PG - Rajon Rondo, New Orleans Pelicans @ Portland Trail Blazers
Playoff Rondo showed up in a big way in Game 1. The veteran point guard dropped six points, eight rebounds, and 17 assists, the third time he’s had 17 or more dimes in his last four games. Game 1 was a relatively low-scoring affair with both teams scoring under 100 points.
This has the potential to be a much higher-scoring matchup, though, and if the two teams get into a shootout like they did for virtually all their regular-season meetings, Rondo could once again stand to be the big beneficiary fantasy-wise.
SG - Jaylen Brown, Boston Celtics vs Milwaukee Bucks
DeMar DeRozan, Bradley Beal, and CJ McCollum are all terrific shooting guards, but surprisingly, none of them scored 20 points in their Game 1s. Instead, young Celtics swingman Jaylen Brown had them all beat as he went for 20 points, four rebounds, and four assists against the Bucks.
While DeRozan, Beal, and McCollum are all likely to bounce back, Brown is significantly cheaper and provides decent upside. He ended the season strong, putting up close to 21 points in his last five games of the regular season.
He’s now had 33 or more fantasy points per FanDuel scoring in his last two meetings against the Bucks, making him very good value for his price range.
SF - Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks @ Boston Celtics
Giannis was at his typically brilliant best in Game 1 against Boston as he went off for 35 points, 13 rebounds, seven assists, and three steals in a losing effort. The Celtics just have no answers for the Greek Freak, who abused them for 33.5 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 1.8 steals in four regular-season meetings. With the Bucks likely to have more sense of urgency after losing Game 1, the Greek Freak could come out with even more aggressiveness to lead the Bucks to that much-needed win.
PF - Serge Ibaka, Toronto Raptors vs Washington Wizards
Ibaka was brilliant in Game 1 against the Wizards. The Raptors big man had a team-high 23 points with 12 rebounds and two blocks. That’s just a continuation of his fine form to end the regular season. Ibaka put up 16.2 points on 58 percent shooting, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.8 blocks to end the month of March.
With Wizards power forward Markieff Morris potentially not at 100 percent after he sprained his ankle late in Game 1, Ibaka has the potential to put up another impressive fantasy performance.
C - John Henson, Milwaukee Bucks @ Boston Celtics
Henson was a crucial player for the Bucks in Game 1 as he played 37 minutes while Jabari Parker was limited to just 15. Henson made the most of those minutes as he had seven points, six rebounds, and six blocks. Obviously, Henson likely will not block that many shots again and it remains to be seen whether he will play as many minutes going forward. But he’s a relatively cheap, high-upside option at center who should be worth considering.
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