Main Slate Breakdown for NBA DFS 11/20:
Oct 29, 2022; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Brooklyn Nets guard Ben Simmons (10) at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Welcome to another year of the DFS Army NBA Full Court Press! Members had a ton of success using the Full Court Press along with various articles and tools that DFS Army provides last season, so we are glad to be back with another year of the all-inclusive article. You have to start your research somewhere, and oftentimes going game by game and breaking down every matchup and its key players is the first step in our process. My name is Mike aka @MadnessDFS on Twitter, make sure to give me a follow as I’ll occasionally make updates to the advice in the article. But, you’ll mostly find me in our VIP coaching forums where I provide detailed lineup maneuvers and answer all lineup questions. With that said, let’s get it started!
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Charlotte Hornets @ Washington Wizards
Vegas Total: 220.5
Vegas Spread: Was -5.5
We’ll kick off this slate with the Hornets, they’ll be without LaMelo Ball while Dennis Smith Jr. comes in as questionable… he would be the starting point guard if he is able to go. Gordon Hayward returned last time out and played a massive 42 minutes and looked pretty good as well. He has a 22.3% usage rate and 1.00 fantasy points per minute with Ball off of the court this season. I don’t think Hayward being back kills Kelly Oubre, but the price tag is certainly up there. Ball being out will be enough to keep him in play, he has at least 41 DraftKings points in three of his last five games. PJ Washington had an absolutely massive game last time out and would be a guy I don’t mind going right back to in a good matchup with this Wizards team. Then I would have no problem going back to Mason Plumlee as a secondary center option as well. From the Wizards, Bradley Beal has been fine since returning but just hasn’t been a guy I’ve been looking to get to all that much this season. He should continue to play all the minutes he can handle, but is more of a secondary option for me. Kristaps Prozingis and Kyle Kuzma haven’t been all that impacted by Beal returning either, they’ve both been in good form and this is a great matchup with the Hornets’ defense. After these guys, there really isn’t a whole lot I want to prioritize from this team, Monte Morris, Rui Hachimura, and Deni Avdija are all fine, but not guys I need to force in on a nice 7-game slate.
5-star play: None
4-star play: Terry Rozier, Gordon Hayward, PJ Washington, Dennis Smith Jr., Kristaps Porzingis, Kyle Kuzma
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Kelly Oubre, Mason Plumlee, Bradley Beal, Monte Morris
Quick shoutout to VIP member “Cenzamatic” on a massive $20k win last season! Sometimes paying up for double studs works, and Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant brought it home for him with the help of some Stanley Johnson and Pistons value. Good work and congrats man!
Detroit Pistons @ Sacramento Kings
Vegas Total: 233.5
Vegas Spread: Sac -9.5
Starting with the Pistons, Cade Cunningham and Isaiah Stewart are going to be out for a while, so we can go ahead and just take them out of the player pool until further notice. They’ll also be without Saddiq Bey in this one. I think there’s a good chance we get Jalen Duren moved into the starting lineup at the five and Bagley gets moved to the four. This will make Duren look pretty great, he has 1.17 fantasy points per minute on the season. Marvin Bagley will be more of a GPP guy due to the volatility we’ve seen from him, but Duren moving to the starting lineup should secure his minutes a good amount. Killian Hayes should continue to start for Cade as well and has looked good over his last few games with at least 33 DraftKings points in three of his last five. Jaden Ivey is a guy I like going right back to as well, he has a 33.1% usage rate and 1.32 fantasy points per minute with Cade, Bey, and Stewart off of the court this season but has disappointed a bit recently. He benefits quite a bit with Bey out. Then we can round the team out with Bojan Bogdanovic who has at least 30 DraftKings points in five straight games. From the Kings, Domantas Sabonis had a rough go of it last time out but I wouldn’t have any issues going right back to him in a great matchup here. De’Aaron Fox continues to look awesome and leads this team with a 29.6% usage rate and 1.37 fantasy points per minute, he’ll look great again in this one. Keegan Murray should return here and I would expect he’s a full go, so no issue with him at that price tag, but he has shown some volatility as of late. Malik Monk had a massive game filling in for Murray last time out but does come in as questionable, so make sure to keep an eye on that news, but he would take a hit with Murray in there. Then I have no issue with guys like Kevin Huerter or Harrison Barnes as a secondary option at their respective price tags.
5-star play: Jalen Duren, Jaden Ivey, De’Aaron Fox
4-star play: Marvin Bagley, Killian Hayes, Bojan Bogdanovic, Domantas Sabonis, Keegan Murray
Deeper Value: Jalen Duren, Marvin Bagley
GPP Sleeper: Kevin Huerter, Harrison Burnes, Keegan Murray
Miami Heat @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Vegas Total: 214.5
Vegas Spread: Cle -9.5
Starting with the Heat, they’ll continue to be without Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro while Bam Adebayo comes in as questionable. I’m going to operate under the assumption that he’s a go, but below is how this team operates with Herro and Butler off of the court this season:
- Bam Adebayo – 28.4% usage rate; 1.29 fpm
- Max Strus – 22.1% usage rate; 0.90 fpm
- Caleb Martin – 14.8% usage rate; 0.68 fpm
- Gabe Vincent – 19.1% usage rate; 0.77 fpm
- Kyle Lowry – 19.5% usage rate; 1.00 fpm
These would be my favorite options from the Heat, I will say, Vincent does come in as questionable as well, so keep an eye on his status. I would expect he starts for Butler assuming he’s good to go and would look like a nice option in this price range. I never thought I’d see Lowry have a 70-point fantasy night again… but it happened last time out. I’m willing to overlook a lot of that last game for the Heat, they ran a 7-man rotation so everyone who was healthy played all of the minutes they could handle. From the Cavs, they’re going to be without Kevin Love as he has a stress fracture in his thumb, but otherwise, this team is pretty healthy. Donovan Mitchell has been solid as of late, I don’t love this matchup or the pace of the game, so he would be more of a tournament guy for me, but the upside is certainly there. The same can be said for Darius Garland who has surpassed him as the most expensive guy on the team on DraftKings but is a much better option on FanDuel where he’s still just $8.4k. He has at least 60 DraftKings points in two of his last three games. Jarrett Allen returned last time out and looked great against the Hornets, this is a tougher matchup with Bam down low but would be a fine secondary tournament option. I’ll continue to go back to the Evan Mobley well as well, he’s been in good form with at least 40 FanDuel points in three of his last four, and seems like he’s finally hitting his stride. Then Caris LeVert is strictly a tournament guy that I can’t imagine I get a whole lot of on a slate this size… he should see a nice boost with Love out in that second unit.
5-star play: Bam Adebayo
4-star play: Max Strus, Gabe Vincent, Caleb Martin, Kyle Lowry, Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Caris LeVert
Memphis Grizzlies @ Brooklyn Nets
Vegas Total: 223.0
Vegas Spread: Bkn -7.5
Starting with the Grizzlies, they’re going to be without Desmond Bane, Jaren Jackson, and Ja Morant in this one. Meaning, we should get Tyus Jones and Santi Aldama back in the starting five, and will look like great value options. Below is how this team has operated with these guys off of the court this season:
- Tyus Jones – 24% usage rate; 1.03 fpm
- Dillon Brooks – 33.2% usage rate; 0.88 fpm
- John Konchar – 10.7% usage rate; 0.67 fpm
- Brandon Clarke – 21.3% usage rate; 1.14 fpm
- Santi Aldama – 21.4% usag erate; 1.04 fpm
These would be my favorite options on the team, they did price Jones up a bit more than we saw him last time Morant was out, but he’s still too cheap in a great matchup. I do like Dillon Brooks quite a bit, he’s going to handle the ball a ton and shoot a ton, he’s very ball-dominant as you can tell by that 33.2% usage rate above and if those shots start to fall, he’s not going to stop (he may not stop regardless). Konchar is the guy I’ll probably be lowest on, he’s not very aggressive but does have a solid floor due to the minutes he’ll see here. From the Nets, it sounds like Kyrie Irving will return in this one while Nicolas Claxton has been ruled out. With Claxton out, I think Ben Simmons becomes extremely interesting. He played 32 minutes last time out and they don’t love having Claxton and Simmons on the court at the same time, I think he’s a great GPP option at the very least. Kevin Durant is probably too expensive for me with Kyrie back in there, the same can probably be said for Kyrie as well. That said, they both have a massive ceiling, so I won’t talk you off of them if you want to go there in GPPs. Then guys like Seth Curry, Joe Harris, and Yuta Watanabe are all fine secondary tournament options.
5-star play: Tyus Jones, Dillon Brooks
4-star play: John Konchar, Brandon Clarke, Steven Adams, Santi Aldama, Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, Ben Simmons
Deeper Value: Yuta Watanabe
GPP Sleeper: Brandon Clarke, Ben Simmons, Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, Seth Curry, Joe Harris, Yuta Watanabe
Golden State Warriors @ Houston Rockets
Vegas Total: 231.5
Vegas Spread: Gsw -10.5
Starting with the Warriors, Steph Curry continues to dominate and will look great here against one of the worst defenses in the league. He now has a 31.0% usage rate and 1.57 fantasy points per minute on the season. Andrew Wiggins has been solid this season but is another guy I don’t think we need to prioritize, he would be more of a secondary GPP option for me and hasn’t been in the best of form over his last few games. Jordan Poole will go back to being a GPP-only guy for me as he continues to look for his production off of the bench. Draymond Green and Klay Thompson are fine options in their price range, but not priorities by any means, although both have been really good as of late. Then Kevon Looney will continue to look like a solid value center option if you need one in his range. From the Rockets, Kevin Porter Jr. was initially doubtful today but has been upgraded to questionable which makes me think he’ll be good to go in this one and will look like a nice option in all formats. The same can be said for Jalen Green who has been in great form as of late with at least 44 DraftKings points in two of his last four and would see a massive boost if Porter Jr. were to sit. Alperen Sengun looks like a fine option but hasn’t been in the best form and comes in as questionable here, but he does look like a nice option in all formats if he plays. Jabari Smith has been a bit more volatile as of late which isn’t unexpected out of a rookie, he would be more of a tournament option for me in this one. I do like Tari Eason, I wish he would get more minutes though. He’s probably not a guy we need to get to on a slate this size, however.
5-star play: Steph Curry
4-star play: Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, Klay Thompson, Kevin Porter Jr., Jalen Green, Alperen Sengun
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Jordan Poole, Kevon Looney, Jabari Smith
Denver Nuggets @ Dallas Mavericks
Vegas Total: 217.0
Vegas Spread: Dal -10.0
We saw this matchup last time out, so we have a nice sample size here. Starting with the Nuggets, they’ll be without Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray in this one while Aaron Gordon comes in as questionable. Gordon has missed their last few games, so it’s news we’ll need to watch, but it’s safe to assume he’s a true question mark tonight. I’ll operate under the assumption that he’s in, but keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for updates. Bones Hyland still came off of the bench last time out but had a nice game going for 30 DraftKings points, I’ll go right back to him here, he has a 34.8% usage rate and 1.38 fantasy points per minute with these guys off of the court this season. DeAndre Jordan has been fine filling in for Jokic and will play 20+ minutes again here, he’s a solid cheap center option if you need one. Michael Porter Jr. has been bad in three of his last four games… yet I like him again here, any time he doesn’t need to fight for shots and usage with Jokic and Murray I’m going to have interest, but just understand he’s very volatile. Then guys like Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope make plenty of sense as secondary options. From the Mavs, Luka Doncic returned last time out and picked up right where he left off, he’s one of the better spend-up options on the slate. Spencer Dinwiddie has been in good form as of late even with a down game last time out, he’s more of a secondary option with Doncic and Wood back. Christian Wood has been good as of late and is a guy I like getting back to against a frontcourt that is missing one of the best rim protectors in the NBA. Part of me thinks he’s going to start to see 30 minutes more regularly with JaVale McGee struggling so much, I have no issue going back to him again in tournaments. Then Tim Hardaway continues to look good relative to his price tag, he’s a fine filler piece.
5-star play: Bones Hyland, Luka Doncic
4-star play: Michael Porter Jr., DeAndre Jordan, Bruce Brown, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Spencer Dinwiddie, Christian Wood
Deeper Value: DeAndre Jordan
GPP Sleeper: Bruce Brown, Kentavious Caldwell-Pop, Michael Porter Jr., Spencer Dinwiddie, Tim Hardaway Jr.
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San Antonio Spurs @ Los Angeles Lakers
Vegas Total: 229.5
Vegas Spread: Lal -7.0
We’ll round out the slate starting with the Spurs, Tre Jones has been a bit underwhelming over his last few games but the price tag is fine, I don’t want to prioritize him unless the injuries go the right way, but he’s a fine secondary option. Keldon Johnson leads the team with a 28% usage rate and 1.13 fantasy points per minute on the season and will look good again in this one. Jakob Poeltl bounced back nicely last time out and is a guy I have no issue going right back to in this one. Devin Vassell was a rollercoaster yesterday as he went from questionable, to out, to in, to ruled out again… welcome to the Greg Popovich show everyone! I’ll assume he’s a go tonight and will look like a solid secondary option due to the consistency he’s shown. Then we can round the team out with Jeremy Sochan who has been seeing much better minutes as of late and is a Draymond Green-ish player, he provides some nice value here. From the Lakers, LeBron James comes in as questionable and has been out for about 10 days now, so it’s definitely news we need to keep an eye on. Assuming he plays and isn’t limited, I would have no issue going back to him here. Anthony Davis would take a hit in this case but does have at least 56 DraftKings points in three straight games and does get a nice matchup. Russell Westbrook would lose some usage as well and has been in good form. The price tag is starting to catch up with him, however. Dennis Schroder made his debut last time out and played 15 minutes, he’s not a guy I want to get to quite yet, I wouldn’t expect a ton of minutes from him again but will hurt guys like Lonnie Walker and Patrick Beverley.
5-star play: LeBron James
4-star play: Anthony Davis, Tre Jones, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell, Jakob Poeltl
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Jeremy Sochan, Russell Westbrook, Lonnie Walker
NBA Lock of the Day: Bones Hyland (DK – $5.6k; FD – $5.8k)
I’m going right back to Bones here as the Nuggets will be without Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray tonight with the potential of Aaron Gordon being added to that list as well. He came off of the bench last time out but it didn’t hurt his minutes as he still played 27 minutes and looked great. He has a 34.8% usage rate and 1.38 fantasy points per minute with these guys off of the court this season. At this point in the day, I would think he makes my core, but check out our VIP Cheat Sheets as we get closer to lock for staff picks on Core plays, 8x locks of the day, and tiers notes as well!
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