Memphis Grizzlies vs. Oklahoma City Thunder DFS Start Em’s Sit Em’s| April 22nd, 2025

The Grizzlies find themselves with their backs against the wall already as they try to come back from a lashing from the Oklahoma City Thunder. Plenty of starters on the Grizzlies roster turned in their worst performance of the season in Game 1. It’s still not a good idea to write off these Grizzlies players yet, though, because some of them are likely to turn it around in Game 2. That being said, the Thunder have plenty of ballers on their squad to target for DFS.

Memphis Grizzlies vs. Oklahoma City Thunder Start Em’

Aaron Wiggins (DraftKings Price 5.3K, FanDuel Price 4.5K)

It seemed in Game 1 that the second and third quarters simply belonged to Aaron Wiggins. Part of that came from necessity; Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wasn’t shooting like his normal self at the time.

Therefore, offense needed to come from other places, and Wiggins was more than happy to pick up the slack, shooting 57% from three-point range and finishing with some nasty dunks. Although Shai Gilgeous might have a better showing in Game 2, Wiggins will still be coming off the bench, and he is capable of turning in a phenomenal performance.

Jaren Jackson Jr. (DraftKings Price 7.7K, FanDuel Price 7.1K)

There isn’t much from Game 1 to make someone happy about starting Jackson Jr. in DFS. After all, he only scored four points all game. Not only did he have a subpar performance, but the entire offense struggled. The only starter to score in double digits in Game 1 was Ja Morant, and Memphis can’t win by simply relying on Morant. Therefore, offense needs to come from somewhere else, and Jaren Jackson Jr. is well equipped to try and take on the strong defense being played by Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hardenstein.

Chet Holmgren (Draft Kings Price 7.8K, FanDuel Price 7K)

Speaking of strong defense on Jaren Jackson Jr, Chet Holmgren clearly didn’t shy away from the challenge in Game 1, but that’s only half the story. The other half is that he shot 75% from three-point range. That means that guys like Jackson Jr. and Zach Edey have to chase him to the arc, which opens up way more plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder. From a game plan standpoint, Holmgren gives the Thunder lots of freedom to run many different plays. If he is going to be that efficient, then DFS players should love to start Chet Holmgren.

Grizzlies vs. Thunder Sit Em’

Zach Edey (DraftKings Price 6.3K, FanDuel Price 6K)

Like his teammate Jaret Jackson Jr., Edey could only come away with four points from Game 1. Whereas Jackson Jr. is poised to bounce back, though, it might be tougher for the phenom from Purdue. Edey usually dominates if he has a strong matchup, but Isaiah Hardenstein proved that he can defend Edey quite well. It isn’t like the offense is feeding Edey either, it’s more like Morant doing what he can before he passes out. Edey should play better than Game 1, but probably won’t come away with more than 10 points and eight rebounds.

Luguentz Dort (Draft Kings Price 5.4K, FanDuel Price 4.3K)

It wasn’t like Dort had a bad Game 1; he scored 12 points while shooting 50% from three. Most of his points were clean-up after another player encountered heavy defense and had to kick out. Other players like Aaron Wiggins were better at creating their own shots. Therefore, Dort will still be reliable, but he won’t shoot the lights out of the building.

Scotty Pippen Jr. (DraftKings Price 5.8K, FanDuel Price 5.1K)

Not only did Pippen Jr. have a disappointing Game 1 (He only scored two points), but he is in a difficult position to contribute. Morant will be handling the ball and probably dishing it off to Jaret Jackson Jr. if he doesn’t go up with it himself. If Pippen Jr. scores more, he might see more passes from Ja Morant. Otherwise, Pippen Jr. might not produce enough for DFS.

Grizzlies vs. Thunder Lock

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (DraftKings Price 11.2K, FanDuel Price 10.3K)

The 15 points that Gilgeous-Alexander scored in Game 1 certainly isn’t his usual stat line. In terms of adjustments for Game 2, though, the Grizzlies might make a stronger effort to keep their teammates away from the ball. That might open up more opportunities for Gilgeous-Alexander. From a statistical standpoint, the chances of him having two mediocre games are really low. What is more likely is that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander pops off in Game 2.

Grizzlies vs. Thunder Fade

Luke Kennard (Draft Kings Price 3.8K, FanDuel Price 3K)

Kennard won’t get enough play time to be a factor, sadly. It might be different if Memphis opens up to an early lead, but that isn’t likely. The starters will have to take on a lot of the workload, and that isn’t good news for bench players like Kennard, who don’t play too many minutes to begin with. DFS players should look elsewhere if they want to score big with a bench player.