NBA DFS Picks Today (11/10): DraftKings & FanDuel Top Plays, Sleepers
Happy Friday! There are 9 games on the NBA schedule on this Weekend Eve as the league plays its second set of Play-In Tournament games. If you plan on watching, be warned that some of the gaudy courts may, in fact, make your eyes bleed. As usual, we have plenty of news to monitor throughout the day, with names like Anthony Davis, Zion Williamson, and Alperen Sengun listed questionable as of this morning.
Below, you’ll find a few NBA DFS picks that stand out on DraftKings and FanDuel as of the early afternoon hours. If you’re looking for more in-depth analysis, sign up for RG Premium.
Top NBA DFS DraftKings Lineup Optimizer Value
C Bismack Biyombo ($4,900)
We’re only a couple of weeks into the season, but the Grizzlies have already reached the “Sign Bismack Biyombo and run him out there for 30 minutes” stage of the proceedings. Memphis is off to a grim 1-7 start, and they’re still playing without the injured Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke in the frontcourt. Xavier Tillman – this season’s original starting center – is also down with a knee injury these days.
So, Biz is really the only center left. Santi Aldama recently returned from an injury of his own, and he’s already been thrust into a major role off the bench. In his two games with Memphis – both starts – Biyombo has played 28 and 30 minutes, respectively. As has been the case for most of his career, Biyombo has supplied solid per-minute production (1.00) despite very limited 11% usage.
Tonight, the Grizz will welcome the Jazz to town. Utah is playing without their own stalwart center in Walker Kessler, and the Jazz have been a bottom-of-the-barrel defensive side early in the season. Biz is still playable at only $5,200 on FanDuel, but he’s more appealing for $300 less on DraftKings where you can roster multiple centers. Even in 27 projected minutes, he’s one of the better cheapies on the board.
Top NBA DFS FanDuel Lineup Optimizer Value
SG Keyonte George ($4,300)
This rookie class seems to be off to a very impressive start overall, and the Jazz have already slotted one of their first-year players into a big rotation role. Keyonte George – the 16th overall pick in the most recent draft – wound up starting the last game amid a lineup shakeup. The injury to Walker Kessler prompted Utah to go smaller in the last game against Indiana with George and Ochai Agbaji drawing starts.
George is only 9 games into his NBA career, but he’s contributed a respectable 0.76 FP/min to this point on 16.2% usage. In 30 minutes of action on Wednesday, he came to within 3 points and an assist of a double-double. We’re currently projecting George to start and play 30 minutes tonight, which more than enough to make him pop as a strong value option at only $4,300 on FD.
The lack of multi-positional eligibility hurts his value somewhat, but shooting guard is a position where you can save salary on this slate. At the very least, George is viable as a lower-owned pivot away from what should be a chalkier Jordan Hawkins for $400 more.
NBA DFS Sleepers
PG Tyrese Maxey ($8,100 DK, $8,800 FD)
It’s weird to say, but the Sixers seem to be flying under the radar a bit now that the James Harden saga is over with. Nick Nurse has this team flying high, as they’re 6-1 and near the top of the league in both offensive and defensive efficiency.
One of the catalysts has been Tyrese Maxey, who’s finally free to run the show with Harden outta town. Maxey is a distant second to Joel Embiid on the team in usage (25.5%) and averaging 1.26 DK FP/min to this point. Most importantly from a DFS standpoint, Nurse is his coach now. Only Shaedon Sharpe is averaging more than Maxey’s 37.6 minutes per game so far this season. That includes plenty of playing time with Embiid on the bench.
Maxey has posted at least 46 DK points in all but one game so far this season. His salaries have predictably risen around the industry as a result, but $8,100 on DraftKings is still very attackable. Tonight’s matchup against the Pistons in Detroit is favorable enough, and I’m not too concerned about the blowout here.
As of this writing, Maxey is projecting for about 6% ownership on DraftKings. He’s coming in under 1% on FD.
SG Jalen Green ($6,300 DK, $6,500 FD)
The Rockets actually have a winning record right now, as they’ve reeled off 4 straight wins on the heels of a sketchy 0-3 start. They’ve been blowing out their opponents of late, and they’re favored by 2.5 points over the visiting Pelicans at home on Friday night.
Jalen Green has been a scoring-reliant wing on a dismal team over the past couple of years. We still aren’t seeing him contribute too much by way of ancillary stats, but his scoring efficiency seems to have improved. The high-flying Green is off of a particularly dominant showing in the last game, as he torched the Lakers for 28 points on 11-for-15 shooting in just 21 minutes of work. Green still leads the Rockets in usage (28%), as well.
The Pelicans have struggled considerably on the defensive end of the floor, as they’re just 24th in D-rating in the early going. New Orleans may also be down their top wing defender, as Herb Jones is questionable with the leg injury that kept him out of Wednesday’s game.
Green doesn’t have the highest floor, but I do think he has an attainable ceiling at these midrange salaries around the industry.