Main Slate Breakdown for NBA DFS 11/26:
Nov 25, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Cameron Payne (15) celebrates against the Detroit Pistons in the second half at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-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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Oklahoma City Thunder @ Houston Rockets
Vegas Total: 231.5
Vegas Spread: Okc -2.0
We’ll kick off this short slate off with the Thunder, Aleksej Pokusevsi has returned to the lineup and the minutes look good with at least 29 in each game. I would expect more of the same for him in a great matchup against the Rockets in this one. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to look great and will be a guy I like going right back to here, he’s been incredible this season with a 32.5% usage rate and 1.43 fantasy points per minute. This is an elite matchup as well, he’s going to look like a great spend-up option on this short slate. Josh Giddey bounced back nicely last time out and the price feels slightly low, he’s going to look good here as well. Then, Lu Dort is always in play as a secondary option or a lineup filler, I wouldn’t have a problem with him in all formats. From the Rockets, Alperen Sengun missed yesterday’s game and comes into this one as questionable again here. We saw Bruno Fernando return to the team yesterday and played 17 minutes… there’s a world where he could sit on the back end of a back-to-back here, so we just need to keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for who’s available in this Rockets frontcourt tonight. Tari Eason was a solid value option last night and depending on who’s available for them tonight, he’ll look similar, although it didn’t necessarily help his minutes. KJ Martin was the guy that benefitted the most from Sengun being out and would look like a nice value again in this one. Kevin Porter Jr. came down to Earth last night but has at least 50 DraftKings points in two of his last three and looks great again in this one. Jalen Green looked good as well and we know there isn’t going to be a whole lot of defense played in this one. Jabari Smith looked great as well and if they’re shorthanded in the frontcourt he’s going to play some minutes at the five and look good here.
5-star play: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
4-star play: Aleksej Pokusevski, Josh Giddey, Kevin Porter Jr., Jalen Green, Jabari Smith
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Lu Dort, Alperen Sengun, Tari Eason, KJ Martin
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!
Los Angeles Lakers @ San Antonio Spurs
Vegas Total: 232.0
Vegas Spread: Lal -3.0
Starting with the Lakers, LeBron James finally returned from injury last night and he played 33 minutes which means he’s likely not limited moving forward. I have no issue going right back to him in this spot on a short slate, in a great matchup with the Spurs. Anthony Davis kept rolling even with LeBron back in there and now has at least 58 FanDuel points in six straight games. That said, I would expect his rates to regress with LeBron back in there, but it’s hard to ignore his production as of late. Russell Westbrook takes the biggest hit for me and he looked awful last night, I don’t see a way I can pay this price tag for him moving forward. With LeBron on the court this season he takes a -0.15 fantasy point per minute hit which puts him right around a fantasy point per minute. Dennis Schroder is an intriguing value option, he played 29 minutes last night and looked good. He’s dirt cheap in a great matchup on a short slate, I think we can do worse. Then a guy like Lonnie Walker is a good secondary option, but not someone I’m forcing in. From the Spurs, Jakob Poeltl struggled in this matchup last night which is warranted against Anthony Davis down low. I do think the price tag is fair, however, so I don’t mind going right back to him here. Keldon Johnson finally bounced back somewhat last night but has been terrible as of late. He’s going to be more of a secondary option or a GPP guy due to the volatility we’ve seen from him lately. Devin Vassell, on the other hand, continues to produce solid numbers each night, he’s a great secondary option in all formats. Tre Jones had a nice bounce-back game as well and I do like the price tag on him here again. Lastly, I don’t have an issue with Jeremy Sochan in tournaments as a cheap option, he’s fully capable of stuffing the stat sheet as we saw last night.
5-star play: LeBron James, Anthony Davis
4-star play: Lonnie Walker, Jakob Poeltl, Keldon Johnson, Devin Vassell
Deeper Value: Dennis Schroder
GPP Sleeper: Russell Westbrook, Dennis Schroder, Keldon Johnson, Jeremy Sochan
Utah Jazz @ Phoenix Suns
Vegas Total: 233.0
Vegas Spread: Pho -7.0
Starting with the Jazz, Lauri Markkanen is a tough guy to break down, yes the ceiling is there for him, but he doesn’t hit it consistently enough for me to love the price tag on him. I’ll leave him more as a GPP option but won’t talk you off of him if you want to get there in cash, especially on a short slate. Jordan Clarkson has been good as of late with at least 32 DraftKings points in four straight games and will see a nice bump if Conley ends up sitting again. Speaking of Mike Conley, he comes in as questionable here, so keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for updates surrounding him. I’m much more interested in this team if he ends up sitting. Collin Sexton should continue to start for him if he’s out and is a guy I love getting to when his minutes are solidified. He’s looked good over their last couple of games and would be a guy I like going right back to. Malik Beasley has been great as well even in short run last night he was able to have a nice game salvaged by five steals. If Conley misses, he’s another guy that would see a nice boost and would look good here. Kelly Olynyk has been all over the place this season making him more of a GPP option, but we’ve seen a nice ceiling from him and is in good form over his last few games. The same can be said for Jarred Vanderbilt whose biggest enemy is his minutes, when he gets them up over 25, he’s going to look good. From the Suns, Chris Paul comes in as questionable, but he’s missed about three weeks now, so I’m going to operate under the assumption that he’s out again. Below is how this team operates with Paul and Cam Johnson off of the court this season:
- Devin Booker – 29.8% usage rate; 1.26 fpm
- Cameron Payne – 26.0% usage rate; 1.13 fpm
- Mikal Bridges – 17.1% usage rate; 0.92 fpm
- Deandre Ayton – 20.2% usage rate; 1.11 fpm
These would be my favorite options from the team, I don’t have a ton of interest in guys like Torrey Craig although he’s been in solid form as of late with at least 28 FanDuel points in five of his last six games. Booker has been held down over his last few games but is a guy I like going right back to in this one.
*** The below assumes Mike Conley and Chris Paul are OUT ***
5-star play: Jordan Clarkson, Devin Booker
4-star play: Collin Sexton, Malik Beasley, Lauri Markkanen, Kelly Olynyk, Cameron Payne, Mikal Bridges, Deandre Ayton
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Malik Beasley, Kelly Olynyk, Jarred Vanderbilt, Torrey Craig
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