Which players should you build around and which players should you fade for the Thursday-Friday NBA DFS contests? Our experts have the answers.
Today's panel includes ESPN Fantasy's Kyle Soppe and Joe Kaiser.
Players to build around
Joe Kaiser -- Jonathon Simmons, San Antonio Spurs
The Spurs have gone to Simmons more and more in this series, and he has scored more than 23 DFS points in each of the past two games while being priced below $3,000 on FanDuel and below $4,000 on DraftKings. With everyone looking to find ways to differentiate themselves from other lineups, Simmons is a low-cost option who lets you pay up at other positions and create some great-looking lineups. He's risky, but if he comes through with another 20-plus performance, you will be set up for a big night.
Kyle Soppe -- James Harden, Houston Rockets
Get cute if you want ... I'm not. I'm assuming that Kawhi Leonard tries to play tonight, and he may play well, but with him not at 100 percent, I'm thinking Harden's usage in an elimination game could reach Westbrook-ian levels, and that makes him in a class of his own on this two-game slate. He has handed out at least 10 assists in four of five games this series (he scored 43 points in the lone game in which he failed to record a double-double), and with a free throw parade almost a guarantee (47.7 percent more FTAs per game at home than on the road for him this postseason), Harden is the only Tier 1 DFS option in my books.
Players to fade
Joe Kaiser -- Avery Bradley, Boston Celtics
Recency bias is going to inflate the ownership of Bradley, who came up with a monster performance to lead Boston to a win over Washington in Game 5. With the series headed back to the Wizards' home court, the odds of another big game fall drastically. Remember, Bradley averaged 6.0 PPG, 3.5 RPG and 2.0 APG in the first two games of the series in Washington. Stay away from him and let others jump on board.
Kyle Soppe -- Al Horford, Boston Celtics
I've been wrong about Horford's versatility all season long, and while I will admit that, I'm not backing down now. His usage rate is similar to what it was last season, but forgive me if I'm not willing to count on the passing ability of a player who had never averaged more than 3.5 dimes per game in a season before 2016. The floor is simply too low for Horford to be the top-priced center, as he hasn't grabbed more than six rebounds in three straight games and continues to rely too much on the long ball (34.7 percent of his shots have come from 3-point land) in this series. Yes, he's shooting nearly 60 percent from deep -- go ahead and bet on that continuing if you'd like; I'm not.
