It's been a really fun start to the NBA season and personally, I have really enjoyed having the NBA grind back as part of my daily routine. I finished third in a tournament last night and won some decent money behind Paul George's big night at only 11% ownership. My second-best lineup had Donovan Mitchell at 12%, too, so there were some great leverage spots that I was able to find and take advantage of on that slate.
We have only five games on tonight's main slate, so ownership will be a bit condensed around the top players, but that doesn't mean we still can't find some ways to be different. There are two games with totals over 230 right now with those being the Utah-New Orleans game and the Sacramento-Golden State game. Cleveland, Utah, OKC, Sacramento, and L.A. are all on the second half of back-to-backs, too.
Here are my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on 10/23/22. 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. Let's get to the picks already!
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DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Donovan Mitchell vs. WAS (FD: $8,500, DK: $8,600)
Mitchell's debut in Cleveland has been a dream come true for Cavs fans like me. He probably won't put up these types of numbers all year and his crazy 34.6% usage rate so far is a product of Darius Garland getting hurt in the first half of the opener and not playing the last game and a half.
But with Garland out again today, how can we not go back to Spider Mitchell here? He's been fantastic and is averaging an absurd 31.5-5.5-8.5 on 55% shooting including a masterful performance last night against the Bulls. His price went down on DraftKings, and he was quite literally the first player I clicked into my build this morning. There's no reason to think he won't keep playing at a high level and he has solid big men to dish to inside in Mobley and Allen as well as knockdown shooters to find on the perimeter in Cedi Osman, Kevin Love, and Caris LeVert.
Josh Giddey vs. MIN (FD: $6,800, DK: $7,400)
Giddey has picked up right where he left off last year in his sophomore season, as he's stuffing the stat sheet once again with 16.5 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 5 assists per game through the Thunder's first two contests. He's the kind of player who can rack up stats without a high usage rate (only 22% this year so far) as he's a plus rebounder and passer.
He and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander make a dynamic duo for OKC as the Thunder have been surprisingly competitive so far this year, hanging with Minnesota and Denver until the final minutes in both of their first games. SGA is currently questionable, and if he's held out on the second half of a back-to-back then Giddey becomes an absolute lock. But even if SGA is in, Giddey is still an appealing target at this price, especially on FanDuel.
Jordan Poole vs. SAC (FD: $6,000, DK: $5,900)
We are still waiting for that big scoring game from Poole off the bench for Golden State, but the Warriors' sixth man has still been solid as a passer with 7 assists in each of his first two games and five steals. You know that big shooting day is coming sooner than later, and why not tonight against a Kings team that has historically been a pretty poor defense?
Sacto hung with the Clippers last night, but fell late to Paul George and company and allowed a lot of production to their opponents once again. This game should be a high-scoring affair, too, and I definitely want some exposure to this high-powered Golden State offense. If you can't afford Stephen Curry's salary, Poole is a nice consolation prize and has the ability to fill it up with the second unit. He has been playing 28 minutes a night in his role, he just needs to get going on offense, and at this price, he has some awesome point-per-dollar upside.
Also consider: Caris LeVert, Anthony Edwards
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Lauri Markkanen @ New Orleans (FD: $7,300, DK: $6,300)
The move to Utah has done wonders for the young big man as he's seen an average of 36 minutes per game and has been able to move back to power forward after playing a lot of small forward for Cleveland last season. He's an uber-talented offensive player with an unlimited range as a stretch-four and he's been piling up stats so far with averages of 20.5-8.5-4.5 through his first two games.
Markannen isn't a great defender, but his length usually leads to some steals and blocks, too, helping him to pad his fantasy stats. He's facing his toughest test so far tonight as he will have to deal with the likes of Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram, but he's still arguably underpriced for his new role on his new team here, too. And if Utah can keep playing at this pace and with this type of offensive efficiency, he's going to have one heck of a season.
Andrew Wiggins vs. SAC (FD: $6,700, DK: $6,700)
Wiggins just signed a nice fat extension to stay in Golden State and he's certainly earned it. While I was critical of his game when he first came into the league, he's worked hard to become more than just a one-dimensional scorer. He's the perfect compliment on this offense to Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry and a mismatch for small forwards or power forwards with his versatility. He's off to an awesome start this season, shooting over 51% from the floor and 40% from deep. He's making it look easy, posting a 21.5-7-4.5 line through his first two games with 3 "stocks" per game. His price on both sites makes him a cash game lock for me as his steady game usually provides us with a really solid floor/ceiling combo.
Keegan Murray @ GSW (FD: $5,200, DK: $5,400)
Murray made his NBA debut last night after missing opening night and looked fantastic on both ends of the floor. He finished with 19-5-2 with two blocks in 32 minutes off the bench. Whether he starts or not really doesn't matter much, he was easily the best two-way player on the floor for Sacramento at times last night and even ended up on Paul George for the final few minutes of the game, doing a pretty admirable job of slowing him down.
He is an excellent three-point shooter and showed some nice moves around the rim last night, too. He had an excellent preseason and was the star of the NBA Summer League. You're simply not going to ever going to be able to roster him at this price again this season, so smash this button while you still can. His price didn't adjust because the pricing for this slate came out before the night game. I will lock him into all lineups, I believe in this young man's game and he should be able to exceed value pretty easily tonight.
Also consider: Evan Mobley, Mikal Bridges
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Deandre Ayton @ LAC (FD: $7,000, DK: $6,500)
Ayton's price has yet to catch up to his production so far this year as he's often to a really solid start averaging 22-8-2.5 and 1.5 "stocks" (steals + blocks) for Phoenix through their first two games. He has a solid 26% usage rate and gets a match-up here tonight against a less athletic center in Zubac.
Say what you want about Ayton, but the guy can get buckets with ease. His post-game and mid-range game are smooth and he's playing with the best point guard of the last 20 years getting him easy looks. Oh, and Devin Booker is pretty darn good, too, and Phoenix's solid shooters around Ayton force teams not to double down on him. He doesn't have a huge ceiling, but he's a great cash game play with a solid 30+ point floor and will probably make my cash build tonight.
Also consider: Rudy Gobert, Ivica Zubac
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