This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
Guards
Damian Lillard, POR at NOP ($9,300): Lillard has really struggled throughout this series, but with this being an elimination game, he should be ready to go off and remind people just how good he is. Not only does that means he's a near guarantee to play over 40 minutes, but Lillard should get up a ton of shots in this sort of circumstance. He was one of the most consistent players coming into these playoffs too, as he scored at least 34 fantasy points in 20 of his previous 21 games heading in. New Orleans' defense has been excellent all series, but the Pelicans struggled against point guards for much of the season, as they allowed the third-most fantasy points to the position for the season.
Jrue Holiday, NOP vs. POR ($8,300): Holiday may be the breakout player of these playoffs, as fans are becoming accustomed to his incredible play. Not only is he averaging 43 fantasy points per game in this series, he's scored at least 34 fantasy points in 11 straight outings. It's no surprise that he's killing the Blazers, either, as he's averaging over 41 fantasy points per game in seven games against them this season.
Goran Dragic, MIA vs. PHI ($6,400): Dragic's 40.4 fantasy points in the team's most recent game shows just how dangerous he can be, as he's averaging 30 fantasy points per game for the season. The fact that he's stayed below $7,000 is what makes him so intriguing though, as he leads the starters with a 28 percent usage rate in these playoffs. Not to mention, Philly allows the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season, as he should be looking at ore minutes here in a critical Game 4.
Forwards
Anthony Davis, NOP vs. POR ($12,700): This price is a bit outlandish, but it's nearly impossible to fade Davis right now. He's averaging 60 fantasy points per game since DeMarcus Cousins went down, and he has at least 44 fantasy points in 16 of his last 17 games. Davis is putting up nearly 65 FanDuel points in six matchups against the Blazers, including the first three games of this series.
Al-Farouq Aminu, POR at NOP ($5,500): Aminu has been Portland's best player in this disappointing series, but his price hasn't risen as much as it should.Aminu is averaging 30 fantasy points per game in this series, as he actually averaged that same total for the final 15 games of the regular season. It should be no surprise either when you consider the fact that New Orleans allows the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards.
Trevor Ariza, HOU at MIN ($4,600): Ariza is not the sort of guy that will provide you with 10X value, but he's one of the best bets to reach 5X value. That's clear considering he averages 24 fantasy points per game for the season, as he dropped 25.5 fantasy points in the most recent win. Ariza has been a $6,000 player throughout his career, as he's a near guarantee to play 35 minutes with him averaging that total throughout his tenure with the Rockets. Getting that many minutes against a defense like this is a huge plus, too, with Minnesota ranking 28th in defensive efficiency.
Centers
Joel Embiid, PHI at MIA ($9,600): Centers have been incredibly unreliable in these playoffs, but Embiid is one of the only sure bets to reach value. With Karl-Anthony Towns, Rudy Gobert and Steven Adams struggling, that leaves us just Embiid, Rudy Gobert and Clint Capela. Using Gobert is a tough sell, as he's had some struggles of his own and he faces a Thunder defense who allows the fifth-fewest fantasy points to opposing centers. This is just as much about Embiid as it is the others, though, as he dropped 46.4 fantasy points in his first playoff game after averaging 44 fantasy points per game for the season. He's been a five-figure player for the majority of the year, and we get to use him at a bargain price here with him recently returning from injury.
