RADIO
It's Thursday, meaning we're set for a more modestly-sized slate in the NBA that typically follows the big Wednesday mid-week extravaganza. This time around, we're dealing with six games, what some might consider an ideal number of games for DFS purposes.
The player pool certainly is large enough to have appealing options at each position and price point and enough options to differentiate in tournaments with. As usual, I'll strive to offer three options at each point on the salary scale, plus at least one additional consideration, for a night where there could be several wire-to-wire games.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 10/28/21. I’ll be providing multiple player suggestions for players at guard, forward and center on FanDuel, aiming to highlight one option apiece at the high, middle and lower end of the salary scale. You can also check out DraftKings lineup picks and injury news before lineups lock. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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FanDuel DFS Guards
Stephen Curry, SG – vs. MEM ($10,400)
Curry's strong start to the new season includes averages of 29.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 1.3 steals on his way to 50.8 FD points per contest. The legendary sharpshooter is draining 40.0 percent of his three-point shots as well and had comfortably eclipsed 50 FD points in each of his first three contests before taking only 14 shots against the Thunder his last time out. Curry should be back to his usual level of involvement Thursday in a showdown with Ja Morant and the Grizzlies, which he lit up for 46 points, nine assists, seven rebounds, one steal and one block in his one encounter with them last season. Memphis also checks in allowing 48.4 FD points per contest to point guards in the early going this season, along with the second-most assists (13.7) to the position.
Bradley Beal, SG – vs. ATL ($8,700)
Beal has scuffled with his shot in the early going this season, connecting on just 33.3 percent of his attempts through three games. However, his strong work elsewhere -- he's also clocking 5.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 steals per contest -- has enabled him to produce 40.6 and 39.0 FD points in two of those contests. Tournament success in DFS is often fueled by having the conviction to deploy talented players like Beal that are in a funk and yet still carry a hefty salary, as it allows one to potentially capture lightning in a bottle when many have thrown in the towel on that star for the moment. Such could well be the case for Beal on Thursday, considering he aptly proved capable of delivering over 5x on his current salary last season by accomplishing the feat on 38 occasions, and factoring in that despite his struggles so far, he's still putting up a robust 22 shots per contest.
Tyrese Maxey, PG – vs. DET ($5,500)
Maxey continues to draw starts at point guard while Ben Simmons (personal) and Shake Milton (ankle) are sidelined. Milton is listed as questionable for Thursday's contest but would likely be on a minutes restriction if he does play, keeping the door open for Maxey to see a solid workload. The second-year guard produced a clunker his last time on the floor against a tough Knicks defense, but he'd scored 23.0 to 34.9 FD points in his other three games. Maxey has been doing a good job on offering some solid production across the board outside of scoring as well, and his matchup against a Pistons team allowing the sixth-highest offensive efficiency to PGs (28.3 percent) and sixth-most FD points to the position (49.8) as well certainly leaves him poised to potentially exceed value. Moreover, Joel Embiid (knee) could sit out Thursday's game, and Maxey logs a solid 22.0 percent usage rate with his teammate off the floor.
Also consider: Luka Doncic ($10,700); Desmond Bane ($5,800)
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FanDuel DFS Forwards
Julius Randle, PF- at CHI ($9,900)
Randle has been on fire in the early going, posting 45.5 to 69.7 FD points in his first three games before "slumping" to 38.7 in his most recent game against the 76ers. The big man hasn't actually even started hitting on all cylinders offensively -- he's only shooting 42.4 percent -- but his averages of 11.3 rebounds, 6.5 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.0 steal are helping make up the difference. Thursday's matchup could well see Randle boost his offensive efficiency as well, considering the Bulls, despite their undefeated mark, have allowed the ninth-highest offensive efficiency to PFs (28.8 percent), along with 48.2 FD points per game to the position. Randle is also putting up a career-high 21.3 shot attempts per game at the moment, while Chicago is notably allowing the third-highest three-point percentage (46.2) to fours.
DeMar DeRozan, SF – vs. NYK ($7,400)
DeRozan has wasted no time making his presence felt in Chicago, scoring 35.4 to 41.2 FD points in his first four games as a member of the Bulls. Much like Randle, the veteran wing is getting it done without even hitting his stride as a shooter yet, as DeRozan has only found the net on 41.9 percent of his 18.5 shot attempts per contest. DeRozan will look to up that figure and offer a strong return on what remains a very reasonable salary for a player of his upside against a Knicks squad somewhat surprisingly ranked in the bottom half of the league in offensive efficiency (22.8 percent), overall shooting percentage (48.5 percent) and three-point shooting percentage (47.2) surrendered to small forwards, and one DeRozan accumulated 42.6 and 43.3 FD points against in two games last season while playing for the Spurs.
Tim Hardaway Jr., SF – vs. SA ($5,000)
Hardaway is always going to be scoring-dependent for his production, which gives him a bit of extra risk. However, his very reasonable salary accounts for that, and the veteran sharpshooter could be in for one of his big performances in a game that could be a wire-to-wire clash. Hardaway has gotten the new season off to a positive start overall, scoring 34.6 and 24.4 FD points in his last two games and shooting a blistering 51.4 percent, including 45.8 percent from distance, over his first three. The Spurs have been tough on shooting guards early, but they've also allowed 41.4 percent shooting from three-point range to twos, a very relevant stat when you can get a shooter like Hardaway at his current salary.
Also consider: Tobias Harris ($7,600)
FanDuel DFS Centers
Nikola Vucevic– vs. NYK ($8,700)
Vucevic is another member of the Bulls that could be in for a prolific night Thursday, and he'll check in having scored 34.8 to 55.3 FD points in his first four contests. The offensive-minded big man has endured some atypical struggles offensively thus far, connecting on only 39.7 percent of his attempts. However, Vucevic does have a pair of double-doubles already and should be heavily involved in a game that projects as highly competitive. The positional matchup isn't prohibitive, either, as the Knicks have allowed 46.4 FD points per game to centers in the early going and Vucevic scored 43.7 to 55.1 FD points in four games against New York a season ago.
Rudy Gobert– at HOU ($8,300)
Gobert has scored 41.2 to 46 FD points in his first three games, wasting no time in rattling off three straight double-doubles in the process. The Stifle Tower has been an offensive force over the small sample, as he's currently averaging a career-high 18.7 points per game on a career-best 70.8 percent success rate from the floor. Whether that holds up over the long term remain to be seen, but in the meantime, Gobert is in another good spot Thursday night against a Rockets squad allowing the third-highest offensive efficiency to centers (38.0 percent), along with 57.5 FD points per contest to the position. It's also worth noting Houston is yielding the fifth-most blocks per game (3.1) to fives, a particularly relevant stat when considering Gobert.
Jakob Poeltl – at DAL ($7,000)
Poeltl's body of work in the early going has been nothing short of outstanding, as the veteran big man has taken a significant leap forward in his production with averages of 16.0 points, 10.8 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steal on 72.1 percent shooting, with all those figures except for the blocks serving as career bests. Poeltl is also putting up a career-high 10.8 shots per contest, and Thursday, he faces a Mavs team that's ranked in the bottom half of the league in offensive efficiency allowed to centers (31.0 percent) and in the paint (58.7 percent). Dallas is also surrendering 52.9 FD points per contest to fives, while Poeltl has scored 37.1 to 53.8 FD points in three of his first four games.
Also consider: Andre Drummond ($5,700); Montrezl Harrell ($5,600)
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