NBA DFS Picks: Value & Stud for 9/18

NBA playoff action is underway, and there is NBA DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel. Greg Ehrenberg looks at some NBA DFS Picks to build around for the Friday, Sept. 18 slate.

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NBA DFS Picks: Value + Stud for Sept. 18

Value Pick: Alex Caruso

DraftKings $4,000, FanDuel $8,500

We need an injury update on Rajon Rondo before setting lineups tonight. Rondo is listed as questionable on the injury report with a back injury. Keep in mind that Rondo missed games earlier in the playoffs because of a back injury, so there is no guarantee that he will play tonight. If active, he makes for a great value play.

If Rondo is out, look for Caruso to play a significant role in the rotation. To this point, Rondo is the third-best player on the Lakers in the playoffs and losing him leaves a big void in play making and minutes. Caruso would step back into the backup point guard role, which is a job he performed admirably earlier in the postseason without Rondo available. Caruso regularly played over 20 minutes against the Blazers and scored as many as 27 DraftKings points when Rondo was out.

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Stud Pick: LeBron James

DraftKings $11,600, FanDuel $15,500

Both Anthony Davis and James are crushing in the postseason. In the paint the duo is nearly unstoppable. In the restricted area, Davis is making 79% of his shots and LeBron is making 76.6% of his shots. These are the two-best rates of any qualified player int the playoffs. Without a ton of 3-point shooting on the roster, the Lakers are getting by with efficient buckets around the hoop. They are really taking shots in the mid range. Going up against Nikola Jokic in the paint, I don’t expect much to change in this series.

Of the two stars, I am leaning toward James since he’s the better fantasy producer in the playoffs thus far. Not only is his floor high, nobody in the playoffs is showing a better ceiling. LeBron has over 50 DraftKings points in seven of his last eight games and was over 60 DraftKings points in five of those contests. Simply put, James is playing at another level in the postseason and rarely has off night. Since the Lakers have the third-ranked defensive efficiency in the league and the Nuggets are ranked 17th, the matchup for players on Los Angeles is much more favorable.

Contrarian Pick: JaVale McGee

DraftKings $2,000, FanDuel $7,000

This is an extremely risky pick because McGee might play zero minutes tonight. He got phased out of the Lakers’ rotation last series and lose his starting gig to Markieff Morris. This is potentially the same rotation Los Angeles will run in this series. However, I think the matchup against the Nuggets is so much different than the Rockets that I expect different players on the court. Morris started in large part because of the Rockets’ small ball. Playing against a bigger team with frontcourt players like Jokic, Paul Millsap or Mason Plumlee getting minutes. This is where I think we see McGee enter the rotation again and potentially even move back into the starting lineup.

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Author

Greg Ehrenberg

Greg is a former stand up comedian who quit telling jokes to pursue a career in the world of DFS. He started playing fantasy sports in 6th grade when Greg and his friends would skip classes to meet in the bathroom for 20 team fantasy basketball drafts. Considering his current career path, it was the best education he could have asked for.