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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on August 29, 2020. Euan Leith provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
The NBA returns to the court for three games on Saturday and plenty of exciting ways to set your DFS lineups. Portland and Orlando are fighting to stay in the postseason with elimination games versus Los Angeles and Milwaukee, respectively. Meanwhile, Houston tries to stop its two-game slide and regain control of the series versus Oklahoma City.
The return of Russell Westbrook should help the Rockets tremendously and gives fantasy players a great option at point guard. It's good timing as Damian Lillard has left the bubble due to a knee injury. Hopefully, he is healthy for next season because it looks like the joy of locking Lillard into your lineups is over for the 2019-20 NBA season. Anthony Davis and LeBron James remain game-time decisions, but it would be shocking if they were not suiting up for the late-game tip-off.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 8/29/20. You can also check out today's DraftKings lineup picks. Remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before lineups lock. Feel free to give me a follow on Twitter @EuanOrYouOut. Good luck.
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FanDuel DFS Guards
Russell Westbrook, PG - HOU vs. OKC ($9,400)
Russ is back, and we are hopping right on the bandwagon. After missing the first four games of the series due to a quad injury, Westbrook returns to play in his first playoff game for a team other than Oklahoma City and think he will be motivated. Reports say he looked great in team scrimmages earlier this week, and daily players should buy-in. The point guard is averaging 44.6 FanDuel points inside the bubble.
C.J. McCollum, SG - POR vs. LAL ($8,000)
With no Damian Lillard to run their offense, Portland will look to their second star to carry the offensive workload in their win or go home contest versus the Los Angeles Lakers. Lillard had a 30.3 percent usage rate on the season and is leaving 20.4 shots per game on the floor after been ruled out for tonight's game. McCollum should pick up at least five extra shots attempts on top of the 19.4 shots he is averaging this season. The shooting guard's price has gone up because of Lillard's absence, but not enough to factor in the offensive opportunities he will have on Saturday against the Lakers.
Dennis Schroder, SG - OKC vs. HOU ($6,000)
Dennis Schroder has been great in the previous two games of this series, and it's not a coincidence that Oklahoma City has won both contests. OKC has matched Houston in the small-ball game, and Schroder is thriving. In games three and four, the German averaged 29.5 points, four assists, three rebounds, and one steal in 35 minutes per contest. He produced 45.5 and 33.7 fantasy points in those tilts. Russell Westbrook returning could throw a wrench in the humming Thunder offense, but Schroder's price is still low enough that he is a viable option in lineups.
FanDuel DFS Forwards
Carmelo Anthony, SF - POR vs. LAL ($5,500)
After taking 17 total shots in games one and two, Carmelo Anthony has been getting plenty of looks in the previous two games. Melo is averaging 17.5 shots per game over games three and four, and I would expect that average to rise tonight. Damian Lillard will not play tonight and is taking his 20.4 shots per game with him. Melo likely takes at least 20 shots in Portland's elimination game versus the Los Angeles Lakers. He is going to keep shooting the rock until Terry Stotts takes him out of the game. Opportunity and volume as driving factors in any fantasy matchup and Anthony will have both in tonight's game.
Jeff Green, PF - HOU vs. OKC ($5,100)
Jeff Green was, quite frankly, a massive reason that the Houston Rockets found themselves with a 2-0 lead versus the Oklahoma City Thunder. The series is all tied up now, and Green had a poor performance in game four, but it's time to buy back in. During the first three games of the series, Green averaged 19.6 points, 6.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 33.8 fantasy points per game, and his ceiling is higher than most think in this Rockets' offense. Russell Westbrook returns for Houston tonight, and that will hamper Green a bit, but he still has a great chance to produce five times value for your team on Saturday,
Gary Clark, PF - ORL vs. MIL ($4,300)
Gary Clark has taken 29 shots in Orlando's series versus the Milwaukee Bucks. All 29 attempts have been behind the three-point line. The NBA has been trending towards three-point shooting for a long time now, but seeing a player exclusively shoot three-point attempts is still a strange stat line to witness. Regardless, Clark has produced between 19.4 and 26.1 fantasy points in each of the four games and contributed across the box score. In four games, the power forward is averaging 9.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.8 made three-pointers, 1.5 assists, and 1.3 steals in 29.9 minutes. The sophomore player has been quietly consistent during the playoffs and offers a safe floor at a low price on Saturday's slate.
FanDuel DFS Centers
Nikola Vucevic, C - ORL vs. MIL ($9,000)
Going with Nikola Vucevic is a bit of a gut call, but I think a lot of people will be putting Jusuf Nurkic in their lineups tonight after his big night in game four and the fact that Damian Lillard is out with a knee injury. Those factors leave Orlando's center as my primary option at center for Saturday's contest. The big man from the Swiss Alps has been fantasy gold during the playoffs. Besides a down performance in game three, Vucevic has been a stud. Three double-doubles, three 30-point performances, and three games with at least 47 FanDuel fantasy points. The $9,000 salary shouldn't scare daily managers away because he has a great combination of a concrete floor and a massive ceiling. The Bucks haven't had an answer for him in the series, and Vucevic will be able to get his stats in, potentially, his final appearance this season.
