RADIO
One specific aspect of analyzing basketball that will gradually become more important as the season progresses is stacking teams in back-to-backs. This early in the season it won't carry nearly as much weight, but knowing when and where to stack effectively will change your entire strategy when creating lineups for these mid-sized slates.
For example, you should be looking at athletic, hustle players on Brooklyn, Detroit, Denver, Toronto, and Charlotte. Players like Caris Levert, Jerami Grant and P.J. Washington are going to be a handful for a defense that is even the slightest bit tired. While you should refrain from over-stacking, taking two to three players from the same team SHOULD NOT be avoided out of principle although it can be considered rare for winning lineups. Play some of these matchups.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 11/2/19. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. Remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before line-up lock. Find me in the NBA Chat Room or @HalfCourtJester on Twitter.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Tim Frazier - PG/SF, vs. BKN ($3,300)
There is little Tim Frazier has done this season to prove he is going to be valuable Saturday night, but he has been getting minutes recently and the small Pistons guard rotation could use a night off. They have not been perfect to start the season, but there is little the Pistons have going for them other than Andre Drummond and Derrick Rose. Their shooters have been inconsistent but their offense is running through facilitators and that's where Frazier comes in.
He always produces when he plays, it's just a matter of hitting his projected. Since the Nets also tend to struggle against opposing point guards, there is a ton of upside everywhere in this game. Frazier should be the perfect low-tier guard that you need to help roster the superstars.
Damion Lee - SG/SF, vs. CHA ($3,500)
Most people that are gambling on this game are favoring the Hornets. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that and now that we are seeing more and more of the Warriors rotation that will actually play this season, Damion Lee is clearly going to be an integral part. He been able to score with the minutes he receives so there is not much else that we can ask of him. He will fill the stat sheet up elsewhere, but as long as he can score his upside remains high and you have to consider rostering him.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Jake Layman - SF/PF, @ WAS ($3,600)
For the first time in his career, Jake Layman is averaging over 20 minutes, six shot attempts a game and has contributed at least one defensive stat in each of his four games. Ignore me nitpicking stats because truthfully this is a gut-reaction pick. Since the Wizards rank 10th against opposing small forwards it's easy to write off Layman.
What's missing is the specifics. So far, players like Luka Doncic, DeMar DeRozan, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander have scored near 30 points on the Wizards. Layman is not any of these players, but he cuts to the rim hard and he can space the floor. If the stars are aligned, this is Layman's night. Sounds funny typing that out.
Christian Wood - SF/PF, vs. BKN ($3,600)
If you played Christian Wood in either of his last two games, you got burned. You may not have expected this type of downturn this quickly but that's what you need to expect from him. Wood plays a role and he plays it well. That means he is going to focus on defense, rebounding, and positioning before scoring.
This works in our favor only in certain games because we will need teams to allow Wood to shoot from the outside and generate offense, two things that are not his strong suit. That's not to say he can't shoot and facilitate, it's just that when he does, like he should tonight, the timing between solid games will be far and few.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Nikola Vucevic - C, vs. DEN ($9,000)
This is the first time I've chosen Nikola Vucevic for this slot and it's about time. Outside of two off games, Vucevic has picked up right where he left off. Doing more than is fair share on both sides of the court, all while contributing in the box score is why DFS players love Vucevic. As much as I want to talk about Vucevic, this pick is more about Denver's lackluster defense than Vucevic's ability.
Not to take away from , but any center would post numbers on this Nuggets defense. Since Vucevic is one of the more skilled centers in the league, the lack of effort on that side of the ball from Denver should maximize his output.
