Main Slate Breakdown for NBA DFS 10/28:
Oct 26, 2023; Los Angeles, California, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant (35) reacts after a turnover against the Los Angeles Lakers during the second half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-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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Chicago Bulls @ Detroit Pistons
Vegas Total: 219.5
Vegas Spread: Chi -2.5
We kick off this slate with the Bulls… who look like they need to blow the team up in all honesty. Zach LaVine has been terrible in their first two games yet still feels underpriced somehow, this is a nice bounce-back spot for him as well, but I get being a little hesitant going back to him. DeMar DeRozan was solid last night but I don’t think we can bank on four steals again, he averaged 38.5 DraftKings points per game against the Pistons in four games last season. Nikola Vucevic is in the same boat as LaVine, but it’s just going to be tough to predict who’s going to have the big game for the Bulls’ big three on any given night and this season it hasn’t really been any of them. Coby White was the most impressive last night and comes in with a nice price tag, we can go right back to the well with him. The rest of this team is just blah. From the Pistons, Cade Cunningham followed up his huge opener with a dud last night, he may be a bit volatile this season but in a nice matchup, he’s going to look solid yet again. Jalen Duren has been an animal to start the season with back-to-back 40-point fantasy nights and is too cheap yet again, fire him back up. Isaiah Stewart came down to Earth a bit but still played 36 minutes which is the important part to me. Jaden Ivey bounced back nicely and feels like he’s going to have decent games whenever Cade doesn’t, so do what you can not to pair the two. The only other guy I would have interest in here is Ausar Thompson, he continues to stuff the stat sheet, I mean he’s doing everything except for scoring right now, and that will come with time.
5-star play: Jalen Duren
4-star play: Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Nikola Vucevic, Coby White, Cade Cunningham, Isaiah Stewart, Ausar Thompson
Deeper Value: Alex Caruso
GPP Sleeper: Patrick Williams, Jaden Ivey, Killian Hayes
Memphis Grizzlies @ Washington Wizards
Vegas Total: 225.5
Vegas Spread: Mem -1.5
Starting with the Grizzlies, Jaren Jackson Jr. bounced back nicely last night but did run into foul trouble yet again. It’s going to be an issue with him all season, but he’s great when he’s out there and I don’t see it necessarily being an issue against this Wizards team like it was against Jokic and the defending champs. He had a 30.8% usage rate and 1.36 fantasy points per minute last season with Ja, Adams, and Clarke off of the court which is what I keep going back to, he’s going to look great yet again in this one. Desmond Bane came down to Earth last night but is still a guy I like here as well, he had a 27.7% usage rate and 1.19 fantasy points per minute with these guys off the court last season, and this matchup is great. Xavier Tillman held his own against Jokic, but another guy who struggled to stay out of foul trouble, again I don’t see that being an issue here, and is still too cheap, his price tag actually went down. Then Marcus Smart is a fine option in all formats to fill lineups with. From the Wizards, Jordan Poole had one of his bad shooting nights in the opener, but they’re going to happen… that said, he’s going to shoot his way out of them whether the team likes it or not. His price tag is probably right, but his ceiling is still there if that shot is falling. Kyle Kuzma only played 25 minutes due to the blowout but looked solid, he didn’t do anything other than score which is out of the ordinary. Tyus Jones was the guy you wanted and probably needed on Wednesday, he’s going to continue to start and even though he got a price increase, he looks solid. Then guys like Daniel Gafford and Deni Avdija are solid lineup fillers.
5-star play: Jaren Jackson Jr., Xavier Tillman
4-star play: Desmond Bane, Marcus Smart, Jordan Poole, Kyle Kuzma, Tyus Jones
Deeper Value: Ziaire Williams, Derrick Rose
GPP Sleeper: Daniel Gafford, Deni Avdija, Derrick Rose
New York Knicks @ New Orleans Pelicans
Vegas Total: 225.5
Vegas Spread: Nop -3.5
Starting with the Knicks, Immanuel Quickley kept it rolling but did see his minutes come down a bit, that’s my biggest worry with him with how many guys they have to go to if he’s having an off night. Julius Randle has looked good so far this season and dropped 45 DraftKings points in this matchup last season, I like going right back to the well with him. Jalen Brunson was a guy I had an interest in on Friday night and he came through nicely. He’s extremely consistent and comes with a nice ceiling without sacrificing the floor as well. Then guys like RJ Barrett and Mitchell Robinson bounced back in a big way as well, both played huge minutes and make plenty of sense at their price tags. From the Pelicans, I was a bit worried about the minutes of Zion Williamson in his first game back in the opener but he played 32 minutes which was good to see and he passed the eye test. His price tag game down and is a solid option in all formats. CJ McCollum had the big night in the opener, that said he was just a 0.96 fantasy point-per-minute guy with Zion on the court last season, so I do worry a bit about the sustainability. Brandon Ingram was fine in the opener and is going to be fine again in this one, he’s not as impacted with Zion on the court as CJ was last season. Then Jonas Valanciunas and Herbert Jones are solid roster fillers if you land on them.
5-star play: None
4-star play: Julius Randle, Jalen Brunson, RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson, Zion Williamson, CJ McCollum, Brandon Ingram
Deeper Value: Donte DiVincenzo
GPP Sleeper: Immanuel Quickley, Josh Hart, Jonas Valanciunas, Herbert Jones
Philadelphia 76ers @ Toronto Raptors
Vegas Total: 218.0
Vegas Spread: Phi -3.0
Starting with the Sixers, Tyrese Maxey… oh my, he had a rough first quarter but turned it up in a big way really quickly. He had an awesome game and had a 30.5% usage rate and 1.19 fantasy points per minute with James Harden off of the court last season. Joel Embiid was really tough to watch in the opener, he just looked checked out and maybe that’s the Bucks fan in me, but if you disagree please let me know in the discord because man he was lumbering. He had seven turnovers and was settling A LOT… that said, he was a monster with Harden off of the court last season with a 39.1% usage rate and 1.71 fantasy points per minute. Kelly Oubre was awesome off of the bench as well and played 32 minutes, he’s going to be their spark plug off the bench and is someone I like again in this one. Then guys like Tobias Harris and De’Anthony Melton aren’t sexy options, but make plenty of sense as roster fillers. Teams have struggled to put up points on the Raptors with how slow they play with all that said. From the Raptors, Scottie Barnes was awesome on Friday night and is a guy who will stuff the stat sheet, he’s going to have the ball in his hands more with VanVleet off the team and looks great again here. Pascal Siakam has struggled in both games this season and gets a tough matchup in this one, he’s more of a secondary option for me at this price tag. OG Anunoby struggled last night but is in a similar boat, he’s just not going to be as high of a usage player, but is apparently untouchable in all trades for whatever that’s worth. Gary Trent Jr. bounced back nicely but we kind of know the volatility you get with him. Dennis Schroder kept it rolling last time out and is going to continue to see big minutes. Then Jakob Poeltl struggled and similar to Siakam gets a bad matchup in this one.
5-star play: Joel Embiid, Tyrese Maxey, Scottie Barnes
4-star play: Kelly Oubre, Tobias Harris, De’Anthony Melton, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Dennis Schroder
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Gary Trent Jr., Jakob Poeltl
Indiana Pacers @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Vegas Total: NA
Vegas Spread: NA
This game doesn’t have an implied total due to Tyrese Haliburton and Darius Garland being question marks, Haliburton is sick and Garland has a hamstring injury and missed last night’s game. I’m going to leave this game to the Breaking News Feed, our Cheat Sheets, and the Discord to break down because it’s impossible to do until we get that news. Oh, and I forgot about Jarrett Allen who has missed their first two games with an ankle injury. Make sure to check out all those resources and go from there as we get closer to lock!
5-star play: TBD
4-star play: TBD
Deeper Value: TBD
GPP Sleeper: TBD
Miami Heat @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Vegas Total: 218.5
Vegas Spread: Phi -3.5
Starting with the Heat, Tyler Herro was awesome on Friday night and is a guy I’m going to like again in this one, he played massive minutes and should be a theme this season. Jimmy Butler was a guy I had some hesitation on going into last night’s game in a tough matchup and he struggled, I expect a nice bounce-back game here against a team that he hates. Bam Adebayo isn’t a sexy option by any means but is a solid option here, this Wolves frontcourt isn’t as scary defensively as they would like to think. Kyle Lowry had a big bounce-back game last night, I don’t think he’s very good but he’s going to play good minutes at a nice price tag. Then Kevin Love gets a revenge game as well and is going to be a solid regular-season option until he gets run off the court in the playoffs. From the Wolves, most of the starting five looked solid in the opener, nobody really outperformed their price tag other than Rudy Gobert who looked great. He’s too cheap again here and is someone I like going back to the well with. Anthony Edwards was solid and is probably priced right where he should be, but he still has a ceiling here. Karl-Anthony Towns shot the ball 25 (!) times in the opener including 10 threes, he only made two of them but it’s clear he’s going to get his and is a guy that I like again in this one. Then guys like Kyle Anderson and Mike Conley are solid roster fillers, Nickeil Alexander-Walker will likely start again but played just 23 minutes if you need a value option.
5-star play: Rudy Gobert, Jimmy Butler
4-star play: Tyler Herro, Bam Adebayo, Kyle Lowry, Karl-Anthony Towns, Anthony Edwards
Deeper Value: Kevin Love, Nickeil Alexander-Walker
GPP Sleeper: Kevin Love, Kyle Anderson, Mike Conley, Nickeil Alexander-Walker
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Utah Jazz @ Phoenix Suns
Vegas Total: NA
Vegas Spread: Pho -5.5
We’ll round the slate out starting with the Jazz, Lauri Markkanen had a huge bounce-back game last night and is someone I like going back to in this one at a similar price tag. Talen Horton-Tucker bounced back as well and is someone I like at the price tag, I hate that he moved to being only PG eligible on DraftKings however. John Collins kept it rolling as well and is going to be a really nice piece for them playing big minutes. Jordan Clarkson was fine, but I think we kind of know what we’re getting from him at this point. Walker Kessler was a guy I was overweight on last night and was terrible, he played just 21 minutes out of nowhere which was a tough scene… but man that price tag is hard to ignore. Then Kelly Olynyk is a fine GPP option to round the team out. From the Suns, they’re going to be without Devin Booker and Bradley Beal yet again in this one which means it should be the Kevin Durant show yet again. He dropped 57 DraftKings points last time out and had a 44.7% usage rate which is absolutely massive. He’s probably the first guy in your lineup again on this slate, I rarely make guys a core the night before (when I’m writing this), but lock him in. We can probably go right back to the well with Jordan Goodwin as well, his price tag went up but assuming he plays 25+ minutes again he’s going to look great. Eric Gordon and Grayson Allen feel like similar options and had similar production on Thursday, I have no issue with either of them. Jusuf Nurkic came down to Earth last time out but struggled with fouls again against the Lakers. I like going back to him again in this one, if he can avoid the fouls he should see 30+ minutes and is an elite point-per-minute guy. Lastly, Josh Okogie isn’t a sexy option but he’s going to play big minutes and can stuff the stat sheet.
5-star play: Walker Kessler, Kevin Durant, Jordan Goodwin
4-star play: Lauri Markkanen, John Collins, Jordan Clarkson, Talen Horton-Tucker, Eric Gordon, Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Josh Okogie
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Kelly Olynyk
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