The NBA playoffs will continue on Wednesday with three Game 5’s and a pair of injuries drastically changing the overall outlook for two teams. Stephen Curry will miss a couple of weeks with a sprained knee while Chris Paul is set to miss significant time after he suffered a fractured third metacarpal on his right hand. Both injuries must be taken in to account when building a winning fantasy roster Wednesday night. Here is a look at the optimal lineup for Wednesday’s DraftKings NBA Fantasy Daily Leagues
PG: Kemba Walker, Charlotte Hornets
Salary: $8,100
Two of the NBA’s top point guards are out in Curry and Paul so we have no problem turning to Walker with the hope that he can provide a similar stat line to the one he produced in Game 4. Walker scored 34 points with four rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two three-point shots in an 89-85 win in front of the Hornets’ home fans and if he can play at that level on the road in Game 5 it will give Charlotte a good chance to pull off the upset and swing the series in their favor.
SG: C.J. McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers
Salary: $6,200
The Trail Blazers suddenly have life in their Western Conference first round series following back-to-back wins to tie the series at 2-2 and an injury to Paul. Now they will look to take a 3-2 series lead on the road before heading home for Gabe 6 and they will need another strong performance from McCollum to get it done. McCollum has averaged 23.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 three-point shots per game in Portland’s two wins and we are banking on another strong performance on Wednesday night.
SF: Andre Iguodola, Golden State Warriors
Salary: $4,200
Golden State will need its role players to step up big time with Curry out and there might not be a better option to take his game to another level than Iguodola. Last year’s NBA Finals MVP is coming off his best performance of the series after scoring 22 points with five rebounds, four assists and three three-point shots in Game 4 so there is plenty of reason to believe he will step up with a big game.
PF: Blake Griffin, Los Angeles Clippers
Salary: $8,200
Griffin is still dealing with a nagging knee injury but he will need to step up and play to his potential the rest of the way versus Portland in order to give the Clippers a chance to advance. Griffin has averaged 15.0 points, 8.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game so far in these playoffs but he should play a bigger role in the offense with no Paul for Game 5.
C: Hassan Whiteside, Miami Heat
Salary: $8,500
Miami finds itself in a seemingly unlikely position after going up 2-0 in its series with Charlotte only to drop back-to-back games and allow the Hornets to climb back in it. Now the Heat needs their best players to step up and that includes Whiteside at the center position. Whiteside averaged 19.0 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and 1.5 steals in Miami’s two series wins compared to 10.5 points, 12.5 rebounds, 3.5 blocks and no steals in their two losses. The key could be getting back in front of the home fans in a more desperate position now that the series is tied at 2-2.
G: Shaun Livingston, Golden State Warriors
Salary: $4,300
Livingston certainly had his moments during the Warriors’ NBA championship run a year ago and now Golden State is banking on his ability to step up and thrive in place of Curry in this series. Livingston has averaged 12.5 points, 5.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds and 1.5 steals through the first four games of this series and with Curry out he should see a major boost in playing time after he averaged 26.5 minutes per game in those first four contests.
F: Al-Farouq Aminu, Portland Trail Blazers
Salary: $5,200
Aminu was an absolute beast for the Trail Blazers in Game 4 and they have to be hoping he can provide them with a similar performance back in Los Angeles for Game 5. Aminu had 30 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, three blocks and six three-point shots in a 98-84 win in Game 4. If he can even come close to matching that level of production in Game 5 he will be a major steal in Daily Fantasy Leagues.
FLEX: Jeremy Lin, Charlotte Hornets
Salary: $5,100
With just over $5K left over, Lin fits the bill as the player with the highest upside available based on the money we have left to spend on this final FLEX position. Lin is coming off his best performance of the series when he had 21 points in Game 4 and he has averaged 14.8 points, 2.5 assists and 2.0 rebounds through four games to this point. Those are pretty good numbers for a backup point guard that could play upwards of 30 minutes in this game the way he did in Game 4 so it’s definitely worth taking a chance on Lin in Daily Fantasy Leagues.
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