Our NBA DFS core plays were straight flames yesterday. If you didn’t have Jalen Johnson, you were cooked. Fortunately, we had him with Onyeka in our core. Taylor was all over Jusuf Nurkic in our video breakdown, too, and he also did really well.
I said Donovan Mitchell was a good GPP play and he got 51 fantasy points. Overall, the only real gaffe was Nick Richards, but he was so chalky that you still should have cashed with our core.
What NBA DFS picks do you need in your DraftKings and FanDuel lineups on Friday night? I’ll go over my favorite building blocks and issue updates as we get closer to lock:
DraftKings NBA Core
- Miles McBride ($4.8k)
- Jenkins ($6.1k)
- Brandon Williams ($5.4k)
- Reed ($5.8k)
Update 3: Adding Reed. His projection is fantastic. Just make sure he starts.
Update 2: Cade/Duren are out. Stewart/Reed are both in play if they start. If one of them isn’t starting, they’re an easy fade. Jenkins projects the best of all Pistons currently so he’s the play. Franz, KAT, and Reaves continue to look amazing. If you pay for a stud, it should be Luka or Giannis. B Will looks awesome with both PJ and Brow ruled out. Also am very high on Naji.
Update: Taking Suggs out of core. Still looks great at $5.1k but there are other plays in that same range. Adding Franz, who has a monster ceiling and projects insanely well without Banchero. Also adding Reaves. He projects way too well for the price in a smash spot. Decision point will be KAT vs. Luka/Cade/Giannis/Maxey etc. Took Brandon Williams out but still like him a lot.
There are some big injuries we already know about, with Paolo Banchero and Jalen Brunson already ruled out. That opens the door in a big way to the likes of KAT, Desmond Bane, and Franz Wagner. I like all of them and assuming you’re cool with fading the top studs, they feel like easy guys to click.
I’ll leave that up to you, though, seeing as we do have the likes of Giannis, Luka, Cade, and Maxey on this slate. KAT definitely looks like the play amongst those options, but if he’s mega chalk, you can absolutely consider leveraging that with another stud.
That said, Suggs should be pushing 30 minutes and may be too cheap for a smash spot (vs. Nets) with Banchero’s usage gone. There will be more value that will challenge this play, but for now he feels like a really comfortable value.
I’ll be slightly less into Brandon Williams if Anthony Davis is back, but both he and PJ Washington are Q and that could leave a lot of usage up for grabs for the Mavs. Williams is starting and has seen 30+ minutes in his last two games. He is way too cheap for his current role.
McBride is going to benefit from the Brunson injury. It’s worth noting that Thibs is gone so Knicks guys are not the auto plays they once were, but it’s logical to assume McBride would get the start and push for 30+ minutes. In an up tempo matchup with the fast-paced Heat, he’s a scary fade.
Diabate can be a thin play, but it looks like he will start with Ryan Kalkbrenner out for personal reasons. Diabate is a terrific per minute producer and is simply way too cheap for the role he’s expected to have. Obviously if he’s in the paint trying to slow down Giannis he could get into foul trouble, but the ceiling and value is worth the risk.
My favorite stud on DK is KAT at the moment. Wagner and Bane look awesome, too. I think I’m OK with fading Wagner if it gets me an upgrade next to KAT, but we’ll see how the slate shakes out.
This could very well be a stars and scrubs type of slate, which could mean just standing part with the Magic and Knicks benefactors could be The Way.
FanDuel NBA Core
- Wagner/Bane
- B Will
- Reaves
- Jenkins
Update 2: Pistons studs are out. Reed is center only but looks great on FD. Jenkins is too cheap on both sites still. Still like Suggs but Franz/Bane are better plays with more value opening up.
Update: Adding Reaves. I think you can entertain fading Austin on either site if you pay for Luka, but he grades out too well for me to ignore. Diabate and Drummond look great on both sites but I don’t want to lock up the C spot. You obviously can pay up at C, too, as Zu looks great and Wemby exists.
Same core, except I won’t call McBride a must here, and Diabate ($5.3k) is expensive enough and C only eligible that you can do something else. You get an extra game and need to fill an extra slot here, though, so that value should come in handy.
I think you can entertain going away from one of the Magic guys, as the spread is pretty big. They all look good and you do need that extra body on FD, though.
I do feel more obligated to pay for a stud on FD, as Wemby is also added to the mix. It’s pretty unlikely that all of Giannis/Luka/Wemby don’t nuke, so trying to get to one does make sense. Dollar for dollar Giannis looks like the most logical spend.
The balanced build is still very appealing, while Zubac is my favorite dollar for dollar play at center right now.
Playing DFS since the days of DraftStreet, Kevin knows the ins and outs of DFS, specifically for NFL and NBA. He’s also been helping people win in fantasy football leagues for 15+ years and is one of many experts featured at FantasyPros.
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