Slate Overview
DraftKings will be running more Men's Olympic Basketball contests Tuesday, and this time around the main contest includes a $60,000 prize pool and a $20,000 first-place prize!
Prices have been adjusted a bit, which will provide ample opportunities for GPP leverage pivots with participants overreacting to the opening games.
The first game of the day looks to be the most competitive and highest-scoring by a wide margin, with the other two featuring double-digit spreads. Value plays are limited in the first game, so I'm planning on attacking the mid-range and pricier options in that one and using what's remaining in the later games.
Good luck, everyone!
Guards to Go After
Players listed in order of confidence
Preferred Plays
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Canada ($10,300)
Gilgeous-Alexander made for an excellent GPP play Saturday against Greece, as he was nearly the highest scorer on the slate. He will now face Australia and former Thunder teammate Josh Giddey. Gilgeous-Alexander put up 43.8 DraftKings points in the opener against a Greek team that doesn't mind slowing the pace, and if Tuesday's game plays out as expected -- neither team minds pushing the ball -- he should again top 40.0 DraftKings points.
Josh Giddey, Australia ($9,800)
Patty Mills, Australia ($9,100)
I like these two guards for all the same reasons I like Gilgeous-Alexander. The game will be fast and Giddey will have plenty of peripherals to rack up. I actually lean toward Mills in GPPs, though, as he is a bounceback candidate and could put 30 points on the scoreboard even against a tough Canadian defense. Giddey is the better option in cash games, as he has a much safer floor and does not need to score to rack up DraftKings points.
Dennis Schroder, Germany ($8,400)
A lot of the options on the German side aren't too tantalizing, but their floors are very nice if they avoid both fouls and a blowout. Schroder put up 35.0 DraftKings points Saturday -- and even lost a minute or two with Germany running away on the scoreboard. Like Japan, Brazil will have a tough time defending the German backcourt.
Evan Fournier, France ($7,300)
I am not a big fan of the French guards in this format, but if one of your players does not deliver in the first game up, Fournier is the perfect guy to swap in and try to make up ground.
Valuable Values
Yago Dos Santos, Brazil ($4,000)
Dos Santos only saw 13 minutes off the bench Saturday, but that was his first game back from injury. His minutes could be boosted a little bit after looking fantastic against France.
Yuki Kawamura, Japan ($5,800)
His price jumped $1,000, so it will be tougher to use him than it was last time around. However, I think he's fine as a last piece in your lineups. He will see minutes in the mid-20s and gets plenty of usage in the Japanese backcourt.
Maodo Lo, Germany ($3,700)
I talked about him being volatile in Saturday's breakdown, and he was indeed quiet on that slate. However, I see no reason not to go back to him. He's a boom-or-bust option, and you will be sitting really pretty if he gets it going Tuesday.
George De Paula, Brazil ($4,500)
He saw the most minutes among the cheaper Brazilian guards and did nothing with them. If he gets 21 minutes again, though, he makes for a fine GPP play as a starter no one will click.
Marcelo Huertas, Brazil ($6,200)
The safest option in Brazil's backcourt is Huertas, but you're spending up for that security. He's 41 years old and probably has a ceiling around 30.0 DraftKings points, but if Raul Neto remains out as I suspect, I trust his playing time more than the other guys.
Frontcourt in Focus
Players listed in order of confidence
Preferred Plays
Victor Wembanyama, France ($11,000)
I dare France to give him at least 30 minutes against Japan. If he gets those, I see no reason that he can't flirt with 50.0 DraftKings points again.
Franz Wagner, Germany ($9,300)
Wagner is one of my favorite GPP plays Tuesday in an elite matchup against a Brazil team that looks lost defensively. He only played 26 minutes in the opener yet got up 17 attempts from the floor. Wagner can drop 50.0 DraftKings points if he gets around 30 minutes and his shot is falling.
Josh Hawkinson, Japan ($7,800)
Rui Hachimura, Japan ($8,300)
It will be another tough matchup for these guys, but they overcame that their first time out thanks to sheer volume and minutes. From a raw-points perspective I think one returns meaningful value again Tuesday.
Daniel Theis, Germany ($7,500)
Much like Schroder he has a nice floor barring foul trouble. I expect him to get the job done again Tuesday.
Jock Landale, Australia ($8,100)
Landale absolutely destroyed the Spanish frontcourt, which I will be attacking on every slate. Unfortunately, that opportunity will not come around again until later this week. This is a tougher matchup, but if you can spend up, I think Landale has a much higher ceiling than Theis.
Valuable Values
Yuta Watanabe, Japan ($6,400)
Despite entering with a questionable tag, Watanabe got 34 minutes in the opner, and he remains below $6,500. I love this play and think he has a high ceiling.
Lucas Dias, Brazil ($5,200)
Bruno Caboclo, Brazil ($7,400)
I realize Caboclo really isn't a value play, but both he and Dias got into deep foul trouble in the opener, and I think they are excellent bounceback candidates. If they can stay away from the fouls I think both will be relied upon for a lot of minutes.
Kelly Olynyk, Canada ($4,700)
Olynyk is interesting Tuesday, as with the Australians running two bigs he has two paths to playing time. The first is more shared time on the court with Dwight Powell. Even if that's just a few minutes it's still an increase. The second is Powell getting into foul trouble, in which case Olynyk could find himself getting 20 minutes.
Guerschon Yabusele, France ($4,200)
It was 16 minutes of uninspiring action from Yabusele on Saturday, but much like Lo, he can put up a big score if he gets minutes in the upper teens. I think Yabusele will have at least one big game in the group stage, so if he doesn't get the job done Tuesday I will remain on board. Yabusele and Mathias Lessort are two French players I like going with if you assume France runs away from Japan, as both will be on the court late in blowouts.
Johannes Thiemann, Germany ($4,100)
Most will gravitate to Isaac Bonga, who played two more minutes and did really well. I'll gladly pivot to Thiemann, who is cheaper and over the course of their international careers has been better than his counterpart in fantasy points per minute.
