This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Slate Overview
It's the most wonderful time of the year.
The NBA Playoffs officially tipped off Saturday with games throughout the day. Play will resume with four more Sunday, setting up for an interesting slate on DraftKings.
The Wizards took down the Pacers on Thursday to clinch the No. 8 seed. They'll start the day against Philadelphia at 1 p.m. EDT. That matchup currently has the highest total at 228.5.
Teams are starting to tighten their rotations, meaning their is now less value to choose from. Monitoring the injury report is still crucial to a successful slate, though it looks pretty bare at the moment. Let's go ahead and dive in to what you need to know before creating your lineup:
Injury News to Monitor
LeBron James, LAL (ankle)/Status: PROBABLE
Anthony Davis, LAL (shoulder)/Status: PROBABLE
Ersan Ilyasova, UTA (illness)/Status: QUESTIONABLE
Elite Players
Russell Westbrook ($12,100) leads the way with the highest salary on the slate. He has been a triple-double machine this season on his way to becoming the NBA's all-time leader in the category. Still, Westbrook faces a tough task against the 76ers defense and likely needs to reach 60 or more fantasy points to be worth it.
LeBron James ($10,200) and Anthony Davis ($10,000) both represent viable options, but the stud I like the most is Joel Embiid ($9,800) as he has a great matchup against the Wizards and also looks a bit undervalued to me.
Donovan Mitchell ($8,800) is back from an ankle injury that sidelined him toward the end of the regular season. I don't mind jumping to him here either.
Finally, I love the salary on Chris Paul ($7,500), especially in a playoff contest.
Expected Chalk
I believe Paul will be found on plenty of lineups Sunday. The same can be said for Embiid.
I think we could also see Derrick Rose ($5,500) and Jaren Jackson Jr. ($5,600) a decent amount given their salaries.
Key Values
Derrick Rose, NY vs. ATL ($5,500)
Rose has helped elevate New York to new levels this season, and I expect him to keep a big role against Atlanta. He is coming off the bench, but provides a scoring punch that can lead to big fantasy days. Rose is likely good for at least 30 DraftKings points, with a ceiling of 50.
Nerlens Noel, NY vs. ATL ($4,100)
Sticking with the Knicks, Nerlens Noel looks like a fine option on this slate. He's logged at least 30 minutes in each of the last two outings and should continue to see plenty of court time as starting center. Noel isn't a scorer, but what he does provide is steals and blocks. If he's able to record enough of those, it could be a huge day for the big man.
Jaren Jackson Jr., MEM at UTA ($5,600)
After spending most of the year out with an injury, Jackson is starting to see his playing time ramped up. He only played 15 minutes in Friday's play-in game against the Warriors, but that can be attributed at least a bit to foul trouble. I fully expect Jackson to see 30 minutes as a starter today and I like him even with the tough matchup against the Jazz defense.
