NBA DFS DraftKings.com & FanDuel.com Lineups & Picks for October 28, 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. Please note 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 factors. 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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10/28/17 NBA DFS TOURNAMENTS
DraftKings Saturday Spin Move: $40 buy-in, $375k guaranteed
DraftKings NBA Zone: $5 buy-in, $350k guaranteed
DraftKings Power Dunk: $444 buy-in, $325k guaranteed
FanDuel Monster: $444 buy-in, $200k guaranteed
FanDuel Clutch Shot: $4 buy-in, $350k guaranteed
FanDuel Slam: $55 buy-in, $250k guaranteed
PLAYERS RULED OUT
Wayne Selden (quad)
Hassan Whiteside (knee)
Chris Paul (knee)
Trevor Ariza (foot)
Markelle Fultz (shoulder)
Eric Bledsoe (Coach’s Decision)
INJURY NEWS TO MONITOR
Anthony Davis (knee)
Marques Chriss (ankle)
Derrick Rose (knee)
Paul Zipser (knee)
Kris Dunn (finger)
Nene (achilles)
Best NBA DFS Picks for October 28, 2017
Guards
James Harden @ MEM ($10.6k DraftKings, $11.5k FanDuel)
Harden dropped a triple-double last night against the Charlotte Hornets, scoring 27 points on his fewest shot attempts on the season, alongside 10 rebounds and 11 assists. Without Chris Paul, Houston is relying heavily on Harden, as they did all season last year. And DFS players would be wise to jump on his salary over at DraftKings, where he’s an absolute bargain considering he needs to hit just 53 DK points to 5x his salary and should at least hit the double-double bonus. I know, I know. “Just 53 DK points.” But this is James Harden, back on track, back as his team’s lone star, and finally making free throws (shot 70% from the line in the first three games).
Damian Lillard vs. PHO ($8.8k DraftKings, $9.3k FanDuel)
The Phoenix Suns continue to seek a deal that would rid them of Eric Bledsoe. In the interim, targeting opposing point guards against the Suns isn’t a bad idea at all (not like it ever was a bad idea when Bledsoe was playing). But just look at the last two Suns’ game, where De’Aaron Fox and Ricky Rubio each dropped a huge performance against Phoenix PGs Mike James and Tyler Ennis. Fox had 19 points, 5 rebounds, four assists, and three steals, while Rubio grabbed a double-double with 15 points, 11 assists, four steals, four rebounds, and a block.
Lillard is a better scorer than both those guys, and should be able to accumulate nice peripheral stats against a Phoenix team that can win games, but is very much still finding their identity after losing their star point guard and coach after three games. Meanwhile, Portland has an implied total of 113 at home, and Lillard should be the game’s highest fantasy scorer.
Jameer Nelson vs. CLE ($4.6k DraftKings, $4.7k FanDuel)
Nelson went for 18 points, six assists, and four rebounds in his last outing (his third as a New Orleans Pelican) and I’d say it at least looks like he still has it in him to compete. The Cleveland Cavaliers have had a messy start to their season, with a 3-2 record and no real understanding of what their rotation should be. With a shallow backcourt, and with Anthony Davis questionable to play, there should be plenty of minutes for Nelson to take advantage of (he saw 36 minutes last Thursday), and more opportunities than usual to contribute if Brow misses.
Others to Consider: C.J. McCollum, Eric Gordon, Marcus Smart, Austin Rivers, Jrue Holiday, Lonzo Ball
Forwards
Tyreke Evans vs. HOU ($4.7k DraftKings, $4.8k FanDuel)
Evans had 12 shot attempts against Dallas in his last outing, and that translated to a massive 19-point performance that included six boards, one dime, and a steal. While his minutes remaining in the low-20s for the majority of games thus far, Evans does need to be extremely busy when he’s on the court. In a rematch with the Houston Rockets (whom the Grizzlies handed a defeat this past Monday), Vegas expects both teams to go over 100, with the Grizzlies sneaking out with a close win. If that is going to happen, I expect Evans will be one of the reasons why, as he is easily the most dangerous offensive threat off the Memphis bench. The fast pace of the game should play well into his scoring prowess.
Paul George @ CHI ($7.6k DraftKings, $8.3k FanDuel)
Against his former team earlier this week, George looked awful, scoring 11 points in just 19 minutes. The disappearing act against the Indiana Pacers was followed by quite the performance, however. Last night, George and the Oklahoma City Thunder faced the Minnesota Timberwolves, and George was a heavy contributor across the board with 23 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block across 38 minutes. Even with the back-to-back situation and playing on the road, George is on my forward shortlist as he’ll likely see minutes in the mid-30s against a Chicago Bulls team that is in full-on rebuild mode. At his price (on DK especially), George is a very good option in GPP and Cash. I strongly believe that Pacers game, looking back at the end of the year, will be an extreme outlier.
Denzel Valentine vs. OKC ($4.7k DraftKings, $4.6k FanDuel)
First thing’s first, this play is contingent on Paul Zipser (questionable heading into Saturday) not suiting up, at least for cash lineups. If Zipser does indeed sit, Valentine will once again be asked to take on the additional workload, which is on top of the additional workload left behind by Bobby Portis and Nikola Mirotic. When Zipser sat on Thursday, Valentine scored 11 points and added nine rebounds, five assists, and two steals across 36 minutes. He also shot the ball 14 times. Against OKC, Chicago will likely be playing from behind. If Valentine can shoot even marginally better than his 3/14 on Thursday, I expect him to very easily clear his salary.
Others to Consider: Blake Griffin, Joel Embiid, Maurice Harkless, Stanley Johnson, Kevin Love, James Johnson, Jayson Tatum, PJ Tucker, Boogie Cousins
Centers
Bam Adebayo vs. BOS ($3.0k DraftKings, $3.1k FanDuel)
Adebayo drew 20 minutes in the Miami Heat’s last outing, scoring four points, grabbing eight boards, and adding a block. All things considered, not bad for a minimum salary player. While there’s concern about Adebayo’s upside, his price is very good right now, considering Hassan Whiteside has been ruled out for today’s game. Adebayo is again a good salary option, and I don’t think he’s a true punt here, as the Heat will likely give him around 20 minutes again.
Jusuf Nurkic vs. PHO ($6.4k DraftKings, $7.0k FanDuel)
Nurkic is off to a disappointing start to his 2017-2018 campaign, having scored over 30 fantasy points just once this season (on both DK and FD). While the Phoenix Suns have somehow won two consecutive games after firing Earl Watson and dismissing Eric Bledsoe (and also while allegedly trying to package Tyson Chandler into a Bledsoe deal), they are heavy underdogs at Portland tonight. Portland, meanwhile, has an implied total of 113. Nurkic’s struggles should come to an end against a Phoenix team with no direction. He did already manage a double-double @ PHO in the season opener.
Others to Consider: Rudy Gobert, Andre Drummond, Joel Embiid, Clint Capela
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