NBA DFS Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings - Hawks vs Magic Thursday Night Showdown

Happy Thursday, RotoBallers! Welcome back to our weekly showdown. Last week, Devin Booker came out of the woodwork when all signs were pointing to him not playing so that really threw the article for a spiral. But if you were in our premium discord, I threw out a line that had us cashing quite nicely and it would have been even better had Devin Vassell not been injured after a stellar first half. But alas we move on to the next! This time we are heading to Mexico City, where the Atlanta Hawks take on the Orlando Magic!

I absolutely love playing the NBA showdowns daily, it has become one of my favorite forms of DFS. There is nothing more thrilling than having a lineup consisting of players from one game and sweating it out while watching it live. There is a lot less room for error though with there being fewer options to choose from. Hopefully, with all the advanced stats I will be able to bring you the best analysis possible and get you some extra cash for the weekend ahead. So strap in as the season is just beginning and we will be here all year long.

I will be providing you with daily fantasy basketball picks on FanDuel and DraftKings for the Hawks vs. Magic NBA DFS showdown slate on November 9. These NBA DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on both DraftKings and FanDuel. If you have any questions, you can follow me on Twitter/X @DFSKoby and please feel free to ask any questions about upcoming slates as I'm happy to answer any DMs or in our Rotoballer Discord!

MVP/Captain Plays

Trae Young- PG, $15,900 (DK), $16,000 (FD)

Key Stats

• 2023 Avg. Season Stats: 21.7 points, 10.4 assists, 2.9 rebounds and 1.4 steals a game

I think this one is a bit obvious but you can't deny how well Trae Young has played this season. He is averaging nearly 44 fantasy points a game and the second-most assists in the league! He is the most expensive on this slate and for good reason. Dejounte Murray, on the other hand, I will be fading. Orlando is allowing the second-fewest fantasy points to shooting guards this season. They are tough against PGs as well but not nearly as bad as SGs. I expect Trae Young to still score extremely well and facilitate this team to a close game, if not a win.

Paolo Banchero- PF, $13,800 (DK), $14,000 (FD)

Key Stats

• 2023 Avg. Season Stats: 18.1 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.6 assists as well as 1.6 steals and 0.4 blocks per game.

For cash games, I would stick with Paolo as captain. But if you want to get a little risky, take a shot on Franz Wagner at the captain spot, I think the majority will be either putting Trae or Paolo at the captain spot and Wagner is a good way to get a little different in your GPPs. Now back to Banchero... He has had a great start to his sophomore season and has scored 50 fantasy points in two of his last three games. He also gets a juicy matchup as Atlanta is prone to giving up points to power forwards where they rank seventh overall in fantasy points allowed and second in points allowed to PFs.

Other Captains/MVPs: Franz Wagner

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DFS Flex Plays

Jalen Johnson- SF/PF, $7,400 (DK), $12,500 (FD)

Jalen Johnson has been one of the bright spots of Atlanta this season as he has emerged as a consistent producer everywhere on the court. I love the price on DraftKings at $7,400 as we get a player who can do a little bit of everything. He has had 11+ rebounds in three straight games and averaging nearly 14 points a game. He's also totaled 40+ fantasy points in the last two games. He has shown to be a great replacement for John Collins this season. On FD he is a tough get so I don't mind the fade on there but he is a must-have flex option on DK.

Moritz Wagner- PF/C, $5,200 (DK), $9,000 (FD)

With Wendell Carter Jr. out for a while, Moritz takes over as one of their centers. Goga Bitadze is your other option, if you are looking for a ceiling play go for Goga. If you want something a bit safer then I highly recommend grabbing Wagner. He has had 26 Fantasy points in both games Carter has been out and I actually like the price quite a bit, especially on DK. Mortiz can shoot the three as well and with more minutes he gets more chances to shoot. As long as he can limit the fouls Wagner is in a good spot to have a great game.

Other Flex Options: Clint Capela

DFS Value Plays

Saddiq Bey- SF, $4,600 (DK), $8,500 (FD)

There isn't too much value on the Orlando side of this slate. Atlanta has tons of value though. You could switch between Saddiq, De'Andre Hunter, and Bogdan Bogdonavic and they are all within 1k on FD and DK. I chose Saddiq as he has been the most consistent with what he has been doing with his minutes compared to Hunter and Bogdonavic. Hunter has been a little lackluster recently and Bogdonavic doesn't quite get as many minutes as Saddiq. He has averaged 13 points a game along with seven boards over the last five games.

Onyeka Okongwu- C, $4,200 (DK), $10,500 (FD)

This is purely a DraftKings play, he is very overpriced on FD so I would recommend fading him there. But for $4,200 on DK I will take that all the time. I'm almost thinking this is an error on DraftKings' part. In the last five games, he has averaged 25 Fantasy Points per game. His minutes are consistent and safe as the backup for Capela who doesn't play normally more than 23 or so minutes.

Other Value Plays: Bogdan Bogdanovic, Goga Bitadze, Markelle Fultz (DK)

Have a great night and let's make some cash!

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