FanDuel daily picks: Fantasy basketball lineup – April 17, 2018
Wizards-Raptors (Raptors Lead 1-0)
High Salary (Wizards)
John Wall ($9,800): Wall has been over 55 fantasy points in three straight. His shot didn’t exactly fall in Game 1, but 15 assists and six defensive plays will boost anyone’s value. He’s the one guy on either side that you can count on to deliver. *****
Bradley Beal ($8,000): Beal was right at value in Game 1. He missed a lot of shots he would normally make and the Raptors can’t count on that to happen again. He’s been under 20 points in four of his last five games, so there might be a mini-slump going on right now. I suspect he’ll have a bounce back game. ****
High Salary (Raptors)
Kyle Lowry ($7,300): Lowry was right at value in Game 1 and now his salary has jumped to where he’s going to need 31.4 fantasy points to hit value. That’s concerning. He’ll get his assist numbers, but his scoring has been down for weeks now and his rebounding might not be there. Proceed with caution. ***
DeMar DeRozan ($7,400): DeRozan had 26.4 fantasy points in Game 1 and needs 32.3 fantasy points in Game 2 for value. It’s been six games since he’s scored 20-plus points and he’s not making up that value in other areas. This is a tough sell to me. It’s hard to trust either Raptors All-Star to deliver in the playoffs and Game 1 didn’t exactly change that line of thinking. **
High Value (Wizards)
Otto Porter Jr. ($5,600): Porter Jr.’s salary continues to fall as he continues to miss value. He’ll need to be better if the Wizards hope to win this series. This feels like a game where he bounces back and at least hits value on his lower salary. ***
Markieff Morris ($6,000): Morris was a big contributor in Game 1, finishing with 44.2 fantasy points. When the Wizards go small, they can give the Raptors a lot of trouble. Morris was built for playoff basketball as he’s able to get tough points and rebounds. His salary has jumped and I wouldn’t expect another 40-plus fantasy point game. But 25 fantasy points should be doable. ***
High Value (Raptors)
Serge Ibaka ($6,100): Ibaka posted 43.9 fantasy points in Game 1. Like Morris, expecting 40-plus fantasy points is optimistic, but there’s no doubt that Ibaka typically delivers in the playoffs. And when he’s hot, he’s really hot. ****
Delon Wright ($4,100): With Fred VanVleet out, Wright delivered 33.2 fantasy points off the bench. If VanVleet returns, grab him over Wright. He’s more likely to get the playing time due to his play throughout the season. The Wizards bench is ripe to take advantage of and the guard play Toronto’s bench is good enough to do it. ***
Other Players
Washington: Mike Scott ($3,500) had a strong Game 1, but a repeat performance seems unlikely. Kelly Oubre Jr. ($4,400) is going to step up at some point in this series, but it’s best to wait until they go to Washington. Marcin Gortat ($4,300) is a decent option if you want to load up elsewhere.
Toronto: Jonas Valanciunas ($5,800) might be in trouble if the Wizards stick with small ball. OG Anunoby ($3,500) played well in Game 1 and will get playing time with the starters. He’s not a great option, but if you want Giannis and heavy on guards, he’ll do. Same goes for C.J. Miles ($3,500).