DFS NBA Top Plays: The First Dance

Last Updated: July 29th at 3:45 pm ET

Editor’s Note: We may not write up every player we consider to be a top play. Be sure to consult the chart at the bottom of the page. This page will be updated as news breaks. Please refresh this page for adjustments and notes on injuries.

If you haven’t yet signed up for our NBA package, the details are here. For a limited time, we are running a launch sale — use promo code LAUNCH at checkout for 50% off of your first weekly purchase.

 

Injuries 
* Bojan Bogdanovic (wrist) — Out
* Zion Williamson (personal) — GTD
* Montrezl Harrell (personal) — Out
* Lou Williams (chicken wings) — Out
* Patrick Beverley (personal) — Probable
* Avery Bradley (personal, Orlando opt out) — Out
* Anthony Davis (eye) — GTD
* Rajon Rondo (thumb) — Out

 

You don’t have to play cash games to understand why it’s important to grasp them. Players we consider for cash are the ones we believe are the most underpriced, have the best floor/ceiling combo and feature a relatively tight range of outcomes. In other words, these are the best plays on the board once price, slate context and positional depth is accounted for. Those sound like pretty good options for GPPs as well.

The optimal GPP lineup will mix some of these cash-type plays with higher-variance options. In cash games (where roughly 50% of the field gets paid out), we don’t worry about ownership or game stacks or correlation. In large-field tournaments, our ACO (average cumulative ownership) should stay reasonably low.

With all that said, these are our Top Plays considering the following factors: Median projection, matchup, upside and value. Ownership is not considered here. Generally speaking, these players are what we consider to be “head-to-head and 50/50 considerations.” They are listed in price descending order (NOT ranked by “best play”). At the bottom, you’ll find suggested rankings by site once salary is accounted for. 

 

Point Guard

Reggie Jackson ($4,600 DK/$3,800 FD) – Every injury the Clippers are currently dealing with positively impacts Reggie Jackson’s value. If Patrick Beverley (questionable) is unable to go, Jackson should see a big boost in minutes moving into the starting lineup. He’d represent the only true point guard on the roster. If Beverley plays, Jackson will lead a second unit without primary scorers Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams. We’re either getting a big usage increase in the second unit or more minutes than we would normally project as a starter. The multiple paths to value at a cheap price tag make Jackson one of the best plays on the slate.

Mike Conley ($6,200 DK/$5,700 FD) – The two point guard requirement and lack of positional flexibility will make Conley a better play on FanDuel than DraftKings. The Jazz have played tighter rotations during the scrimmages and the matchup with the Pelicans provides a great pace up matchup. The Pelicans rank 27^th in defensive efficiency against opposing point guards this season.

 

Shooting Guard

Jordan Clarkson ($4,200 DK/$4,300 FD) – The loss of Bojan Bogdanovic opens up plenty of minutes and usage for one of the league’s premier bench scorers. After averaging just over 25 minutes per game this season, we’re projecting high 20s minutes for