DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Thursday 10/31/19
A small three-game slate of basketball leaves your DraftKings lineup with few possibilities tonight. We'll take a look at how to narrow down all those possibilities. Here are some of the top plays and sleepers on DraftKings. As always, good luck.
Point Guard
Kendrick Nunn ($5,600) -- Nunn took 18 shots with jimmy Butler returning the lineup all the while rookie Tyler Herro ($5,700) went off for a career-high 29 points, including 19 in the second quarter. Nunn has attempted at least 17 shots in all four contests, averaging 21 points a game. Either he or Herro has to cool down, and chances are it'll be Herro off the bench. Nunn is averaging more fantasy points than Jamal Murray ($6,600) and Jrue Holiday ($8,800) on a nightly basis.
Louis Williams ($6,800) -- With Kawhi Leonard out, the leading scorer off the bench received a start last night versus Utah Jazz and scored 24 points on 17 shots -- finishing with 31.75 fantasy points. Leonard returns to the lineup tonight, which means Williams can go back to the bench and run the second unit. Our model projects Williams to finish top-six in points and assists tonight with 20.1 points and 5.7 assists with Leonard in the lineup.
Shooting Guard
Jimmy Butler ($8,200) -- Butler made his debut in Miami's rout of the Atlanta Hawks, and the teams swap locations for a rematch two days later. Butler scored 21 points and watched teammates lighten the load for him. He played only 31 minutes, but tonight his minutes and points could increase. Our model projections Butler with 21.6 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists. Without Trae Young, the Hawks will need scoring, and rookie Cam Reddish ($4,600) can supplement some of that if he attempts more than his eight shots per game.
DeMar DeRozan ($7,100) -- DeRozan will D-up Kawhi Leonard tonight, but will also have to score on him at times, which is no easy task. DeRozan is always a lock for 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists a night, and our model backs that up tonight. DeRozan is projected at 19.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 5.3 assists tonight in the San Antonio's first road game of the season. DeRozan will be asked to do more on the road, and the Clippers' weakness is their interior defense. That should provide a boost for DeRozan, who averages eight free throw attempts a game.
Small Forward
Kawhi Leonard ($9,500) -- The Claw is back and his former team, the San Antonio Spurs, are visiting the Staples Center. Kawhi had a load management night yesterday, and the Clippers lost to the Jazz as a result of that. The Spurs are a hot 3-0 and will try to slow down the Clippers offense. Leonard is second in usage rate (37%), behind only James Harden, and has been arguably the best player in the NBA. Our model projects Leonard at 26.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.3 assists.
Brandon Ingram ($7,900) -- Ingram has been on a tear for the winless New Orleans Pelicans, as the main scoring threat without Zion Williamson. They play the Denver Nuggets tonight, and he draws perhaps the best matchup of the game. The weakest part of Denver's lineup is both forward positions, and Ingram has put up 63.25 and 57 fantasy points over the last two games. He's averaging 27.3 points a night to go with 9.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists, resulting in a monstrous average of 52 fantasy points a game. Considering what he's been doing and that he's 20th in usage rate (28.4%) among players with over 100 minutes player, $7,900 seems pretty cheap.
Power Forward
LaMarcus Aldridge ($7,200) -- Aldridge is a nightly 20-10 threat, and the Spurs are on the road, which means they will have to rely on Aldridge and DeRozan to carry the load. The two are averaging 43 points and 13 rebounds a night together, and our model projects that trend to continue. Aldridge is the second-highest projected scorer tonight at 21.7 points and third in rebounds at 10.4.
Montrezl Harrell ( $6,400) -- Harrell only played 14 minutes in the loss to the Jazz with Leonard out the lineup. The Clippers were saving the big man's energy for their matchup with the Spurs. He's played at least 25 minutes in every game besides last night, and this may be a theme with Doc Rivers. Our model projects Harrell to have 16.4 points and 6.6 rebounds in 26 minutes.
Jabari Parker ($4,300 ) -- Without Trae Young, Parker is a veteran that can contribute all-around -- either off the bench or in the starting lineup. Expect his shots to increase from 10 attempts to between 12 and 15 in the extra minutes. Parker averages 11.5 points and 2.8 rebounds per game, and our model projects Parker at 12.2 points and 5.3 rebounds, almost doubling his average in that area. Expect Parker to attack and be fresh, as he's only played 22 minutes in their recent loss to the Heat.
Center
John Collins ($8,300) -- Collins dropped a season-high 30 points and 7 rebounds for a 50.75 fantasy point outing in the loss to the Heat on Tuesday. Expect a similar output, as Young is still out. Our model projects Collins as the fourth-leading scorer tonight at 21.5 points and the top-rebounder, at 12.5.
Nikola Jokic ($10,00) -- Jokic isn't far behind Collins with projections of 20.9 points, 11.1 rebounds, and 7.0 assists tonight versus the Pelicans. The Pelicans counter Jokic with Jahlil Okafor ($3,400) and the aforementioned Ingram. New Orleans is third in pace with a pace factor of 110.5 behind only Houston (111.5) and Memphis (110.8). Jokic's had two triple-doubles this season, and tonight is another good opportunity for one if teammates are knocking down shots, especially in transition.
Vaughn Dalzell is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice Vaughn Dalzell also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username vdalzell. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.
