NBA DFS Showdown: Bucks at Pacers– DraftKings & Fanduel- 4/28/24

CPTN:

Khris Middleton (DK- $14,100, FD- $13,500)

Now with Damian Lillard being ruled out along with Giannis Antetounmkpo being out again there’s a ton of usage that will be distributed throughout the MIL lineup and Khris Middleton would be most optimal to select in lineups from the bunch. When both Lillard and Giannis are off the floor Middleton has received the most usage boosts on average (14.34%) and should have a chance of being one of the top scorers for MIL in this matchup. However, there is some risk as well with Middleton expected to play through an ankle sprain which could limit his potential in lineups slightly. In other words, Middleton would be best selected in cash lineups but not completely ignored in tournaments.

Pascal Siakam (DK- $15,000, FD- $14,500)

Pascal Siakam had his worst shooting performance (7 for 17 from the field) in his last start but still arguably the safest option among the IND players. Since the expected ownership is projected to be one of the highest on the slate though it may be best to target Siakam here in cash lineups primarily. Fortunately, Siakam has one of the strongest positional edges on the slate due to MIL giving up 25.12 points on average when facing power forwards during this Playoffs. Therefore, Siakam should be able to reach his value in contests but may struggle to exceed his value drastically due to his price tag increasing toward the higher end as well.

UTIL/FLEX:

Patrick Beverley (DK- $8,700, FD- $10,500)

More than likely going to be one of the highest owned value options in lineups but should be targeted heavily anyway is Patrick Beverley. Beverley is going to be expected to play multiple roles now with his teammate Damian Lillard now out such as scoring, distributing and playing defense even more. That being said this should increase Beverley’s opportunities to contribute scoring heavily in lineups and another viable one-off option to consider. Scoring may end up being slightly easier for Beverley in lineups now as well with IND allowing point guards to score slightly more than shooting guards (Beverley’s previous primary postion lately) at 25.02 points per game versus 20.13.

Bobby Portis (DK- $8,600, FD- $13,000)

A viable hedge to Khris Middleton shares if not combined with him in MIL stacks and should be considered is Bobby Portis. Portis is also another player expected to have high ownership but should be one of the most considered MIL players on the slate. Portis is also coming off his highest played game on the floor (44 minutes) and likely to maintain that range which should give him plenty of chances to contribute good value in lineups. Fortunately, when both his teammates Damian Lillard and Giannis Antetokounmpo are off the floor, he managed to receive the most increases to his playing time and that should complement his edge of IND struggling the most against the center position thus far (28.19 points surrendered), which he plays along with power forward in rotations.