We have a nine-game slate to kick off our NBA week and we should be in for a good one tonight. As the season goes on, we will get into more stats and usage rates, but with the season being so young, we don't have a ton to go on.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 10/22/18. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on DraftKings.

You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks and our Premium DFS Cheat Sheet. And don't forget to check out our brand new NBA DFS Matchup Ratings tool with daily player projections. As always, don't set your lineups to early and check player statuses prior to opening tip. Give me a follow on Twitter @DFS_Tom with questions or comments. Good luck everyone.

DraftKings DFS Guards

John Wall - PG, WAS @ POR (DK - $8,900)

Wall seems a bit too cheap tonight and is set to be in a very high-scoring game, so he should be able to reach value with ease. He is facing off against the Trail Blazers where the over-under is set at 225.5 points, which is one of the higher ones on the slate, which is an ideal spot to target things in NBA DFS. Wall has posted 47 DraftKings points or more in each of his two games this season, which is a small sample size, but with Wall having a 30% usage rate and averaging 1.49 fantasy points per minute, he has massive upside along with a solid floor of points.

DeMar DeRozan - SG, SA @ LAL (DK - $7,400)

DeRozan and the Spurs, yes, it's still weird to say that, are up against the Lakers tonight, in what should be a high scoring game. This doesn't have an over-under set as yet, but we should be looking at a high scoring one, where the Spurs will be playing up in pace. This presents DeRozan as somewhat of a "value" play since he should be more expensive than he is and will be seeing extra touches in a high-scoring game. He has a usage rate at 34.6% and is up against the Lakers who are giving up 33 DraftKings points per game to shooting guards which is second worst in the league.

DraftKings DFS Forwards

Khris Middleton - SF, MIL vs NY (DK - $7,200)

Middleton always seems to go overlooked in DFS, since there are other players on his team who eat up usage, but you shouldn't pass on him. He only has a usage rate of 22%, which isn't super hight, but he comes in with a great matchup vs the Knicks who are 22nd DvP against small forwards to start the season. He is averaging 1.21 fantasy points per minute and has 37 DraftKings points or more in both games this season.

Zach Collins - PF, POR vs WAS (DK - $3,700)

Really like Collins as a savings play today, which will allow you to roster some of the bigger stars on the slate. He is averaging about 20 minutes per game this season and is contributing in multiple categories, which is always great for a value player. He really only needs about 22 DraftKings points in order to reach value, which should be obtainable in a game where the over-under is set at 225.5 points.

DraftKings DFS Centers

Deandre Ayton - C, PHO @ GS (DK - $6,800)

Always nice to see some hype around the rookies and you should be looking to jump on the Ayton train before his price gets any higher. He has two games under his belt, one good one and one bad one, but that variance is fine. In the good game, he had a double-double and posted 45 DraftKings points, which is what we should be seeing as his "ceiling" game. Ayton is up against the Warriors where the over-under is set at 228 points, so plenty of scoring to go around and for Ayton to hit that ceiling of points.

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