RADIO
The NBA is back, and after a tease of only two games on opening night, we will get a full 10-game slate tonight with great matchups galore! I'm "Thunder" Dan Palyo, the lead DFS editor here at RotoBaller, and I'm breaking down this massive slate for you with my favorite FanDuel NBA DFS picks!
We have only a few injury situations to monitor (Dejounte Murray and Zion Williamson in New Orleans) and some other key players who have already been ruled out, including Jaren Jackson Jr., Joel Embiid, and Paul George. FanDuel was able to price up the other Philly players, so I don't think we have to force any of them into lineups tonight against the Bucks, especially with so many good spots to choose from on this slate!
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 10/23/24. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7 p.m. EST on FanDuel.
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FanDuel NBA DFS Core Picks
Tyrese Haliburton, IND – PG ($8,800)
Haliburton averaged an impressive 45.9 FanDuel points against the Pistons in four meetings last season. This game has the highest total on the board, and Haliburton at $500-$1000 is too cheap for his floor in the matchup.
The offense runs through Haliburton, who led the league in assists last season while also scoring 20 points a night. Detroit allowed the ninth-most FD points to opposing point guards last year and will likely be a below-average defensive team again this season.
James Harden, LAC – PG ($9,300)
Kawhi Leonard is out indefinitely and George left town for the Sixers. Even Russell Westbrook is gone as he's now in Denver, leaving James Harden as the last man standing in Clipper town.
Harden has been a DFS monster in these types of situations and his preseason usage rate of 34.5% should serve as a reminder that he's going to be handling the ball on every possession and taking the most shots for L.A. on a nightly basis.
The only risk here would be if the Suns boat race this Clippers team and Harden doesn't get his full run, but I don't think we can fade him based on that scenario.
Lauri Markkanen, UTA – SF/PF ($7,800)
Markkanen played only 55 games last year and saw his scoring dip from 25 points per game in his first season in Utah to 23 points per game last year, but I really like him in this spot tonight against a Memphis team that will be without Jaren Jackson Jr.
🏔️ LAURI MARKKANEN
🏔️ #23
🏔️ Season 8 pic.twitter.com/GN6UX7kaeZ— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) October 22, 2024
Lauri is the first scoring option on this Utah team and is a good bet for 40+ FD points tonight at a sub-8k price. I love the fact that he's small forward-eligible, too.
FanDuel NBA DFS Tournament Pivots
Ja Morant, MEM – PG ($9,400)
Last year was a year to forget for Morant but he seems poised to turn the page and get this Memphis team back on track as they were a legit playoff team for two straight seasons before last year's debacle.
Morant faces a Utah team tonight that allowed the most FanDuel points per game to opposing point guards. On top of that, the Grizzlies are without Jackson Jr., who, along with Desmond Bane, is one of the top-scoring options on this team.
HANG TIME ON 💯, @JaMorant 🤯🤯 pic.twitter.com/H3toI8O5p7
— NBA (@NBA) October 19, 2024
I look for Morant to come out aggressive tonight and put up a big number. This game is also one I have circled for game stacks (more on that later), as I think Memphis could struggle defensively a bit without Jackson as well.
Brandon Ingram, NOP – SF/PF ($7,700)
I mentioned in the opener that the Pelicans could be without their new starting point guard, Dejounte Murray, and big man Zion Williamson. Even if both of those guys play, they are certainly going to be without Trey Murphy III, who just got paid a huge contract and is seen by many as the future of the franchise on the wing.
So Ingram might be on his way out this season, but he's playing tonight and facing a Bulls defense that was horrible last year. Ingram was second on the team in usage this preseason, and it's possible that he will be featured here early in the season as a way to showcase him for a trade. He's far too cheap for his ceiling in this spot.
Deandre Ayton, POR - C ($7,000)
The Portland big man is one of the most gifted offensive centers in the game, and when he's healthy, he's hard to stop on the interior. He will be a tough draw for Draymond Green tonight, and I expect Portland to feed the big man inside. He's only the 11th most expensive option at the center position tonight on FanDuel despite posting 36 FD points per game last year.
Others Under Consideration: Cade Cunningham - PG ($8,700), Alperen Sengun - C ($8,600), Jarrett Allen - PF/C ($7,400)
FanDuel NBA DFS Value Picks
Dyson Daniels, ATL – PG/SG ($4,200)
Daniels has been a popular preseason sleeper in fantasy basketball drafts, and now we get him super cheap on opening night against the lowly Nets, too? I'm all over him tonight, especially with steals being worth three points on FanDuel (Daniels averaged 1.4 swipes in only 22 minutes per game last season).
Dyson Daniels ball pressure pic.twitter.com/iuq0jcZ7AC
— Kevin Chouinard (@KLChouinard) October 17, 2024
Daniels should start at shooting guard tonight and play around 30 minutes or more. Last season he averaged 0.85 FD points per minute, putting him at a conservative projection of about 26 FD points in 30 minutes - which would be good for 6x value on this price tag!
Brandin Podziemski, GSW– SG/SF ($5,200)
Podziemski is far too cheap for a player with his ability to rack up stats. He's projected to start for the Warriors, and while he's not a bonafide scorer just yet, he has thrived as a rebounder and passer, averaging nearly six rebounds and four assists per game last season. The matchup here against Portland is a great one, and I think we can see Podz fill up the stat sheet tonight.
Norman Powell, LAC – SG/SF ($5,100)
While Harden should be the main playmaker for the Clippers, they need another scorer in the worst way. Powell can get buckets and should get up a lot of shots tonight. He averaged 19.5 points in the six games that George missed last season and let's also remember that there's no Kawhi tonight either, so it's going to be a lot of Harden, Powell, and some Ivica Zubac carrying the offense.
Nick Richards, CHA – C ($5,500)
Richards will start at center tonight for the Hornets as their usual starting center, Mark Williams, is set to miss tonight's contest and perhaps a few more games after that. As a starter last year, Richards averaged 10 points and nine boards per game to go along with 1.2 blocks and was able to produce 0.88 FD points per minute. One of those starts came against Houston, where he posted 32.9 FD points in 27 minutes.
Brandon Clarke, MEM - PF/C ($4,400)
With Jackson Jr. out, Clarke should see some minutes at center and power forward behind Santi Aldama and Zach Edey. He missed most of last season but has been an efficient fantasy producer who hovers around 1.1 FD points per minute with his production. So even 22 to 24 minutes for Clarke tonight interests me as he could get us a very cheap 6-7x value on his price.
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Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stacks
Indiana Pacers at Detroit Pistons (235.5 total, 4.5-point spread)
This is the highest total on the board, and it's loaded with good potential DFS options. These teams played four times last season and went over this total in three of those contests.
High totals are great, but we also want to target games that we feel confident should stay close. That doesn't always happen (just look what Boston did to the Knicks last night), but a 4.5 spread suggests that this game won't blow out, and the Pistons should be more competitive this year and scrappy enough to hang with the Pacers.
I'd start with Haliburton and Cade Cunningham, who both function as the primary ball-handler and top scorer for their teams. That's an easy 1v1 correlation to use in tournaments.
I don't usually like to stack more than three to four players from one game, but it's pretty easy to find some 2v2 combos in this game that could pay off.
Pairing Cade with either Jalen Duren or Tobias Harris makes the most sense to me, while you can pair Haliburton with either Pascal Siakam or a fairly cheap Myles Turner. What we can't do is play both Turner and Duren in the same lineup since we can only play one center on FanDuel.
Memphis Grizzlies at Utah Jazz (228.5 total, 3-point spread)
I already talked about the huge upside for Morant in this game, and you know that I am big on Markkanen, too. So, there's your 1v1 pairing to start.
With Jaren Jackson Jr. out for Memphis, we could look at three potential big men here, all at affordable prices - Santi Aldama ($5,800), Zach Edey ($5,300), and the aforementioned Clarke ($4,400).
Aldama should draw the start, but I am a bit more interested in the other big men who are cheaper. Edey showed some really nice post moves in the preseason, and Clarke has always been a solid per-minute contributor.
For Utah, I really like Collin Sexton at PG/SG for just $6700. He was great throughout the second half of the season last year and looked good in the preseason, too. Ja Morant plays pretty mediocre on-ball defense and the lack of rim protection for Memphis without JJJ should allow Utah guys to have more success in the paint as well.
My Favorite NBA DFS Picks for Today
Here is where I leave you with some of my favorites.
- My favorite OVERALL play on the slate: Tyrese Haliburton
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: James Harden
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: Ja Morant
- My favorite VALUE play: Dyson Daniels
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