RADIO
Happy Friday, RotoBallers! The NBA season is finally here, and we have a whopping 12 games slotted for this evening. It's a new season, with players switching teams, rookies joining the fold, and rotations mixing and matching as teams learn to gel. My model will take time to adjust to these changes, but it's my duty to give you all the best picks possible. I had a nice night on opening night, so I'll look to keep that momentum going forward into today.
Tonight, we have a 12-game slate for the first weekend slate of the season. With both FanDuel and DraftKings having multi-position eligibility players, we'll have to attack slates accordingly to make our lineups as optimal as possible. That's where I come in! I'll look to find my personal top plays and values for tonight's slate. Things can change during the day as well, so I'll do my best to update as news comes out!
Here are my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on 11/4/22. Keep an eye on RotoBaller’s NBA injury news and also our full NBA injury report today to stay up to date before lineups are locked.
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DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Donovan Mitchell, at DET (FD: $9,300, DK: $9,300)
I'll start off tonight's slate the same way I started last Friday's slate: attacking the Pistons. Last week it was with Trae Young, this week it'll be with Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell is coming into his own as a member of the Cavs, averaging a whopping 31.1 points per game along with 7.1 assists per game and 4.4 rebounds per game. He'll get a strong matchup against Detroit tonight, and projects to 39.6 minutes and a 31.04% usage rate. He is listed as questionable for tonight's matchup, but I have to expect he will play.
Dennis Smith Jr., at MEM (FD: $6,900, DK: $6,400)
I'll look at Dennis Smith Jr. as well as a number of other Hornets players tonight. The Hornets will seemingly be without Cody Martin, Terry Rozier, LaMelo Ball, and Gordon Hayward tonight. This opens the door up for DSJ to be a reliable fantasy option even at his rising price. I'm a bit concerned with his projected usage rate of 18.53%, but I would assume that my model has not yet adjusted to Hayward being ruled out yet. He should play north of 33 minutes in this bout against the Grizzlies.
Kyle Lowry, at IND (FD: $6,500, DK: $6,300)
I'll round out the guard position with Kyle Lowry. I have a love relationship with Kyle Lowry when it comes to NBA DFS, but it's expected that the Heat will be without Jimmy Butler this evening. While Lowry brings in a projected usage rate of just 19.34%, he should play around 36 minutes, which is more than enough for him to hit value at his price tag. My early projections rank him as the top guard in terms of value this evening.
Also consider: Tyrese Maxey (FD: $8,200, DK: $6,500), Max Strus (FD: $4,800, DK: $5,200)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Kelly Olynyk, at LAL (FD: $5,500, DK: $5,500)
I just mentioned how my model rates Kyle Lowry as the top projected guard in terms of value this evening, but Olynyk tops him as he's projected as the top player in terms of value across the entire slate. It will simply come down to how many minutes he ends up playing as well as his ability to stay out of trouble. With that said, though, the Lakers are horrid against the center position, and Olynyk should see north of 27 minutes.
Bobby Portis, at MIN (FD: $5,900, DK: $6,000)
A guy that has seemingly been "under-owned" across this entire DFS season has been Bobby Portis, and those that have been playing him have been raking in their winnings. Despite coming off the bench, Portis is averaging a double-double this season (12.9 points, 10.3 assists), and doesn't look to be stopping soon. He projects to 25 minutes flat tonight and a 21.23% usage rate against the Timberwolves tonight in what I can only expect to be a high-scoring affair.
Cameron Johnson, vs POR (FD: $4,500, DK: $5,700)
I'll finish up the forward positions with a Phoenix Sun like I did last week, this time with Cameron Johnson. Mikal Bridges was absolutely awesome Friday night, but the lights have seemingly been on Johnson ever since. He's coming off a game against the TWolves where he logged 29 points, two rebounds, and three assists across 33 minutes. He should play right around the 30-minute mark in terms of minutes tonight, and is an absolute steal of a play on FanDuel where his price hasn't adjusted to the heater he's on.
Also consider: Giannis Antetokounmpo (FD: $12,000, DK: $12,900), Kelly Oubre (FD: $6,900, DK: $6,300)
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Mason Plumlee, at MEM (FD: $5,200, DK: $4,900)
To finish things up, we'll take a look at Mason Plumlee at the center position. Plumlee is in a very similar situation to Kelly Olynyk: it'll come down mostly to minutes in terms of where he'll end up fantasy-wise. I currently have Plumlee projected for 24.9 minutes and a usage rate of 18.31%, both of which I would have to assume will increase just due to the sheer number of injuries the Hornets are dealing with. I wouldn't recommend Plumlee in cash but could be a solid GPP option as a value center.
Also consider: Bam Adebayo (FD: $8,300, DK: $7,700)
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