NBA DFS Primer: Monday (11/8)

I know this is an NBA article, but how crazy was that Sunday NFL card? My eliminator pool was decided on that absurd day, and it’s a good indicator of how unpredictable sports can be at times. There are upsets like that in the NBA every night, though, making it my favorite sport out there. I’ve been crushing DFS as well, so let’s go ahead and get into this Monday card!

After a couple of big slates over the weekend, we have eight games here. That’s your stereotypical middling slate, giving us the perfect player pool. What’s been fascinating about the NBA recently are all of the injuries. It feels like we have a superstar missing on every slate, and that’s certainly the case here. With that in mind, let’s kick things off with the schedule, odds, and injuries!

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Schedule and Odds

• NYK at PHI (PHI -4.5) O/U: 210 
• BKN at CHI (CHI -1.5) O/U: 215
• MIN at MEM (MEM -6) O/U: 218.5
• NOP at DAL (DAL -9) O/U: 210.5
• MIA at DEN (MIA -1) O/U: 206.5 
• ATL at GSW (GSW -3) O/U: 222 
• PHX at SAC (PHX -2) O/U: 222.5
• CHA at LAL (LAL -2.5) O/U: 224.5

Injury Report

• Ben Simmons (Personal) OUT
• Kyrie Irving (Personal) OUT
• D’Angelo Russell (ankle) OUT
• Jamal Murray (knee) OUT
• Dillon Brooks (hand) Questionable
• LeBron James (abs) OUT
• Brandon Ingram (hip) Questionable
• Michael Porter Jr (back) OUT
• Anthony Davis (illness) Questionable
• Zion Williamson (foot) OUT
• Tobias Harris (COVID) OUT
• P.J. Washington (elbow) OUT
• Deandre Ayton (leg) Questionable
• Mason Plumlee (ribs) Questionable

Core Plays

Luka Doncic (PG/SF – DAL): $10,700 DraftKings, $10,200 FanDuel
Luka struggled through the first two weeks of the season, but a game-winner on Saturday might be the thing to get him going. Doncic dropped 53 fantasy points in that gem, the third time he’s reached that number in his last four fixtures. That’s the definition of a core play, and he should obliterate a 28th-ranked Pelicans defense.