Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton reacts after scoring against the Charlotte Hornets during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Indianapolis, Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023. (AP Photo/AJ Mast)
Head on over for your chance to get DFSR PRO, which will give you access to our NBA FanDuel and DraftKings optimizer, NFL optimal lineups, and our NHL Optimizer. Plus our new player lab! Get started for free by clicking the button below.
First time with NBA or NFL? Be sure to read our free NBA and NFL Ebooks on building lineups, general strategy, and more. We've got you completely covered.
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 58.41 DK - 63.03
We’ve had some ridiculous totals of late, usually involving Indiana, and this is another one. Pacers - Wizards comes in with a 258.5 over/under, and you will want to have at least a piece of the action here. Of course, a big reason for this is Indiana’s pace, which ranks first in the league. And then there is Washington’s second-fastest pace. Put those together, and you are going to get an absolute track meet of a game.
Tyrese Haliburton is the story here for the Pacers, averaging 26 points, 12 assists, and four rebounds on the season. His price is through the roof, but you won’t find him in a better game environment than this one. He’s a tough fade on this slate.
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 36.75 DK - 39.73
The Hawks and Raptors played the other night, and the game went to the moon, finishing with a 135-128 Toronto win. Now they’ll run it back, and we could see a lot of scoring once again. Dennis Schröder comes in as a good DraftKings play at $6300 and is coming off running 36 minutes against Atlanta.
He finished with 17 points and seven assists. The floor is high here considering the projected pace-up spot for the Raptors and he offers a way to get exposure to this game with the middle-tier salary.
Other Notes
There is quite a bit of injury news out there as of this writing. We will need to keep an eye out for a bunch of players moving in or out of lineups.
If Zion Williamson sits, then CJ McCollum (FD 7900 DK 7600) and Brandon Ingram (FD 8400 DK 8200) would be great cash game plays once again.
Similarly, if Lebron James sits again, then D'Angelo Russell (FD 6800 DK 7100) and Austin Reaves (FD 6500 DK 6700) would be value plays as well.
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 52.79 DK - 54.69
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 34.83 DK - 36.99
There’s a world where we are stacking Raptors as well as the guys from the Pacers-Wizards game and calling it a day. With two games having totals well above the rest of the group, this would likely make a lot of sense. Scottie Barnes went for it the other night against Atlanta, racking up 27 points, 10 rebounds, and six assists in just 34 minutes.
He was hyper-efficient from the field going 11-14 and it stands to reason the minutes run could even be a bit higher in this one. His price is up a bit, but still very much a value.
Meanwhile, OG Anunoby took 13 shots of his own and basically made everything. He finished with 22 points, the third-highest number on the team. He’s a bit more scoring-dependent than some of the other Raptors which makes him a bit risky. But that’s also reflected in the price as well.
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 44.28 DK - 48.34
It can be tough trusting the Wizards' minutes on a game-by-game basis. For starters, they stink and get involved in blowouts. And secondly, though related, they are tanking so things can just get wonky when you aren’t all that interested in winning games. But if anyone has consistent run with this group, it’s Kyle Kuzma.
When games stay close, Kuzma sees about 35-36 minutes and on the season is averaging 23 points and six rebounds. He’s actually shooting a career-best from beyond the arc at 37% and putting up 19 shots per game. This is such a smash spot because of the pace and I do think he’ll see ownership.
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 42.93 DK - 46.14
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 37.06 DK - 38.29
The entire Raptors starting five in play? Oh, indeed. That’s the case with a team that has a concentrated rotation playing one of the best DFS matchups around in the Hawks. Pascal Siakam was a popular FanDuel play on Wednesday and he ended up paying off, going for 33 points, seven assists, and seven rebounds in his 36 minutes. That kind of line is in play again and there’s probably some room for upside if he can dial up any defensive stats (zero in that game).
Meanwhile, Jakob Poeltl’s issue is that sometimes the minutes can come and go depending on the situation. It wasn’t the case last time and he played 32 when it was all said and done.
The 15 points, 13 rebounds, six assists, and three blocks was one of his best lines of the season. Because the Hawks play Capela and Okongwu all of the center minutes, lining up a traditional five opposite them works well in keeping the minutes' floor high.
Other Notes
After these Raptors guys, we will likely need some more news about how to round this position.
Deni Avdija (FD 6000 DK 6200) is in a good spot along with the rest of the Wizards. His minutes can definitely come and go.
Rui Hachimura (FD 4300 DK 5100) would be in play if Lebron James or Anthony Davis sat in this one.
Packed slate of NBA action on FanDuel and DraftKings
Thursday night NBA picks for DraftKings and FanDuel
Daily Fantasy NFL Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - Week 8 Sunday 10/27/24 Now’s…
A main slate of NBA DFS action on FanDuel and DraftKings.
DraftKings and FanDuel NBA DFS plays and picks for Opening Night
Daily Fantasy NFL Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - Week 5 Sunday 10/13/24 Now’s…