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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on October 28th, 2022. John Brubaker provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Friday, RotoBallers! The NBA season is finally here, and we have a whopping 11 games slotted for this evening. It's a new season, with players switching teams, rookies joining the fold, and rotations mixing and matching as teams learn to gel. My model will take time to adjust to these changes, but it's my duty to give you all the best picks possible. I had a nice night on opening night, so I'll look to keep that momentum going forward into today.
Tonight, we have an 11-game slate for the first weekend slate of the season. With both FanDuel and DraftKings having multi-position eligibility players, we'll have to attack slates accordingly to make our lineups as optimal as possible. That's where I come in! I'll look to find my personal top plays and values for tonight's slate. Things can change during the day as well, so I'll do my best to update as news comes out!
Here are my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on 10/28/22. Keep an eye on RotoBaller’s NBA injury news and also our full NBA injury report today to stay up to date before lineups are locked.
DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Trae Young, at DET (FD: $9,400, DK: $9,800)
I'll start off tonight's slate with Trae Young. I played Trae on Wednesday night against Detroit and he didn't disappoint, logging 35 points, three rebounds, six assists, and a steal. He'll get to run back that matchup tonight against a Detroit defense that ranks 29th in point guard efficiency. I have Trae projected for 35.8 minutes with a whopping 34.05% usage rate. I'll take the "if it's not broken, don't fix it approach" here, and roll with Young once again tonight.
Gary Trent, vs PHI (FD: $5,700, DK: $6,000)
I'll take a look at another "run back" play this evening with Gary Trent. While I didn't roster him in DFS on Wednesday night, I did take him to record four three-pointers made which also hit. He logged 27 points and two steals on Wednesday night. While he didn't gather any other fantasy points besides that, I do have him projected for 36.6 minutes with a usage rate of 21.56% tonight, which should pay off given his relatively cheap price.
Josh Richardson, vs CHI (FD: $4,800, DK: $5,400)
To round up my guard plays tonight I'll take a look at Josh Richardson. Devin Vassell and Joshua Primo appear to be out for San Antonio, which opens up the door for players such as Tre Jones and Josh Richardson tonight. Richardson had himself a night on Wednesday, logging 11 points, three rebounds, and 10 assists in 33 minutes. He should play north of 30 minutes once again tonight along with a usage north of 20%, and should easily pay off 5x+ value given his cheap price.
Also consider: CJ McCollum (FD: $8,300, DK: $8,600), Marcus Smart (FD: $5,600, DK: $5,500)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Paolo Banchero, at CHA (FD: $8,000, DK: $7,800)
I'll start off my forward plays with Paolo Banchero. The Orlando rookie has been nothing short of special and his price has been adjusted accordingly, however, I still don't think it's high enough. Banchero is averaging 24 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 3.2 assists through his first five games, and projects to 34.7 minutes and 33.8% usage rate tonight against a Charlotte Hornets team that allows the most points in the NBA this season.
Jerami Grant, at HOU (FD: $6,500, DK: $6,300)
I'll take a look at Jerami Grant tonight as well. With Damian Lillard out for the next week or two, a lot of folks will take a look at Anfernee Simons tonight and beyond. I don't think Simons is a bad play by any means, but I think Grant could be a surprise as well. He burned a lot of folks, including myself last season, but has somewhat come into his own in Portland thus far, averaging 15.8 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists on the year. My model projects him for 33.8 minutes and a 20.65% usage rate, and both numbers should increase with Lillard out.
Mikal Bridges, at NO (FD: $5,400, DK: $5,600)
I'll finish up my forward plays with Mikal Bridges. Bridges has been filling the stat sheet so far this year, averaging 12.5 points, seven rebounds, and 3.3 assists through the Suns' first four games. He's playing 37 minutes per game as well, and my model projects him to play 35.6 minutes tonight. His projected usage rate of 14.2% isn't enough for me to trust him in cash, but I will look for him as a "mid-tier" forward piece in tournaments on both sites.
Also consider: Anthony Edwards (FD: $7,900, DK: $8,200), Cameron Johnson (FD: $4,300, DK: $5,000)
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Karl-Anthony Towns, at LAL (FD: $8,400, DK: $8,800)
I'll finish things off tonight with Karl-Anthony Towns in the center position. With Towns obtaining power-forward eligibility on FanDuel as well, I'm not opposed to playing him there either. With that said though, Towns has seemingly gotten more comfortable in the "four" position, averaging 20.4 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 5.2 assists through the TWolves' first five games of the campaign. My model has Towns projected for roughly 35 minutes tonight, with a usage rate north of 25%.
Also consider: Jakob Poeltl (FD: $6,600, DK: $6,800)
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