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The 2024-25 NBA season tips off with the new-look New York Knicks visiting the NBA Finals Champions Boston Celtics on Opening Night.

NBA DFS is arguably the most fun fantasy format to play. Find where the minutes and usage will go, and the money will follow. That’s certainly easier said than done, but lucky for you, we’ve put in the work to help you build the best lineups possible and begin your basketball season with a bang.

 

 

 

While this NBA DFS Playbook is a one-stop-shop for your Showdown lineups in its own right, you also can check out the latest NBA Lineups and NBA DFS Projections to sharpen your edge. And for those of you building multiple lineups, be sure to plug these FanDuel and DraftKings NBA picks into our NBA Lineup Generator. 

From tipoff to the In-Season Tournament to the NBA Finals trophy being raised, follow us here for your best NBA DFS season yet.
 

NBA DFS Showdown Picks: Knicks vs. Celtics Opening Night Game Preview

We’re barely four months removed from Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown finally getting over their proverbial championship hump. The Celtics dominated Dallas across five games to win the franchise’s 18th NBA Finals Championship.

Sometimes deep playoff runs can have unintended consequences when the next season’s campaign begins - chiefly with regards to rest and injury recovery. Look no further than Celtics star center Kristaps Porzingis, who is out until at least December after having foot surgery shortly after Boston’s championship parade in June.

 

 

 

The Knicks had arguably the busiest offseason of any franchise. Julius Randle, Donte DiVincenzo, Isaiah Hartenstein and five (5!) first-round picks are out. Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges are in. Forget the all-Villanova angle for a second and focus on how incredible New York’s starting five is now. 

While the team lacks depth - even moreso early in the season while Mitchell Robinson and Precious Achiuwa recover from injuries - the team is built in a way where depth might not matter. Head Coach Tom Thibodeau is notorious for running tight rotations and asking his starters to play big minutes each night. It will be interesting to see how this plays out for the Knicks over the course of the season.

But we’re not interested in New York’s season-long outlook. We’re interested in a one-game Showdown slate. So let’s see what this all means for the players we’ll want to pick (or not pick) in our NBA DFS Lineups on FanDuel and DraftKings.

Showdown Slate In A Sentence:

New York’s minutes will be split between a small enough number of players who are priced low enough that we’re going to end up targeting more Knicks than Celtics in our NBA DFS lineups on Opening Night.

 

 

 

Knicks vs. Celtics Notable Injuries & Lineup

New York Knicks Key Injuries

New York Knicks Projected Lineup

Boston Celtics Key Injuries

  • Kristaps Porzingis, C - Out (Foot)

Boston Celtics Projected Lineup

 

 

 

NBA DFS Showdown MVP Captain Picks for Opening Night

Josh Hart - $6,600 DK, $10,500 FD 

Why wait to get weird? He’s not my top option on the slate, but he’s worth writing up first for his sneaky, slate-breaking potential.

This is a DraftKings-specific Captain pick. Since we pay 1.5x of the Captain’s salary to earn 1.5x of their points, we need to factor salary into this selection significantly more than we do on FanDuel. On FanDuel, Hart makes an elite UTIL option, but should not be your MVP.

Why am I high on Hart? Achiuwa and Robinson both out, the Knicks will rely on their small-ball power forward even more than usual. There is quite literally nobody proven behind him and Anunoby at the 3/4. He has a clear path to a double-double - and potentially more.

 

 

 

It’s only anecdotal evidence, but in 5 games against Boston last year, Hart averaged 12.2 points, 9.0 rebounds and 4.2 assists in 33.2 minutes per game. That's hardly a howler, but we'd still happily take that same per-36 pace for the 36-38+ minutes he'll likely see on Opening Night.  

The cost savings from Captain-ing Hart will allow us to fit another stud or two into our lineups. If he 6x’s his salary as I expect, we’ll be in great shape to let a balanced approach lift us up the Leaderboard.

This is a GPP-only play with boom/bust potential, but one that I am backing in the hopes it differentiates some of our lineups from the herd.

 

 

 

Mikal Bridges - $7,800 DK, $11,500 FD

The Knicks went all-in to acquire Bridges. They’re going to play him, and they’re going to use him. A lot. He has a well-earned reputation for being a durable, 3-and-D specialist, and his return to this role sets him up for a significant bounce-back season.

With Brooklyn, the 28-year-old struggled to serve as the team’s primary playmaker. His 43.6% FG% in 2023-24 was almost 5% lower than his career average of 48%, and his 2.0 turnovers per game set a career high. He’s not entering the season with much momentum, and my hope is that makes him go overlooked in some NBA DFS contests.

 

 

 

Since Bridges won’t be asked to create as much for New York, his offensive efficiency should bounce back to what he displayed during his days with Phoenix. He has already shown signs of this during the preseason.

On Opening Night, I expect Bridges to play 36+ minutes, push for 20+ points, and rack up enough counting and defensive stats to be one of the highest fantasy scorers on the slate. High-end upside at a mid-level price is what I look for in a matchup like this where game minutes will be hyper-consolidated amongst a small number of players.

Similar to Hart, we’ll consider Bridges as an MVP on DraftKings, but will look elsewhere for our MVP on FanDuel. Depending on your build, he’d be a fantastic pick at “Pro” for 1.2x points on FanDuel.

 

 

 

Karl-Anthony Towns - $8,800 DK, $13,500 FD

After Immanual Quickley and RJ Barrett were dealt to the Raptors, Julius Randle’s usage rate spiked to an absurd 30.9%. You can expect Towns to absorb this usage 1:1 and join Jalen Brunson as co-center-pieces of this Knicks offense.

What should get you most excited about Towns is his efficiency. A career 39.8% three-point shooter, Towns is one of the purest 7-foot scorers in history. He'll singlehandedly improve New York’s floor spacing and make teams think twice before they try to stifle the Knicks offense by simply walling off Brunson. 

 

 

 

It’s a small sample size, but KAT's usage was crazy this preseason. Across four games, he averaged 18 points on 14 field goal attempts in just 25.5 minutes. He led the team in rebounds in three of four of these games, averaging 11 rpg overall. 

Whether he’s efficient on Opening Night or not, KAT could be the leading fantasy scorer from sheer volume alone. He’s priced considerably less than Tatum and Brunson and would make a fine Captain or MVP selection in your DraftKings and FanDuel lineups.

 

 

 

Jayson Tatum - $10,200 DK, $15,000 FD

No analysis is needed here.

Our projections expect Tatum to be the top fantasy scorer on this Showdown slate. He’s one of the best players in the NBA, and he has proven that he’s matchup-proof, too. Last season, he averaged 26.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 5.8 assists in five games against the vaunted Knicks defense.

If you pick Tatum as your Captain or MVP and are able to build a balanced lineup around him, you should absolutely go for it. If not, crown someone else and drop Deuce into your regular roster instead.

 

 

 

DFS NBA Picks for Tuesday: Mid-Tier Options

Derrick White - $7,400 DK, $12,000 FD

White is a stat-sheet stuffer. He has a high floor, but a more modest ceiling compared to what we need from our Captain picks. This stems from the matchup, as well as the minutes he’s expected to see.

During the 2023-24 postseason, White averaged 35.6 minutes per game. During the past two regular seasons, he has averaged 27.7 and 32.3 minutes per game, respectively. But unlike New York, Boston has capable depth behind White. Payton Pritchard and Sam Hauser will again play ample minutes off the bench this season to give White a breather when needed. 

Frankly, I think some players on FanDuel and DraftKings will forget just how much minutes surge for the postseason as compared to the regular season. Memories will still be fresh of White averaging 16.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists in the playoffs. Memories might not remember the raw playing time it took to put that together each night.

 

 

 

The matchup concerns me considerably more than the unofficially capped minutes. Bridges and Anunoby easily form the most fearsome on-ball defensive duo in the league. Whichever isn’t matched up on Jaylen Brown will be guarding White. Woof.

All said, White won't set the world on fire on Opening Night. He nonetheless makes a perfectly fine NBA DFS value pick for this Showdown slate. Just don’t overreach to force him in.

Other Mid-Tier NBA DFS Picks

I wrote them up as MVP options for the DraftKings Showdown slate, but Hart and Bridges should also be included here. Their ceiling gives them Captain-worthy upside, but even if they only hit their floor, they will be fine mid-tier value picks as well. The minutes and usage will just be too big to not pay off their DFS salaries.

 

 

 

Knicks vs. Celtics Value Plays & Bargain Bin Ballers

Miles McBride - $3,900 DK, $9,000 FD

McBride should see a solid chunk of minutes out of necessity. The only reason I don’t rate him higher is due to the arrival of fellow guard Cameron Payne. It remains to be seen how both ultimately are used in New York’s rotation.

Both McBride and Payne are under-sized scorers. If Thibodeau decides to go with Payne’s “veteran presence” or the 30-year-old simply has the hot hand, it could eat into McBride’s opportunity on Opening Night. 

I am much, much more interested in McBride on DraftKings where his salary savings are more pronounced. Wherever you play him, just remember he doesn’t come without a bit of risk.

 

 

 

Luke Kornet - $4,000 DK, $7,500 FD

With Porzingis out, Kornet will step up as Boston’s traditional center. The seven-footer is productive when given the minutes. His per-36 averages last season were more than serviceable: 12.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 2.5 assist and 2.2 blocks.

Kornet will absolutely not see 36 minutes against the Knicks, but low-20 minutes aren’t out of the question. The key will be whether or not he can keep up with Karl-Anthony Towns defensively. KAT could shred Kornet in a dozen different ways. If that happens, Xavier Tillman would be the biggest benefactor from a minutes and fantasy standpoint.

 

 

 

Knicks vs. Celtics Low-Priced Dart Throws

Xavier Tillman - $4,400 DK, $6,500 FD

Tillman sits deep on Boston’s bench, but he’s certainly not buried. The center averaged 13.7 minutes per game after being acquired from Memphis via trade, and even made a few appearances during the playoffs. He’s well-versed in defending Towns, his old Western Conference rival, and he could be a comically sneaky Showdown play if he sees more minutes than Kornet. He’s priced higher than Kornet on DraftKings as well, which will make him go all the more overlooked. 

Pacome Dadiet - $2,000 DK, $6,500 FD

The 19-year-old was New York’s 1st-round pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. He only played in two preseason games, but his final stat lines are solid in both at face value.

That said, there’s as much of a chance that Dadiet won’t see the floor at all as there is for him to put together a fantasy-worthy performance. He’s priced at the stone-cold minimum for a reason. But Achiuwa’s minutes have to go somewhere, and with players still not fully stretched out this early in the season, Dadiet could be a surprise sub who scores some needed points.

He’s the epitome of a dart throw for our Opening Night DFS Showdown games on DraftKings and FanDuel.


 

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