NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: 10/25
Stephen Curry is a Core Play on Tuesday’s four-game DFS slate averaging 33.3 ppg over his first three games.
That Monday slate was my best of the season. We talked about stacking the Spurs throughout yesterday’s article, which ended up being the optimal strategy on that slate. It’s tough for these DFS sites to react to such massive upticks in terms of minutes and usage, but it’s on us to capitalize on those mistakes. They’ve definitely been off on San Antonio so far, but we know they’ll react as swiftly as us!
Core Plays
Stephen Curry (PG – GSW): $9,900 DraftKings, $10,400 FanDuel
Curry took down Finals MVP with his ridiculous shooting to grab Golden State another crown in 2021, and he appears to be on another one of his heaters. The sharpshooter has scored at least 47 DraftKings points in all three games. He’s being asked to do a ton with Klay Thompson and Draymond Green having their minutes capped, and it makes the best shooter of all time even more dangerous. In his most recent matchup with Phoenix on Christmas Day, Curry collected 57 DK points!
C.J. McCollum (PG/SG – NOP): $8,000 DraftKings, $8,300 FanDuel
McCollum is being asked to play point guard for the Pels, averaging 43.2 DK points per game this season. That’s the stud we saw after the Portland trade last year, and it’s scary to think what his usage will look like here with Ingram and Zion both nicked up. He had 55 fantasy points in that role on Sunday, and we certainly don’t mind that he had 54 fantasy points in his most recent matchup with the Mavs.
Cash Game Considerations
Luka Doncic (PG – DAL): $11,100 DraftKings, $11,200 FanDuel
Luka leads all players with 61 DraftKings points per game. We’ve seen this MVP candidate play at that level for a few years now, and he’s simply one of the best stat-stuffers in the sport. He showed that in his most recent matchup with the Pelicans, providing 49 points, 15 rebounds, and eight assists in one of the best performances of his career. Just take the guaranteed 50-60 DK points and figure things out from there.
Reggie Jackson (PG – LAC): $5,700 DraftKings, $4,500 FanDuel
Calling Jackson a cash game option sounds insane but bear with me. LA is expected to be without George and Morris, leaving Jackson with all of the ball-handling duties he can handle. Kawhi is also being capped off at 25 minutes, and we could be looking at 35 minutes and 15-20 shots out of R-Jax. This dude has proven to be an $8K player in that sort of role, making him one of the safest plays on the board at these dirt-cheap price tags.
GPP Targets
Trey Murphy (PF – NOP): $4,800 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel
It’s sad that Ingram and Zion are both nicked up in New Orleans, but it should allow Murphy to feast. The youngster played 40 minutes in the first game without those two, dropping 29 DK points. He actually had 33 fantasy points across 24 minutes in the opener, and those two totals would be incredible from a $5K player. The Pels can’t keep this guy off the floor with so many injuries at the wing, and he should benefit since McCollum will swallow up Dorian Finney-Smith on the offensive end.
Tre Mann (PG/SG – OKC): $5,500 DraftKings, $4,800 FanDuel
The Thunder are in tank mode once again, ruling out Giddey and SGA for this matchup. That should leave Mann as the starting point guard, averaging nearly 30 fantasy points per game when Gilgeous-Alexander was out last season. Much like R-Jax, Mann will be looking at 15-20 shots and 35 minutes, making him way too cheap in this $5,000 price range.
Value Plays
Isaiah Stewart (PF/C – DET): $5,300 DraftKings, $6,000 FanDuel
Beef Stew has gotten off to a rough start since Detroit drafted him, but it looks like the big man is starting to find his groove. Stewart has scored at least 26 fantasy points in all three games, en route to a 31-point average. That’s all you can hope for from a player in this price range, and we’re really encouraged that he’s playing nearly 30 minutes a night as well. Getting to face Washington is wonderful, too, with the Wizards ranked 27th in total defense last year.
Monte Morris (PG/SG – WAS): $5,000 DraftKings, $4,900 FanDuel
Morris was not the biggest name in the Washington-Denver trade, but he’s quietly one of the most reliable players in the sport. He’s starting at point guard for the Wiz, averaging 26 fantasy points per game. He’s done that without much raw scoring, and we expect him to get better as he develops with the rest of this offense. The matchup is the best part, though, with the Pistons surrendering the most fantasy points to opposing point guards this year.
Advantageous Pricing
- Reggie Jackson (PG – LAC): $5,700 DraftKings, $4,500 FanDuel
- Trey Murphy (PF – NOP): $4,800 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel
- Kawhi Leonard (SF/PF – LAC): $8,300 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel
- Andrew Wiggins (SF – GSW): $7,100 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel
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Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
