NBA DFS Picks: Value & Stud for 9/20

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 Sunday, Sept. 20 slate.

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NBA DFS Picks: Value + Stud for Sept. 20

Value Pick: Dwight Howard

DraftKings $2,800, FanDuel $8,000

The Lakers changed their starting lineup for the series against the Nuggets. To matchup against their size, the Lakers went back to their regular season starting lineup. This means that JaVale McGee entered the starting five with Markieff Morris heading to a reserve role. While this made McGee a good value option, it also meant that Howard returned to the rotation. Howard barely played against the Rockets, which makes sense given the amount of small lineups they play. Still, it was a bit tough to trust the workload of Howard in Game 1. After seeing the results, I have more confidence that Howard will play a sizable role in this series. He averaged more fantasy points than McGee in the regular season, making him my preferred option of the centers.

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Stud Pick: LeBron James

DraftKings $12,200, FanDuel $16,000

LeBron is my default option to pay up for in this series. I doubt we will have games where there is somebody else I prefer unless there is an injury situation or some kind of massive change in the pricing. As it currently stands, LeBron, Anthony Davis and Nikola Jokic are all grouped closely together.

Even though Davis outscored LeBron in Game 1 of the series, James is the far better fantasy producer in the playoffs overall. Last game was only the third time in the playoffs that LeBron scored under 51 DraftKings points. Davis is also consistent in the playoffs, but he’s lacked the upside that LeBron is showing. Davis only has two playoffs games going over 60 DraftKings points, a mark that James has hit six times. As for Jokic, the Lakers’ defense finished first in the Western Conference in defensive efficiency. The matchup for the Lakers’ stars is much more favorable.

Contrarian Pick: JaVale McGee

DraftKings $2,000, FanDuel $7,000

I assume that we will see Howard soak up much more ownership than McGee tonight. The game script where Howard has a poor game seems pretty clear. The situation is McGee getting off to a strong start and playing the bulk of the center minutes. Since McGee is the starter, he gets first crack at the minutes and we have seen McGee end up playing more than Howard in many games this season. On a per-dollar basis, I view Howard as the better play, but if you want to go contrarian, McGee is the pivot.

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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.