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Zach's top DraftKings NBA DFS picks for today, Friday, 11/1/24. His favorite daily fantasy basketball lineup sleepers and value picks for DraftKings DFS.
The NBA starts November with a fabulous Friday night of hoops, headlined by a seven-game main slate on DraftKings. The contests lock at 7:00 p.m. EDT when three games tip off the action, followed by the rest of the action, which is all scheduled to start by 8:00 p.m. EDT. The two later games in Minnesota and Portland are on a separate slate of their own, leaving 14 teams to pick from in the player pool.
Since these matchups are mostly early start times, 11 of the 14 teams are from the Eastern Conference. While none of these teams are finishing a back-to-back, the Celtics, Hornets, Cavs, Kings, and Raptors are all back in action on Saturday, which may impact their rotations. Let's look at these matchups from a DFS perspective on DraftKings. If you're looking for FanDuel-specific advantage, check out Thunder Dan's FD picks here!
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 11/1/24. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7 p.m. EDT on DraftKings.
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DraftKings NBA DFS Core Picks
Jayson Tatum, BOS - SF/PF ($10,000)
Tatum and the Celtics took their first loss of the season on Wednesday in Indiana, and they'll look to bounce back in a big way in Charlotte. It should be a smash spot for Tatum since the Duke product has been excellent throughout his career in Charlotte. In six games against the Hornets since 2022-23, Tatum has averaged 38.3 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 4.7 assists.
Even though Boston's rally fell short, Tatum had 62 DraftKings points on Wednesday, scoring exactly 37 points for the third time this season and adding four steals, four assists, and eight rebounds.
JAYSON TATUM FORCES OVERTIME IN INDIANA 🔥
NOW ON ESPN 🍿 pic.twitter.com/TyDXec5VGs
— ESPN (@espn) October 31, 2024
He has averaged 1.53 DraftKings points per minute and 54 DraftKings points per game in his five games this season. The Hornets have allowed the second-most DraftKings points per game to opposing small forwards, so all signs point to a massive Tatum performance Friday.
RJ Barrett, TOR – SF ($7,200)
The Raptors have been wiped out by injury in the early part of the season and will remain without Scottie Barnes (eye), Kelly Olynyk (back), and Bruce Brown (knee) on Friday. Immanuel Quickley ($7,800; pelvis) is again listed as doubtful as well, which will leave all the usage Barrett can handle.
Barrett just returned from his own shoulder injury and has had a 32.3% usage in his two games back, averaging 1.34 DraftKings points per minute. He's coming off a 31-point game in which he totaled 52.5 DraftKings points against the Hornets in Charlotte.
🇨🇦 Represent The Canadians 🇨🇦
RJ Barrett | vs. Charlotte
31 POINTS
4 THREE POINTERS
8 ASSISTS
4 REBOUNDS
2 STEALS pic.twitter.com/MtgmlK8uCV— NBA Canada (@NBACanada) October 31, 2024
He has a high ceiling and should be very busy at home against the Lakers on Friday.
Dennis Schroder, BKN – PG/SG ($6,800)
Schroder has gotten off to an incredible start to the season for the Nets and has scored at least 20 points in four straight games. Earlier this week, he scorched the Nuggets for 28 points, 14 assists, and 51.5 DraftKings points and followed that up the next night with 33 points and 51 DraftKings points against the Grizzlies.
Dennis Schröder continues to COOK.
🔥 33 PTS
🔥 8 AST, 6 3PM
🔥 11-14 FGM
🔥 WIt's his third-straight game with 25+ PTS, 5+ AST and 5+ 3PM! pic.twitter.com/U0gZiBKXvx
— NBA (@NBA) October 31, 2024
While he isn't likely to keep up this torrid pace all season, he is a big enough part of this offense to be a great fantasy play on Friday. He's still remarkably cheap, under $7,000, coming into this home game against the Bulls after averaging 1.36 DraftKings points per minute in his last three games.
Others Under Consideration: Anthony Davis - C ($10,600), Franz Wagner - SF ($7,100), Karl-Anthony Towns - C ($8,100)
DraftKings NBA DFS Tournament Pivots
Trae Young, ATL – PG ($10,200)
Even in a less-than-ideal matchup against the Kings, Ice Trae has been good enough to be a strong pivot play to pay up for on Friday. He is coming off a 35-point, 15-assist performance on Wednesday in which he dropped 68.5 DraftKings points against the Wizards.
The Hawks have already ruled out Dyson Daniels (hip), Bogdan Bogdanovic (hamstring), De'Andre Hunter (knee), and Vit Krejci (thigh), which should leave Young with an immense workload and a high ceiling. He is averaging an impressive 1.46 DraftKings points per minute in his five games this season.
Jalen Johnson, ATL – PF ($8,400)
Johnson posted back-to-back games with over 50 DraftKings points against the Wizards. He set a new career-high with 29 points on Monday and totaled 59 DraftKings points and built on that momentum with 21 points, 17 boards, and 54.75 DraftKings points on Wednesday.
The new-look but short-handed Hawks will have to rely on Johnson as a source of secondary scoring, and he has stepped up with 1.12 DraftKings points per minute so far this season and at least 36 DraftKings points in four of his five games.
Josh Giddey, CHI – PG ($6,900)
Giddey has averaged 1.29 DraftKings points per minute in his first five games with the Bulls and has posted over 45 DraftKings points in each of his last two games. He had a double-double in each of those games and fell just two assists short of a triple-double in 28 minutes against Memphis on Monday. He is settling in very nicely into a large role for coach Billy Donovan and is shooting a red-hot 59% (10-of-17) from long range this season.
Jakob Poeltl, TOR – C ($6,900)
Poeltl has helped provide power for the short-handed Raptors and produced over 40 DraftKings points in three of his last four games. Even in a tough matchup against Anthony Davis, he has the potential for another big double-double since the Raptors are desperately looking for scoring from wherever they can get it.
He had two big double-doubles in losses to the Nuggets (44.75 DraftKings points) and Hornets (48 DraftKings points) earlier this week.
Others Under Consideration: Cade Cunningham - PG ($8,500), Jaylen Brown - SG/SF ($8,500), Cam Thomas - SG/SF ($7,200)
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DraftKings NBA DFS Value Picks
Jose Alvarado, NOP – PG ($4,600)
Alvarado will have to step up again on Friday with Dejounte Murray (wrist), CJ McCollum (thigh), and Herbert Jones (shoulder) out and Jordan Hawkins ($5,200; back) questionable. Here's what he did in his start on Wednesday:
Jose Alvarado Stats For NBA Game vs WARRIORS 30-10-2024 https://t.co/hQaKaapFyw#JoseAlvarado #Jose #Alvarado #nba #nbahighlights #basketball #new #orleans #pelicans #neworleanspelicans pic.twitter.com/MSd6jy7AUn
— NBA Players Highlights (@NBAPlayersHigh) October 31, 2024
His 35.75 DraftKings points were a new season-high, and he has the potential to produce even more in this great matchup with the up-tempo Pacers in the Big Easy.
Moritz Wagner, ORL – PF/C ($3,900)
Another huge injury situation to solve for this Friday is the absence of Paolo Banchero (oblique) for the Magic. The third-year forward had been awesome this season but is now sidelined indefinitely, and on top of that, Franz Wagner ($7,100; illness) is also questionable. It could be a ragtag group taking the floor in Cleveland, but there should be plenty of value and usage for those who play.
Wagner has averaged 1.25 DraftKings points per minute without Banchero on the floor this season, and last year he averaged 1.09 DraftKings points per minute in that scenario. He has only played 15.1 minutes per game this year but is producing 18.6 DraftKings points per game.
We've seen him step up when given a larger role in the past, and he could flourish alongside or in place of his younger brother this Friday. At under $4,000, he brings a very high ceiling if his workload increases.
Jonathan Isaac ($3,600) and Jalen Suggs ($5,800) are also strong value plays for Orlando on Friday.
David Roddy, ATL – SF ($4,200)
The Hawks gave Roddy the start on Wednesday and he stepped up with 17 points and 26 DraftKings points in a season-high 32 minutes. With so many injury absences again on Friday, Roddy should get another look and be a solid value play along with No. 1 overall pick Zaccharie Risacher ($4,500).
Kevin Huerter, SAC – SG/SF ($4,300)
Huerter is back in Atlanta on the other side of the Kings-Hawks matchup and is another cheap wing option to consider. He has started all four games for the Kings this year and is averaging 26.5 minutes per game.
Kevin Huerter has had a solid start to the year. Shooter pic.twitter.com/wdtDKYGljc
— Brenden Nunes (@BrendenNunesNBA) October 30, 2024
He has hit multiple three-pointers and posted over 23 DraftKings points in three straight games while producing 0.97 DraftKings points per minute.
While there is sure to be plenty of value with so many injuries across the slate, Huerter is a solid option with a well-established role and could get some extra juice from being back in his former home against the team that traded him away.
Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stacks
Kings at Hawks (240 total)
I've already highlighted picks from both sides of this game, and it has the highest point total of the night by a massive margin of over seven points. Young and Johnson will do most of the heavy lifting for Atlanta while Roddy and Risacher are excellent values.
I love Huerter's revenge game narrative and Domantas Sabonis ($9,600) has quietly returned to his nightly double-doubles with triple-double upside. DeMar DeRozan ($7,700) has also been very steady and De'Aaron Fox ($8,600) always has a high ceiling.
Pacers at Pelicans (232.5 total)
The Pelicans will be stretched thin like the Hawks, especially in the backcourt. Alvarado is a great value play and Brandon Ingram ($8,300) and Zion Williamson ($8,700) will have to carry the offense. If Hawkins is ruled out as well, Javonte Green ($4,200), Jamal Cain ($3,300), and Brandon Boston Jr. ($3,000) will also be value options.
For Indy, Myles Turner ($6,400; ankle) and Andrew Nembhard ($4,800; knee) are questionable, which could open big playing time for Isaiah Jackson ($4,500) and Obi Toppin ($4,700). Bennedict Mathurin ($5,400) is also a great "boom-or-bust" play after his impressive double-double on Wednesday with 30 points and 50.25 DraftKings points against the Celtics. In such a good game environment, Tyrese Haliburton ($8,000) and Pascal Siakam ($7,600) are options to consider as well.
My Favorite NBA DFS Picks for Today
Here is where I leave you with some of my favorites.
- My favorite OVERALL play on the slate: Jayson Tatum
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: RJ Barrett
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: Jayson Tatum
- My favorite VALUE play: Jose Alvarado
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