Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Tuesday, November 26th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2024-11-26 21:20:21 Premium Content Part of the product NBA DFS

A daily fantasy sports OG, Notorious has been roaming the DFS streets ever since they were invented. He has racked up multiple live final seats and several six-figure tournament wins in his DFS career and has long been one of the top NBA DFS minds in the industry. On weekends, Taylor Smith takes the reins. Their Core Plays LIVE article will zoom out on the slate as a whole, zoom in on the best NBA DFS picks, and constantly update as news breaks. Whether you are diving into the slate 5 hours before it starts or 5 minutes before it starts, Core Plays LIVE has everything you need for your DraftKings and FanDuel lineups.

Happy Tuesday!

We are officially 2 days away from Thanksgiving. This is the first real holiday that there’s been since I started dating. My family always does Thanksgiving in my grandma’s neck of the woods, which is about a 3-hour drive south. Her family always does Thanksgiving at her sister’s house, which is about a 30-minute drive north. We both wanted to make an effort to be there for each other, so we are trying the impossible — we are attempting to do both Thanksgivings on the same day. Friends have tried to warn us that it doesn’t work, but we are going to make it happen anyway.

We have 5 games on the schedule tonight, which should be a nice breeze compared to tomorrow’s 14 games. No teams are playing on the second half of a back-to-back, but the Bulls, Wizards, Heat, Rockets, Wolves, Spurs, Jazz, Lakers, and Suns are all playing on the front end of a back-to-back. There don’t seem to be too many injuries to keep an eye on, so hopefully, this will be an easy slate where we don’t have to scramble right before lock.

Without the comments section, I never really know how readers feel when I add things to articles. Let me know if you like the ChatGPT additions. I’m having a lot of fun with it. Here’s the preview it came up with today:

Tonight’s NBA DFS slate is like the calm before the Thanksgiving storm—9 games with plenty of opportunities to cash in before you have to pretend you enjoy your in-laws’ annual PowerPoint presentation on “What’s Wrong With the Turkey.” There are some exciting matchups, so get your lineups set now because once Thanksgiving hits, you’ll be too busy dodging questions about your “future” (or lack thereof) to keep an eye on injuries. Between high-scoring games, potential value plays, and some real star power, tonight’s slate is like the appetizer before the big meal: a chance to pile up the points without worrying about Aunt Carol’s 17th recount of her 5K time. So take a deep breath, draft your dream team, and remember—if you can survive Thanksgiving dinner, navigating a DFS slate is the easy part!

Let’s dive into the team breakdowns.

NBA DFS Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Tuesday, November 26th

• 5-game slate
  - 7:00 PM ET – Chicago Bulls at Washington Wizards
  - 7:30 PM ET – Milwaukee Bucks at Miami Heat
  - 8:00 PM ET – Houston Rockets at Minnesota Timberwolves
  - 9:00 PM ET – San Antonio Spurs at Utah Jazz
  - 10:00 PM ET – Los Angeles Lakers at Phoenix Suns
• Front end of a back-to-back: Bulls, Wizards, Heat, Rockets, Wolves, Spurs, Jazz, Lakers, Suns
• Back end of a back-to-back: None
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA DFS Injury Report: The Situation Room
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

Editor’s Note: Looking for more places to play? Check out our PrizePicks promo code and Underdog Fantasy promo code, two of the best DFS apps available today.

News Updates

This section will be updated as injury news is released throughout the day.

Team Previews

Chicago Bulls (at WAS)

We kick things off with the best game environment on the slate. The Bulls and Wizards are in the top 5 in pace this season. More importantly, these two teams have allowed more points per game than any other team. The Bulls are 4.5-point favorites and have a team total that is 7.3 points higher than their season average. Patrick Williams is still out, while Lonzo Ball (doubtful) is getting close to a return to the lineup. You can honestly make a strong case for any of the five starters here. Josh Giddey has topped 36 fantasy points in 3 of his last 4 games, Coby White has averaged 33 minutes this season and has averaged over a fantasy point per minute, Ayo Dosunmu is starting with Williams out, Zach LaVine has played consistently well all season, and Nikola Vucevic gets to face one of the worst defensive frontcourts in the league.

Washington Wizards (vs. CHI)

The Wizards have averaged the fewest points per game of any team on the slate, yet they have the 2nd-highest team total on the slate. That’s all thanks to a home matchup against the Bulls, who are 1st in pace and dead last in points allowed per game. Jordan Poole is the big injury to monitor here, as he is listed as questionable. Here’s who might stand to benefit if he is ruled out:

Even with Poole in the projections, there’s a lot to like on the Wizards. Poole has a high RGValue and ends up in the optimals around 35% of the time. Rookie Alexandre Sarr has struggled with consistency, but he’s affordable and has flashed upside recently (45+ fantasy points in 2 of the last 5 games). Bilal Coulibaly has played at least 37 minutes in 4 of the last 5 games and can fill up the stat sheet. He’s arguably the safest option on Washington. Kyle Kuzma hasn’t shown much upside this season, but he’s priced at a discount. Malcolm Brogdon has always been a great per-minute producer. He and Kyshawn George would both benefit if Poole is ruled out.

Here is an example of the DFS tables that are provided to our Premium Subscribers

Want to read more? Sign up for Premium!