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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on July 20, 2021. Mike Marteny provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
We are up to Game 6 of the NBA Finals between the Suns and Bucks, which is now an elimination game. Giannis can join the same stratosphere (at least in Milwaukee) as Kareem if he can bring the title home. The Bucks have only lost once at home in the playoffs and only lost ten games at home in the entire regular season, so the Suns have their work cut out for them.
We are in Showdown mode for DFS on DraftKings from here on out. To build our rosters for this particular format, we need to identify a Captain and five utility players. It's just like the analytics nerds dreamt it up: positionless basketball. The Captain will earn 1.5 times the amount of points he regularly tallies, but it also drives up the price for your more prominent players.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 7/20/21. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. With COVID-19 a significant factor, remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before lineups lock.
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Milwaukee Bucks (-5, 222 total)
Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF/C (Captain: $19,200, Utility: $12,800)
With the way this series has been going, the 52.25 DraftKings points from Giannis in Game 5 was a bit of a letdown. And DraftKings still raised his price. I can see a fade here, especially in GPP's. I no longer think he has to be in the lineup because of the elevated price. That said, if you think Milwaukee wins the series tonight, Giannis will be a big reason why. Build your roster accordingly.
Jrue Holiday - PG/SG (Captain: $14,400, Utility: $9,600)
Game 5 is what happens when Holiday makes the number of shots that he normally does. He breaks the slate. The 61.5 DraftKings points was a game high, and if you had him at captain, you likely had a takedown or were close to it. Holiday's peripherals keep him scoring high enough that you can survive with him in the captain slot even if he doesn't shoot well. The ceiling is higher on him than Giannis due to the savings alone.
Pat Connaughton - SG/SF ($5,200)
I still love the minutes for P.J. Tucker and the price, but Connaughton at least has some upside to him. He has cleared 24 DraftKings points in three of the five games in this series. Connaughton had a rough series against Atlanta, but I'll chalk that up to him finding his role in the middle of the playoffs when DiVincezo went down. Connaughton's floor is the same as Tucker's, but the upside is almost double. That's a must in GPP formats.
Other options: Khris Middleton ($10,200), P.J. Tucker ($3,400)
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Phoenix Suns (+5, 222 total)
Devin Booker - SG (Captain: $15,600, Utility: $10,400)
We all know what kind of defender Holiday is, so his last three games against Paul are likely the norm and not Game 1. I will also preface this by saying that you should only run Booker at captain if you're going for first or last place. The upside is there, but Game 5 was the first time he hit 50 DraftKings points in a game this series. He's way too expensive for what he has done against the Bucks as a whole. That said, Booker has scored more than 40 real points in two straight games. The Suns appear as though they're going to ride him, which alleviates some of the risk.
Deandre Ayton - C (Captain: $12,300, Utility: $8,200)
Our days of questioning whether we can run Ayton at captain should be over by now. Ayton put up another 40 DraftKings point game and his price only went up 200 bucks. Who says that DraftKings doesn't do us a solid from time to time? Booker has far more upside, but just look at that price differential. Is Booker going to be $3.300 better than Ayton? The chances of that happening are around 20%. It happened in Game 5, so the odds go down even further.
Jae Crowder - SF/PF ($7,400)
Game 5 was a bit of a letdown after the price jack on Crowder. 25.75 DraftKings points in still a good score, but we needed somewhere in the mid-30's like he has been when paying this price. Connaughton is a lot cheaper and nearly outscored Crowder. Given his performances in the first two games in Milwaukee, maybe we go back to Crowder here. I certainly can't argue against it, but is it worth the corners you have to cut? If you aren't playing Giannis at all, Crowder becomes far more accessible. That's a huge risk though.
Other options: Chris Paul ($9,000), Cameron Payne ($4,000)
