Daily Fantasy Breakdown: Wednesday, April 27

We had our first elimination on Monday night, and they will keep flowing in. Almost every game is an elimination game at this point, and that’s certainly the case here!

Injury Report

• Alex Caruso (concussion) Questionable
• Lonzo Ball (knee) OUT
• Zach LaVine (COVID) Questionable
• Khris Middleton (knee) OUT
• Jamal Murray (knee) OUT
• Michael Porter Jr. (back) OUT
• James Wiseman (knee) OUT

Core Plays

DeMar DeRozan (SF/PF – CHI): $8,800 DraftKings, $9,100 FanDuel, $36 Yahoo

DeRozan has struggled with his shot in this series, but he’s still one of the best bets in fantasy. We’re talking about a guy who’s averaging 43 DK points per game for the season, scoring at least 22 DraftKings points in 79 of 80 games this year. He’s done well against the Bucks, scoring at least 33 DK points in seven of their eight meetings while posting a 43-point average in that span. There might not be a better bet for 40 minutes and 20 shots from a sub-$10K player.

Jrue Holiday (PG/SG – MIL): $8,600 DraftKings, $8,100 FanDuel, $35 Yahoo

Holiday is one of the best all-around players in basketball, and we love that he’s being asked to stat-stuff more in the absence of Khris Middleton. He’s averaging over 40 DK points per game when Middleton is out, seeing his minutes, shot attempts, and usage rise in his absence. He’s crushed Chicago all year, scoring at least 32 DK points in each of their last seven matchups en route to a 38-point average.

Cash Game Considerations

Nikola Jokic (C – DEN): $11,400 DraftKings, $11,300 FanDuel, $58 Yahoo

Jokic has been in the cash game section every slate he’s played, but this might be the last time we get to use him! Denver is facing elimination here, but you know Jokic will leave it all on the line. The big man is already leading the NBA with 61 DraftKings points per game, scoring at least 40 fantasy points in all but one game this season. He’s walloped the Warriors all year, too, averaging 62 DK points per game in their eight matchups.

Giannis Antetokounmpo (PF – MIL): $11,600 DraftKings, $11,500 FanDuel, $57 Yahoo

If Jokic is the safest cash game play in DFS, Giannis is a close second. The versatile big man has scored at least 31 DK points in every game this season, reaching 38 or more in 65 of 67 games. That’s hard to match, especially since Chicago ranked 24th in total defense in the regular season. In their eight meetings this year, Antetokounmpo is averaging 27.1 points, 14 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 1.6 blocks per game. That’s scary since he’ll have to do even more in the absence of Khris Middleton.

GPP Targets

Bobby Portis (PF/C – MIL): $6,500 DraftKings, $5.800 FanDuel, $19 Yahoo

Portis took a backseat when this roster was at full health for the final month of the season, but he’s back to starting now that Middleton is sidelined. BP has 70 combined DraftKings points in the two games since that injury, with Portis averaging 30 fantasy points per game since the beginning of February. That’s brilliant from such an affordable player, and there’s no better bet for a double-double from someone in this price range.

Patrick Williams (SF/PF – CHI): $5,000 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel, $14 Yahoo

Williams has been all over the map in terms of consistency, but he shouldn’t be this cheap in this starting role. Over his last 10 games played, Williams is averaging 26 DK points per game across 31 minutes a night. That’s all you can hope for from such a cheap player, particularly with Patty providing 36 DK points in his most recent outing. If he duplicates that, you’ve found a piece of the optimal lineup.

Value Plays

Brook Lopez (C – MIL): $5,700 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel, $15 Yahoo

Bro-Lo has been a regular in this section for weeks, and it’s time for these sites to bump his price tag. Lopez has been a $7K player in the past, and he’s playing close to that recently. In fact, Brook has at least 23 DK points in 11 of his last 14 games, flirting with a 30-point average in that span. More importantly, he’s had his minute’s restriction lifted and is now playing 30 a night regularly. As long as that continues, Bro-Lo is $1,000 too cheap.

Monte Morris (PG/SG – DEN): $5,400 DraftKings, $5,400 FanDuel, $17 Yahoo

Morris is another guy who’s cemented himself into this section. He’s been starting for Jamal Murray all season and averaged 29 DK points per game over the final two months of the regular season. That makes Monte was of the best values out there, and he’s played some of his best basketball against the Warriors. Morris has at least 26 DK points in six of his seven meetings with Golden State this year, generating a 30-point average against them.

Advantageous Pricing

• Bobby Portis (PF/C – MIL): $6,500 DraftKings, $5.800 FanDuel
• Patrick Williams (SF/PF – CHI): $5,000 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel
• Stephen Curry (PG – GSW): $9,000 DraftKings, $9,600 FanDuel
• Zach LaVine (SG/SF – CHI): $7,800 DraftKings, $7,200 FanDuel

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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.