Main Slate Breakdown for NBA DFS 1/11:
Nov 10, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Jaden Hardy (1) reacts after scoring during the second quarter against the LA Clippers at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-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 position by position 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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Before I get started, I need to shoutout a few huge VIP Member wins – “Phamacist” took 1st place in the $300k Fadeway contest which netted him $100k while “da_banditz” grabbed 1st place on FanDuel as well winning $10k- congrats guys!
NBA DFS Point Guard Plays:
Spend up: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (DraftKings $10.4k; FanDuel $11.3k)
Shai is going to look great again in this one even after a middling game last night. That was a tougher matchup against Miami, whereas this one looks like a great bounce-back spot against the Portland Trail Blazers. He’s averaging 52.2 DraftKings points per game over his last six games and this Portland defense doesn’t play a whole lot of defense. He had a down game against them earlier this season but that was mainly due to playing just 22 minutes, he still dropped 28 real points in that time in the first matchup, they just happened to throttle Portland so he lost a ton of minutes. I like going right back to the well with him in this one.
Mid-range: Anfernee Simons (DraftKings $7.4k; FanDuel $8.0k)
Let’s go to the other side of that Thunder game and go to Anfernee Simons who is coming off of a tough game against the Knicks last time out. Prior to that game, he had his best game of the season with a 38-point double-double against Brooklyn. He just feels too cheap here, he should be at least $8k on DraftKings, that FanDuel price tag feels more appropriate. He has a 30.3% usage rate and 1.17 fantasy points per minute on the season. I don’t love the matchup against a good defensive team, but it’s a pricing play for me.
Value: Jaden Hardy (DraftKings $3.7k; FanDuel $5.0k)
Hardy is going to look like a great value option, particularly on DraftKings, but playable on both sites with Luka Doncic already being ruled out tonight. I would expect Kyrie Irving to slide over and start at point guard while Jaden Hardy enters the starting lineup at shooting guard. He has a 28.5% usage rate and 1.21 fantasy points per minute on the season with Luka and Dante Exum off of the court. He’s averaging 28 DraftKings points per game in four games without Luka this season as well, it’s not my favorite matchup, but the price tag is too good to pass up.
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NBA DFS Shooting Guard Plays:
Spend up: Kyrie Irving (DraftKings $9.0k; FanDuel $10.1k)
Kyrie is also going to look great for the Mavericks, as I mentioned with Hardy, they’ll be without Luka Doncic tonight and I would expect Kyrie to slide over to the point guard position. He has a 26.1% usage rate and 1.27 fantasy points per minute with Doncic off of the court this season. He’s also been in elite form averaging 52.3 DraftKings points per game over his last five games. Similar to Hardy, it’s not my favorite matchup, but when a usage monster like Luka is out, you have to take advantage of the rest of the team.
Mid-range: Tim Hardaway Jr. (DraftKings $5.3k; FanDuel $6.3k)
This is going to be a Dallas-loaded position, wait until you see the value play as well! We get some great position eligibility with Hardaway as he carries SG/SF on both DraftKings and FanDuel which makes it pretty easy to get him into lineups. He has a 30.5% usage rate and 1.18 fantasy points per minute on the season without Luka on the court. It wouldn’t shock me to see him come off of the bench and Hardy start at shooting guard, I don’t think that really hurts him all that much. He’ll handle all the usage on the second unit and will look great in all formats.
Value: Seth Curry (DraftKings $3.3k; FanDuel $3.9k)
Curry isn’t a sexy option, be we already wrote about the best value option at the position with Jaden Hardy, so let’s pivot to Curry! He’s dirt cheap, but probably for good reason, he’s only averaged 21.5 minutes per game in four games without Luka this season and hasn’t been all that productive. That said, on a 4-game slate, if you’re desperate for value and want to spend up for guys like SGA, Giannis, Tatum, etc. I have no issue going to Curry as a punt option.
NBA DFS Small Forward Plays:
Spend up: LeBron James (DraftKings $9.7k; FanDuel $10.3k)
LeBron comes into this one as questionable (drink), but I’m just going to operate under the assumption that he’s good to go until he proves me wrong. He’s playing massive minutes right now and has been in good from considering this price tag. He’s also been awesome against the Suns this season averaging 59.8 DraftKings points per game in three games. Both of these teams are struggling right now, so I expect LeBron to try and use this as something this team can build on, he’s going to look great in all formats.
Mid-range: Jalen Williams (DraftKings $7.2k; FanDuel $7.8k)
His price tag is up, but it’s hard to ignore the production Jalen Williams is putting up right now. He has at least 41 DraftKings points in three of his last four games and has fallen just short of a triple-double in his last two games, needing one rebound last time out and three more rebounds against the Wizards. I love the matchup against a bad Portland team that doesn’t play a ton of defense, I think he could get overlooked due to his price tag coming up, and is a guy I want to be overweight on.
Value: Derrick Jones Jr. (DraftKings $4.9k; FanDuel $5.6k)
I’m never really all that thrilled to click his name into my lineup, but he’s playing a ton of minutes and has even more opportunity with Luka out along with Exum. Dereck Lively is expected to miss as well as Grant Williams being questionable, Derrick Jones Jr. may legit play until his legs stop working. He’s not the sexiest option with a 17.4% usage rate and 0.81 fantasy points per minute with Luka and Exum out, but I think you can do a lot worse at this price tag.
NBA DFS Power Forward Plays:
Spend up: Giannis Antetokounmpo (DraftKings $12.0k; FanDuel $12.3k)
He had a fairly disappointing game last time out considering Damian Lillard wasn’t available, but he’s been in elite form playing 35+ minutes per game as this team continues to keep teams close. He’s averaging 69.9 DraftKings points per game over his last five games and should continue to play all the minutes he can handle. This is a fairly big game for the Bucks against another Eastern Conference contender. After coming off of a tough loss last time out, they’ll want this one as they try and get some revenge against Boston at home.
Mid-range: Julius Randle (DraftKings $8.8k; FanDuel $8.9k)
I had a bunch of Julius Randle last time out and he was on his way to a massive game but didn’t play in the last 15 or so minutes due to the Knicks laying an absolute whooping down on the Blazers. He’s going to continue to play massive minutes and he gets an elite matchup in this one against the Mavericks who will be without Dereck Lively down low. They’re not a good defensive frontcourt with Lively in there and certainly not with him out.
Value: Josh Green (DraftKings $4.1k; FanDuel $4.7k)
Green is similar to Derrick Jones Jr., where he’s not a sexy option by any means but with Lively, Exum, and Luka all out, the minutes will be there. Grant Williams is also dealing with a sprained ankle, so we could see Green play 30+ minutes in this one. It’s not a great matchup but as long as the minutes are there he’s live to pick up ancillary stats while scoring is the cherry on top. He has multi-position eligibility which helps as well on a small slate.
NBA DFS Center Plays:
Spend up: Anthony Davis (DraftKings $10.3k; FanDuel $11.4k)
I had a ton of Davis last time out and it worked out great as he destroyed a shorthanded Raptors frontcourt, he’ll be a guy I want to go right back to here. He’s been in great form and might be having his best season as a pro. He’s averaging 51.5 DraftKings points per game in three games against the Suns this season and averaging 55.7 DraftKings points per game over his last five games. He also has PF/C eligibility on both DraftKings and FanDuel making it easy to fit him into lineups and you save a little salary coming down from Giannis.
Mid-range: Jusuf Nurkic (DraftKings $6.8k; FanDuel $6.7k)
Even though the matchup is tougher against Anthony Davis down low, I think it secures his minutes as long as he can stay out of foul trouble. They’ll need him out there as a big body to combat Davis and we’ve seen that this season where he’s averaging 29.5 minutes per game. He has a ceiling when the minutes are there for him which is why I like going back to him at this price tag, particularly on a short slate like we have tonight.
Value: Dwight Powell (DraftKings $4.2k; FanDuel $4.8k)
Powell should continue to start for the Mavs with Lively doubtful to play, they could also be without Grant Williams who plays some small-ball five at times. I would expect 25+ minutes for Powell in this one at a cheap price tag. He’s averaging right around a fantasy point per minute on the season with Dante Exum, Dereck Lively, and Luka Doncic off of the court this season. I think you can do a lot worse at his price tag and makes sense as a value option.
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