After a night off on Wednesday, we’re back at it here. I was still grinding DFS on Wednesday night, though, having a decent day with that big card. Russell Westbrook was the chalk there (rightfully so), and it’ll be interesting to see who people rely on today!
After a full card on Wednesday, we have six games here. That’s by no means a big slate, but it’s the perfect amount to build a plentiful player pool. I also prefer to have a slate like this because there are not too many games to get lost in, and there’s just enough to get zoned in on each individual one. There’s a lot to discuss, though, so let’s kick things off by presenting you with the schedule and odds!
Check out today’s NBA Layup from FanDuel
Schedule and Odds
- DET at PHI (PHI -8) O/U: 221
A line hasn’t been produced yet because of the Embiid injury, but this is what I think it’ll be at. Philly should take care of business whether he’s on the floor or not.
- ATL at WAS (NYK -1) O/U: 218.5
Both of these clubs love to run up and down the court. It should be interesting to see if they do that with both clubs playing the second half of a back-to-back set.
- NYK at CHI (CHI -2) O/U: 215
These have been two of the most impressive clubs in the early going, with both teams looking like elite defenses.
- UTH at HOU (UTH -9) O/U: 223
Utah enters as heavy road favorites, and they shouldn’t have an issue with Houston after killing them last season.
- SAS at DAL (DAL -5) O/U: 226
San Antonio has been sneaky while Dallas has struggled a bit. That should lead to a tight Texas tussle!
- MEM at GS (GS -5.5) O/U: 232.5
These teams played in the play-in tournament last year, and both should be hungry to exact revenge. Look for the stud point guards to thrive against one another.
Injury Report
Core Plays
Luka Doncic (PG – DAL): $11,000 DraftKings, $10,700 FanDuel
Doncic is obviously one of the best players in the NBA, and this is a great spot for him to succeed. He’s already averaging 54.2 DraftKings points per game but could be asked to do even more with Porzingis possibly sitting. Even if he’s not, Doncic should flirt with a triple-double against a Spurs team that he crushed last season.
After a night off on Wednesday, we’re back at it here. I was still grinding DFS on Wednesday night, though, having a decent day with that big card. Russell Westbrook was the chalk there (rightfully so), and it’ll be interesting to see who people rely on today!
After a full card on Wednesday, we have six games here. That’s by no means a big slate, but it’s the perfect amount to build a plentiful player pool. I also prefer to have a slate like this because there are not too many games to get lost in, and there’s just enough to get zoned in on each individual one. There’s a lot to discuss, though, so let’s kick things off by presenting you with the schedule and odds!
Check out today’s NBA Layup from FanDuel
Schedule and Odds
- DET at PHI (PHI -8) O/U: 221
A line hasn’t been produced yet because of the Embiid injury, but this is what I think it’ll be at. Philly should take care of business whether he’s on the floor or not.
- ATL at WAS (NYK -1) O/U: 218.5
Both of these clubs love to run up and down the court. It should be interesting to see if they do that with both clubs playing the second half of a back-to-back set.
- NYK at CHI (CHI -2) O/U: 215
These have been two of the most impressive clubs in the early going, with both teams looking like elite defenses.
- UTH at HOU (UTH -9) O/U: 223
Utah enters as heavy road favorites, and they shouldn’t have an issue with Houston after killing them last season.
- SAS at DAL (DAL -5) O/U: 226
San Antonio has been sneaky while Dallas has struggled a bit. That should lead to a tight Texas tussle!
- MEM at GS (GS -5.5) O/U: 232.5
These teams played in the play-in tournament last year, and both should be hungry to exact revenge. Look for the stud point guards to thrive against one another.
Injury Report
Core Plays
Luka Doncic (PG – DAL): $11,000 DraftKings, $10,700 FanDuel
Doncic is obviously one of the best players in the NBA, and this is a great spot for him to succeed. He’s already averaging 54.2 DraftKings points per game but could be asked to do even more with Porzingis possibly sitting. Even if he’s not, Doncic should flirt with a triple-double against a Spurs team that he crushed last season.
Ja Morant (PG – MEM): $9,600 DraftKings, $10,000 FanDuel
Ja is on a different level right now. The former Murray State guard is averaging 55.3 DK points per game, leading the league in scoring. You better believe he’ll be extra motivated against Steph Curry.
Julius Randle (PF/C – NYK): $9,500 DraftKings, $9,900 FanDuel
Randle broke out last season, and he looks well on his way to another All-Star appearance this year. He’s averaging 25.5 points, 11.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.8 blocks per game, playing the de facto point guard for the Knicks. We’re not sure those averages will hold, but it makes him impossible to avoid below $10K.
Cash Game Considerations
Stephen Curry (PG – GS): $10,900 DraftKings, $10,400 FanDuel
We already mentioned Morant, but we love his counterpart just as much. Steph has returned to his MVP level, averaging 29 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 6.3 assists per game. We absolutely love that with Memphis surrendering the second-most fantasy points to opposing point guards.
Nikola Vucevic (C – CHI): $8,600 DraftKings, $8,700 FanDuel
Vooch isn’t quite the beast that we saw in Orlando, but he’s too reliable to sit below $9K. He’s got at least 33 DK points in every game this season and should have that high floor all year. He’ll be needed to play big minutes to oppose this large New York frontline too. We also don’t mind that New York owns an 18th OPRK against opposing centers, either.
Jakob Poeltl (C – SAS): $7,100 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel
It’s good that these sites are finally taking notice of Poeltl. This dude is one of the focal points of the Spurs offense right now, averaging 39 DK points across 32 minutes a night. We’ve been waiting for those minutes to bump for years, and he should abuse a Dallas team that has one of the worst center rotations in the NBA.
GPP Targets
Andre Drummond (C – PHI): $4,900 DraftKings, $5,700 FanDuel
This is going to be one of the best GPP options all season. We all know that Drummond is a fantasy monster when given the minutes, averaging nearly 1.4 DK points per minute for his career. He should get plenty of playing time when Embiid is nicked up, and he’d be a lock in every lineup if Joel ever gets ruled out!
Kemba Walker (PG – NYK): $5,400 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel
Kemba has struggled in his first week with the Knicks, but Tuesday was an encouraging sign. He did a lot more ball-handling and dropped a season-best 38.3 DK points. That’s the stud we saw in the past, with Walker usually sitting closer to $7K on both sites. It might be risky but buying Kemba’s stock this low might be a profitable endeavor for the next few weeks.
Tim Hardaway Jr (SG – DAL): $6,40 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel
THJ is always a GPP option because he’s one of the most volatile shooters in the NBA. The reason we like him here is the status of KP. Hardaway averaged nearly 30 DK points per game when Porzingis sat last season and always sees his shot attempts jump when KP is out. Not to mention, San Antonio owns a 29th OPRK against opposing shootings guards this season.
Value Plays – under $6K
De’Anthony Melton (PG – MEM): $5,100 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel
Melton has always been a per-minute stud, averaging 1.3 DK points per minute for his career. That’s a massive total from a guy seeing an increase in playing time, starting in the absence of Dillon Brooks. That has allowed him to average 32 DK points per game across 30 minutes a night this season, an absurd total from a $5K player.
Lonnie Walker (SG/SF – SAS): $4,700 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel
Walker has been way too good to be this cheap. He’s been the Sixth Man for the Spurs, averaging 27.3 DK points per game. That’s a spectacular average from someone this inexpensive, especially with Dallas owning a 22nd OPRK against opposing wings.
Tyrese Maxey (PG – PHI): $5,800 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel
Maxey has been the starting point guard in the absence of Simmons, averaging 25 DK points per game in this role since the beginning of last season. He’s shown 50-point upside in the past, too, and he could do even more if Embiid sits.
Advantageous Pricing
- Tim Hardaway Jr (DAL): $6,40 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel
- Steven Adams (MEM): $5,600 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel
- Mitchell Robinson (NYK) $5,300 DraftKings, $6,200 FanDuel
- Draymond Green (GS) : $7,400 DraftKings, $6,400 FanDuel
- Kevin Porter (HOU): $6,700 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer for FantasyPros. You may remember his MLB and NFL DFS work.