Wednesday, June 23, brings Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals. Let’s look at the Milwaukee Bucks vs. Atlanta Hawks 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.
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NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks, Wednesday, June 23
Yahoo Play of the Day — Khris Middleton: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Atlanta Hawks
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 42.2 | DraftKings: 44.44
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 55.5% | FanDuel 48% | DraftKings 56.3%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $32 | FanDuel $13,500 | DraftKings $15,000
Throughout the last two seasons and postseasons, Khris Middleton has shown excellent utility as a scorer, rebounder, defender and non-traditional facilitator from the wing. Today’s salary is a nice value on Yahoo with his mix of floor and upside.
Giannis Antetokounmpo: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Atlanta Hawks
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 62.77 | DraftKings: 65.25
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 98.5% | FanDuel 99.9% | DraftKings 95.4%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $54 | FanDuel $16,500 | DraftKings $18,600
There are going to be very few lineups without Giannis Antetokounmpo tonight, which checks out since there really is no direct pivot away from him. However, for those who do go away from the two-time MVP, then it would make sense to have at least two of Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday and Brook Lopez, if not all three in the event Antetokounmpo underperforms expectations.
Good Value
John Collins: Atlanta Hawks at Milwaukee Bucks
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 32.79 | DraftKings: 33.01
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo #N/A | FanDuel 18.6% | DraftKings 28%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $21 | FanDuel $12,500 | DraftKings $8,400
In five of the last six games against Philadelphia, John Collins corralled 10 rebounds five time and 14 points four times. Without Joel Embiid torturing the Hawks frontcourt and drawing fouls, Collins looks to be a safe source of value. For someone who doesn’t want to be with the Hawks and with team management in agreement, it does seem like a both parties were able to reach a detente and put those issues aside until the offseason.
Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball Discount Dandies
Atlanta Hawks
- Danilo Gallinari, $13: The Bucks like to push the opposition to take 3-point shots from the wing, which is right in the wheelhouse of Gallinari. This series he likely will have a 30-fantasy-point outburst; it will just be about figuring out when that will occur.
- Lou Williams, $10: To a certain extent Williams should have some opportunities from behind the arc. However, his last two big games have been buoyed by five combined steals. For perspective, in the entire playoffs he has 10 total.
- Onyeka Okongwu: Though he should see something in the neighborhood of 6 to 10 minutes, his upside is entirely dependent on Clint Capela getting in foul trouble or dealing with an in-game injury.
Milwaukee Bucks
- P.J. Tucker, $11: While he may or may not actually put the biscuit in the basket, Tucker has been getting in some good hustle stats, and that should continue in this series.
- Pat Connaughton, $10: It will be interesting to see how the Milwaukee rotation and roles adjust with a new opponent. It would make sense for Connaughton to see 20 to 22 minutes and be scoring dependent for most of his fantasy production.
- Bobby Portis, $10: In the playoffs Portis has been a tournament wild card, as he has not been too far off his usual per-minute fantasy production. It is the lack of minutes that limits his appeal.
Final Thoughts on the Wednesday, June 23 NBA DFS Slate
Have realistic expectations on the single-game slates, and while the giant tournaments are fun, the smaller-field contests can be lucrative with fewer lineup duplications. 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.
