RADIO
We end the week with a total of six games, but we’ll focus on the five-game main slate for Sunday. Sorry Hornets and Pistons fans. Although there isn’t much to choose from, we do get a couple of solid matchups, and there should be no shortage of competitive games. In fact, four of the games have a spread of less than three points, fire up the key players here. The only game that doesn’t have a close spread is the Hawks/Lakers game where Atlanta is a big underdog. However, the point total is set at 241, which is 20 points higher than anything else on the slate. With the potential of the game turning into a blowout early, this is where we can find some value. Surprisingly I’m not too excited about any of the big names like Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, or James Harden, although an argument could be made for all three.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 11/11/18. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on DraftKings. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks.
Always be sure to check player statuses prior to tip-off, and don’t be scared to ask me any questions you have about the slate on Twitter. You can find me @DFS_Houston.
DraftKings DFS Guards
Kyrie Irving - PG @ POR ($7,600)
I’m going to be honest here, this is not the way I imagined starting this article out. I like Uncle Drew, I mean who doesn’t, but Irving is notorious for being hard to roster in DFS. However, given his recent play and the matchup, Irving could be in for a big fantasy night.
He should draw the defense of Damian Lillard, who isn’t exactly known as an elite defender. Irving comes in having scored at least 50 points in three of the last four games he’s played in, including a season-high 66.3 points in Thursday’s overtime win against the Suns. We’ve seen the Celtics all-star start to put up more shots recently, and take more command of an offense that is dangerous when he’s on. I would expect this game to be extremely competitive, and wouldn’t be surprised to see Boston trailing late, leading to more minutes for Irving. The Boston guard will also be coming in on an extra day of rest as he missed Friday’s game for personal reasons. Irving should be locked at as a solid tournament play, and a lock in most cash games.
Jeremy Lin - PG/SG @ LAL ($3,900)
Lin has looked solid recently in his role of backing up rookie Trae Young. He has proved that he can still show flashes of the way he used to play during Linsanity. The only limiting factor recently has been the minutes he’s getting. The Hawks come into Sunday being the biggest underdogs by far out of the 10 teams playing. There is a very good chance that this game could be put away by the third quarter, which equates to more playing time for Lin. In the last three games, Lin has averaged almost 1.30 fantasy points per minute, and it wouldn’t be a surprise for the guard to lock in 22-27 minutes against the Lakers. The blowout potential makes Lin an elite value play in tournaments, and he could also be used as a salary saver in cash games.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Noah Vonleh - PF/C vs ORL ($5,400)
I’ll admit that Vonleh isn’t a good pick for people with a weak stomach. The forward’s minutes have fluctuated hard for a couple of reasons recently. First, he’s had a serious problem with getting into foul trouble. Vonleh committed at least four fouls in three out of his first four games in November. He did look better on Saturday, committing only one foul in 26 minutes of playing time, so there is some hope. The other factor is the return of fellow forward Kevin Knox ($3,600), who actually makes for an interesting pivot if Vonleh isn’t your cup of tea. The rookie is battling back from an ankle injury, and appears to be getting close to his regular workload. This should cut into Vonleh’s minutes moving forward, but there’s no reason to think the fifth-year pro shouldn’t see at least 25 minutes on Sunday. He’s also going up against a Magic team that ranks 19th in fantasy points allowed to power forward/centers. As long as he gets the minutes he deserves, he should have a floor around 22 points with a ceiling in the 40s. However, Vonleh is only in play for tournaments and is just too risky to roster in cash games due to his inconsistent minutes.
Kyle O’Quinn - PF/C @ HOU ($3,000)
This play is purely based off the status of Domantas Sabonis. The Pacers forward is questionable with an ankle injury, and if he’s out it leaves around 27 minutes to be filled in the rotation. Enter Kyle O’Quinn. If Sabonis is out we should expect O’Quinn to receive around 20 minutes of court time. So, what happened the last time he got around this amount of playing time? He scored 32 fantasy points in 19 minutes, which included 16 points, eight rebounds, and two blocks. He’ll face a Rockets team that is getting better defensively, but still ranked 26th in the league in rebounds per game. If Sabonis is actually able to play I don’t mind him as a solid pick in cash games. However, I much prefer the situation where he misses the game and we got a shot at O’Quinn at the minimum price.
DraftKings DFS Center
Enes Kanter - C vs ORL ($6,600)
This game comes in with the lowest projected score out of any on the slate. Obviously these are the kind of games we don’t want to target a lot, but Kanter priced under $7,000 is always appealing. The Knicks big man is averaging 15.4 points, 11.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game. He appears to have adjusted to his new bench role, and continues to produce solid numbers. His minutes have fluctuated a lot over the last four games, ranging from the low 20s to above 40 per game. Even with the inconsistency in playing time, Kanter has still managed a double-double in all four games. He’ll go up against an Orlando Magic team that is ranked in the bottom third of the league in rebounding. With Katner being a double-double vending machine and having such a high ceiling, he’s definitely in play in all formats.
