This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Slate Overview
Bucks at Celtics (-5) (o/u 206.5)
Mavericks at Suns (-6.5) (o/u 205.5)
We have two Game 7's on the schedule Sunday, so things don't get much better from a competitive standpoint. An unsurprising lack of injuries and tighter rotations have made lineup construction significantly more difficult, so where bargains emerge expect roster rates to be particularly high.
Injury Situations to Monitor
Robert Williams, BOS (knee): questionable
Williams is the lone injury situation that could impact the slate and has been out for each of the Celtics' last three games. Al Horford and Grant Williams have been the primary beneficiaries of his absence, though there has been another notable winner who will be highlighted later.
Other Notable Injuries
Khris Middleton, MIL (knee): out
Elite Players
Giannis Antetokounmpo ($12,000) is in a tier of his own for Sunday's slate. He's the most expensive player, but offers the safest floor. His worst production of this series is 51.25 DK points, which would hardly be a lineup killer even at his extraordinary salary.
The case for Luka Doncic ($11,600) is similar, though he's turned in more floor performances than ceiling against Phoenix. He's a safe bet to cross the 50 DK threshold, but hasn't shown the ability to go much above of it late. While I'd prefer Antetokounmpo, there's plenty of reason to pivot to Doncic in large-field tournaments.
Jayson Tatum ($10,000) has completely taken over the offense in Boston the last two games having attempted 29 and 32 shots from the field. In a Game 7 scenario, he'll almost certainly replicate that type of volume, which makes him a nice play. But Tatum's clearly at least a notch below Antetokounmpo and Doncic.
Expected Chalk
In addition to Antetokounmpo and Doncic, the following players are expected to be chalk Sunday:
In an indirect way, Derrick White ($4,600) has been a primary beneficiary of Robert Williams' absence reaching 30 minutes in each of the last three games while surpassing 22.75 DK each time. He's not a huge value play, but there aren't all that many obvious selections available on this slate who are also cheap. White offers the chance to save salary while banking guaranteed production. That combination will make him popular.
Mikal Bridges ($5,500) has had a solid yet unspectacular series against Dallas from a fantasy perspective. His shot hasn't fallen consistently, but he's produced enough peripheral stats to avoid awful point totals. He's $200 more than Jae Crowder and $400 more than Reggie Bullock, but people will likely be willing to go for the perceived safety.
Al Horford ($7,200) has racked up big point totals throughout this series and remains reasonably valued relative to his illustrated upside. That will be enough to attract a significant roster rate.
Top Values
Aside from Antetokounmpo, Deandre Ayton ($7,100) provides the safest floor at center. I like him in cash games as a result, as it should be pretty comfortable to lock in at least 30 DK.
Spencer Dinwiddie ($4,500) is a glue player thanks to his consistent role and willingness to shoot. Despite logging under 25 minutes in each of the last four playoff games, he's attempted seven-to-10 shots from the field on three occasions. The ceiling isn't there, but Dinwiddie represents a good cash option.
After starting with a few cash game options, let's switch to tournaments and Reggie Bullock ($5,100). He provides basically no floor due to shooting being his primary source of fantasy production. However, Bullock doesn't hesitate to keep shooting when he's feeling it, which provides him with significant fantasy upside.
