DraftKings NBA All-Star Game Showdown: DFS Lineups, Top Picks

Getty LeBron James and Anthony Davis

Following a busy two days of NBA All-Star weekend action, Sunday provides the headlining event which also brings plenty of storylines. While the All-Star Game doesn’t offer much in terms of defense, that only makes the daily fantasy outlook of the game even more intriguing. Both Team LeBron and Team Giannis are loaded (obviously) and we’re going to take a look at this matchup and some of the fantasy NBA action that comes with it.

Sunday’s All-Star game comes with some strong DFS options, and DraftKings is offering quite a few showdown games for the action. In this year’s matchup specifically, choosing the right mixture of low-owned players and top-tier talent is key, but there are a few interesting angles that jump out to help in building lineups.

We’re going to offer up top picks for the DraftKings showdown slate along with top optimal lineups. When building lineups here it’s fairly important to try to differentiate yourself from the field, and that will be taken into account with the picks/optimal lines below.

Before we get into the picks and roster builds, here’s a quick rundown on how showdown games work for anyone who’s never played one, as they’re different than regular DFS.

$50,000 salary cap
Pick six total players (one captain)
Must include at least one player from both teams
Captain spot costs 1.5x for any player, but that score comes with a 1.5x bonus
Can use players from any position in any roster spot

Choosing captains will be key to making lineups different from the bulk of other players. The prices of players in the All-Star Game are somewhat all over the board, so let’s check out the rosters and the cost of each player (broken down by team).

Team LeBron vs. Team Giannis DraftKings Prices

*Note: These are non-captain prices, all roster info from NBA.com.

Team LeBron

James Harden ($9,600)
LeBron James ($9,400)
Kevin Durant ($8,400)
Anthony Davis ($7,600)
Kawhi Leonard ($7,000)
Damian Lillard ($6,200)
Kyrie Irving ($6,000)
Karl-Anthony Towns ($5,800)
Bradley Beal ($5,400)
Klay Thompson ($5,200)
Ben Simmons ($4,800)
LaMarcus Aldridge ($3,600)
Dwyane Wade ($2,600)

Team Giannis

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($9,200)
Stephen Curry ($9,000)
Paul George ($8,600)
Russell Westbrook ($8,200)
Joel Embiid ($7,800)
Nikola Jokic ($6,600)
Kemba Walker ($6,400)
Blake Griffin ($5,000)
Kyle Lowry ($4,800)
Khris Middleton ($4,400)
Nikola Vucevic ($4,000)
D’Angelo Russell ($3,800)
Dirk Nowitzki ($2,000)

DraftKings All-Star Game Picks & Captain Targets

Of the eight most expensive players, five come from Team Giannis, but I think there’s a decent amount of value on both teams here. When looking back at last year’s All-Star Game (Team LeBron vs. Team Steph), James opted to play his starters a decent amount, with all but one seeing 27 minutes or more.

That game finished at 148-145 and of the 244 field goal attempts, 123 were from 3-point range (50.4 percent). In turn, we’re likely going to want to target players who shoot from beyond the arc or can fill up the box score. It’s worth noting that in the 2018 game, Kyle Lowry went 0-for-8 from 3-point range and had just four points, but tacked on 11 assists, seven rebounds, and three steals.

This shows that a player’s shot doesn’t necessarily have to fall for them to have a big game if they see a decent amount of playing time. Especially considering Bradley Beal played fewer minutes, connected on 4-of-8 from deep for 14 points, but didn’t add any additional stats aside from one steal.

I’m going to break down my favorite plays, secondary options and values below. It’s worth noting that the favorites will include a few value plays who I think are in a great spot.

Favorites

*Also qualifies as value

LeBron James ($9,400)
Stephen Curry ($9,000)
Giannis Antetokounmpo ($9,200)
Russell Westbrook ($8,200)
Damian Lillard ($6,200)*
Kemba Walker ($6,400)*
Karl-Anthony Towns ($5,800)*

I’m interested in James Harden ($9,600) but may choose between him and LeBron, as this team has a decent number of high-volume scorers. Stephen Curry and Kemba Walker have the hometown situation, but both will be high-owned. I have no problem using either player or both together as long as we find a way to differentiate outside of them.

Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook are two of my top plays, as they have no problem shooting early and often. Both players will see solid minutes and are in a good spot to see a lot of minutes potentially.

Secondary

Paul George ($8,600)
Joel Embiid ($7,800)
Blake Griffin ($5,000)*
Ben Simmons ($4,800)*
Kyle Lowry ($4,800)*

Anthony Davis ($7,600) will be in the mix for tournaments, but I opted not to list him due to the shoulder injury. He’s going to have low ownership due to the question mark involving his status and it provides a lot of risk, but the upside is obvious if he plays anything close to a fair number of minutes.

Paul George is a player who I could see taking over and winning the MVP award as a darkhorse option. He’s been superb this year, but I still think most players are going to look at the other names in this price range. Joel Embiid is priced up there some, but he loves the big stage and the national spotlight, and last season he had 19 points, eight rebounds, two blocks, one steal, and one assist.

Value

Damian Lillard ($6,200)*
Kemba Walker ($6,400)*
Karl-Anthony Towns ($5,800)*
Blake Griffin ($5,000)*
Ben Simmons ($4,800)*
Kyle Lowry ($4,800)*

I’ll also target Bradley Beal some, considering he’s been shaking off the narrative that he’s only a shooter. This could provide a low-owned, high-upside play if he can add something additional in the box score.

Ben Simmons is one name I want to mention, as he’s going to be massively overlooked. Most are going to go off the fact that Simmons doesn’t shoot 3-pointers and is coming off the bench and shy away. But Team LeBron has plenty of shooters and it’s easy to forget that James and Simmons are close friends (LeBron traded for Ben during the draft). I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Philadelphia 76ers star get some extra run and receive minutes down the stretch.

DraftKings All-Star Game Optimal Lineups

Optimal Lineup

CAPTAIN: Russell Westbrook ($12,300)
LeBron James ($9,400)
Stephen Curry ($9,000)
Kemba Walker ($9,000)
Damian Lillard ($6,200)
Karl-Anthony Towns ($5,800)

150-Max GPP Lineup

CAPTAIN: LeBron James ($14,100)
Giannis Antetokounmpo ($9,200)
Paul George ($8,600)
Anthony Davis ($7,600)
Blake Griffin ($5,000)
Ben Simmons ($4,800)

150-Max GPP Lineup No. 2

CAPTAIN: Kemba Walker ($9,600)
James Harden ($9,600)
Stephen Curry ($9,000)
Russell Westbrook ($8,200)
Joel Embiid ($7,800)
Karl-Anthony Towns ($5,800)