After being forced to choose from an absolutely loaded schedule on Monday night, anybody who is playing in DraftKings NBA daily fantasy leagues on Tuesday will have only three games to pick from when building their starting five. That makes the pressure even worse when it comes to finding an edge. Even so, we’re willing to take that pressure on. Here’s our best five starters for Tuesday dailies.
PG: George Hill, Indiana
There will be an obvious temptation to take Chris Paul in this spot and while the Clippers guard is probably the best bet, he is also going to be the most expensive at the position, which is why we will go with Hill as a quality alternative. Hill has averaged 17.3 points, 7.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 1.3 three-pointers over the past two weeks and he’s been very steady since the All-Star break. He’s contributed 16.8 points, 5.7 assists, 1.6 threes, 2.9 free throws and 1.2 steals in that time. The return of Paul George has only helped his assists numbers this month as he’s averaging 7.0.
The Pacers will need a big performance from him as they continue to battle with Brooklyn for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
SG: DeMar DeRozan, Toronto
The smaller slate means that you can’t afford to miss on even one pick and while DeRozan will be a little more expensive than some of the other shooting guards on the board, it’s impossible to argue against his numbers and consistency. DeRozan has really stepped up down the stretch for Toronto as he has averaged 27.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists over the past 15 days. April has been his best month of the season in terms of scoring as he’s averaged 25.5 this month while collecting 4.7 assists, 3.7 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 7.0 free throws and 0.8 threes.
After putting up 38 points in the Raptors last meeting with Boston, he should be reliable for another big performance.
SF: Evan Turner, Boston
There are a couple of tempting options here but Turner has been putting up excellent numbers during the Celtics latest run and there is no reason to expect that to stop against Toronto. Turner has averaged 10.5 points, 8.1 assists and 6.4 rebounds over the last 15 days. While he’s only averaging 10.0 points per game in April, he’s still filling up the stat sheet with 8.3 assists, 6.3 rebounds and 1.7 steals.
He posted 18 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in Boston’s last meeting with the Raptors so expect another strong performance at home.
PF: Markieff Morris, Phoenix
Morris is another decent value play here as a quality forward that has averaged 12.8 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists over the past two weeks. Phoenix will be in tough to keep up with the Clippers explosive offense and Morris will be relied on to help stretch the floor with the potential bonus of his ability to hit the three-ball. He’s coming off a rough outing against the San Antonio Spurs but they’ve been playing great defense. The Suns and Morris will be at home in this one facing a weaker team.
Only Gerald Green and Eric Bledsoe have averaged more points than Morris for the Suns over their last five games so feel comfortable plugging Morris in this spot.
C: Marcin Gortat, Washington
The Wizards would love to generate some momentum heading in to the postseason and they should be pushed hard by a Pacers team that won’t fold until it’s over. Gortat has been excellent of late and he will be relied on to help break down the Indiana defense. Gortat has averaged 18.0 points, 10.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 blocks over the past 15 days including a monster performance against Brooklyn last Friday in which he had 21 points and 16 rebounds in just 26 minutes on the floor. Gortat might not match that outstanding performance against the Pacers but he should have a solid stat line.
