This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
With a whopping 12 games on the schedule for the final day of the regular season, there's a ton of options to sort through at all levels of the price scale. The following list should provide a handful of players to consider building your lineup around:
GUARDS:
Bradley Beal, WAS at ORL ($8,700): While Beal is a little more expensive than I'd prefer to pay up for, I still think he's got a chance for a big night. The Wizards are expected to rest John Wall, but are also still playing for playoff seeding in the East, so Beal himself figures to see a full workload as long as the game remains competitive. On the other side, the Magic are planning on limiting the workloads of their starters, so Beal shouldn't have much resistance from what will likely be a bunch of reserves. I'm also not a fan of paying up for guys like James Harden and Russell Westbrook due to the risk of being rested, which makes Beal one of the higher priced guards I feel comfortable with.
Josh Hart, LAL at LAC ($5,600): The Lakers will finish out the season with the likes of Lonzo Ball (knee), Kyle Kuzma (ankle) and Brandon Ingram (concussion) on the sidelines, so Hart will pick up a third straight start and is slated for big minutes once again. Over the last two games, Hart has averaged 22.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.0 steals and 1.0 block across 40.5 minutes, and it wouldn't be surprising to see him log a monster workload once again in the final game of what has been a very impressive rookie campaign. It's also a benefit that his price hasn't risen much despite a strong two-game stretch, so Hart shouldn't have trouble reaching value at a $5,600 price.
Tomas Satoransky, WAS at ORL ($4,500): If you're looking to go even cheaper here, feel free to give Shane Larkin ($3,600) a look considering the Celtics are without Terry Rozier (rest) and Kyrie Irving (knee). However, Satoransky is a strong play as well considering the Wizards are expected to rest John Wall in the second night of a back-to-back set. In 29 previous starts this season, Satoransky has averaged 10.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.8 assists across 33.8 minutes, which is a solid baseline for this price. The Wizards are fighting for seeding in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference playoffs, so Satoransky should log 30-plus minutes and has the upside to surpass 30 FanDuel points fairly easily.
FORWARDS:
Jimmy Butler, MIN vs. DEN ($7,800): Butler has logged just 23 minutes in each of the two games he's played since returning from a lengthy absence due to injury. However, the Timberwolves are in do-or-die mode and must win Wednesday's game to make the playoffs, so I fully expect coach Tom Thibodeau to go back to his usual antics of relying on his starters for nearly 40 minutes. If Butler does see an uptick in his workload as expected, fantasy owners would be getting a nice discount on his price, as he's been up in the $9,000s for much of the season. With the Timberwolves playoff hopes on the line and a very intriguing price for a guy that can put up 50-to-60 FanDuel points on any given night, I'm more than willing to get risky here and fire him up in my lineup.
Kelly Oubre, WAS at ORL ($4,800): Along with Wall, the Wizards are also expected to be without Otto Porter, which means Oubre will have the chance to step into a starting role. Oubre has already logged 24.0 and 32.0 FanDuel points in his last two games, respectively, and with a slight uptick in minutes and increased usage, he'll have a chance to up those numbers. The Wizards are still fighting for playoff positioning, while the Magic are planning on limiting their starters, so Oubre should have a favorable matchup for much of the game with what will likely be other reserves from Orlando. At this point, Oubre shouldn't have trouble hitting the 30-FanDuel-point plateau.
Khem Birch, ORL vs. WAS ($4,500): Birch is easily one of my favorite plays of the day. The Magic are already reporting that they're going to keep both Aaron Gordon and Nikola Vucevic's minutes limited in Wednesday's finale, which means Birch should get extended run in the frontcourt. However, he had already been playing extremely well in limited minutes, averaging 11.0 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.2 blocks across 22.4 minutes over his last five games, which was good enough for 30.3 FanDuel points. That production is already surpassing his $4,500 price tag, so if he does see an uptick in playing time and usage as expected, Birch will be a very strong value play.
CENTERS:
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN vs. DEN ($10,600): Despite there being eight players priced $10,000 or more, Towns and Nikola Jokic ($11,500) are the only two I'm truly confident will be playing a full complement of minutes. The two are set to face off against each other Wednesday in what will be a do-or-die fight for the final playoff spot in the West. For that reason, both players are going to be relied upon heavily, though I do still like Towns' price and upside a little bit better overall. Still, if I'm paying up at one position specifically, it's center and there's arguments to be made for using either Towns or Jokic.
Cristiano Felicio, CHI vs. DET ($4,600): Like I mentioned above, I'm doing everything I can to pay up for either Towns or Jokic, so I'd rather not go cheap. However, if I did, Felicio could have some viability after surpassing 26 FanDuel points in two of the last three games. The Pistons are set to be without Andre Drummond, so his dominating presence shouldn't be an issue for Felicio either. Of course, with this being the last day of the regular season, there will likely be a handful of starting centers rested unexpectedly, so other cheap options could present themselves as lineup lock approaches.
