The Summer Games are finally underway and DraftKings has posted some great contest offerings for us to dig into on tonight’s four-game slate. FanDuel will also offer single-game contests for the United States vs. Iran game, which tips off at 12:40 a.m. ET on Wednesday. This article will cover the DraftKings slate. I’ll be playing the single-game slate on FanDuel so feel free to ping me in the FTN Daily Discord if you want to discuss. 

Throughout the tournament this article will breakdown the upcoming games, give injury updates, projected starting lineups and of course some of our favorite players for the given slate. I’ll be in and out of the FTN Daily NBA Discord channel all day leading up to lock but will be around in the hour prior to the first game starting so don’t hesitate to ping me with questions and I will make sure to get back to you before the games get underway. It should be an exciting two weeks of international hoops, let’s get started.

Germany vs. Nigeria (-4.5) 166.0

The first game of the night boasts the closest spread on the slate. Both of these teams lost their openers, making this game a must-win scenario for each squad. Germany will not be favored in their next game against the Aussies and Nigeria will have their hands full with a talented Italian squad, so the winner of this one will be the favorite for a third-place finish in Group B and a possible berth into the knockout stage. 

The Germans were led by Maodo Lo ($6.8k) in their loss to Italy on Sunday morning. I was surprised when Lo came off the bench, with Coach Henrik Rodl opting to start Andreas Obst ($3.9k) at point guard. But if you’re familiar with the EuroLeague or international hoops in general, you’ll know that starting means a lot less in this tournament than it does in the NBA. For example, Lo ended up playing 28.5 minutes, second only on the team to Obst, who played 29.5. Keep that in mind when you see some of the better players coming off the bench in this tournament. Lo smashed in his time, going 9/12 from the floor for 24 points while adding four rebounds and four assists. He’ll be higher owned than the 8.6% we were able to snag him at on the first slate, but with other attractive options in his price range, I don’t think it gets out of hand. He’s a fine play, just don’t expect him to shoot 75% again. If the center rotation of Johannes Voigtmann ($6.3k) and Mo Wagner ($8.6k) remains split essentially down the middle, I don’t have much interest in either. I would prefer the savings on Voigtmann if I was going to roster one of the German centers. Furthermore, DraftKings has decided that Isaac Bonga ($4.6k), who has played zero minutes of center in qualifiers or the first game on Sunday, is a center only on their site. That technically makes him my favorite German “center” on this slate. Bonga played 27 minutes against the Italians and was efficient in his time. He may end up my highest owned player from this team when I finish my builds tonight. If you’re looking for salary savers on this team outside of Bonga and Obst, you can also consider Nils Giffey ($3.3k) and Danilo Barthel ($3.2k), who can both spike an upside at near minimum price.

The Nigerians went out and did almost exactly what we expected in their first game, and that was a flat rotation. Coach Mike Brown rolled out 10 players between 11 and 25 minutes, and it kept any Nigerian player from ending up in the winning lineup. That being said, their salaries remain affordable up and down the roster with no player being priced above $5.9k on DK. My first look on this team is NBA Champion Jordan Nwora ($4.0k), who I avoided last slate with the uncertainty around his minutes, role and physical state. Similar to his Milwaukee teammates who joined up with the United States late as well, I was hesitant to roster a guy who just partied for three days and flew halfway across the world to join a team he hadn’t practiced or played with yet. Much to my chagrin, Nwora got the second most minutes for the Nigerian team and led them in shot attempts. That’s all I needed to see to make him a core value play for me on this slate. He’s the most talented scorer on this team and looks primed for a big role throughout the tournament after recording a 29.3% usage rate in his 23.5 minutes. I’m also a fan of getting some Josh Okogie ($4.4k) exposure again in this one. Okogie is moonlighting as a point guard with this team devoid of true distributors, and that extra value is once again juicy at this price. Gabe Vincent ($5.4k) led the Nigerians in minutes against the Aussies and shot it poorly, going 1/7 from the field and 4/8 from the free-throw line. He’s perfectly fine to roster, and the same can be said for Precious Achiuwa ($5.9k) who got the start and led the frontcourt options in minutes with 21.5 and usage with a 30.6% rate. If I was running 150 lineups, I would have some shares of Miye Oni ($3.1k) or Jahlil Okafor ($5.7k) but I don’t think I will get to either, especially Okafor, in my 20 lineups.

Iran vs. United States (-41.5) 166.5

I’m still convinced that the Americans will win this tournament. As I rage-tweeted on Sunday morning, anyone who is shocked by an American loss to the French just doesn’t have a grasp on how good the rest of the world has been at basketball for the last decade. For example, in the 2016 Summer Games, the Americans ran the table with a more talented roster but did so with wins against Spain by 6, Australia by 9, France by 3 and Serbia by 3. The way the United States has structured their organization, they are unable to secure the roster continuity that the other top countries close the talent gap with. The world has been on our butt for a while now, but a slip-up in the first group stage game is the best time for it to happen, and now the Americans will get to take out their frustrations on the worst team in the field.

Speaking of the worst team in the field, the Iranians actually put up a valiant and entertaining effort against the Czechs on Saturday evening. Our favorite name in the tournament, Mohammed Jamshidi Jafarabadi ($3.6k) was a perfectly fine value, notching 26.75 DK points. He was outdone by sharpshooting teammate (and noted pivot in Saturday’s article) Behnam Yakhchali Dehkordi ($4.0k), who put up 16 shots and played 36 minutes. I advise against stacking the two as a priority build. Their prices haven’t risen to reflect how well they did in the first game, and I expect the field to flock to both players, who were already owned 19.5% and 12% respectively on the first slate. The Iranians are projected for 62.5 points, which should end up the lowest team total in the tournament, and those two guards shot a combined 59% from the floor against the Czechs. I don’t see them finding the same success against the USA in this one. I prefer to roster Jamshidi Jafarabadi if I have to lean one way or the other, as he should continue to have a significantly higher usage rate compared to Yakchali Dehkordi. The latter relies more on his sharpshooting ability for fantasy production. My only other consideration from this team is former Memphis Grizzlies center Hamed Haddadi ($9.3k). The Iranians run everything through him and although I think he will continue to struggle with fouls throughout the group stage, he’s one of the few players on the slate with (albeit a low chance) triple-double upside.

As a refresher, the Americans are always tough to roster in international DFS because of the high prices and flat rotation. My approach to this team hasn’t changed much from the first slate, and my two top targets remain Kevin Durant ($10.4k) and Damian Lillard ($10.2k). Both guys put out embarrassing performances in their Tokyo Summer Games debut, and I think they each try to leave their mark on a hapless Iranian team before they sit in the inevitable blowout. I prefer Durant and would not stack the two together. Once again, I am likely to avoid the rest of the United States roster above the two cheapies, Keldon Johnson ($3.6k) and JaVale McGee ($3.1k). I have more interest in the upside for McGee in the blowout, it will still be tough for me to roster Johnson with so much other value on the slate. It’s possible that one or two guys put up nice scores, but I’m not going to play red, white and blue roulette with guys like Zach LaVine ($8.8K), Jayson Tatum ($9.4k) and Devin Booker ($8.5k). I sang Jrue Holiday’s ($8.7k) praises after his stellar outing against France, but I don’t think his full services will be required in this one and won’t be surprised if Coach Popovich limits his minutes. It will remain tough to roster Americans with any sort of volume until the knockout stage.

Australia (-7) vs. Italy 172.5

I’ve been telling everyone who will listen about International Patty since the beginning of this past NBA season. International Patty season is finally upon us, and Patty Mills ($9.8k), aka Patty Cakes, aka Pat Stacks, aka Splash Bandicoot, aka Party Thrills, aka Fatty Patty, is once again a top spend up. He peppered the Nigerians from deep in the first game of the group stage, going for 25 points, six assists, four rebounds and four steals, ending up the highest scoring player on the slate. There’s no reason to think he doesn’t put up similar numbers against the Azzurri here. The ownership will likely be through the roof, but I’m not shying away from rostering my guy here. He’s been as solid a play as you can get in international contests for the better part of a decade. The pivot, who I think you can stack with Mills, is Joe Ingles ($9.2k), who didn’t quite get it done for daily fantasy managers the first time around, but he was only 13.9% owned and I don’t think that number moves much. He played 32.5 minutes and certainly has the upside to improve upon his 11-point, four-rebound and three-assist performance. The Aussie frontcourt is tough to decipher. Both Aron Baynes ($3.9k) and Jock Landale ($5.1k) saw their minutes limited against the smaller Nigerian team, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see either, especially Landale, who dealt with foul trouble, exceed 20 minutes here. They’re both secondary plays, and you could actually play their frontcourt mate Nic Kay ($4.3k), who has received some encouraging minutes through the exhibitions and against Nigeria, over both of the starters. Kay has been very productive in this short sample and I have no issue rostering him as a value. If you venture further back to the 2019 FIBA World Cup, you’ll see that it’s no fluke that Kay picked up minutes into the 20s. My interest in this frontcourt is Landale, Kay then Baynes – in that order. There’s a menu of other viable options for the Boomers, starting with Philadelphia 76ers wing Matisse Thybulle ($8.2k), who has been coming off the bench for the Aussies in the exhibitions and early in this tournament but has been extremely productive in his time, thanks to his proclivity for steals and blocks. I have no issue rostering him, as he remains a secondary play for me. If you’re looking to be a bit more economical with your Australian exposure, look to Dante Exum ($5.2k), who posted a 27.7% usage rate in his 24 minutes against Nigeria, or Matthew Dellavedova ($3.8k) as acceptable guard values.

I mentioned earlier about not worrying too much when the better players come off the bench in international play, and the best example of this on the first slate was Danilo Gallinari ($8.3k) not starting for the Azzurri. Gallo played 25.5 minutes off the bench against Germany and was instant offense, finishing with 18 points, two rebounds, two assists, a steal and a block for good measure. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him start in this one, but I think he’s just fine to play if he remains in a reserve role. I’d certainly rather roster him over any American in that price range. Simone Fontecchio ($6.2k) was the DFS darling in the game against Germany, finishing with 37.5 DK points at 23.7% owned. I’ll likely be under the field on him, betting against another 5/5 outing from three, but I won’t full fade in my 20 lineups. Fontecchio is capable of being a main contributor for the Italians and the 30 minutes is hard to ignore. My tournament pivot will be Achille Polonara ($5.3k), who let us down in the first game with an 0/6 performance (all from three) but should bounce back here. You can get good value even cheaper down this roster though. Nicolo Melli ($4.5k) put up a stellar 30.25 DK point performance in his first game, and he’s too cheap for his role on this squad. You can also roster guard Stefano Tonut ($4.8k), who led the team with 31.5 minutes played and 13 shot attempts. Of course, we can’t talk Italy without mentioning Nico Mannion ($5.8k). The Warriors guard got off to a hot start against the Germans, but his usage subsided a bit after his first rotation (when Gallinari entered the game). I have worries that he won’t get enough looks to have a GPP winning impact against the Aussies, but the price is low enough where you can take some shots on him in multiple lineups.

France (-9.5) vs. Czech Republic 164.5

In these Summer Games, the “late-night hammer” can be viewed over a cup of coffee or, in my neck of the woods, some breakfast tacos. This should be a great way to wake up and start our Wednesday as these two teams will battle it out for control of Group A. 

The French are riding high after their late-game comeback against the Americans on Sunday morning. They can essentially clinch Group A with a win in this one, as lowly Iran is the only remaining roadblock on the schedule between Les Bleus and a first-place finish in the group stage. There was a four-man core for France in their first game, with Evan Fournier ($7.5k), Nando DeColo ($7.9k), Nicolas Batum ($5.6k) and Rudy Gobert ($10.0k) all playing between 28 and 34 minutes. All of those guys are solid plays, and I prefer them, price considered, in the order listed. Fournier had a massive 38.7% usage rate against the USA, and while I expect that number to come down a bit going forward, he still projects to lead the French in that category. DeColo is the natural pivot from what should be a chalky Fournier, who was five times more owned than the former in the first game. Rudy Gobert should have an easier time with the Czechs, but with how many other plays I like more at a cheaper price point, it’s tough for me to get a ton of exposure to the big man. Batum is the cheapest way to get exposure to the French studs and for that reason, he will be in a significant portion of my build. The rest of the minutes in the French rotation were relatively flat. Guerschon Yabusele ($3.3k) remains cheap and if he gets the start again, I like having some shares in MME builds. He lost time last game when he banged knees with the human-tank Jrue Holiday. He’s probable tonight and I assume he retains his starting spot here to guard Jan Vesely. If I was entering 150 lineups, I would have Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot ($4.0k), Moustapha Fall ($3.4k) and Thomas Heurtel ($3.2k) in my player pool as values. As of this writing, it’s unlikely I get to any of those three in my 20 lineups. Both Frank Ntilikina ($3.3k) and Andrew Albicy ($3.0k) are questionable for France after missing the last game against the USA.

The Czechs took their foot off the gas a little too early in their matchup against Iran on Saturday night. Coming into the fourth quarter of play with a 21 point lead, the Czechs gave up multiple scoring runs to the Iranians and saw their lead trimmed to just four before eventually emerging victorious. The struggles weren’t really confined to the final frame, however, as cold shooting plagued this team throughout that game. The Czechs went 6/30 from three, and their primary offensive initiator, Tomas Satoransky ($7.4k), was a dismal 2/14 from the field including a missed wide-open layup while contributing five misses and no makes from three. I expect the team to shoot at a much more productive pace tonight and Satoransky to lead the charge both on the court and in DFS. He also picked up eight rebounds, eight assists and five steals to salvage his fantasy day. Those peripherals are to be expected from him in this tournament. We can also look to Jan Vesely ($6.9k) for a bounce-back performance as this rotation tightens. The Czechs played 10 players 10 minutes or more, and I expect that number to drop to eight or less as long as this game remains in the balance. I’m going right back to Ondrej Balvin ($3.7k) for value on this slate, whose size will be needed against the Gobert/Fall/Poirier frontcourt of France. Balvin was 52% owned on the first slate and put up a relative dud, and I’m excited to roster him again at what should be a reactionary downswing in that number. I do expect a change to the starting lineup and won’t be surprised at all to see the more talented Patrik Auda ($5.5k) replace Ondrej Sehnal ($3.1k), who played three minutes, at the two guard spot. Other secondary values from this team in MME builds are Blake Schilb ($4.7k) and Jaromir Bohachik ($3.9k), who should both play solid roles in competitive games.

Projected starters

Germany: Andreas Obst, Isaac Bonga, Niels Giffey, Danilo Barthel, Johannes Voigtmann
Nigeria: Josh Ogogie, Gabe Vincent, Miyee Oni, KZ Okpala, Precious Achiuwa
Iran: Mohammed Jamshidi Jarfarabadi, Behnam Yakhchali Dehkordi, Mohammed Nik Khahahrami, Arsalan Kazemi, Hamed Haddadi
United States: Damian Lillard, Zach LaVine, Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Bam Adebayo
Australia: Matthew Dellavedova, Patty Mills, Joe Ingles, Jock Landale, Aron Baynes
Italy: Nico Mannion, Stefano Tonut, Simone Fontecchio, Danilo Gallinari, Nicolo Melli
France: Nando DeColo, Evan Fournier, Nic Batum, Guerschon Yabusele, Rudy Gobert
Czech Republic: Tomas Satoransky, Patrick Auda, Jaromir Bohacik, Jan Vesely, Ondrej Balvin