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Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks (10/21/17): NBA Advice for FanDuel, DraftKings

Jake Finnen's top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for 10/21/17. Expert NBA DFS advice, sleepers & player recommendations for FanDuel and DraftKings.

You don't need to be buttered up with some, "We're a few games in..." intro nonsense. We both know why you're here. I got the goods, you want the services. Uh, that sounds bad...Maybe an intro IS the best way to start these things. Well, too late now.

It's an 11-game slate this beautiful Saturday, and is there really anything that will make your day better than seeing Russell Westbrook for below $12,000 on DraftKings AND FanDuel? Maybe C.J. McCollum for 7k? Well, tonight is the night you are going to want to spend high on either Russell Westbrook or James Harden. You can choose either, but going after both will put a lot of risk in the rest of your team.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 10/21/17. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays on DraftKings.

 

DFS Guards to Consider

J.J. Barea - DAL @ HOU (DK - $4,200, FD - $3,900)

You have to go with a Dallas Mavericks guard. They might be facing the Houston Rockets, but with limited numbers, Barea is more than capable of handling his own. He is going to touch the ball on nearly every possession and he is the type of player that produces consistently enough trust for DFS. The usual concern with Barea is injuries, but this matchup should be perfect for you to capitalize on the Mavericks shortage of guards.

Will Barton - SAC @ DEN (DK - $5,500, FD - $5,700)

Will Barton has been a bright spot for the Nuggets for some time now and his fantasy production has followed. As a mid-ranged price with plenty of upside, it's hard to pass on Barton even in a crowded backcourt. He stands out with his athletic ability and his streakiness has evolved into consistent scoring. It was only the first game but it looks like Barton picked up exactly where he left off. Scoring with ease and generating offense. Barton is going to string together good games early this season and cement himself as the Nuggets biggest offensive threat alongside Nikola Jokic.

 

DFS Forwards to Consider

Doug McDermott - DET @ NY (DK - $3,500, FD - $3,800)

This is a high-risk, high-reward option and I am banking on a great scoring night from McDermott. Last game he was slipped into the rotation after Michael Beasley sprained his ankle against the Thunder. Tonight, McDermott should be given the green light as the Knicks wing scorer and even if Beasley plays, McDermott will still get his minutes and opportunities. After a shoddy outing in the first game of the season, look for a more composed and efficient McDermott while he plays his first home game in MSG.

Kelly Olynyk - IND @ MIA  (DK - $4,800, FD - $4,400)

Kelly Olynyk is another one of those players that gets the ball and either scores, assists a teammate in some way, or misses a shot. He is not a bad scorer, its just you can sometimes tell when he is forcing production. He just signed a nice, new contract with the Heat and he is going to try and prove his worth to the team early. His last outing was skeptical of how his new role will play out, but the Indiana frontcourt is lacking size outside of Myles Turner, so expect Olynyk to find his groove.

 

DFS Centers to Consider

Pau Gasol - SA @ CHI (DK - $5,600, FD - $6,300)

Picking a San Antonio Spur and getting mad that they didn't produce like you wanted, is like getting mad at a fish for not "getting out" enough. So mind you with this pick risk is involved. That being said, Pau Gasol had a great performance last game and he didn't have to have a big scoring night to contribute for DFS. Chicago has Robin Lopez in the paint which can cause problems, but chances are he will need to focus on keeping LaMarcus Aldrige from getting to his spots, rather than locking down Gasol. Gasol should be the beneficiary of the combination of Spurs offense and Coach Gregg Popovich targeting an opponents weakness.

 

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REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Rashid Shaheed

Could Play Extensively in Seahawks Debut
Aaron Judge

Headlines AL Silver Slugger Award Winners
Terry McLaurin

Officially Ruled Out for Week 10
Kelly Olynyk

Cleared to Play on Friday
Jeremy Sochan

Available to Play Friday Against Houston
Puka Nacua

Will Play in Week 10
Steven Adams

Cleared to Face the Spurs
De'Andre Hunter

Available on Friday
Luke Kennard

Ruled Out Friday Against the Raptors
Kyshawn George

Ruled Out Versus Cleveland
William Eklund

Moved to Injured Reserve
Cam Thomas

Out 3-4 Weeks
Gustav Nyquist

Expected to Remain Out Friday
Luguentz Dort

Will Miss Friday's Meeting with Sacramento
Thatcher Demko

Questionable to Play This Weekend
Brock Purdy

Questionable Again, Won't Start in Week 10
Austin Reaves

Out Again on Saturday
Rasmus Dahlin

Takes Leave of Absence
Filip Hallander

to Miss at Least Three Months With Blood Clot
Domantas Sabonis

Will Not Play Friday vs. the Thunder
Kevin Bahl

a Game-Time Call Friday
Patrick Kane

Returns to Action Friday
Garrett Wilson

Listed as Questionable for Week 10, Expected to Play
Shohei Ohtani

Headlines List of NL Silver Slugger Winners
MLB

Munetaka Murakami Officially Being Posted on Friday
Alvin Kamara

Listed as Questionable for Week 10
De'Aaron Fox

To Make Season Debut On Saturday
Aaron Jones Sr.

Questionable for Week 10
Brian Thomas Jr.

Ruled Out For Week 10
D'Andre Swift

Listed as Questionable for Week 10
J.K. Dobbins

Getting Second Opinion on Foot Injury
Collin Sexton

Downgraded from Probable to Doubtful on Friday
LaMelo Ball

Downgraded to Doubtful on Friday
Kyler Murray

Expected to Return This Season
Yves Missi

Remains Sidelined on Saturday
Al Horford

Tagged as Questionable on Friday
Anthony Edwards

Available for Friday's NBA Cup Game
Harold Fannin Jr.

Questionable for Sunday
Justin Fields

Jets Refusing to Name Starting QB; Justin Fields Expected to Get the Nod
Luke Kennard

Considered Questionable on Friday
Shedeur Sanders

Back in QB2 Role in Week 10
Kayshon Boutte

Ruled Out in Week 10 Against Tampa
Kyshawn George

Downgraded to Questionable on Friday
Rhamondre Stevenson

Officially Ruled Out for Week 10
Tetairoa McMillan

Questionable to Play With Hamstring Injury
Rico Dowdle

Cleared to Play Against Saints
Harold Fannin Jr.

Back at Friday's Practice, on Track to Play Sunday?
DeForest Buckner

Placed on Injured Reserve With Neck Injury
Chris Godwin

Will be Ruled Out in Week 10
Jordan Poole

Out with Quad Strain
Nikola Jović

Nikola Jovic Available vs. Hornets
Norman Powell

Available vs. Hornets
Randy Brown

Set For UFC Vegas 111 Main Event
Gabriel Bonfim

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Joseph Morales

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 111
Matt Schnell

Set For UFC Vegas 111 Co-Main Event
Uros Medic

Aims To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Muslim Salikhov

Looks For His Fourth Consecutive Win
Chris Padilla

Looks To Remain Unbeaten In The UFC
Chris Kreider

Extends Goal Streak to Four Games
Ismael Bonfim

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Nikita Kucherov

Lifts Lightning Past Golden Knights
Marco Tulio

Looks To Remain Undefeated In The UFC
Jalen Chatfield

Injured in Thursday's WIn
Christian Leroy Duncan

Set To Open Up UFC Vegas 111 Main Card
Dougie Hamilton

Exits Early Thursday
Anthony Cirelli

Expected to Be Fine for Saturday
Michael Misa

Sharks Place Michael Misa on Injured Reserve
Kyle Tucker

Headlines List of 13 Players to Receive Qualifying Offers
Pete Fairbanks

Becomes a Free Agent
Filip Hallander

Out Against Capitals
Tyson Kozak

Available Versus Blues
Cody Glass

Returns to Action Thursday
Connor Brown

Out on Thursday
Mats Zuccarello

Could Be an Option Friday
Matt Duchene

Remains Out Thursday
Roope Hintz

a Game-Time Call Thursday
CFB

Luke Fickell Will Return as Wisconsin's Head Coach in 2026
Bo Bichette

Blue Jays Extend Qualifying Offer to Bo Bichette
Craig Stammen

Named Padres New Manager
K'Andre Miller

Could Return to Action Thursday
Jorge Polanco

Declines his 2026 Option to Become a Free Agent
Chris Sale

Braves Picking Up Chris Sale's 2026 Option
Michael Thorbjornsen

Poised to Continue Hot Play in Mexico
Davis Riley

Struggling to Find Form Ahead of World Wide Technology Championship
Taylor Montgomery

Leaning on Putter at World Wide Technology Championship
Stephan Jaeger

Offers Strong Value at World Wide Technology Championship
Ben Griffin

Looks to Stay Hot at El Cardonal
Nick Dunlap

Looking to Find His Game at El Cardonal
Wyndham Clark

Searching for Consistency at El Cardonal
Michael Brennan

Aims to Extend Fairytale Start at El Cardonal
Shane Bieber

Staying in Toronto for 2026
Salvador Perez

Agrees to Two-Year Extension With Royals
Trevor Story

Opts in for Remaining Two Years on his Contract
Yu Darvish

to Miss All of 2026 Following Flexor-Tendon Surgery
Shota Imanaga

Becomes a Free Agent
Luis Robert Jr.

White Sox Pick Up 2026 Option on Luis Robert Jr.
CFB

LJ Martin Expected to Play in Top-10 Matchup Against Texas Tech
PGA

LIV Golf Expanding To 72-Hole Format In 2026
Atlanta Braves

Braves Hire Walt Weiss as Their Next Manager
Kris Bubic

Cleared to Begin a Throwing Program
Brandon Woodruff

Declines Mutual Option for 2026
Freddy Peralta

Brewers Exercise 2026 Option on Freddy Peralta
Lucas Giolito

Declines his 2026 Player Option
J.J. Spaun

Finishes Sixth at Procore Championship
PGA

Matti Schmid Finishes Tied for 46th at Baycurrent Classic
Keith Mitchell

Finishes Tied for 10th at Baycurrent Classic
Si Woo Kim

Finishes Tied for 21st at Genesis Championship
Mackenzie Hughes

Misses The Cut at Sanderson Farms Championship
Max Greyserman

Finishes Second at Baycurrent Classic
Austin Eckroat

Finishes Tied for 56th at Baycurrent Classic
Luke Clanton

Finishes Tied for 56th at Bank of Utah Championship
Pete Alonso

Officially Opts Out of his Contract With Mets
Kyle Larson

Wins His Second NASCAR Cup Series Championship at Phoenix
Ryan Blaney

Concludes the 2025 Season with A Win at Phoenix
William Byron

Strong Championship Effort Ends With Late-Race Flat-Tire Crash
Denny Hamlin

Overtime Four-Tire Call Costs Denny Hamlin the Championship
Chase Briscoe

Championship Bid Never Really Started After Two Tire Failures
Brad Keselowski

Nearly Steals Phoenix Race
David Onama

Suffers First-Round TKO Loss
Steve Garcia

Scores First-Round TKO Win
Ante Delija

Suffers His First UFC Loss
CFB

Dylan Raiola Suffers Season-Ending Injury
Waldo Cortes-Acosta

Gets Knockout Win
Themba Gorimbo

Drops Decision At UFC Vegas 110
Jeremiah Wells

Gets Back In The Win Column
Yadier del Valle

Remains Undefeated
Isaac Dulgarian

Cut By UFC Following Submission Loss
Daniel Frunza

Still Winless In The UFC
Charles Radtke

Dominates Daniel Frunza
Allan Nascimento

Gets Submission Win
Austin Cindric

is A Driver to Avoid for Phoenix DFS Lineups
Alex Bowman

Could Alex Bowman be A Sneaky Tournament Play for Phoenix?
Noah Gragson

Should DFS Players Roster Noah Gragson At Phoenix?
Erik Jones

Is Erik Jones Worth Rostering for DFS at Phoenix?
Michael McDowell

an Easy Recommendation for DFS at Phoenix

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