RADIO
Time for some more Preseason NBA DFS with a solid seven-game slate on tap. The winning lineup in the ($1) NBA $4k And-One contest last night featured Ja Morant (38.75 DK points), Jalen Green (36.25), OG Anunoby (42), Steven Adams (40), and Tyler Herro (42.75). Steven Adams?! The winner even had a few duds in Miles Bridges (20.75) and Kevin Porter Jr. (17), further solidifying the idea that NBA Preseason has a higher degree of "randomness" to it than the much more predictable regular season.
This is my general disclaimer. Preseason rotations are never easy to figure out and there's a lot of guessing that goes on for these slates. If you can't stomach the variance, then just sit back and let the rest of us sweat these slates out. I do my best to find some of the best spots, but even I have fairly limited information to work with here so I'll just warn everyone beforehand that things can go a lot differently than we expect quite often.
I highly encourage you to follow me on Twitter and check out the list of beat writers that I follow to keep informed on the latest up-to-date information about each team and their plans for minutes and rotations. In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 10/8/21. You can always hit me up in the RotoBaller Premium NBA Chat Room or @RING_DFS on Twitter.
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Preseason NBA Overview
The first thing you need to know is that building lineups on FanDuel and DraftKings this preseason is going to be very different. FanDuel has decided to keep their prices the same (everyone is priced at 6,000) and therefore, you can build a lineup with any nine players you want as long as you roster two PG, SG, SF, PF, and one C. We can leverage that on FanDuel by rostering some lesser-known players since we should expect the well-known players to be more highly-rostered, especially amongst more casual players and fans. All prices listed in the article are DraftKings prices since the FD prices simply don't matter and you can play anyone you want.
DraftKings has priced guys as they would on a normal slate for the most part, but we do get discounts on superstars if we want to cram some into lineups. I like to use a balance of younger players with some veterans that we can project for solid minutes and, honestly, every slate is different to some degree.
Preseason NBA DFS Injuries/Rest
Knowing who is playing on any NBA slate is half the battle. Getting injury info on preseason slates is a tad harder than in the regular season but here's what we know right now.
ALREADY RULED OUT:
Bam Adebayo, Jimmy Butler, Kyle Lowry, P.J. Tucker, Semi Ojeleye, Marcus Garrett, Gabe Vincent, Udonis Haslem, Grayson Allen, Donte DiVincenzo, Bobby Portis, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Rodney Hood, Jamal Murray, Jason Preston, Marcus Morris Sr., Kawhi Leonard, Serge Ibaka, Nicolas Batum, Tyrell Terry, Maxi Kleber, Reggie Bullock, Kyrie Irving, T.J. Warren, Caris LeVert, Trevor Ariza, Tre Jones, Zach Collins, Coby White, Jonathan Kuminga, Nikola Jokic, Dwight Powell, Frank Ntilikina, Dorian Finney-Smith, Andre Iguodala, Klay Thompson, Avery Bradley, Kevin Durant
DOUBTFUL/QUESTIONABLE:
Khris Middleton, Jrue Holiday, Nathan Knight, Michael Porter Jr., Will Barton, Ivica Zubac, Keifer Sykes, Keita Bates-Diop, Devonte' Graham, Brandon Ingram, Andrew Wiggins, Derrick Jones Jr., Taurean Prince
SITUATIONS TO AVOID
The LAC/DAL, IND/CLE, and MIA/SAS games rank well below the rest due to their low totals and slow projected pace, but there will be spots we can attack with a number of players in those games. This is the preseason, after all. I would just prefer to prioritize the other four games on this slate, especially the MIN/DEN and NO/CHI matchups.
NBA DFS Games to Target
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Denver Nuggets
This is a nice matchup to target as it has the highest total by nine points and a low combined defensive rating, which drops even further when you account for Murray and Jokic being out. D'Angelo Russell led the team in usage last game and went for a nice 19/3/5 line, but he's expensive and I prefer other options tonight. Patrick Beverley being out should open up minutes for other guards like Jordan McLaughlin, McKinley Wright IV, Isaiah Miller, Jaylen Nowell, Malik Beasley, and Leandro Bolmaro. McLaughlin (15 minutes) and Beasley (19 minutes) didn't do much in the first game, but they'd be the players to target from that group. Karl-Anthony Towns is the main target in this game, as Jokic being inactive means he'll see some combo of Bol Bol, JaMychal Green, and Zeke Nnaji on defense. Anthony Edwards and Jarred Vanderbilt would be my other targets here.
The Nuggets' newly-signed Michael Porter Jr. leads the team in usage (32.1%) and had a huge 23/7/1 line over 22 minutes in his only game. He's questionable with a knee issue, but if he's active and full-go he's my favorite play on the Denver side. Aaron Gordon has been productive and has seen at least 20 minutes in each game and he makes for a solid play tonight, and Monte Morris can be mixed in for the same reasons. A rookie out of VCU - nicknamed "Bones" - Nah'Shon Hyland has seen at least 24 minutes in both games and has put up impressive lines of 19/4/2/1/1 and 11/3/6/2.
Primary Targets: Karl Anthony-Towns, Anthony Edwards, Michael Porter Jr., Aaron Gordon, Nah'Shon Hyland
New Orleans Pelicans vs. Chicago Bulls
This game is intriguing due to the high implied total, relatively fast projected pace, and lack of defense (especially on the Pelicans side). The Pelicans gave up the seventh-most FPPG overall last season, and their defense isn't going to better with Steven Adams gone and Zion Williamson not playing. They held a jayvee Magic team to 86 points in their last game, but gave up 117 to the Wolves in their first. The Bulls went nuclear in their only game so far, scoring 131 in a win over the Cavs. Lavine led the way with a 25/3/3/3 line, while DeRozan, Vucevic, Javonte Green, Lonzo Ball, Alize Johnson, and Alex Caruso all had plus games.
The Pelicans played 15 guys in their last game, though three of them only played three minutes each. The key with them will be Brandon Ingram's status. He didn't play in their last game but the star went 14/1/3/2 in 23 minutes in their first. Josh Hart (21 minutes) and Troy Murphy (29 minutes) saw increased run in his absence, and both would be great plays if he sits again. Jonas Valanciunas and Nickeil Alexander-Walker would the the primary plays if you want to run back some Pels with your Bulls stacks tonight. Kira Lewis Jr. and Devonte Graham are solid pivot plays who are also getting run.
Primary Targets: Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, DeMar DeRozan, Alex Caruso, Jonas Valanciunas, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Troy Murphy
DraftKings DFS Top Plays
Let's go rapid fire here, I won't go into too much detail with each player because it's a big slate with a lot of viable options!
Dejounte Murray - PG ($6,000)
Murray went for 17/3/3/1 in 21 minutes in his first game and sat out the second. He leads the team with a 27.3% usage rate in the preseason and the resting-everyone Heat aren't going to have the personnel to slow him down.
Zach LaVine - PG/SG ($8,400)
He's going to be popular, but LaVine is one of the best plays on the slate and he's hard to get away from. He went for a monster 25/3/3/3 line in the dominating win over the Cavs, and while the Pelicans represent a step up in defense, it's not a big step up. LaVine is going to have no trouble toasting whoever's attempting to guard him and the way this team is set up now with Vucci and DeRozan, he's going to have all the space in the world for his shot-making and shot-creating abilities.
Bones Hyland - PG/SG ($5,700)
Bones' salary is rising after two solid games and at least 24 minutes in each of them, but he's in another great spot to produce here in a high-scoring game environment against the Wolves. Minnesota looked good on defense in their first game, but they got absolutely torched by PG's and SG's all last season and gave up big games to Alexander-Walker and Murphy III in their first preseason game. The rookie out of VCU has a solid 22% usage rate and is contributing in the "stocks" categories as well. Fire up Bones tonight. Boost if MPJ sits
Karl-Anthony Towns - C ($8,100)
KAT was extremely efficient with 15/7/4/1 over just 14 minutes in the Wolves' first game. While he's not likely to exceed 20 minutes, he should push for more clock tonight and he may have an even juicier matchup. The game has the highest implied total on the slate and without Jokic, the Nuggets will be hard-pressed to find guys who can limit his DFS production tonight.
Tyler Herro - PG/SG ($6,300)
Herro went ham the first game and he went ham again last night with a 24/9/3/1 line over 25 minutes. It's a back-to-back for them, which is a slight cause for concern, but he's going to be the only starter left in the lineup as Adebayo, Tucker, Butler, and Lowry have all been ruled out. Duncan Robinson, Markieff Morris, KZ Okpala, and Max Strus would be the pivots off Herro if you want to get to some other guys in the absence of all the stars.
Luka Doncic - PG/SF ($8,800)
The Clippers are going to be without some of their best defenders in Leonard, Ibaka, Morris Sr., and Batum. Doncic went for 19/6/5/1 in limited minutes (16) in his first game and there's no reason we can't expect a similar output tonight.
Jordan Nwora - SF/PF ($6,300)
Nwora is a little spendy now, but that might just keep rostership off of him. He played the third-most minutes on the team last game and was the most productive with a 16/4/3/3 line. The Nets are short-handed and Nwora can definitely have another productive game here.
DraftKings DFS Value Plays
My favorite 5k or cheaper plays on DK, listed in the order of my preference (favorites first).
Alex Caruso - PG/SG ($5,300)
Javonte Green - SG ($5,000)
Lonnie Walker IV - SG/SF ($4,900)
Josh Hart - SF/PF ($5,000)
Duncan Robinson - SG/SF ($4,300)
Max Strus - SG/SF ($4,300)
Bryn Forbes - SG ($4,700)
Bol Bol - PF/C ($4,600)
Naz Reid - PF/C ($4,500)
