NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Wednesday (10/25)

The Tuesday slate is always an appetizer because this Wednesday card is what we look forward to! We have almost every team making their season debut, and it will be a fantastic day to sit back and watch some basketball. It’s always one of the most challenging slates to navigate because we have no data to back anything aside from past statistics. It’s unclear how these rotations will play out, but we will try our best to clean things up for you guys!

View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet.

NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Tuesday

Schedule and Odds

• WAS at IND (IND -7.5) O/U: 233.5
• BOS at NYK (BOS -2.5) O/U: 223.5
• HOU at ORL (ORL -3.5) O/U: 222
• ATL at CHA (ATL -2.5) O/U: 234
• DET at MIA (MIA -8.5) O/U: 221
• CLE at BKN (CLE -2.5) O/U: 221.5
• MIN at TOR (MIN -1) O/U: NA
• OKC at CHI (CHI -1) O/U: 228
• NOP at MEM (MEM -2) O/U: 228
• SAC at UTA (SAC -1) O/U: 238.5
• DAL at SAS (DAL -3.5) O/U: 228
• POR at LAC (LAC -9.5) O/U: NA

Check out our consensus game odds and the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros

Injury Report

• Lonzo Ball (knee) OUT
• Jarrett Allen (ankle) OUT
• Bojan Bogdanovic (calf) OUT
• Brandon Clarke (Achilles) OUT
• Steven Adams (knee) OUT
• Naji Marshall (knee) OUT
• Trey Murphy (knee) OUT
• Kyle Kuzma (calf) Questionable
• Luka Doncic (calf) Questionable
• Darius Garland (hamstring) Questionable
• Zach Collins (illness) Questionable
• Jaden McDaniels (calf) OUT

Core Plays

Domantas Sabonis (PF/C – SAC): $10,300 DraftKings, $9,800 FanDuel
This is expected to be the highest-scoring game of the night, so we have to have some exposure to the best player in that game. That’s Sabonis, averaging 19.1 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game last season. That’s rough for this subpar Utah defense, with Sabonis scoring at least 43 DraftKings points in all four of their matchups last year.

Pascal Siakam (PF/C – TOR): $10,100 DraftKings, $9,500 FanDuel
I have Siakam spread throughout my season-long teams because I genuinely feel like he will be an All-Star. He played like that last season, averaging 24.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 5.8 assists per game. That’s scary since Fred VanVleet is out of the picture, leaving Sia to do everything for this offense! We also don’t mind that Minnesota ranked 18th in points allowed and seventh in pace last year, surrendering 27 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists to Sia in their previous matchup.

Kawhi Leonard (SF/PF – LAC): $9,200 DraftKings, $9,400 FanDuel
Anytime Kawhi takes the floor, he’s one of the best players in fantasy. He always runs things for the Clippers, averaging nearly 50 DraftKings points per game over the last three years. That makes him a bit too cheap, especially against Portland. This Trail Blazers team is expected to be one of the worst in the NBA, ranked 28th in defensive efficiency last season. In his last game against them, Kawhi collected 27 points, eight rebounds, and four assists across just 29 minutes of action.

Cash Game Considerations

Luka Doncic (PG – DAL): $11,000 DraftKings, $11,600 FanDuel
Luka Magic is going to be impossible to fade on this slate. He’s always one of the safest bets for 60 fantasy points and gets to face the worst defense in the NBA. The Spurs were last in nearly every defensive metric last season, with Doncic destroying them. In their two meetings, Luka averaged 29.5 points, 6.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists, 3.0 steals, and 1.5 blocks per game!

Trae Young (PG – ATL): $9,800 DraftKings, $9,600 FanDuel
Trae will be up there with Haliburton as the league leader in assists, averaging 26.2 points and 10.2 dimes a game last year. That had him scoring at least 26 fantasy points in all but two games, establishing a 45-point average. He should slaughter this 22nd-ranked Charlotte defense from last year, scoring at least 47 fantasy points in all four of their matchups.

Tyrese Haliburton (PG – IND): $9,400 DraftKings, $9,400 FanDuel
Hali will be one of the league leaders in assists, establishing one of the highest floors in DFS. That has him hovering around 50 DraftKings points in every game, averaging 20.7 points, 10.4 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. That could be easy to reach against Washington, with the Wiz ranked 21st in defensive efficiency last season. That was clear when Hali scored at least 42 fantasy points in all four matchups last season.

GPP Targets

Myles Turner (C – IND): $5,900 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel
Turner always remains too cheap on these daily sites, mainly because of his volatility. He’s all over the map regarding consistency, but not many players have the upside that Turner does in this price range. He can drop 50 fantasy points at ease, which becomes much more likely in this matchup. Washington was 21st in total defense last year, with Turn showcasing a 55-point game in one of their matchups.

Russell Westbrook (PG – LAC): $6,500 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel
Russ has gone from an overrated player to an underrated player throughout his career. He’s not the stud we saw in OKC, but we saw Westbrook average nearly 40 fantasy points per game from December on last year with LA. His stat-stuffing allows that sort of production, and he should get all the opportunities he can handle as the starting point guard for the Clips. Not to mention, Portland is expected to be one of the worst defenses in the NBA.

Coby White (PG/SG – CHI): $4,600 DraftKings, $4,900 FanDuel
This makes me nervous, but it’s tough to fade a starting point guard in this price range. That’s what White is, filling in for Lonzo Ball. That alone makes him a good value, crushing it during the preseason. We’ve also seen White flirt with a 30-point average in a 30-minute role in the past, and he’s one of the best punt plays out there at this dirt-cheap price.

Value Plays

Wendell Carter Jr. (PF/C – ORL): $6,200 DraftKings, $7,200 FanDuel
WCJ has been in this section for years. He’s always an underrated asset in DFS, priced way too affordably on both sites. He’s one of the safest bets for 30 fantasy points from a player in this price range, posting a 31-point average last season. This is one of the best possible matchups, with Houston ranked 29th in defensive efficiency ratings last season.

Marcus Smart (PG/SG – MEM): $5,800 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel
Smart is undervalued right now. He’s expected to take over as the starting point guard in Memphis as long as Ja Morant is suspended. That makes Smart an immense value because he can be a $7K player in his 35-minute point guard role. The Griz need Smart out there a ton, and we love that he has at least 26 fantasy points in his two most recent matchups with the Pels.

Dennis Schroder (PG – TOR): $5,300 DraftKings, $5,300 FanDuel
Schroder is a guy who I took in the final rounds of almost all of my season-long leagues. We truly believe this guy will take over this starting point guard role, averaging nearly 30 fantasy points per game in this type of role in the past. He’s simply the only true point guard on the roster right now and needs a price bump in this expanded role. The matchup is magnificent, too, with Minnesota allowing the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing point guards last season.

Advantageous Pricing

Myles Turner (C – IND): $5,900 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel

Obi Toppin (PF – IND): $3,000 DraftKings, $5,100 FanDuel

Paolo Banchero (SF/PF – ORL): $8,900 DraftKings, $7,500 FanDuel

Alperen Sengun (C – HOU): $6,700 DraftKings, $7,900 FanDuel

Jrue Holiday (PG – BOS): $6,100 DraftKings, $7,500 FanDuel

Nic Claxton (C – BKN): $5,900 DraftKings, $7,600 FanDuel

Jalen Duren (C – DET): $4,800 DraftKings, $6,200 FanDuel

Jaren Jackson Jr. (PF/C – MEM): $6,600 DraftKings, $8,200 FanDuel

DeMar DeRozan (SF/PF – CHI): $7,100 DraftKings, $8,500 FanDuel

Walker Kessler (C – UTA): $5,600 DraftKings, $7,400 FanDuel

Dereck Lively (C – DAL): $6,100 DraftKings, $4,700 FanDuel

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