NBA DFS Picks Today (11/18): DraftKings & FanDuel Top Plays, Sleepers
It’s only a 5-game slate Saturday night as both FanDuel and DraftKings have excluded the Knicks vs. Hornets from their main slates but there are still plenty of different options with a large amount of injury news on tonight’s NBA DFS slate. The Grizzlies, Spurs and Pelicans are severely shorthanded while the Mavericks vs. Bucks game features by far the largest total on the slate. The Grizzlies vs. Spurs stands out as the top stacking option on the slate while it’ll likely be crucial to find ways to pay up for studs in the Dallas and Milwaukee game in tournaments.
Top NBA DFS DraftKings Lineup Optimizer Value
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SG/SF – Desmond Bane ($8900)
As the Grizzlies have played without Ja Morant all year, Bane has had to pick up a lot of the offensive load. Now, the Grizzlies will be without Marcus Smart moving forward and Bane hasn’t been priced up for the new situation. He has the second-highest RGV in LineupHQ of any player on the slate behind Giannis but comes at a significant discount from the Bucks forward at $8900 on both FanDuel and DraftKings. He’s by far the best player tonight for cash games and is a tournament staple as well despite high projected ownership. Bane’s usage rate this season has already been above 30% and he sees nearly a 4% increase so far this year without Smart on the court. This team is now without Morant, Tillman, Smart and Kennard among others and there is all the usage in the world for Bane in a fantastic matchup.
Top NBA DFS FanDuel Lineup Optimizer Value
PG – Jacob Gilyard ($4700)
Gilyard doesn’t sit near the top of the list of RGV in the lineup optimizer on either FanDuel or DraftKings, but he’s one of the best point-per-dollar plays on both sites. I’m stupidly high on Gilyard tonight with plans to hit the lock button in LineupHQ to make sure he is in every single lineup I play. He had been starting without Xavier Tillman and now the team is without Marcus Smart so Gilyard should be in line for at minimum mid to high 20s minutes with a ceiling of far more. He has shown a nearly 40-point ceiling already this year if he can get the minutes, which shouldn’t be a problem tonight. He currently projects for nearly 26 fantasy points on FanDuel in 29 minutes, but I think he could eclipse both of those marks tonight. Gilyard will be in 100% of my lineups tonight to help me pay up for some lower-owned studs.
NBA DFS Sleepers
PF/C – Victor Wembanyama ($8600 FD, $8800 DK)
The Spurs’ rookie superstar currently projects for single-digit ownership on both FanDuel and DraftKings tonight. This is easily my favorite game environment on the slate and I want to stack it up as many different ways as possible. I plan to be heavily overweight on Desmond Bane, Jacob Gilyard and the entire Grizzlies team tonight and Victor Wembanyama makes a perfect run-back to lineups filled with Grizzlies. Both of these teams play at a fast pace and have been fantasy-point havens this year, and I expect that to continue tonight. Wemby’s projection is rarely that high due to his volatility which keeps his projected ownership low and I want to make sure to capitalize in NBA DFS tournaments. He had a slow start to the season but has been much better recently as well. While a low-30s fantasy point game is certainly in the cards if Wembanyama is cold from the field but his strong peripheral stats leave him with an excellent opportunity for massive games with a 60+ point ceiling if he happens to get hot from the field.
PG/SG – Jordan Hawkins ($5300 FanDuel, $5800 DraftKings)
The Pelicans are already without CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson among others tonight opening up immense amounts of usage and they still have Brandon Ingram and Jose Alvarado listed as questionable. I very rarely like to target players against the Wolves but Hawkins should be in line for a bunch of minutes tonight regardless of the game script. If Ingram misses this is a no-brainer to get overweight compared to the field on both FanDuel and DraftKings but I like Hawkins tonight even if Ingram plays. I can’t imagine the Pelicans keeping this game close against Minnesota based on how well the Timberwolves are playing defensively this year. However, Hawkins is likely to close due to the amount of injuries they have regardless if this one is close or not at the end of the game. While he likely wouldn’t get crazy high blowout run, he’s young enough they probably keep him in the game even if this is a 15-20 point game late. Hawkins has been inconsistent this year but has flashed a massive ceiling when he gets minutes which shouldn’t be a problem tonight.