the charity stripe 12 times.

The Spurs allow the 11th-most fantasy points per game to centers (45.90), and Embiid has found success versus San Antonio already. Embiid met the Spurs one time this season and had 21 points and 14 rebounds, and that was with Aldridge, who opted out of the restart. Embiid's projected to record 26.4 points, 12.6 rebounds, and 3.4 assists versus San Antonio. Both his point and rebound total are the top three in numberFire's model Monday.

Myles Turner ($6,100) -- Turner fouled out having to guard Embiid, and his numbers suffered along with his minutes. He remains the sole big in the lineup with Warren playing power forward, and the Wizards will be playing in their first back-to-back. The Wizards allow the second-most fantasy points per game to centers (57.9), and as a starter, Turner averages 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game.

numberFire's model predicts 13.6 points and 7.6 rebounds on 34 minutes played. Without Domantas Sabonis, Turner's upside is brighter than most young centers in the league, including Washington's. The Wizards allow the most rebounds in the league to centers (17.50) and the sixth-most to power forwards (11.66), so they struggle versus bigs. Turner's ability to stretch the floor with 33.9% from deep makes him even more appealing in an offense that will need more than Warren moving forward.


Vaughn Dalzell is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Vaughn also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his account, username vdalzell. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.