For Sunday, June 13, we have a five-hour disparity in our tipoffs. This could lead some gamers getting jumpy and looking to lock in starters for the first game. Do keep in mind that fortune does tend to favor the bold. Let’s look at the four-team player pool and discuss the top NBA DFS picks for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups. Don’t forget to head over to the Awesemo NBA DFS home page for more great written daily fantasy basketball content, including the FREE NBA Deep Dive — the most in-depth article in the industry
NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks, Sunday, June 13
Yahoo Play of the Day — Nikola Jokic: Denver Nuggets vs. Phoenix Suns
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 55.99 | DraftKings: 58.91
Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 34.8% | FanDuel 30.6% | DraftKings 35%
DFS Salary: Yahoo $51 | FanDuel $11,500 | DraftKings $10,600
This one is for all the marbles as the Nuggets are on the verge of being swept by the Suns. It almost feels as if Phoenix being “just” 3-point favorites is an insult to Chris Paul & Co. Nikola Jokic put on an MVP-worthy performance in Game 3, playing 40 minutes while going 13-of-29 from the field for 32 points along with 20 rebounds and 10 assists for 70-plus fantasy points. Coach Monty Williams is employing the let Jokic get his and shut down everyone else strategy to perfection. While that is not likely to thrill coach Michael Malone, it should be a fountain of fantasy goodness for DFS gamers once more.
Chris Paul: Phoenix Suns at Denver Nuggets
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 40.73 | DraftKings: 41.9
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 47.8% | FanDuel 37.6% | DraftKings 43.8%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $32 | FanDuel $8,500 | DraftKings $7,400
The FanDuel salary algorithm is the only one that is giving even a modicum of respect to the recent performance of Paul. Through the first three games of this series, he is averaging a tick shy of 50 fantasy points and as long as he can keep his 36-year-old body functioning, he has a floor approaching 40 fantasy points, which is just astounding to say the least.
Good Value
Bruce Brown: Brooklyn Nets at Milwaukee Bucks
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 25.75 | DraftKings: 25.67
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 46.8% | FanDuel 36.4% | DraftKings 35.4%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $12 | FanDuel $5,600 | DraftKings $4,700
Once again, we will be turning to the Nets for our value plays and Bruce Brown Jr. stands out as one of the best. Despite being chastised for his decision making in the waning moments of Game 3, Brown was otherwise solid with 16 points, 11 rebounds and three assists in 38 minutes. It appears that he has supplanted Mike James, Landry Shamet and Tyler Johnson. If he can stay out of foul trouble and doesn’t do anything to infuriate his coach, Kyrie Irving or Kevin Durant, he is the clear top value option on the board today.
Risky Value
Denver Nuggets vs. Phoenix Suns
The return of Will Barton has mucked up the value plays for the Nuggets in fairly dramatic fashion. After playing 16 minutes in Game 2 after being sidelined for six weeks that increased to 28 minutes in Game 3. With his ability to handle the ball as a secondary facilitator, he is chipping away at the minutes allocated to Facundo Campazzo, Monte Morris and Austin Rivers. Additionally, it looks like he has the edge over JaMychal Green and Paul Millsap in high-leverage situations curbing their upside. Finally, his skillset is relatively redundant with Aaron Gordon, who has been content to focus more on defense with Barton usurping his offensive opportunities. Two or three of the secondary Nuggets will have solid-to-good games, figuring out which players will perform well in advance of the actual game seems like a fool’s errand.
Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball Discount Dandies
- Cameron Jonson: PHX at DEN – $10
- Austin Rivers: DEN vs. PHX – $10
- Torrey Craig: PHX at DEN – $10
Final Thoughts on the Sunday, June 13 NBA DFS Slate
The only real question is how will Michael Porter Jr.’s back fare during warmups for the late game. Keep in mind that salaries and scoring formats differ across the various fantasy sites, and a slam-dunk play on Yahoo may be a below-average NBA DFS pick on DraftKings or FanDuel.
