NBA DFS Picks Today (11/20): DraftKings & FanDuel Top Plays, Sleepers
It’s Monday of Thanksgiving week, which is really the fakest Monday of them all. I’d imagine many of you lucky souls aren’t even working or schooling today, so, hopefully, you’ll have some extra free time to dedicate to NBA DFS this evening. We’ve got a solid 8-game slate on tap. While there don’t seem to be any earth-shattering injury news items we’re waiting on, there are still a few players carrying Q tags into the day. This is the NBA, of course, so there’s always the potential for something unexpected to pop up later, as well.
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 Mark Williams ($6,100)
Things look a little barren on the value front as of this writing, so the balanced build currently looks a little more attainable. Mark Williams isn’t a household name yet, but he’s quietly continuing to produce at a very high level (1.25 FP/min) in his second NBA season.
Williams’ minutes are a bit questionable, though he’s typically logging around 30 in competitive games. Whether tonight’s game will be competitive is an issue, though, as the Hornets are 9.5-point home underdogs to the visiting Celtics. Boston is on the second half of a back-to-back, but we do have quite the gulf in talent between these two teams.
We’re not in the business of projecting blowouts, so we have Williams projected to play 29 minutes in this one. At a reasonable $6,100 salary, he makes for a stable midrange value worth a look in all formats given his aforementioned per-minute prowess.
Top NBA DFS FanDuel Lineup Optimizer Value
PG/SG James Harden ($7,200)
We finally saw the Clippers win a game on Friday after Ty Lue opted to bench Russell Westbrook in favor of Terance Mann. If the goal of benching Russ was to unlock James Harden, then congrats to Lue on his golázo. The Beard enjoyed what was easily his best game as a Clipper, as he finished with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists in a tight win over the Rockets.
Tonight, the Clips draw arguably the best matchup in the sport as they head to San Antonio to face the Spurs. Charlotte is the only team with a worse defensive rating than that of the Spurs to this point, while San Antonio is also second in the league in pace. The Clippers’ 119.5 total is among the highest on the board, yet Harden’s FanDuel salary only rose by $200.
Even if he’s not the James Harden of old anymore, he’s still averaging a fantasy point per minute this season despite limited 19.7% usage. I’d expect the usage to rise as he continues to play his way back into game shape, and Harden should be able to keep the ball rolling tonight in the best matchup on the board.
NBA DFS Sleepers
SF/PF Jayson Tatum ($10,200 DK/FD)
I mentioned the Celtics’ status as heavy favorites over the Hornets, yet their best player isn’t currently projected to accrue any ownership. We haven’t necessarily seen a consistent ceiling from Tatum as a part of Boston’s newfangled All-Star starting unit, but the numbers are still there. Tatum leads the Celts in usage (30.1%) alongside a tidy 1.3 FP/min rate.
That’s not really superstar per-minute production, but we’re also not paying top dollar with Tatum at $10,200 on both DraftKings and FanDuel. The Hornets’ last-ranked defense isn’t likely to get much better moving forward, and there’s a chance Boston will rest some of their guys on the second night of the back-to-back. Kristaps Porzingis appeared to suffer a minor ankle injury last night, while Jaylen Brown was questionable heading into the game. Al Horford is also a rest candidate, of course.
If this game blows out, at least the Celtics will be on the winning side of it. I have no qualms with paying up for Tatum in tournaments if he’s going to come in with ownership south of 5% on both sites.
PF Danilo Gallinari ($3,900 DK, $4,300 FD)
If you were surprised to see Danilo Gallinari on the Wizards’ roster to begin the season, you weren’t alone. Gallo missed all of last season with the Celtics after an ACL tear, and he was shipped to DC as a part of the deal that landed Porzingis in Boston over the summer.
Gallinari isn’t playing a monster role for the Wizards at this more advanced stage of his career, but he has been a solid contributor off the bench. He’s playing between 17 and 20 minutes on a nightly basis, and he’s still putting up 1.07 FP/min. He’s highly unlikely to get extra burn if the Wizards get crushed tonight by the Bucks, but he’s also affordable on a slate that seems to be lacking viable punt plays.
Of course, I hope some more palatable value opens up later in the day. For now, though, I think Gallinari makes for a decent enough cheapie with upside for the dollar.