DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Tuesday 9/1/20

With two games to choose from on today's NBA slate, let's look at how to utilize the DFS possibilities.

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

Point Guard

Fred VanVleet ($7,800) -- VanVleet wrecked the Nets in Games 1-3 of the series, but he hasn't looked the same over his last two. After a Game 1 loss to the Celtics, VanVleet was one of the few players who found some success. He finished the game with 11 points on 3-of-16 shooting (18.8%), 8 assists, 6 steals, and 4 rebounds. If it weren't for the poor shooting beyond the arc, going 2-for-11 from three (18.2%), he would have put up quality DFS outing. In Game 2, expect VanVeet to bring that energy he had in Game 1 and improve on his worst shooting performance since entering the bubble.

Jamal Murray ($9,700) -- Murray continued his tear and dropped 50 points on the Utah Jazz to force a Game 7. He's now scored at least 42 points in three-straight games and 36 or more in four-of-six in the series. He's currently at 34.0 points, 6.7 assists, and 6.2 rebounds for the series and it's safe to say he's playing the best basketball of his career. He's attempted at least 20 shot attempts in four games during the series, and at this point, it's between him or Donovan Mitchell ($9,900) for who's going to have the better game. Both players have been nothing short of spectacular in the series and are must-plays for Game 7.

Shooting Guard

Jordan Clarkson ($5,400) -- Clarkson's averaging 17.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in the series, and he's coming off his second 30-minute performance. The Jazz let the series slip away, and with Mike Conley ($6,800) playing well, Clarkson hasn't played as many minutes. Still, Clarkson is a liable threat to go for 20 points, and a few assists and rebounds each game. The Nuggets allow the third-most points per game in the postseason (119.8) and the third-most three-pointers made (17.0). numberFire's model predicts the sixth man to record 18.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.3 assists.

Marcus Smart ($6,000) -- Smart came out of his shell in Game 1 versus the Raptors, he scored 21 points, six rebounds, and four assists for 36.5 fantasy points. In four games versus the Raptors, he averaged 22.6 fantasy points per game on 10.0 points, 3.5 assists, and 3.0 rebounds. Without Gordon Hayward, Smart has taken be more involved in the offensive end and after making five three-pointers, he'll have more confidence moving forward. Smart is liable to have another all-around game and he's scored double-digits and grabbed five or more rebounds in three of his last four games.

Small Forward

Joe Ingles ($5,300) -- Ingles has been off and on in this series, and last game he was off, so I'm taking him to be on in Game 7. Ingles has averaged 9.5 points, 4.7 assists, and 2.7 rebounds in the series, and he's had three quality games out of the six played. In the three he played well, Ingles averaged 16.6 points, 5.0 assists, and 3.3 rebounds compared to 4.3 assists, 2.3 points, and 2.0 rebounds in the other three contests. Ingles is a risk-reward player, but there are not many options for a cheaper price on a two-game slate.

Norman Powell ($4,900) -- Powell didn't disappear like the rest of the Raptors in Game 1, but his performance was underwhelming in his standards. The sharp-shooter went 4-of-12 (33.3%) from the field and 2-of-5 (40%) from deep. Powell only recorded one rebound, one turnover, and five fouls, so he wasn't precisely impactful in DFS. Powell had two games of 24 or more in the first-round series versus Brooklyn, and he was semi-effective on the boards, grabbing 4.5 per game, up from his 3.7 season average. Powell is liable to light up any given game, and the Raptors bench arguably outplayed their starters in Game 1, so backing Powell isn't a bad idea.

Power Forward

Serge Ibaka ($6,200) -- Ibaka is another Raptor that should be in your lineups Game 2, and if he wasn't in Game 1, you were probably upset about it. He scored 15 points and 9 rebounds in 26 minutes. He's yet to play more than 26 minutes in the 2019-20 postseason, and when he does play 30 or more minutes, Ibaka's averaging 21.2 points and 9.8 rebounds. The Celtics small-ball lineup had a tough time defending Ibaka but handled Pascal Siakam ($8,000) and Marc Gasol ($4,100) well. In Game 2, I would target Siakam in a bounce-back and Ibaka off the bench as Robert Williams ($3,300), and Semi Ojeleye ($3,300) can't defend him.

Jayson Tatum ($9,200) -- Speaking of can't guarding somebody, that's been every opponent's problem with Tatum in the bubble. The 22-year-old stud scored 21 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in 37 minutes of action in Game 1. In the first round of the postseason, Tatum averaged 27.0 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.3 steals while hitting 42.7% of his three-pointers. Tatum has been lethal for the C's and every game; it's either him or Jaylen Brown ($7,300) that have to be in your lineup. numberFire's model projects Tatum to total 26.0 points, 7.5 rebounds, and 3.4 assists in 37 minutes.

Center

Nikola Jokic ($9,500) -- There are only two centers worth playing in those two-game slate, and unfortunately, they're both the highest-priced as well. Jokic is my top-play at the center position, and it's merely because of his versatility and the scoring ability he has versus the Jazz. Jokic has averaged 25.7 points per game in this series, and on the entire year, 26.8 points in nine meetings. He's recording 7.2 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 37.3 minutes per game on 51% from the field and 49% from three in the series. numberFire's model pegs Jokic at 22.9 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 7.9 assists in 36 minutes.

Rudy Gobert ($7,900) -- Gobert has played well in the series, but he hasn't done enough to close the series out or be a definite selection over Jokic in DFS. Gobert's averaged 16.5 points and 10.3 rebounds with four-straight double-doubles in the series. He played 42 and 43 minutes in the final two games and only managed 11 points in both meetings. Offensively, Gobert isn't doing enough to play him over Jokic in DFS, and his 10.2 shot attempts in the series and 8.3 over his last three games. He could fill a utility spot with Gobert, but there are better and cheaper options out there.

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.com