Playoff season begins with the SoFi Play-in Tournament, where it's a do-or-die scenario for the ninth and tenth seeds. We'll see one of those elimination matchups tonight, as the Charlotte Hornets will fight the Heat for the right to move forward against the loser of Wednesday night's matchup between Philadelphia and Orlando. Our player pool is understandably slim, but I'll utilize all of RotoWire's tools and my own finely honed DFS encyclopedia of knowledge upstairs to deliver the best endorsements for DraftKings' wide array of contests. If it's still available, the $5 $50k Zone offers a great value, with $10k awarded to the top.
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MIA - QUESTIONABLE: Pelle Larsson (leg)
Larsson is expected to return to action, but he'll run with the second unit due to a fully healthy starting five.
POR - QUESTIONABLE: Jerami Grant (calf)
The Trail Blazers have kept it safe with Grant, and they've played reasonably well without him. If he's active, he probably won't start. There's reason to wonder about the makeup of Portland's first unit, given Shaedon Sharpe's ($5,800) return, and it's worth monitoring as the day moves forward.
PHX - QUESTIONABLE: Grayson Allen (hamstring)
Allen's return is likely, but it shouldn't affect activity within the first unit. There could be a bit more of a platoon situation with Jordan Goodwin, so it makes sense to downgrade Goodwin slightly.
Elite NBA DFS Players
Guards
LaMelo Ball, CHA ($8,500) vs. MIA
Ball should rise to the moment and put in a great total. Other Charlotte standouts could show up later in the article, but I have no problem starting off with Ball. He's enjoyed three solid games against Miami this season, with one of the contests giving Ball a double-double result.
Devin Booker, PHX ($8,900) vs. POR
Booker hasn't had the best luck against Portland this season, but you can often disregard past performance in a playoff elimination game like this. Booker is the offensive heartbeat of the team, and his dual eligibility provides more flexibility when considering him.
Forwards/Centers
Bam Adebayo, MIA ($8,700) @ CHA
The Hornets had trouble containing Adebayo in both of his appearances against them this season, and the big man's numbers are currently high and consistent. DraftKings limits his eligibility to center, but he's about as chalk as you can get tonight.
Brandon Miller, CHA ($7,500) vs. MIA
A Ball/Miller stack isn't the worst idea tonight, as I think both of them set up well against Miami's defense. Solid results against the Heat lead me to Miller at a lower price, as I believe Deni Avdija's salary is exorbitant and may not be a value against Phoenix.
Donovan Clingan, POR ($7,200) @ PHX
The duel between Clingan and Mark Williams should be intriguing. Both big men have had success against each other, but DraftKings' double-double bonus favors Clingan at a slightly higher clip. As you'll see very soon, there's ample reason to take the other side.
Expected NBA DFS Chalk
Mark Williams, PHX ($4,700) vs. POR
Sharps will pounce on this low salary. The potential for 6x value is possible at Williams' bargain dollar amount, and although he struggled in one of his games against Clingan, he double-doubled in the other matchup. He's arguably the best value on the slate, and I think half of the field will take him.
Mid-Range NBA Targets
Tyler Herro, MIA ($7,400) @ CHA
Herro played in only two of four matchups against Charlotte this season, but he blew up for excellent totals in both appearances. The Heat handled Charlotte with ease without him in the lineup, but the Hornets managed a 30-point victory against Herro and the Heat late in the season. I expect they've looked at plenty of tape from this game, and I expect Herro to drop a big number after studying what happened.
Jalen Green, PHX ($7,100) vs. POR
Green has been dealing with a knee issue, which forced him to miss the final two games of the regular season. He's off the injury report, indicating he'll be ready for a full load against Portland. He's mostly an unknown quantity for the Trail Blazers, as he appeared in only one of the matchups against them this season.
NBA DFS Value Picks
Kon Knueppel, CHA ($6,300) vs. MIA
The final KIA Rookie Ladder has been released, and Knueppel appears to have a slight edge over Cooper Flagg. Although voting has concluded, Knueppel will either justify the award or make voters regret their choice in his first playoff game. His salary is quite favorable, and although his floor is sometimes more volatile than one would like, his point totals against the Heat ranged from 19 to 30 this season. He logged decent secondary numbers to pad his fantasy total in every game.
Jaime Jaquez, MIA ($4,700) @ CHA
Although Norman Powell ($5,100) is back, I expect the Heat will utilize Jaquez frequently. He has maximum flexibility with eligibility at several positions. Although his floor dipped a bit after the All-Star break, the salary is a little too good to pass up. Powell also depends heavily on his perimeter shot, and has a more volatile floor as a result.
Andrew Wiggins ($4,500), MIA @ CHA
I wouldn't sleep on Wiggins, who is back to full health and getting hot at the right time. It's easy to forget that Wiggins was once one of the league's top defenders, and although he's lost a step since his days with the Warriors, you can't count the veteran out. He played against the Hornets twice this season, and averaged 21.5 points, 3.0 rebounds, 3.9 assists, and 2.0 steals across the two games.
