NBA DFS Picks Today (11/4): DraftKings & FanDuel Top Plays, Sleepers
Saturday night provides a 7-game slate with a plethora of injury news still on the way. We’re already without Bradley Beal, Devin Booker, De’Aaron Fox, Wendell Carter, Nicolas Claxton and Ben Simmons among others, while crucial players such as Brandon Ingram and Tyrese Haliburton are still questionable. I’ll do my best to talk through the situations that revolve around the players I’m choosing, but the goal will be to select some options that will be relevant and viable regardless of the currently listed injury news.
Top NBA DFS DraftKings Lineup Optimizer Value
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C – Myles Turner ($6,700)
For years, the Charlotte Hornets have consistently been the #1 team to target opposing big men against. They give up a ton of fantasy points in the paint, get blocked a lot, and frequently get out-rebounded. That hasn’t changed this season, but things actually are even better than they’ve ever been in terms of fantasy matchups. The Hornets are bottom 5 in points allowed per game as well as in defensive rating. Additionally, both the Hornets and Pacers are top 5 in the NBA in pace so far this year. This game should have a LOT of points. Whether or not Tyrese Haliburton plays, Myles Turner will be a staple in my lineups on DraftKings, as he rates out as one of the strongest values in LineupHQ. I’ll be utilizing the lineup optimizer to ensure I get as much exposure to this game as possible, and Myles Turner will be the primary big man I go to for Indiana.
Top NBA DFS FanDuel Lineup Optimizer Value
PF/C – Zion Williamson ($7,800)
Zion Williamson would improve drastically in terms of value rating in LineupHQ if Brandon Ingram is out, but even if he plays, Zion is still too cheap. However, what I do with Zion will depend entirely on that news, which is why I found it so important to mention. He’ll probably push to be 50% owned in projections if Brandon Ingram is out, and that would be chalk I’d have no problem eating. While he hasn’t had an explosion game yet, Zion has been much more active without Ingram, and he played a season-high 32 minutes in this situation last game. He’s fresh off a nice rest and should be good for at least 40 fantasy points on FanDuel. However, if Brandon Ingram plays, I’m tempted to use Lineup HQ to X him out of my pool completely in tournaments on FanDuel. He’s likely to still be 30-40% owned in this spot even if Ingram is in, and while he’ll still be a cash game play, I’ll go significantly underweight in tournaments and focus more on the CHA / IND game, particularly P.J. Washington as a pivot off Zion.
NBA DFS Sleepers
PF/C – P.J. Washington ($6,000 DK / $6,300 FD)
P.J. Washington is probably my favorite play on the slate, as this game suits him perfectly. I wrote him up as a PrizePicks prediction for a DFS Pick’em play as well, but I plan to be heavily overweight on both FanDuel and DraftKings. The high pace and limited defense in this game should allow Washington to be active on the boards, racking up defensive stats, and he works wonderfully as a run back alongside Terry Rozier to pair with whatever Pacer players you’re rolling with. I mentioned how I want to be ridiculously overweight on this game, so P.J. Washington, Myles Turner and Terry Rozier will be my primary targets, while the remaining options depend on the Tyrese Haliburton news. Washington is projected for less than 15% ownership on both FanDuel and DraftKings, and I’ll utilize the lineup optimizer to ensure I’m at least 3x that number in my personal lineups.
SG/PG – Malik Monk ($5,700 DK / $5,000 FD)
While Malik Monk is picking up a moderately high 23% ownership projection on FanDuel, I think he’s the very best salary-saving option on the slate over there. On DraftKings, at barely a more expensive price, Malik Monk is going completely overlooked and is currently projecting at less than 2% ownership. Malik Monk sees a 9% usage rate increase without De’Aaron Fox on the court and could even see extended minutes if this one gets ugly against the Rockets. He scored over 25 fantasy points and 16 real points in only 24 minutes last game in this same situation, and I view that essentially as the floor we will see from Monk without Fox. The Rockets are 26th in Defensive Rating in the NBA so far this season, and although they don’t play particularly fast, Malik Monk should be able to absolutely feast on this bench unit.