This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Slate Overview
Team Durant at Team LeBron (-5.5) (o/u 322)
If one thing can be counted on in the All-Star Game, it's that plenty of points will be scored. That is indicated by the total set by the DraftKings Sportsbook. What's a bit more surprising is the spread, as Team LeBron seems clearly superior on paper - especially considering Durant himself won't play - yet they only check in as a 5.5 point favorite. The superiority of Team LeBron also plays out in terms of DraftKings salaries, as each of the three most expensive players on the slate are from that lineup. Despite that, plenty of players on Team Durant will have the chance to rack up fantasy points.
DraftKings is running a showdown format contest for the All-Star Game where each team selects a captain player that earns 1.5X points and also comes at an inflated salary. The increase adds more game theory to roster building, as the choice isn't simply a matter of picking the player who will score the most points. We'll run through a number of different builds, trying to find ways to get unique while also spotting top values.
Captain
If you want to follow the strategy of play the best of the best in the captain spot, there appears to be two primary options in Giannis Antetokounmpo ($14,700) and Stephen Curry ($14,400). Giannis has been excellent in each of the last three All-Star Games by posting no fewer than 25 points, seven rebounds and at least one defensive stat. Of course, playing him is likely to be among the chalkiest options and also means you'll have to pay down significantly in at least a few UTIL spots.
Curry also boasts a strong history in recent All-Star Games. In 2019, he shot only 6-for-23 from the field, but both his usage and 29 minutes are notable. He flipped the script in 2021 with only 22 minutes while shooting incredibly efficiently to finish with 28 points. Given that he's only $300 less compared to Giannis, I'd lean to begin my build with the latter. Curry is a potential pivot to be unique in bigger GPP contests.
LeBron James ($14,100) is the next captain consideration for those teams that build through one of the elite players. He has significantly scaled back his minutes in recent All-Star Games logging only 19 and 13 in the last two seasons. LeBron still produced plenty in 2020, but his performance last year showed the potential downside with just four points, four assists, two rebounds, and one block. The narrative is on his side as he returns to Cleveland. That could be enough motivation for James to put on a show. And considering he's currently second in MVP futures, oddsmakers believe he's in for a big performance.
Each of these players is on Team LeBron, and at least one of the trio is likely to post an impressive line. Given that, I'm not very interested in playing anyone outside of them as my captain.
With that, let's shift to Team Durant. The final of the top-tier options to consider is Joel Embiid ($13,800). Depending on the sportsbook, he's as high as tied for second in odds to win MVP. Embiid produced mixed results in past ASG performances, but he's likely to be a contrarian play give his similar salary point to Giannis, James and Curry. That is his primary appeal, but he could also be in for a big game without Durant.
Playing a Captain on Team Durant also offers the opportunity to pay down at the roster slot, unlike when building through Team LeBron. Ja Morant ($12,300) will be a very popular option for this strategy, as he has skyrocketed to being tied for the second-best odds to win MVP on DraftKings Sportsbook. From a game theory perspective, he may be worth fading - at least from the Captain spot - if helium around him continues to grow prior to the game. A potential pivot off of Morant is Trae Young ($12,000), who is valued similarly but will likely come with a much lighter roster rate.
Utility Options
If you pay up at captain…
Beginning with any of James, Curry, Giannis or Embiid as Captain will leave anywhere between $7,060 to $7,240 per UTIL slot. It's possible to build a relatively balanced roster from there by rostering players such as Jayson Tatum ($7,200), LaMelo Ball ($6,400), DeMar DeRozan ($7,600) and Devin Booker ($5,600).
Even given the extensive values of those elite options, it's also possible to "punt" one roster spot and fill the roster with a stars-and-scrubs approach. For those who want to follow that narrative, Darius Garland ($3,800) is appealing for this type of build given the game is being hosted in Cleveland. He would open a significant amount of salary, even with Giannis as Captain. Beginning a build with that duo leaves an average of $7,875 to fill the remaining four spots. In that scenario, it would be possible to get multiple second-tier players into lineups such as Morant and Young.
If you pay down at captain…
Utilizing either Morant or Young as Captain will leave between $7,500 and $7,600 for the five utility slots. Paying all the way down for an option like Garland would leave enough salary to play up to two options in the $9,000 range. One potential build would be picking one of the three elite players on Team LeBron and pairing them with Embiid. From there, there would be roughly $7,400 for each of the last two players, so shift back to some of the values listed above.
A more balanced build is also available, though that would require playing only one of the players in the $9,000 range. This isn't my favorite build as it requires rostering the fewest of the elite players on a slate that is designed for the best players in the world to excel.
