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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.

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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

Moritz Seider

Assists on Two Goals Against the Sabres
Shea Langeliers

Hits Two Home Runs on Opening Day
Kevin Gausman

Picks Up No-Decision But Strikes Out 11 on Opening Day
Mac Jones

Boosts his Dynasty Stock With Solid First Year in San Fran
Alex DeBrincat

Picks Up Three Points Versus Buffalo
Bobby Portis

May Miss Another Game Saturday
Tez Johnson

Could be Buried on the Depth Chart Again in Sophomore Season
Kevin Porter Jr.

Unavailable Against Spurs
Ka'imi Fairbairn

One of the NFL's Best Kickers Heading into His 10th Season
De'Aaron Fox

to Return to Action Saturday
Isaiah Jackson

Exits Early Friday
Kelly Oubre Jr.

Ready to Return Saturday
Michael Penix Jr.

Falcons Think Michael Penix Jr. Will be Healthy "At Some Point" in Training Camp
Al Horford

to Be Re-Evaluated in One Week
Vít Krejčí

Vit Krejci Remains Sidelined Friday
Robert Williams III

Will Suit Up Friday
Khris Middleton

Sits Out Friday's Game
Tre Johnson

Back From Three-Game Absence Friday
Isiah Pacheco

Can Isiah Pacheco Bounce Back in RB2 Role in Detroit?
Jarace Walker

Won't Return Friday
Tristan Vukcevic

Active Friday Night
Tanner Bibee

Day-to-Day, Could Make his Next Start
Alexandre Sarr

Returns to Action Friday
Ausar Thompson

Questionable Against Minnesota
Bilal Coulibaly

Available Against Warriors
Tobias Harris

Listed Questionable Saturday
Stephen Curry

to Sit Out At Least Two More Games
Noah Clowney

Cleared to Return From Four-Game Absence
Jalen Duren

May Sit Saturday
Kyle Filipowski

Available Friday
Rui Hachimura

Available After Two-Game Absence
Nnamdi Madubuike

Optimism That Nnamdi Madubuike Will Return From Neck Injury
Dylan Garand

Starts Friday
Noah Ostlund

Won't Play Friday
Connor Zary

Returns to Practice
Samuel Honzek

Won't Return This Season
Damon Severson

Labeled Week-to-Week
Sam Steel

Leaves Road Trip Due to Injury
Mikko Rantanen

Could Return Saturday
NFL

Jordyn Tyson to Hold A Workout for Teams in April
New York Jets

Jets Unlikely to Draft Ty Simpson in the First Round?
Shane Baz

Orioles Agree to Five-Year Extension
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena Making Season Debut on Friday Against Angels
Tiger Woods

Involved In Rollover Car Crash
Bhayshul Tuten

Remains a Clear Breakout Candidate Heading into 2026
NFL

Can Jonah Coleman Develop into a Starting NFL Running Back?
Rico Dowdle

Remains Likely to Split Carries in Pittsburgh
NFL

Can KC Concepcion Be a Dynamic Playmaker in the NFL?
Rashid Shaheed

Is Rashid Shaheed Limited to a Downfield Role in Seattle?
Marcus Mariota

Remains an Injury Away from Playing Time in Washington
Najee Harris

to Meet With Raiders Next Thursday
Damar Hamlin

Bills Re-Sign Safety Damar Hamlin to One-Year Deal
Tanner Bibee

Shoulder Issue Not Considered Serious
NFL

Nicholas Singleton Relying on Traits Over Tape for Early Draft Capital
J.K. Dobbins

Positioned for Another Strong Season in Denver
NFL

Malachi Fields' Draft Stock Looks to Be Sliding
Barrett Hayton

Out Week-to-Week
Travis Etienne Jr.

Should See Feature Role Following Big-Market Deal
Tony DeAngelo

to Miss 1-2 Weeks
Sam Steel

Makes Early Exit Against Islanders
NFL

Ty Simpson Garnering First-Round Buzz
Damon Severson

Exits With Upper-Body Injury Thursday
Joe Pyfer

Set For UFC Seattle Main Event
Yaroslav Askarov

Suffers New Injury Blow
Israel Adesanya

Returns At UFC Seattle
Evan Rodrigues

Breaks Finger Thursday
Maycee Barber

Looks To Extend Her Win Streak To Eight
Sidney Crosby

Suffers Lower-Body Injury Thursday
Alexa Grasso

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Dominic Canzone

a Top Pickup After Two-Homer Game
Niko Price

In Dire Need Of Victory
Michael Chiesa

Set For Retirement Fight
Chase DeLauter

Launches Two Home Runs, Emerges as Top Waiver-Wire Target
Lerryan Douglas

Set For His UFC Debut
Julian Erosa

Looks To Bounce Back
Tanner Bibee

Leaves Opening Day Start Early With Shoulder Inflammation
Jakub Dobes

Defeats the Blue Jackets on Thursday
Noah Cates

has Two-Point Game on Thursday
Cristopher Sánchez

Cristopher Sanchez Makes a Statement on Opening Day With 10 Strikeouts
Kevin McGonigle

has Four Hits in Impressive MLB Debut
Nico Hoerner

Cubs Agree to Six-Year Deal With Nico Hoerner
Jacob Misiorowski

Shows Off his High-Strikeout Upside in Opening Day Win
Marcus Foligno

Available Against Panthers
Tony DeAngelo

Unavailable Thursday
Anthony Mantha

Good to Go Thursday
Paul Skenes

Greeted Harshly by Mets on Opening Day
Brandon Lowe

Hits Two Home Runs on Opening Day
Ketel Marte

Active, Leading Off on Opening Day
Kevin McGonigle

Batting Sixth in MLB Debut
Jeremy Peña

Jeremy Pena Not in the Lineup on Opening Day
JJ Wetherholt

Batting Leadoff in MLB Debut
Jackson Chourio

Placed on Injured List with Fractured Hand
Francisco Lindor

Officially Starting on Opening Day
Ryan Fox

a High-Upside Value in Houston
Marco Penge

a Boom-or-Bust Option in Houston
Aaron Rai

Looks to Bounce Back in Houston
Jason Day

a Volatile Option at the Texas Children's Houston Open
Harris English

Eyes a Bounce-Back at the Texas Children's Houston Open
Ben Griffin

Looks for Turnaround at the Texas Children's Houston Open
Rickie Fowler

Brings Strong Form Into Texas Children's Houston Open
Ryan Gerard

Can Continue Rolling at Texas Children's Houston Open
Pierceson Coody

Bounces Back at Valspar Championship
Rasmus Hojgaard

Trying to Get Back on Track at Texas Children's Houston Open
Michael Thorbjornsen

Playing Well Heading to Texas Children's Houston Open
Harry Hall

Looking for Consistency at Texas Children's Houston Open
Brooks Koepka

Continues Building Momentum
Scottie Scheffler

Withdraws From Texas Children's Houston Open
Luke Clanton

Might Have a Problem in Houston
Sam Stevens

Happy to See Houston This Week
Keith Mitchell

Tries to Rebound After The Players Championship
Will Zalatoris

Returning This Week at Houston
Wyndham Clark

Trending in the Wrong Direction Heading to Houston
Shane Lowry

Seeking Better Luck in Houston This Weekend
Lerone Murphy

Suffers His First Loss
Movsar Evloev

Edges Out Lerone Murphy
CFB

Notre Dame Ranks No. 1 in Returning Production for 2026
Michael Aswell

Jr. Drops Decision At UFC London
Michael Aswell

Luke Riley Outclasses Michael Aswell Jr.
Sam Patterson

Suffers Unanimous-Decision Loss
Michael Page

Wins Lackluster Decision
Austen Lane

Suffers First-Round TKO Loss
Iwo Baraniewski

Delivers 28-Second TKO
Tyler Reddick

Overcomes Adversity for Fourth Victory of the Season At Darlington
Brad Keselowski

Falls Short of Darlington Victory Despite Domination
Ryan Blaney

Recovers From Pit-Road Struggles to Score Career-Best Darlington Finish
Carson Hocevar

Rallies to Finish Fourth at Darlington
Kyle Larson

Decent Performance Ends with Technical Issues At Darlington
Tyler Reddick

the Clear Favorite at Darlington
Kyle Larson

a High-Risk, High-Reward Driver at Darlington
Ryan Blaney

Is Getting Better at Darlington
NASCAR

Bubba Wallace Not Slowing Down at Darlington
Chris Buescher

Should be a Top-10 Contender at Darlington
Austin Cindric

a Sleeper at Darlington
Erik Jones

Quickest in Practice at Darlington
Denny Hamlin

Qualifies Ninth for this Week's Cup Race at Darlington
Chase Briscoe

Is One of the Top DFS Options of the Week for Darlington
William Byron

Is William Byron A Playable DFS Option for Darlington Lineups?
Christopher Bell

Could Christopher Bell be Considered A Decent DFS Option for Darlington?
Chase Elliott

Is Chase Elliott Worth Rostering At Darlington This Week For DFS?
Joey Logano

May Not Have the Speed to Warrant A Darlington DFS Lineup Spot
Ross Chastain

Should DFS Players Trust Ross Chastain at Darlington?
Kyle Busch

Could Kyle Busch Be A Worthy DFS Option for Darlington?
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3B
SS
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