Main Slate Breakdown for NBA DFS 11/30:
Nov 14, 2023; San Francisco, California, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Karl-Anthony Towns (32) reacts after hitting a three-point shot against the Golden State Warriors during the last minute of the second half at Chase Center. Mandatory Credit: John Hefti-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 (X), 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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Portland Trail Blazers @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Vegas Total: 219.5
Vegas Spread: Cle -11.0
We’ll kick this slate off with the Blazers, Malcolm Brogdon has gotten his minutes up with at least 34 minutes in back-to-back games and has always been a nice per-minute producer. The matchup isn’t great against this Cavs team, but I have no issue getting to him in this spot. Jerami Grant had a massive game last time out and is seeing huge minutes, he’ll have to deal with Mobley and Allen down low which is less than ideal, but it’s hard to ignore the production he’s shown as of late. Deandre Ayton really struggled in this matchup earlier this season with just 12 DraftKings points, it’s not a good matchup, he’ll be more of a tournament option for me. The minutes are still there for Shaedon Sharpe even with Brodon and Scoot Henderson back, but the price tag hasn’t come down enough for me to want to get there. He hasn’t shot well, but the field goal attempts are still there with that said. Speaking of Scoot… woof, he has not been good in his short NBA career, I’m going to wait until he figures it out before I go back to him, the minutes haven’t really been there either. From the Cavs, if Donovan Mitchell wasn’t the highest scorer on his last slate, he was right up there with a massive game against the Hawks. I love the matchup again in this one, he’s going to look like a nice option in all formats. Evan Mobley also had a massive game and probably his best game of the season. He should be able to do whatever he wants again in this one and makes sense in all formats as well. I had a bunch of Jarrett Allen last time out and he was pretty underwhelming, he’s a better player than this price tag, but the production just hasn’t been there. I don’t have any real lean on Darius Garland other than he’s going to make sense as a roster filler if you land on him, but not a guy I’m looking to force in. Max Strus has at least 34 DraftKings points in three of his last five and has been racking up the ancillary stats as well if he can get his three-point shot to drop he’s going to have a nice game. Lastly, I don’t think we need to get Caris LeVert off of the bench with this team mostly healthy.
5-star play: Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley
4-star play: Malcolm Brogdon, Jerami Grant, Deandre Ayton, Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, Max Strus
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Darius Garland, Shaedon Sharpe
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Charlotte Hornets @ Brooklyn Nets
Vegas Total: 227.0
Vegas Spread: Bkn -8.0
Starting with the Hornets, they’re going to be without LaMelo Ball for the foreseeable future which will open up a bunch of usage in this offense. Brandon Miller started in his place last time out but he also comes into this one as questionable, so keep an eye on his status, I’ll operate under the assumption he’s good to go. Below is how this team operates with Ball off of the court this season:
- Terry Rozier – 28.9% usage rate; 0.98 fpm
- Brandon Miller – 24% usage rate; 0.93 fpm
- Miles Bridges – 25.4% usage rate; 1.11 fpm
- Gordon Hayward – 23.2% usage rate; 0.92 fpm
- Mark Williams – 15.9% usage rate; 1.24 fpm
They got blown out against the Knicks last time out which led to a lot of these guys having down games, but this whole starting lineup looks pretty good at their respective price tags. Brooklyn is pretty bad against opposing wings so Miller, Bridges, and Hayward would probably be my favorite guys in the group. Lastly, PJ Washington will continue to come off of the bench and isn’t a guy I think we need to get to on a slate of this size. From Brooklyn, it sounds like Cam Thomas should return but I would assume he’s on some sort of minutes limit after being out for three weeks, but keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for updates on that. We get a Bridges on Bridges matchup though! Mikal Bridges has been in good form as of late with at least 41 DraftKings points in three of his last four, but I can’t say I love the price tag, the matchup is elite though. I do think Nic Claxton looks good here, he’s been in good form and should do what he wants down low. The same can be said for Cameron Johnson, the price tag makes sense and he’s been in good form. Out of nowhere, Royce O’Neale had back-to-back 40-point fantasy games, but I don’t think we need to get to him, Dorian Finney-Smith, or Lonnie Walker on this slate.
5-star play: Nic Claxton
4-star play: Terry Rozier, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, Gordon Hayward, Mark Williams, Mikal Bridges, Cameron Johnson
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: PJ Washington, Royce O’Neale, Cam Thomas
Detroit Pistons @ New York Knicks
Vegas Total: 218.5
Vegas Spread: Nyk -13.0
Starting with the Pistons, I don’t want to talk about Jaden Ivey… but we have to. He killed a lot of lineups last night but was just not able to keep his hands to himself and stay out of foul trouble. Prior to last night, he had been in great form but the price tag is way up, I think we can jump off of him here. This whole team had a rough go of it in a blowout last night against the Lakers though, so I’m willing to overlook a lot of the production. Especially on guys like Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren who had been in good form prior to that game. If Ausar Thompson could shoot he’d be an elite fantasy producer, but he knows it and the team knows it, so the field goal attempts aren’t there, but he can certainly stuff the stat sheet. Lastly, Isaiah Stewart continues to see good minutes and makes sense as a mid-range option. From the Knicks, Julius Randle had a big night last time out in a great matchup against the Hornets and gets another great matchup here, he’s going to look like a nice option in all formats. I can’t say I love the price tag on Jalen Brunson but we’ve seen a nice ceiling on him as of late and a nice floor. RJ Barrett was extremely popular last slate had a rough go of it and has shot poorly over his last few games. The minutes are still there and is a guy that makes sense with SF/PF eligibility. I have a bit of a soft spot for Mitchell Robinson due to the ceiling and the matchup is solid, I like him as a tournament option. He has legit 10x upside… it won’t happen often, but it’s there. Then guys like Josh Hart and Immanuel Quickley are fine GPP options to round out the team.
5-star play: Julius Randle
4-star play: Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren, Jalen Brunson, RJ Barrett, Mitchell Robinson
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Jaden Ivey, Ausar Thompson, Isaiah Stewart, Josh Hart, Immanuel Quickley
Indiana Pacers @ Miami Heat
Vegas Total: 239.0
Vegas Spread: Mia -2.0
Starting with the Pacers, the price tag is way up on Tyrese Haliburton but for good reason considering his recent production. I don’t love the matchup with Miami, but he’s going to look like a top raw option on the slate again. Myles Turner came down to Earth last time out and gets a tougher matchup in this one, he’ll be more of a tournament option as his price tag is up as well. I landed on way more Buddy Hield than I’ve wanted to over the last couple of slates, he needs to be hitting his shots in order for him to get the minutes for him to get us there. Bennedict Mathurin and Bruce Brown are in that same mid-range tier as GPP options. Lastly, with Jalen Smith out I would expect Isaiah Jackson to slide in as the backup center, and makes sense as a value option if you need a cheap center. From Miami, Jimmy Butler comes in as questionable after missing his last game. I’ll operate under the assumption that he’s good to go, but keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for updates as we get closer to lock. The rest of this team would see a boost in usage and production if he were to miss and we can go right back to those pieces we went to on Tuesday night. Bam Adebayo kept it rolling last time out and even though his price tag is up, he’s going to be a guy I want to get to here. Miami as a whole is going to see a massive boost in pace, as Indiana is the fastest pace team in the league while Miami is 20th, so Butler and Bam will look great while guys like Duncan Robinson, Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin, and Jaime Jaquez Jr. all make sense as secondary options.
5-star play: Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo
4-star play: Tyrese Haliburton, Myles Turner, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Duncan Robinson, Caleb Martin
Deeper Value: Isaiah Jackson
GPP Sleeper: Bennedict Mathurin, Bruce Brown, Isaiah Jackson, Duncan Robinson, Kyle Lowry, Caleb Martin
Atlanta Hawks @ San Antonio Spurs
Vegas Total: 245.5
Vegas Spread: Atl -7.0
Starting with the Hawks, Trae Young came down to Earth last time out but gets an elite matchup in this one with a massive implied total. The Spurs are a bottom-four defensive team against opposing point guards, so Dejounte Murray would make sense as well in a revenge game! Bogdan Bogdanovic has been in great form with at least 32 DraftKings points in back-to-back games and is a solid tournament option with his price tag up. De’Andre Hunter has been much better as of late and is seeing huge minutes, I have no issue with him in all formats. Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu continue to split minutes at the five, and we’ve seen Okongwu’s price tag jump up. I still probably prefer Capela, but I can’t blame you if you want to take the savings on Okongwu. Lastly, Saddiq Bey makes sense as an option here as well while Jalen Johnson remains out. From the Spurs, Victor Wembanyama has been unreal as of late with at least 54 DraftKings points in three of his last four games and he had that huge game last time out in 25 minutes thanks to 10 stocks. Keldon Johnson had a floor game last time out but we know he has a solid ceiling and in a fast-paced game, he should look like a nice option. Devin Vassell has been held under 30 minutes in four straight games, he’ll be more of a tournament option. The production for Zach Collins has fallen off a bit as well but partially due to minutes and poor shooting, again, a pace-up matchup he’s going to look good. Technically Jeremy Sochan is the point guard but I think you can lump him in with Johnson and Vassell among wings that can take advantage of this matchup, the Hawks have not been good against opposing wings this season and allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing shooting guards.
5-star play: Trae Young, Victor Wembanyama, Keldon Johnson
4-star play: Dejounte Murray, Bogdan Bogdanovic, De’Andre Hunter, Clint Capela, Saddiq Bey, Devin Vassell, Zach Collins, Jeremy Sochan
Deeper Value: None
GPP Sleeper: Onyeka Okonguw, Tre Jones, Devin Vassell
Los Angeles Lakers @ Oklahoma City Thunder
Vegas Total: 229.0
Vegas Spread: Okc -7.0
Starting with the Lakers, sound the alarms! LeBron James ISN’T questionable for once this season and is good to go. Anthony Davis had the big game last night but both Davis and LeBron are going to look like solid options in this one. D’Angelo Russell had his best game of the season last night against Detroit and is a solid filler piece on this slate. Austin Reaves has had back-to-back floor games and lost minutes last time out due to a blowout. While he’s coming off of the bench, those blowouts are really going to hurt his minutes as he won’t see that 4th quarter rotation. Taurean Prince and Cam Reddish are about as least sexy of options you can find, but they’re fine if you land on them. Max Christie has been starting but isn’t doing a whole lot in the fantasy department, so not a guy we need to get to in this one. From the Thunder, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has kept it rolling with at least 50 DraftKings points in four of his last five games and averaging 53.5 DraftKings points per game on the season. Chet Holmgren will have his hands full against Davis down low in this one but he’s been in really good form as of late as well. I don’t think I’ve played Josh Giddey once this season and that won’t change in this one, his price tag is continuing to fall. Jalen Williams returned last time out and was fine, but the big thing for me was his ability to come right in and play 34 minutes, I like the price tag on him in this one. Then guys like Lu Dort and Isaiah Joe are fine cheap options to round out the team.
5-star play: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
4-star play: D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Chet Holmgren, Jalen Williams
Deeper Value: Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe
GPP Sleeper: Taurean Prince, Cam Reddish, Max Christie, Josh Giddey, Lu Dort, Isaiah Joe
Milwaukee Bucks @ Chicago Bulls
Vegas Total: 228.5
Vegas Spread: Mil -7.5
Starting with the Bucks, Giannis Antetokounmpo has been in great form with at least 61 DraftKings points in three of his last five and is playing big minutes due to a lot of these games staying close. Blowout is a concern here because I think the Bulls are one of the worst teams in the league, but they just haven’t been able to blow teams out consistently this season. Damian Lillard had a huge game last time out and has been in great form as of late, I have no issue going back to him in this one. Brook Lopez came down to Earth last time out but has a huge ceiling with his ability to rack up stocks and three points… also his scoring around the basket has been great this season. Khris Middleton returned after an Achilles issue against Washington and played 23 minutes, they’re going to treat him with kid gloves until further notice, but he’s been extremely productive when he’s out there. Then guys like Bobby Portis and Malik Beasley are fine GPP flyers, Beasley will play more minutes but Portis is the better per-minute producer. Then we get to the Bulls who have Zach LaVine, Alex Caruso, and DeMar DeRozan all listed as questionable. It’s extremely hard to break this team down without news on these guys so I’ll leave this one to our Breaking News Feed and will have updates in our discord/cheat sheets when we get news.
5-star play: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, Chi TBD
4-star play: Brook Lopez, Chi TBD
Deeper Value: Chi TBD
GPP Sleeper: Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, Malik Beasley, Chi TBD
Utah Jazz @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Vegas Total: 223.5
Vegas Spread: Min -10.0
Starting with the Jazz, Lauri Markkanen will remain out for the Jazz meaning Simone Fontecchio should remain in the starting lineup. Below is how this team operates with Markkanen off of the court this season:
- Keyonte George – 21% usage rate; 0.76 fpm
- Jordan Clarkson – 28.2% usage rate; 1.07 fpm
- Simone Fontecchio – 19.3% usage rate; 0.89 fpm
- John Collins – 22.5% usage rate; 1.03 fpm
- Omer Yurtseven – 15.7% usage rate; 1.04 fpm
I do think we need to keep an eye on a potential starting lineup change with Walker Kessler in over Yurtseven, if that’s the case I’m going to like Kessler a good amount even in a tough matchup. He’s a 1.16 fantasy point per minute guy on the season and we know the ceiling he’s capable of putting up. Most of this team had a rough go of it in a blowout last time out and that’s certainly in the cards again in this one. From the Wolves, they’ll be without Anthony Edwards in this one, so I would expect to see Kyle Anderson move into the starting lineup. Below is how this team operates with Edwards off of the court this season:
- Mike Conley – 11.6% usage rate; 0.74 fpm
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker – 12.8% usage rate; 0.67 fpm
- Kyle Anderson – 17.8 % usage rate; 0.88 fpm
- Karl-Anthony Towns – 38% usage rate; 1.42 fpm
- Rudy Gobert – 20.9% usage rate; 1.11 fpm
KAT is the big beneficiary here, he sees a +11.2% usage bump and 0.2 fantasy points per minute… oh and he gets an elite matchup against the Jazz who are allowing the third most fantasy points per game to opposing power forwards. I do think Naz Reid and Kyle Anderson make plenty of sense at their price tag as well, they should see an increase in minutes with Edwards and McDaniels both now out. Lastly, revenge game for Gobert!
5-star play: Karl-Anthony Towns
4-star play: Keyonte George, Jordan Clarkson, Simone Fontecchio, John Collins, Walker Kessler, Mike Conley, Kyle Anderson, Naz Reid, Rudy Gobert
Deeper Value: Shake Milton
GPP Sleeper: Omer Yurtseven, Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Los Angeles Clippers @ Golden State Warriors
Vegas Total: 227.5
Vegas Spread: Gsw -4.5
Starting with the Clippers, Kawhi Leonard has back-to-back 50-point fantasy nights and is a guy I have no issue going back to at this price tag in this matchup. James Harden probably had his best game as a Clipper last night and is a guy I like going back to in this one as well. Paul George is the third of the trio and has been the most consistent since Harden arrived, he’s another guy who looks like a good secondary option. Russell Westbrook is a no-go at this price tag, but I do like Ivica Zubac who has at least 31 DraftKings points in three straight games. Lastly, Terance Mann should continue to start, he’s not a great per-minute producer but the minutes will be there. From the Warriors, they’ll be without Chris Paul tonight which probably opens up more minutes for guys like Brandin Podziemski and Mosses Moody, neither guy is a guy I think we need to force in on a big slate. Steph Curry has heated up a bit over his last few games and isn’t a guy I’ve played a lot this season, but I think we can go back to him in this one. Draymond Green is pretty meh, but the minutes will be there at the very least. Klay Thompson has been in much better form as of late with at least 30 DraftKings points in four straight, but he’s priced right where he should be. Andrew Wiggins has shown signs of life as of late as well with a 29-point double-double last time out, I like him as a tournament option. Then Dario Saric and Kevon Looney will continue to split center minutes and are fine tournament plays.
5-star play: Steph Curry
4-star play: James Harden, Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Ivica Zubac, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green
Deeper Value: Terance Mann
GPP Sleeper: Terance Mann, Brandin Podziemski, Mosses Moody, Dario Saric, Kevon Looney
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