Happy Tuesday, RotoBallers! Three games occupy the slate tonight, and it's going to be a tricky test to navigate. The Philadelphia 76ers are ravaged by COVID-19 right now, with Joel Embiid the latest starter placed in the health and safety protocols. While this lowers the overall ceiling for this offense, it opens up a massive amount of volume. All the healthy 76ers get a boost in a pace-up spot against the Milwaukee Bucks, and I'll look to have several players from this game in my lineup.
As for the other two games, the Hawks visit the Jazz on the second night of a back-to-back, and the Trail Blazers travel down the coast to battle the Clippers. All three contests have between 220 and 222.5-point over/under, with Milwaukee and Utah owning the highest implied-point total among the six teams. However, it's the Portland-L.A. matchup catching my eye as it has the highest projected pace on my sheet.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 11/9/21. 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
Donovan Mitchell - PG/SG, UTA vs. ATL ($9,100)
The Hawks allow 48.44 fantasy points per game to points guards and 48.22 FPPG to shooting guards. So you can start Donovan Mitchell with supreme confidence as he will garner a plus matchup against Atlanta. Furthermore, this Hawks team just played on Monday and blew a lead on the road to Golden State. Mitchell's three-point shooting has been inconsistent lately, but he's making up for it in other categories. The two-time All-Star has at least seven rebounds in three of his previous five games and at least six assists in three straight matchups. On the year, Mitchell averages 1.3 fantasy points per minute (FPPM) and is a lock to play 33-35 minutes per night. He's one of the safest plays on the slate, but he also has a great ceiling against this tired Hawks defense.
Furkan Korkmaz - SG/SF, PHI vs. MIL ($4,900)
The adage of "someone has to take the shots" is coming true in Philadelphia, with Joel Embiid and Tobias Harris still away from the team. Korkmaz averages 14.5 shots and 10.5 three-point attempts in his last two games, and he's cheaper than the very popular Tyrese Maxey. Unfortunately, Georges Niang hasn't stepped up, and Maxey was an eye-rubbing 6-for-19 from the floor last night. So I'll take the more consistent Korkmaz with his three-point shooting upside and try to fit in another high-priced player with the $1,300 in savings.
Others to consider: Damian Lillard ($9,200), C.J. McCollum ($7,200), Tyrese Maxey ($6,200), Shake Milton ($5,200)
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DraftKings Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Paul George - SF, LAC vs. POR ($10,500)
Outside of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Paul George is the highest-scoring player on the slate by more than 7.1 fantasy points. Couple that with his matchup against the worst defense in the league to small forwards, and you've created a fantasy match made in heaven. PG13 started the year on fire, but it's cooled off a bit. The key is in the pie or the turnover. Sorry, I mentioned Thanksgiving in the intro, and now I can't stop thinking about it. Regardless, George has 22 turnovers in his last three games after committing 21 in his first six combined. If those mistakes decrease, the fantasy points will increase. In the fastest projected game on the slate, against a terrible defense, I expect the seven-time All-Star to bounce back and get back to the 60-point ceiling he was touching earlier in the season.
Grayson Allen- SG/SF, MIL at PHI ($5,100)
With Kris Middleton (protocols) still on the sidelines, Allen will have another opportunity to impress the Bucks staff. He's been starting games while Donte DiVincenzo (ankle) continues his recovery. In turn, Allen is turning into a valuable DFS asset at his $5,100 price point, and this run should continue against a depleted Philadelphia defense. The former-Duke standout is averaging 35.25 fantasy points per game in his last two contests, while also draining four threes per game in his previous five outings. Of course, Allen's ceiling may be capped at six-times his value with Giannis Antetokounmpo on the same team, but his three-point shooting and sneaky steals potential (five in last two games) puts Allen on my radar tonight.
Others to consider: Nicolas Batum ($5,400), Georges Niang ($4,700), Danny Green ($4,200)
DraftKings Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Andre Drummond - PF/C, PHI vs. MIL ($7,700)
Joel Embiid (protocols) is out for the next 7-10 days, and, with Thanksgiving around the corner, it's time for Andre Drummond to gobble up some fantasy points. Last night, he kicked off his tour de feast with 14 points, 25 rebounds, and 51.75 fantasy points against the New York Knicks. While the Bucks frontcourt will offer much more resistance, if Drummond can stay out of foul trouble, he will return considerable value on his $7,700 price tag. He's scored at least 51 fantasy points in both games Embiid has missed and will try to make it 3-for-3 in the Eastern Conference showdown on Tuesday.
Bobby Portis - PF/C, MIL at PHI ($5,400)
With Brook Lopez (back) out, Portis received his first start of the season on Sunday and was absolutely electric. In a season-high 31 minutes, Portis collected 13 points and 13 rebounds with two assists, two blocks, four steals, and a three-pointer for 45.25 fantasy points. On the season, he's averaging 1.13 FPPM, but that spiked to 1.45 FPPM in his Sunday start. The 76ers come into the contest as the second-best defense to centers, but they will miss Joel Embiid. If Portis lands right in the middle of his FPPM measurements and grabs another 30 minutes, DFS managers are looking at a seven-times return on value outing for the big man.
Others to consider: Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,400), Jusuf Nurkic ($7,400), Robert Covington ($4,300)
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