NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Thursday (11/9)

That Wednesday card was wild, leaving us with very little to discuss here. We have just two games making up this Thursday card, and it’s hard to understand why the NBA does that. In any case, they’re two quality matchups, and it should be a fun day to play DFS. With that in mind, let’s look at these two games!

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

NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer:

Schedule and Odds

• MIL at IND (MIL -3.5) O/U: 242.5
• ATL at ORL (ATL -2.5) O/U: 232

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

Injury Report

• Markelle Fultz (knee) Questionable
• Wendell Carter Jr.(hand) OUT
• Khris Middleton (rest) Questionable

Core Plays

Dejounte Murray (PG/SG – ATL): $8,200 DraftKings, $8,300 FanDuel
The first season in Atlanta didn’t go well for Murray, but he looks like a different player this year. Dejounte is averaging 28.5 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 6.5 assists across his last four fixtures. That’s quite the run, but it’s on par with what he did in San Antonio. It’s not like Orlando is a bad matchup, with Murray averaging nearly 45 DK points per game against them last season.

Paolo Banchero (SF/PF – ORL): $8,000 DraftKings, $7,900 FanDuel
Banchero also got off to a terrible start, but he’s looked incredible over the last week. The former first-pick has at least 33 DraftKings points in four straight games, scoring at least 53 fantasy points in two of his previous three outings. You can’t ask for any more from a player in this price range, and Atlanta is not a defense we’re concerned with. They’ve allowed the seventh-most fantasy points to opposing forwards while ranked 22nd in points allowed. In addition, Banchero scored at least 39 fantasy points in three of their four matchups last year.

Cash Game Considerations

Giannis Antetokounmpo (PF/C – MIL): $10,700 DraftKings, $10,600 FanDuel
Giannis hasn’t been as dominant as he was in the past, but it’s just a matter of time. This has been a Top 5 option in fantasy in each of the last five years, averaging over 50 DraftKings points per game in that span. What we’re encouraged with is that he dropped a season-high 62 DK points in his most recent outing! In addition, Indiana ranks 26th in defensive efficiency and 28th in points allowed. That’s scary since Giannis scored 81 fantasy points in their most recent matchup.

Tyrese Haliburton (PG – IND): $10,000 DraftKings, $10,000 FanDuel
Hali was a Top 10 pick in season-long leagues and looks like the best point guard in the NBA. He’s leading the league in assists, scoring at least 42 DK points in all six outings. He’s also got his season average above 50 fantasy points per game and should be motivated against the Bucks. We also don’t mind that Milwaukee ranks 24th in defensive efficiency while allowing the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards.

GPP Targets

Brook Lopez (C – MIL): $5,800 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel
Bro-Lo has struggled to find his role with Giannis and Damian Lillard doing everything, but seeing him this cheap is strange. He had a bounceback year with the Bucks last year, and we expect him to return to that form soon. A matchup with Indiana might be the way to do that, with the Pacers posting some of the worst defensive numbers in the NBA. That was on full display when Lopez scored 38 fantasy points in their last matchup.

Goga Bitadze (C – ORL): $5,400 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel
With Wendell Carter Jr.getting injured, Bitadze is now the starting center in Orlando. That alone makes him a good value in this price range because Goga has been an elite per-minute producer throughout his career. We also saw him score 37 fantasy points in the first game filling in, and an upside game like that makes Bitadze an elite option in this price range. He’ll also have to play 25-30 minutes to oppose Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu, which is fantastic against a weak Atlanta defense.

Value Plays

Myles Turner (C – IND): $7,100 DraftKings, $7,500 FanDuel
Turner’s consistency can sometimes be frustrating, but he’s always a good value, around $7K on DraftKings. The big man has one of the highest ceilings in the league, scoring 50 fantasy points numerous times throughout last season. He’s also surpassed 42 DK points three times this year and would’ve done that in Indiana’s most recent game if they didn’t win by 40 points. We also saw Turner score 39 and 53 DK points in two meetings with Milwaukee last year!

Cole Anthony (PG/SG – ORL): $6,000 DraftKings, $6,300 FanDuel
It looks like Markelle Fultz will miss another game, which means Anthony should be the primary playmaker. Cole sees a boost in minutes, shot attempts, and usage whenever Fultz is out, and we know Anthony can produce in an expanded role. We’ve seen him score at least 35 fantasy points in two of his last three outings, and another could be in play with this workload boost.

Advantageous Pricing

• Damian Lillard (PG – MIL): $9,500 DraftKings, $8,600 FanDuel
• Buddy Hield (SG/SF – IND): $6,600 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel
• Bruce Brown (SG/SF – IND): $6,100 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel
• Onyeka Okongwu (C – ATL): $4,200 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel
• Saddiq Bey (SG/SF – ATL): $4,300 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel

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