Week 7 of the postseason saw the conclusion of each Conference Finals series, with the Thunder and Pacers punching their NBA Finals ticket via memorable individual performances from some of their biggest stars.
As customary, we'll dive into the top five fantasy performers for the past week, followed by a glance at five players that typically carry very reasonable salaries in DFS contests and are therefore worth considering for the upcoming NBA Finals.
Fantasy Basketball Playoff Power Rankings
#1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder
Last Week: 61.1 FP/G
The reigning MVP is at the top of the fantasy mountain for the second straight week after helping usher the Thunder into the NBA Finals. Gilgeous-Alexander was in top form as OKC was able to push through a tough Game 4 in Minnesota with a 128-126 comeback victory, going for a postseason-high 40 points and 10 assists and coming just a rebound short of a triple-double. SGA then put together a fitting encore in the series-clinching win on his home floor, turning in 34 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and two steals on 56.0% shooting – a well-balanced performance emblematic of the caliber of play that's helped put his squad just four wins away from the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
#2. Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers
Last Week: 55.0 FP/G
Haliburton primed himself for a showdown with Gilgeous-Alexander and teammates with a pair of standout performances sandwiched around a disappointing Game 5 showing at Madison Square Garden. The star point guard was integral
Week 7 of the postseason saw the conclusion of each Conference Finals series, with the Thunder and Pacers punching their NBA Finals ticket via memorable individual performances from some of their biggest stars.
As customary, we'll dive into the top five fantasy performers for the past week, followed by a glance at five players that typically carry very reasonable salaries in DFS contests and are therefore worth considering for the upcoming NBA Finals.
Fantasy Basketball Playoff Power Rankings
#1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Thunder
Last Week: 61.1 FP/G
The reigning MVP is at the top of the fantasy mountain for the second straight week after helping usher the Thunder into the NBA Finals. Gilgeous-Alexander was in top form as OKC was able to push through a tough Game 4 in Minnesota with a 128-126 comeback victory, going for a postseason-high 40 points and 10 assists and coming just a rebound short of a triple-double. SGA then put together a fitting encore in the series-clinching win on his home floor, turning in 34 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and two steals on 56.0% shooting – a well-balanced performance emblematic of the caliber of play that's helped put his squad just four wins away from the Larry O'Brien Trophy.
#2. Tyrese Haliburton, Pacers
Last Week: 55.0 FP/G
Haliburton primed himself for a showdown with Gilgeous-Alexander and teammates with a pair of standout performances sandwiched around a disappointing Game 5 showing at Madison Square Garden. The star point guard was integral to Indiana's 130-121 and 125-108 wins in Games 4 and 6, making NBA Playoffs history in the former via a 32-point, 15-assist, 12-rebound triple-double that also included four steals and zero turnovers. After a down Game 5, he roared back to vault Indy into the Finals with a stellar 21-point, 13-assist, six-rebound, three-steal tally over 37 minutes in front of the home crowd to close out New York.
#3. Jalen Williams, Thunder
Last Week: 45.1 FP/G
Williams, and the Thunder as a whole, bounced back from their alarming 143-101 loss to the Timberwolves in Game 3 of the WCF via their 128-126 victory in Game 4, one in which the talented forward supplied a postseason-high 34 points with 13-for-24 shooting and added five assists, three rebounds and three steals across 39 minutes. Williams was only needed for 32 minutes during OKC's 30-point series-clinching triumph in Game 5, but he kept up the efficient shooting by draining half of his 14 attempts in his way to a 19-point showing that also included eight rebounds, another five dimes and a steal and block apiece. A handful of ragged nights from the floor over the course of the postseason have dragged Williams' playoff numbers down somewhat, but he heads into the NBA Finals date with the Pacers having shot 51.0%, including 45.2% from 3-point range, since Game 6 of the semifinal round against the Nuggets.
#4. Pascal Siakam, Pacers
Last Week: 44.1 FP/G
Siakam earned himself ECF MVP honors by consistently stuffing the stat sheet throughout the series, and he particularly shined in the last three games against the Knicks with vintage 30- and 31-point efforts during Indiana's last two wins. Additionally, the big man offered his usual solid contributions on the boards (5.3 rebounds) and was a force on the defensive end with 1.7 steals and 1.3 blocks per contest in the three games during the week. The versatile Siakam also made excellent use of his opportunities to stretch the floor, as he connected on 58.3% of his 4.0 attempts per game from downtown.
#5. Karl-Anthony Towns, Knicks
Last Week: 42.3 FP/G
Towns was the epitome of consistency in a losing cause for the Knicks, as he put up four consecutive double-doubles to finish off the six-game set against the Pacers. In Games 4-6 last week, Towns averaged 23.3 points, 13.0 rebounds and 2.7 assists per contest, shooting 48.1% in the process. While his 20.0% 3-point shooting left plenty to be desired, Towns navigated foul trouble in each of those contests and was efficient from in front of the arc to close out his first season/postseason in New York in productive fashion.
DFS Value Plays To Consider in the NBA Finals
Andrew Nembhard, Pacers
Last Week: 25.8 FP/G
Nembard's defensive prowess and timely 3-point shooting will be critical against the Thunder and often helps boost his fantasy production whenever the rest of his stat line is lacking.
Alex Caruso, Thunder
Last Week: 23.5 FP/G
Much like Nembhard, Caruso is most valued for point prevention rather than production, but he's a capable long-distance shooter in addition to a defensive wizard and can provide solid value relative to salary in DFS tournaments when he sees enough minutes.
Luguentz Dort, Thunder
Last Week: 20.6 FP/G
Dort is in many ways OKC's first-unit version of Caruso, and although his offensive production has fluctuated throughout the postseason, he's a consistent supplier of steals and sees his rebounds spike on occasion.
Myles Turner, Pacers
Last Week: 17.0 FP/G
Turner closed out the ECF with a pair of quiet games, but he'd been one of the most reliable DFS mid-salary players prior to that with averages of 16.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 2.4 blocks and 38.6% 3-point shooting over his first 14 postseason games.
Aaron Nesmith, Pacers
Last Week: 16.5 FP/G
Nesmith rolled his ankle in Game 4 of the ECF and fought through the injury over the last two games, but he'll get some valuable down time in coming days and has proven capable of popping for big numbers on both the scoring and rebounding front.