NBA DFS picks August 5: Anthony Davis eyes

NBA DFS forward plays:

We just saw Anthony Davis maul Utah. He has mauled Oklahoma City twice this year. LeBron’s going to take it easy and get 50, but I’ll have a lot of Anthony Davis across the board. He has the highest upside on the slate. If I knew Embiid was going to play 30 minutes, I would consider him over Davis, but that’s it. A.D. is the top play on any site.

This is another great matchup for Nikola Jokic. Center is thin after the top due to matchups. On FanDuel, you have to pay for either Jokic or Embiid. I would suggest the same on DraftKings, but there’s more wiggle room over there with Brandon Clarke eligible at C.

The Nets don’t have anyone that can stop Jayson Tatum. He’s worth playing in plus matchups. It wont get any better than this. Daniel Theis is firmly in play too.

Jonas Valanciunas still isn’t going to play a ton of minutes, even with JJJ out. However, he can do a ton of damage in 30 minutes. He’s about the only mid-range center I like on any site. Gorgui Dieng is an interesting punt, but keep in mind that he still likely wont play more than 20 minutes.

I so badly want to run Thomas Bryant at Embiid, but I don’t know if I can do it. Bryant has been outstanding in the bubble and the Sixers forgot how to play defense since they got down to Orlando. Washington makes for interesting plays in GPP tournaments, but they’ll likely ride the hot hands. You’d better guess right if you’re using any of them.

I want to believe that Michael Porter can do this every game, but we’ve seen this movie a few times. Porter goes off. Everyone plays him the next game and he’s either phased out by the coach or gets in foul trouble. Porter’s upside is still elite, but he continues to be one of the riskiest plays on the slate.

Speaking of Clarke, he’ll be one of the highest owned players today and one of the best values on any site. He’s not a want at this price. He’s a need with JJJ out.

Royce O’Neale will never put up huge numbers, but he’s becoming a lot like Favors was for Utah. He’s a decent shooter and a force on the glass. O’Neale and Rudy Gay are both very consistent plays at bargain prices. They wont help you take down a GPP, but they’ll make sure you don’t lose money either.

The pricing is a little tighter on DraftKings, but the position scarcity on FanDuel makes a build particularly difficult. Point guard is especially weak.