NBA DFS DraftKings.com & FanDuel.com Lineups & Picks for October 20, 2017
Today and the rest of the NBA DFS season, we’ll be writing up the guards, forwards, and centers we’re considering for our Cash and GPP lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. As with any DFS sport, the advice below is relevant for daily fantasy purposes. A player or team might be better or worse from a fantasy perspective than in real life due to matchup, price, and more. This is important when constructing a roster. And if you’re looking for a new ways to play NBA DFS, be sure and give DRAFT a try with our promo code!
When playing daily fantasy NBA, it’s important to consider the point spreads and totals in order to predict gameflow. Injuries play a huge role in the NBA on a nightly basis, and players can come out increasingly motivated for big games depending on other factors. And always, always check the starting lineups and injury news right before tipoff.
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10/20/17 NBA DFS TOURNAMENTS
DraftKings Alley Oop: $555 buy-in, $500k guaranteed
DraftKings Four Point Play: $4 buy-in, $425k guaranteed
DraftKings Return to the Court Warmup: $33 buy-in, $500k guaranteed
FanDuel Monster: $333 buy-in, $300k guaranteed
FanDuel Clutch Shot: $4 buy-in, $400k guaranteed
FanDuel Slam: $44 buy-in, $250k guaranteed
PLAYERS RULED OUT
Marcus Morris (knee)
Nic Batum (elbow)
Markieff Morris (abdomen)
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (suspension)
Seth Curry (leg)
INJURY NEWS TO MONITOR
Draymond Green (knee)
Myles Turner (neck)
Aaron Gordon (ankle)
Andre Iguodala (back)
Alex Len (foot)
Best NBA DFS Plays for October 20, 2017
Guards
Dennis Schroder @ CHA ($7.6k DraftKings, $8.1k FanDuel)
Holy mother of usage rate! Schroder went 13-for-26 from the floor to post a 35.9% usage rate in his season debut and we can expect more of the same from the young star as the Hawks rebuild following the departure of Paul Millsap. While a matchup against the Hornets might not seem ideal, Charlotte has given up the fourth-most APG (9.16) to opposing PGs over the last two seasons and even though he only average 12.8 PPG, Schroeder shot 47.8% over four meetings with the Hornets last year. As long as he’s efficient, he can pay off as a sneaky GPP play on a full slate in which John Wall and Steph Curry will be more popular plays.
Elfrid Payton @ BKN ($7.3k DraftKings, $7.5k FanDuel)
D’Angelo Russell will be a very popular play tonight after Jeremy Lin’s apparent season-ending injury and he’s worth a look in cash game formats as a volume scorer. However it makes just as much sense to target the Nets defense relentlessly this season, as they led the league in pace while ranking 29th in defensive rating last year and are off to a similar start after coughing up 140 points to the Pacers in their opener. A whopping eight different players scored in double figures for Indy and if the Magic duplicate that spread production, Payton will almost certainly flirt with double digit assists and perhaps rebounds as well.
Terry Rozier @ PHI ($4.2k DraftKings, $4.6k FanDuel)
With Kyrie Irving struggling from the field (7-of-25 shooting) in the Celtics home opener and Jaylen Brown in foul trouble, Rozier carried the offense. He was a low-key triple double threat with 15 points, 7 boards and 6 assists and is now averaging 18.8 points 7.8 rebounds and 4.7 steals per 36 minutes over two appearances this year. Gordon Hayward’s season-ending injury clearly opens up more opportunities for all wing players in green and Rozier’s prospects are very good ahead of a matchup against the Sixers weak backcourt defense tonight.
Others to Consider: Stephen Curry, Devin Booker, DAngelo Russell, Victor Oladipo, Ben Simmons, Jeremy Lamb, Reggie Jackson, Nick Young
Forwards
Anthony Davis vs GSW ($10.6k DraftKings, $10.9k FanDuel)
With Draymond Green (knee) doubtful to suit up this Friday, rookie Jordan Bell is expected to get the start for Golden State. He’s nowhere near the same type of versatile offensive player, nor is he remotely capable of containing Davis on the other end of the floor. Despite battling an illness, The Brow went for 33 points and 18 rebounds over 40 minutes in a tough matchup at Memphis on Wednesday, so perhaps all the talk of him being soft and injury-prone is motivating AD to play through some stuff. Davis averaged 35.3 PPG on 60% FG shooting over four meetings with Draymond and the Warriors last year, and you know any game against the champs will be high scoring.
LeBron James @ MIL ($10.5k DraftKings, $10.9k FanDuel)
You can’t really go wrong with either LeBron or The Greek Freak a matchup between potential MVP candidates, but The King is certainly more seasoned and more of a legitimate triple-double threat with consistent assist numbers. Now that Kyrie Irving is out of the picture, LeBron is on a mission and back to playing like a true point forward. He averaged 27.3 PPG on 52% FG shooting over four meetings with the Bucks last year and should do his part to slow down Giannis defensively.
Jaylen Brown @ PHI ($5.5k DraftKings, $6.2k FanDuel)
Even on a night in which he fouled out over 28 minutes of play, Brown still exceeded value with 18 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in a tough matchup against the lengthy Bucks. Now he gets the vulnerable Sixers defense and an opportunity to play a full slate of minutes while piling up peripheral stats against a team that turned it over the most times per game (16.7) in the NBA last year.
Terrence Ross @ BKN ($4.3k DraftKings, $5.1k FanDuel)
Ross is a much better fit in Orlando’s system and showed it by going for 15 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals over 31 minutes in his debut against a sturdy Heat defense. Now he faces the aforementioned Nets, which means DFS gold, and Aaron Gordon (ankle) could miss this tilt, opening up a ton of shots for other Magic players. The Nets ranked 21st in opponent’s 3PT shooting (.366%) last year and Ross can light it up from downtown when he gets hot.
Others to Consider: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, Tobias Harris, Trevor Booker, Jayson Tatum, Allen Crabbe, John Collins
Centers
Nikola Vucevic @ BKN ($7.6k DraftKings, $8.4k FanDuel)
One could argue that using too many Orlando players is a mistake, but it wouldn’t have been an issue using all of Indian’s key pieces in a 140-131 win over Brooklyn on Wednesday. Despite getting owned by Hassan Whiteside on the boards, Vooch finished with 19 points, 13 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals to exceed value in his season debut and now he faces a Nets team that coughed up the second-most FPPG (52.85) to opposing centers last year and seem intent on playing natural PF Trevor Booker at the 5 often this season.
Dwight Howard vs. ATL ($6.7k DraftKings, $7.4k FanDuel)
Howard is at least a solid option on DK given his potential to post a double double and he’s worth a look in tournaments on both main DFS sites tonight against his former team. The Hawks are going to run a rotation at center featuring inexperienced Bucknell product Mike Muscala and veteran Dewayne Dedmon, neither of whom stand to match athleticism with Howard even at this stage in his career. He was sixth in the NBA in double doubles last year and the Hawks are clearly going to be a less efficient rebounding team without him.
Others to Consider: DeMarcus Cousins, Brook Lopez, Andre Drummond, Jusuf Nurkic, Willie Cauley-Stein, Dewayne Dedmon
