NBA DFS Picks Today (11/8): DraftKings & FanDuel Top Plays, Sleepers
Here’s hoping you enjoyed your foray into NHL DFS last night because the NBA is back in a big way on this Wednesday. We’ve got a whopper of a 14-gamer on tap. And, as always, there will be no shortage of injury situations to monitor. A slew of key players are questionable in the Situation Room, while we just got the news that Zion Williamson will sit out for the Pelicans.
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
SG Jordan Hawkins ($4,700)
The Pels were already without one starter in CJ McCollum, and Zion’s aforementioned absence means Willie Green’s rotation will be stretched even further. It’s fair to expect Brandon Ingram to command the lion’s share of the usage, but rookie Jordan Hawkins hasn’t been shy about getting his shots up, either.
In fact, the UConn product has the second-highest usage rate on the team (29.9%) with Zion and CJ on the bench, though we’re admittedly only dealing with a 23-minute sample. Still, most rookies tend to be a little more bashful. Hawkins hasn’t been the most prolific fantasy point-per-minute contributor given his heavy reliance on scoring, but the minutes and salaries make too much sense here.
We’re getting Hawkins for less than $5,000 on both DraftKings and FanDuel. SG-only eligibility doesn’t necessarily help on such a loaded slate, but we did see him log 38 minutes in the last game, which was the first in which McCollum was sidelined. As of now, our projections have Hawkins at 34 minutes tonight, and there’s obviously room for growth there. For what it’s worth, Hawkins is an even better value on FD ($4,300).
Top NBA DFS FanDuel Lineup Optimizer Value
SG Ausar Thompson ($7,000)
Amen Thompson went one pick before his twin, Ausar, in the draft, but the latter has been the more productive rookie to this point. To be fair to Amen, he was playing a backup role before suffering an ankle injury. Ausar, meanwhile, has been starting at the 3 for the Pistons since opening night. And he’s been thriving in that role.
Thompson has a lot of Ben Simmons in his game, which, to be clear, I mean as a compliment. Through 8 NBA games, Ausar is posting a stellar 1.17 FanDuel FP/min rate. Jalen Duren (1.21) is the only Piston that has been better in that regard, which is high praise. Ausar is finding a way to contribute heavily despite a usage rate in the 20% range.
Minutes equal money, and Ausar has quickly earned Monty Williams’ trust. After hovering around 30 minutes across the first 6 games, Thompson has put together back-to-back 38-minute efforts. And he’s doing a little bit of everything. Thompson is third on the team in rebound rate and fifth in assist rate, while he’s also averaging 3.5 combined blocks and steals per game. On FanDuel, that’s 9-12 extra fantasy points right there.
Detroit’s matchup against a work-in-progress Milwaukee defense tonight is favorable enough. The game’s 12-point spread indicates Vegas has plenty of faith in the Bucks to figure things out sooner rather than later, but we still have Ausar projected for 36 minutes in this one.
NBA DFS Sleepers
SG/SF Julian Strawther ($3,000 DK, $3,600 FD)
The Nuggets will be without Jamal Murray for a while, which opens up some minutes in the backcourt. Reggie Jackson drew the start in the last game, though he was mediocre in his 24 minutes of floor time. Julian Strawther (19) and Collin Gillespie (17) played decent minutes off the bench.
Strawther may have been the difference in Denver’s win over New Orleans that night. The ex-Gonzaga Bulldog poured in a career-high 21 points in those 19 minutes on blistering 8-for-13 shooting from the field. Strawther was a standout for the Nuggets in the preaseason, though that last game was the first regular-season affair in which he played a significant role.
Murray’s still out, and I’d imagine Mike Malone liked what he saw from Strawther enough to give him similar burn off the bench tonight. We currently have him projected to play 19 minutes again tonight. That wouldn’t normally be enough for anyone to register as a DFS play, but Strawther is minimum-salary on DK and just $100 over it on FanDuel.
If you’re looking for a punt with the potential to smash those cheap salaries, I can get behind Strawther in GPPs.
C Alperen Sengun ($7,900 DK, $8,200 FD)
The Rockets have looked like a legitimately good basketball team over their last 3 games. This could certainly be a blip on the radar, but there’s finally reason for optimism with this team. They’re playing hard under Ime Udoka, and they’re only 2.5-point home ‘dogs to the visiting Lakers on Wednesday night.
Alperen Sengun was unfairly scapegoated by the Rockets’ previous coaching administration, but he’s getting a real chance to show what he can do under Udoka. The big man is averaging nearly 1.3 FP/min so far while ranking second on the team in usage (24.4%). In the last game, Sengun posted a career-high 12 assists as he came to within 2 rebounds of a triple-double in only 26 minutes of action. The minutes were only that low because Houston was blowing Sacramento out by 35 points by the end of the third quarter.
Sengun’s minutes – or lack thereof – have been a source of consternation over the years. He’s playing a career-best 31.5 minutes per game so far this year, and we’ve seen what kind of fantasy ceiling he can offer. Center is predictably stacked on such a loaded slate, which explains why we have Sengun projected for around 7% pOWN on DK and 5% on FanDuel.