The NBA Finals are underway, and there is NBA DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel. Greg Ehrenberg looks at some NBA DFS Picks to build around for the Friday, October 2 NBA Finals Game 2 slate.
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NBA DFS Picks: Value + Stud for NBA Finals Game 2 | Oct. 2
NBA DFS Value Pick: Kelly Olynyk
DraftKings $3,000, FanDuel $8,000
With all the injuries the Heat are dealing with, there is a ton of value to choose from. Kendrick Nunn came out of nowhere to win tournaments in Game, so he figures to make it into a bunch of lineups tonight. For a bit cheaper, I think there is a case for Olynyk as the better play.
We don’t know the Heat’s starting lineup yet, but I expect Nunn and Olynyk to enter the starting lineup in place of Goran Dragic and Bam Adebayo. As of the time I am writing this, both of those players are listed as doubtful. In the regular season, Olynyk was a better per minute fantasy producer than Nunn. He scores about a fantasy point per minute and averaged 23.19 DraftKings points in nine regular season starts. The only I concern I have is that Meyers Leonard could end up starting instead. If this is the case, Olynyk is still viable but he becomes much riskier.
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NBA DFS Stud Pick: Jimmy Butler
DraftKings $9,800, FanDuel $15,500
Not only did Adebayo and Dragic get injured on Wednesday, Butler rolled his ankle and briefly left the game. He returned and played big minutes in the second half, so I am not too concerned about the injury. Here is the reality of Miami’s situation. If Butler doesn’t put up a massive game, I don’t think they compete tonight. The Heat are nine-point underdogs with the assumption that Adebayo and Dragic are both out. This leads me to think that if Butler doesn’t play well, the game is blowout meaning that Anthony Davis and LeBron James both play limited minutes. When Dragic and Adebayo are off the court this season, Butler has a 29.8% usage rating and scores 1.19 DraftKings points per minute.
Editors Note:
Greg Ehrenberg is pegging Jimmy Butler as the stud of the night for NBA Finals Game 2, with Dragic and Adebayo both out. Greg’s expecting he should take on a bigger load and his NBA prop bet of over/under 22.5 points could be in play tonight. The new Awesemo OddsShopper tool searches all the big betting sites and finds the best price for your bet. Click here to start shopping!
NBA DFS Contrarian Pick: Rajon Rondo
DraftKings $6,600, FanDuel $7,500
With all the value created from the injuries to Adebayo and Dragic, most people will likely build their lineups with a stars and scrubs approach. Per dollar this is a fine move and makes a ton of sense. This also means that there is a simple way to make contrarian builds. Roster players from the midrange with upside. Rondo is the player that stands out the most to me. After playing limited minutes in the closeout game against the Nuggets, it looks like the Lakers plan to give Rondo a more prominent role in this series. Even though he didn’t light the world on fire in Game 1, he played 25 minutes and could have played upwards of 30 if the game was more competitive. Rondo has upside that could go overlooked until he puts up his first big line of the series.
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