X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks (8/17/20): NBA DFS Lineups

The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on August 17, 2020. Jesse Borek provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.

It seemed in doubt that we would ever reach the day, but finally, the NBA playoffs have arrived. Albeit, they're here in a format never before seen and without home-court advantage, but ultimately, it’s the playoffs. Gone are the unique regular-season matchups and in their place are teams facing each other continuously, constantly tinkering.

For Game 1’s though, some matchups are relatively fresh. With that comes intriguing pricing as some stars have not adjusted from their regular-season price tag. Games are set to come in four-contest installments, giving owners ample choices on a nightly basis.

Here are our daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 8/17/20. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. Remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before lock.

Featured Promo: Get any DFS Premium Bundle for for 30% off using code NEW! Win more with expert advice from proven winners and exclusive DFS tools. Get instant access to RotoBaller's Lineup Optimizers, Research Stations, daily picks and VIP chat rooms across 10 sports! Go Premium, Win More!

 

DraftKings DFS Guards

Caris Levert - SG, BKN vs. TOR ($7,600)

It wouldn’t appear to be a stretch to believe that this is as low as LeVert’s price tag is going to get for the remainder of the postseason. While Brooklyn was willing to try and get other pieces of the puzzle involved during what amounted to scrimmages ahead of the playoffs, now that the lights are on, LeVert is going to take on a massive offensive workload. It’s not as if he hasn’t put that on display since the restart either; in six games in Orlando, he is averaging 25 points, 6.7 assists and 5.0 rebounds. Toronto figures to focus much of its collective attention to stopping him, but his usage rating should be gaudy, and with that in mind, he holds considerable upside in GPP action.

Kemba Walker - PG, BOS vs. PHI ($6,900)

In light of the announcement that Walker’s minutes restrictions have been removed, this price tag is far too tantalizing to ignore. Walker spent his six games in the bubble building up his stamina by averaging 25.1 minutes per contest, but owners can expect a more traditional 30+ allotment Monday. While the Sixers have done an excellent job of denying opposing point guards this season, the loss of Ben Simmons (knee) will have a trickle down effect on defensive assignments. Boston simply has too many playmakers in the backcourt, beginning with Walker, who dropped 29 and 26 points, respectively, on Philadelphia in their past two meetings.

Fred Vanvleet - PG/SG, TOR vs. BKN ($6,800)

During the three regular-season contests between Toronto and Brooklyn, VanVleet was essentially unguardable. Consider now that the Nets have only tinkered with their roster further, and it seems that VanVleet is once again in a position to build on the 26.7 points and 6.0 assists per contest average that he has accumulated against Brooklyn this season. The Raptors began to be uber-cautious with VanVleet inside of the bubble, yet he still managed a 36-point showing and a pair of double-doubles. With the Nets running out a backcourt lacking the playoff experience and defensive chops to slow both VanVleet and Kyle Lowry, rolling with the more reasonably priced and higher-upside member of the Toronto backcourt makes for a worthy investment.

Alec Burks - PG/SG, PHI vs. BOS ($3,900)

Burks’ price tag crescendoed during the regular-season finale, just to take a sharp downward turn ahead of Game 1. Fortunately for him, his role appears to be the same, leading the second unit as the primary shot taker. His last four contests have seen him average 32.7 DK points, and with Shake Milton having taken over starting PG duties, it wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility for head coach Brett Brown to ride Burks’ hand should he catch fire. Having closed the season on a four-game stretch that saw him shoot 54.4 percent overall and 45.5 percent from long range, this minimal price tag will also help owners pack high-end stars into lineups while retaining a high-upside scorer. 

Jordan Clarkson - PG/SG, UTA vs. DEN ($3,800)

With the news coming down Sunday that Mike Conley would be departing from the bubble to attend the birth of his child, Clarkson immediately became one of the premier low-priced plays on the board. He is likely to still come off the bench, but with the Jazz thinner at the guard spot than usual, he should see increased ball-handling duties in addition to the 14.3 field goal attempts that he averaged during eight bubble contests. 

 

DraftKings DFS Forwards

Paul George - SF, LAC vs. DAL  ($8,100)

While some stars cruised through the conclusion of the regular season, George has come out in playoff form. In six bubble contests, George averaged 25.5 points, hitting the 20-point plateau in each game. In those outings, he averaged eight triples attempted on a nightly basis, hitting at exactly a 50 percent rate. Factoring in his multi-category contributions across the board, George represents a safe floor for those able to roster him in cash contests. His 120 oRTG during the regular season against Dallas also bodes in his favor. 

Michael Porter Jr. - SF/PF, DEN vs. UTA ($7,100)

Porter represents another player whose price tag seems to have been affected by his playing over his final two regular-season outings. In the four bubble contests where he received his normal minutes allotment, he averaged a whopping 53.8 points, which would put him vastly above value. With Will Barton (knee) unavailable for Game 1, owners can expect Porter to retain a similar role as to when he reeled off four consecutive double-doubles over the past few weeks, one of which came against the Jazz.

 

DraftKings DFS Centers

Ivica Zubac - C, LAC v. DAL ($4,100)

Had Zubac been priced where he spent most of the most restart, owners could have avoided him with Montrezl Harrell (personal) likely to return to the mix. But after seeing a significant dip, he stands out as a particularly worthy cash play, especially in light of the rebounding role that he has found himself on in Orlando. Tossing aside his first and final game, Zubac averaged 12.8 points and 12.5 rebounds in a six-game stretch; against the Mavericks, he will not be matched up against a true center, which could pave the way for uncontested rebounds on the defensive end of the floor. His minutes allotment carries some risk, but he enters the playoffs playing his best basketball of the season.

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Daily Stats & Leaders
All Pitcher Matchups
Compare Any Players
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Griffin Conine

To Have Shoulder Surgery On Tuesday
Luke Keaschall

Twins Prospect Luke Keaschall Suffers Broken Forearm
Logan Gilbert

Leaves Friday's Start With Forearm Tightness

Vikings Select Tai Felton To Finish Day 2

Seahawks Select Quarterback Jalen Milroe With The 92nd Pick Overall

Browns Select Dillon Gabriel 94th Overall

Packers Pick Savion Williams At No. 87 overall

Steelers Snag Kaleb Johnson In Round 3

Broncos Select Wide Receiver Pat Bryant With The 74th Overall Pick

Texans Select Jaylin Noel With 79th Pick

Lions Select Wide Receiver Isaac TeSlaa With The 70th Overall Pick
Jack Leiter

To Start On Sunday

Patriots Add Wide Receiver Kyle Williams In Round 3

Browns Draft Harold Fannin Jr. With 67th Pick
Garrett Mitchell

Makes Early Exit
Luke Keaschall

Removed Early On Friday
Blake Snell

Likely Avoids Major Injury
Cole Ragans

Dealing With Mild Groin Strain

Broncos Add RJ Harvey To Backfield With 60th Pick

Raiders Select Jack Bech With 58th Pick

Chargers Add Wide Receiver Tre Harris In Round 2
Detroit Lions

Lions Acquire 57th Pick From Broncos

Seahawks Draft Elijah Arroyo 50th Overall
Carolina Panthers

Panthers Acquire 51st Pick From Broncos
Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Snag Will Johnson At No. 47

Jets Add A Pass-Catcher With Mason Taylor At No. 42

Rams Select Terrance Ferguson With 46th Pick
Houston Texans

Texans Acquire 48th Pick From Raiders, Draft Aireontae Ersery

Saints Snag Tyler Shough At No. 40
Brenton Doyle

Out For Personal Reasons On Friday
Brandin Podziemski

Not On Injury Report For Game 3
Jimmy Butler III

Warriors Optimistic About Jimmy Butler III Playing Saturday
Jae'Sean Tate

To Remain Out Saturday
Jock Landale

Unavailable For Game 3
Terry Rozier

Out On Saturday
Jrue Holiday

Ruled Out For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Orlando
Kevin Love

To Miss Saturday's Game
Jaylen Brown

Available For Friday Night's Game 3 Against Magic
Gary Payton II

Iffy For Saturday's Action
Jayson Tatum

Officially Available On Friday For Game 3 Against Magic
Will Smith

Back From Injury On Friday
Luke Kennard

Questionable For Game 4 On Saturday
Darius Garland

Listed As Questionable For Game 3
Ja Morant

To Miss Game 4 On Saturday
Rui Hachimura

Available For Game 3 In Minnesota
Aaron Ekblad

Available To Return Saturday
Erik Swanson

Ryan Burr Progressing
Daulton Varsho

To Return On Tuesday At The Latest
Max Scherzer

Takes Positive Step On Friday
Aleksander Barkov

Questionable For Saturday
Gabriel Landeskog

Set For Larger Role In Game 4
Calvin Pickard

To Start Game 3 For Oilers
Randy Arozarena

Resting For First Time This Year
Jonas Siegenthaler

To Play Limited Minutes In Game 3
MLB

Red Sox-Guardians Game Postponed On Friday
Luke Hughes

Remains Out On Friday
MLB

Tigers-Orioles Postponed On Friday
Patrik Laine

A Game-Time Decision Friday
Yainer Diaz

Out On Friday Against Royals
Iván Herrera

Ivan Herrera Hopes To Start Rehab Assignment Next Week
Salvador Perez

Sitting Out For First Time This Season
Jaylen Brown

Questionable For Game 3 On Friday
Brendan Donovan

Back In Action On Friday
Jimmy Butler III

Could Miss Game 3 On Saturday
Coby Mayo

Getting On A Roll At Triple-A
Carlos Prates

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Ian Machado Garry

Set For UFC Kansas City Main Event
Cade Cunningham

Collects Double-Double In Loss
Jalen Brunson

Drops 30 Points In Game 3
Karl-Anthony Towns

Leads All Scorers In Game 3 Victory
Zhang Mingyang

Scheduled For Co-Main Event
Anthony Smith

Set For His Final UFC Bout
David Onama

Set For Featherweight Bout
Giga Chikadze

Looks To Bounce Back
Abus Magomedov

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Michel Pereira

Returns To Action At UFC Kansas City
Nicolas Dalby

An Underdog At UFC Kansas City
Randy Brown

A Favorite At UFC Kansas City
Andre Muniz

Set To Open Up UFC Kansas City Main Card
Ikram Aliskerov

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Sergei Bobrovsky

Shuts Out Lightning In Game 2
Cam Fowler

Finishes Thursday's Win With Five Points
Robert Thomas

Posts Four Assists In Game 3 Win
Pavel Buchnevich

Celebrates Hat Trick During Four-Point Performance
Dylan DeMelo

Battling An Illness
Marcus Johansson

Exits Early Thursday
Aleksander Barkov

Hurt In Game 2
Jrue Holiday

Tagged As Questionable For Friday
Jayson Tatum

Likely Out Again On Friday
Anthony Cirelli

Good To Go Thursday
Andrei Vasilevskiy

Looks To Bounce Back In Game 2
Rasmus Ristolainen

To Miss Training Camp
Jonas Siegenthaler

Returns To Practice
Aliaksei Protas

Traveling With Capitals
Gabriel Vilardi

Still Out On Thursday
Max Pacioretty

Set To Join Maple Leafs Lineup For Game 3
Cam Davis

Looking For Better Fortunes At TPC Louisiana
Adam Svensson

Making Third Apperence At Zurich Classic
Max Greyserman

Aiming For Similar Success At TPC Louisiana
Lee Hodges

A High-Upside Player In New Orleans
PGA

Nico Echavarria Looks To Ride Off Of Elite Putting In New Orleans
Gary Woodland

A Player Worth Watching In New Orleans
Max McGreevy

Returns To The Zurich Classic Of New Orleans
Rasmus Hojgaard

In Search Of Consistency Ahead Of Zurich Classic
Sam Stevens

A Boom-Or-Bust Candidate In New Orleans
Nicolai Hojgaard

Looking To Turn Season Around At Zurich Classic
Christiaan Bezuidenhout

Looks To Sway A Hot Putter In Teams Favor At Zurich Classic
Akshay Bhatia

Looking To Bounce Back At TPC Louisiana
Carson Young

Looks To Turn Things Around At TPC Louisiana
Erik Van Rooyen

Looking For Momentum In Louisiana
Andrew Novak

Making Start At TPC Louisiana After Near Miss At Harbour Town
Ben Griffin

Making Third Career Start At Zurich Classic
Taylor Moore

Competing With A New Teammate In New Orleans
Wyndham Clark

Making Return To New Orleans
Kurt Kitayama

Teeing It Up Again In New Orleans
Collin Morikawa

Back At Zurich Classic For Fifth Time
Thomas Detry

Making Third Appearance At New Orleans Team Event
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF