Which players should you build around and which players should you fade in DFS as we tip off Friday night's NBA playoff action? Our experts have the answers.
Today's panel includes ESPN Fantasy's Kyle Soppe and Joe Kaiser, plus DFS expert Renee Miller.
Players to build around
Kyle Soppe -- Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
You know what Beal is? A very good shooter. That's a fact, not an opinion. Well, the Wizards guard is getting 24.8 points per game in this series despite shooting just 24 percent from distance. Consider this: If Beal's shot distribution remained but we adjusted his 3FG% in this series for his season rate, he'd be averaging 29.6 points. That'll work, and it doesn't even take into account what knocking down a few more shots would do in terms of opening up the lane. Beal isn't the most well-rounded of fantasy options, but considering that he has matched a season high with three straight games of at least four rebounds and that he has multiple thefts four times in this series, Beal is set to reward owners who invest.
Joe Kaiser -- Gordon Hayward, Utah Jazz
Hayward has put the Jazz on his back during the playoffs, and tonight he has a chance to put the Clippers away in front of the hometown crowd in Salt Lake City. Hayward is going to play somewhere between 38 and 42 minutes in this one, which is great for DFS, and let's not forget his epic Game 3 at home when he scored more than 54 DFS points via 40 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 blocks. Many expect the Jazz to end the series tonight, and that happens only if Hayward plays like he has all series long (47.9 FG%, 46.2 3FG%). For that reason, I'm all over Hayward at small forward on Friday.
Renee Miller -- Al Horford, Boston Celtics
While I can see going a few different ways with guards, I'm not willing to pay up for Rudy Gobert (on FanDuel) and can't trust DeAndre Jordan, Dwight Howard, Marcin Gortat or Robin Lopez. Therefore, in most contests, Horford is the man at center and a player I'm willing to build around in any contest. His price is fair, he has filled the stat sheet in every game of the series, with a 7-point, 11-rebound, 5-assist game (plus a block and a steal) being his worst showing so far. This is a close-out situation for the Celtics, who will obviously be much better off if they don't have to play Sunday. Horford makes a lot of sense on a slate where around $10K is the most you'll have to spend on any player.
Players to fade
Kyle Soppe -- DeAndre Jordan, LA Clippers
I very much believe that this could be the closest of the three games despite the highest opening spread, but I am also buying this as the lowest-scoring game on tonight's slate, and that has me hesitant to have much exposure to this one. Jordan has been essentially what I figured he would be in this series, but that comes with essentially no upside. Yes, he is a near double-double lock (nice for DraftKings players), but with more assists than blocked shots over the last three games, how is he going to surpass value? He's shooting 70.7 percent from the field in this series, so it's not like his scoring can spike in a significant way with his usage level being what it is. I also worry about potential foul trouble on the road tonight, as Jordan has committed at least four fouls in three of his last four games (something he did only once this regular season). Horford is a far superior value on DraftKings, and I think Howard is a better buy on both DraftKings and FanDuel than Jordan.
Joe Kaiser -- Jae Crowder, Boston Celtics
Crowder is priced to where he'll need right around 29-30 DFS points to reach his salary value, and that's a mark he hasn't hit once in the first five games of the series against the Bulls. If he were priced in the high $4,000s or low $5,000s, he'd be much more worthy of consideration. That isn't the case on Friday, and his 39.7 percent shooting in the series isn't a good sign that he'll bust out in Game 6.
Renee Miller -- Markieff Morris, Washington Wizards
After a spectacular Game 1, Morris' minutes and usage have been consistently cut short by foul trouble. That has led to a massive reduction in his scoring, rebounding and block opportunities. Although his price is fairly low, I feel like there are higher-upside guys in his range (e.g., Nikola Mirotic) who you can pair with Paul Millsap, the clear top play at this position tonight.
