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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on November 18, 2021. Euan Leith provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Thursday, RotoBallers! After a couple of weeks of writing about three-game slates, I'm ecstatic to see six games on the schedule. There are several injuries to monitor around the league, with Stephen Curry, OG Anunoby, and Spencer Dinwiddie carrying designations. As always, stayed glued to our Rotoballer news feed to find out who is and is not active before the games start.
With six games, there's some room to decipher the Vegas lines. They believe the Clippers-Grizzlies and Spurs-Timberwolves games stand out as the two to watch. Both games have an over/under of at least 220 points, while the other four contests all sit under 211 points. The Raptors-Jazz game could be hideous as both teams average less than 98.2 possessions per game. There are one-off values in that matchup, but with so many other options on the board, it's also easy to avoid altogether.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 11/18/21. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. Remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before lineups lock.
DraftKings Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Ja Morant - PG, MEM vs. LAC ($10,000)
I believe everyone knows how good Stephen Curry will be tonight, and I wrote him up for Tuesday's picks. Therefore, I'll turn my attention to another premium point guard in Ja Morant. The third-year guard is leaping from up-and-coming talent to All-Star before our eyes in the first 20 games of the season. His season-long averages are great, but he's picked it up over his last five contests. Morant is averaging 27 points on 49 percent shooting in those five games, with eight rebounds, 7.6 assists, 2.2 three-pointers, and 1.6 steals for 52.8 fantasy points per game. The Clippers are a middle-of-the-road defense versus point guards this season, but in a game with the second-highest projected pace among the six tonight, I fancy Morant to record his fifth 50-point fantasy night in his last six games.
Darius Garland - PG/SG, CLE vs. GSW ($6,800)
Golden State's visit to Cleveland provides a pace-up spot for the Cavaliers and Darius Garland. Last night, Garland took 26 shots, topping his previous season-high by 10 attempts. He's now taken 14 or more attempts in six straight games for the short-handed Cavs. While I don't believe the former first-round pick takes 26 shots tonight, he will see a higher than usual workload until the rest of his team becomes healthy. Evan Mobley (elbow) and Collin Sexton (knee) are definitely out, while Lauri Markannen (protocols) could be back but is still trying to regain his conditioning after almost two weeks on the sidelines. On Wednesday, Garland gave us 45.25 fantasy points against the Nets, and another return near the 40-point mark will be more than welcome against the Warriors.
Austin Rivers - SG, DEN vs. PHI ($3,300)
Will Barton (back) was downgraded to doubtful for this matchup against Philadelphia, and it will open the door for Austin Rivers to see more playing time. On Monday against Dallas, the veteran guard played a season-high 29 minutes while recording 12 points, three rebounds, three triples, and a steal for 19.25 fantasy points. Rivers has now played at least 20 minutes in back-to-back games after not cracking the 20-minute barrier all year. Now, he will have a few more shots coming his way and has the potential of a 25-point fantasy evening.
Others to consider: Stephen Curry ($11,800), Dejounte Murray ($9,800), Furkan Korkmaz ($4,400), Aaron Holiday ($3,800), Brandon Boston Jr. ($3,000)
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DraftKings Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Paul George - SF, LAC at MEM ($11,000)
One of the leading candidates for early-season MVP, Paul George, is an excellent contrarian pick against the Stephen Curry chalk for Thursday's slate. George is playing in a game with a 221.5-point over/under and against a Memphis team, allowing the league-worst 48.7 FPPG to small forwards. That's the average the Grizzlies allow to small forwards, and Paul George is way better than average. PG13 has scored more than 50 fantasy points in five of his last 10 games, and he's only produced one dud-like performance below 40 points. While I don't think he can reach the heights of a Curry or a Jokic, he will be less-rostered than the other two superstars and provide some leverage in tournaments games.
Scottie Barnes - SF/PF, TOR at UTA ($6,700)
OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, Chris Boucher, and Pascal Siakam occupy a spot on the Raptor's injury report for tonight's game against the Jazz. While Siakam (rest) is officially out, things are trending towards Scottie Barnes receiving a massive workload in Salt Lake City. It's big news because the rookie thrives in DFS when he takes 14 or more shots. He's hit that mark in five of his previous nine contests and returned 37.45 FPPG for his managers. This game looks like it will be unpopular among DFS players because of its low over/under (210 points) and the slow pace between the two teams. However, I like taking a one-off on Barnes tonight as an avenue to differentiate my lineups.
Otto Porter Jr. - SF/PF, GSW at CLE ($3,5o0)
Andre Iguodala (hip) is already out for Thursday's game, and Stephen Curry (hip) is questionable. While I expect Curry to take the court, Iggy's absence will leave a vacancy on the court for Otto Porter Jr. to fill. The veteran forward's best game of the year came when he took his most shots (nine) against the Rockets on Nov. 7. Porter Jr. recorded 15 points, nine rebounds, five three-pointers, two steals, a block, and an assist in 18 minutes in that matchup. With his playing time and (hopefully) shots rising against the Cavs, now is the time to jump on the 28-year old in hopes of a seven to eight times return on value.
Others to consider: Tobias Harris ($8,800), Keldon Johnson ($6,300), Gary Trent Jr. ($5,900), Luke Kennard ($4,400)
DraftKings Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Nikola Jokic - C, DEN vs. PHI ($12,000)
There aren't a lot of ways left to describe the brilliance of Nikola Jokic. The reigning MVP could still be improving as a basketball player, and he remains one of the premier DFS options every night he takes the court. Recently, he's been piling up the stats in all categories, which is why he sits at $12,000 for Thursday's schedule. Over his last four games, Jokic averages 27.5 points, 14.8 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 1.8 stocks (steals+blocks), and 1.5 three-pointers. It all adds up to 64.7 FPPG. So even at his lofty $12,000, he's still averaging a five times return. It's ludicrous. Jokic meets the second-toughest defense in the league against centers in Philadelphia tonight. Still, without Joel Embiid, the Serbian should manage to get his numbers against the Andre Drummond-led frontcourt.
Drew Eubanks - C, SAS at MIN ($4,600)
Thaddeus Young will be a popular play in DFS circles tonight, but I'm opting to get a bit different and go further down the list to Drew Eubanks. The 24-year old has at least seven field-goal attempts in three of his last five games and averages 29 FPPG when he hits that mark. I'm not a particularly huge fan of Eubanks or Young, but they are a part of the highest over/under among the six games, and it came out to be the highest-projected paced game on my sheet. I'm always a fan of the double center strategy and pairing Jokic with one of Eubanks, Young, or even Ivica Zubac fits my roster construction well.
Others to consider: Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,500), Kevin Love ($6,600), Thaddeus Young ($5,500), Ivica Zubac ($5,100)
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