Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Tuesday, November 18th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2025-11-18 23:36:47 Premium Content Part of the product NBA DFS

A daily fantasy sports OG, Notorious has been roaming the DFS streets ever since they were invented. He has racked up multiple live final seats and several six-figure tournament wins in his DFS career. So, who better to walk you through the madness of an NBA DFS slate? Core Plays LIVE will zoom out on the slate as a whole, zoom in on the best plays, and constantly update as news breaks. Whether you are diving into the slate 5 hours before it starts or 5 minutes before it starts, you’ve come to the right place.

Happy Tuesday!

I am officially back in the Grind Down saddle, although the doctor told me that I wasn’t allowed to straddle anything for 7 days after my vasectomy. I am healing up nicely, although I’m realizing that I should have had it done during the NFL playoffs, March Madness, or the Masters. I’ve been on strict orders to stay on the couch, and there are only so many YouTube golf videos and sports documentaries that I can watch.

Believe it or not, Thanksgiving is next week. It’s always one of my favorite weeks of the season. There are so many great sports going on right now, and everyone loves the Turkey Day NFL slate. As far as tonight’s NBA slate goes, it differs by site. There are only 6 games on the schedule, and the sites still can’t agree on a slate size. FanDuel is rolling out a 6-game main slate, while DraftKings is offering a 4-game main slate.

There are a ton of injuries to sift through here, so let’s dive into the games.

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NBA DFS Top Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Tuesday, November 18th

Slate Overview

• Slate size: FanDuel — 6 games, DraftKings — 4 games
  - 7:00 pm ET – Golden State Warriors at Orlando Magic
  - 7:30 pm ET – Boston Celtics at Brooklyn Nets
  - 7:30 pm ET – Detroit Pistons at Atlanta Hawks
  - 8:00 pm ET – Memphis Grizzlies at San Antonio Spurs
  - 10:30 pm ET – Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Lakers
  - 11:00 pm ET – Phoenix Suns at Portland Trail Blazers
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA Injury Report
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

News Updates

1:40 PM ET

The Pistons have released their injury report. Jaden Ivey and Caris LeVert are out, while Ausar Thompson, Cade Cunningham, and Tobias Harris are officially questionable.

Team Previews

Golden State Warriors (at ORL)

We kick off the slate with the Warriors, who travel to Orlando to take on the Magic. This is far from an ideal matchup, as the Magic are bottom 10 in pace and top 10 in rebounding rate, points allowed per game, and defensive rating. The Warriors have a team total that is 2 points lower than their season average. Jonathan Kuminga and De’Anthony Melton are both out.

Let’s take a look at the ON/OFF tool for the Warriors with Kuminga off the floor:

A case can always be made for Stephen Curry in tournaments. He has already topped 60 fantasy points three times this season, and they weren’t in the most favorable matchups. Plus, Curry has seen a massive 0.25 fantasy point per minute boost with Kuminga off the floor. Jimmy Butler is going to be low-owned, but he doesn’t possess the same ceiling as Curry. Even with a high floor, I won’t be prioritizing Butler on this slate.

Draymond Green has seen a 3% usage boost with Kuminga off the floor, but he doesn’t project well in a poor matchup against the Magic. In fact, none of the Warriors project well tonight, as there isn’t a single player on the roster with a positive RGValue. I suppose we have to mention Moses Moody, who started and put up 46 fantasy points the other night against the Hornets. I’m not expecting him to replicate that anytime soon, but he could be worth a look in large-field tournaments.

Orlando Magic (vs. GSW)

The Magic will be without their best player (Paolo Banchero) and draw a difficult matchup against the Warriors, who are 7th in both defensive rating and points allowed per game this season. Orlando’s team total is 6 points lower than their season average. We have to keep an eye on Jalen Suggs, who is listed as questionable.

Let’s take a look at the ON/OFF tool for the Magic with Banchero off the floor:

Franz Wagner benefits the most with Banchero off the floor, as he’s seen a 5.5% usage boost and a 0.09 fantasy points per minute boost this season. He’s also topped 40 fantasy points in 4 straight games. The matchup isn’t great on paper, but I’m willing to target Wagner in both cash games and tournaments. It hasn’t been a great start for Desmond Bane this season, but he has topped 40 fantasy points in 3 of his last 6 games and should see a sizable uptick in usage without Banchero.

We’ll see if Suggs can suit up. If so, he’s an interesting pivot off of the more popular Wagner and Bane. If he’s out, Anthony Black would likely draw the spot start. Tristan da Silva doesn’t project as a strong value, but he has scored 32 and 37 fantasy points in the last 2 games with Banchero out. He should draw another start at power forward. Wendell Carter is never an exciting click at center, but he’s cheap and should see 30+ minutes tonight at home.

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