Friday, October 21 rounds out the work week with a robust 11-game main slate on tipping off at 7:00 p.m. ET on DraftKings and FanDuel. Let’s look at the player pool and discuss the top NBA DFS picks today for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups. As always, you can head over to the Stokastic NBA DFS & Fantasy Basketball home page for all the fantasy basketball content you need for any given slate.
NBA DFS Picks Today: Friday, October 21
Core Play of the Day — Ja Morant: Memphis Grizzlies at Houston Rockets
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 49.52 | FanDuel: 48.06
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 7.9% | FanDuel: 29.7%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $10,100 | FanDuel: $9,400
Memphis is on the road in Houston and currently listed as 5.5 point favorites in a game with a 231.5 projected point total. The Rockets are an improved team compared to last season and they are not even close to being in tank-mode yet. On Wednesday they gave the Hawks all they could handle in Atlanta and were trailing by only four points heading into the fourth quarter.
Ja Morant was the Rookie of the Year in 2019 and last season he won the Most Improved Player award on the strength of 27.4 points per game with a career high 49.3% field goal rate which is outstanding for a guard. Though he typically will hover around half a dozen assists most games, he makes up for that by being an above average rebounder for his position. Tonight Morant has an 11% discount on DraftKings compared to Nikola Jokic and a 20% discount on FanDuel. Friday has a 22-team player pool, so there are plenty of deals at the center position, but precious few at point guard that also could provide 50 or more fantasy points.
Dillon Brooks (thigh) is expected to miss another game, which means that Desmond Bane should continue to see additional scoring options as well as enhancing his ability to rebound at an above average rate. From Houston, Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green are tournament options as well as candidates for a mini-game stack.
DeMar DeRozan: Chicago Bulls at Washington Wizards
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 47.52 | FanDuel: 45.92
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 17.7% | FanDuel: 14.1%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $8,700 | FanDuel: $9,600
Zach LaVine has already been ruled out with knee soreness and even with an increasing salary, DeMar DeRozan is a very appealing play against the Wizards. Washington gets the slight nod as one point home favorites, which should help keep this game close. DeRozan is no spring chicken having turned 33-years old in August, but he is coming off a career best season in his Chicago debut and he should easily see 20 field goal attempts in this matchup. While DeRozan still avoids taking shots beyond the arc, he is an above average rebounder and passers who also chips in with the occasional steal. Most importantly, his multi-position eligibility allow us to knock out the pesky small forward slot on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Anything less than 50 fantasy points tonight will be a disappointment.
Additional NBA DFS Picks Today – Opportunities
DeMar DeRozan is popping in the NBA player props market and currently he has a 4.5 over/under on his assist prop. The Stokastic NBA player projections have him for 6.3, which gives him a 75% probability of surpassing this over. There is significant “juice” at -160 on this wager, however, working this into a parlay or even better, a same game parlay can provide additional upside in payouts by adding additional legs.
New Orleans Pelicans at Charlotte Hornets
Tonight the Hornets are hosting the Pelicans in Queen City and this matchup has an impressive 230.5 point total with New Orleans installed as 6.5 point road favorites. On Tuesday, Charlotte rolled up an impressive 129-102 victory against a depleted Spurs squad in San Antonio. Cody Martin (quad), left the game after just one minute and he is listed as doubtful tonight. LaMelo Ball is still out and of course Miles Bridges is unlikely to play this season.
Terry Rozier is an excellent option as he will need to facilitate as well as score for the Hornets with Dennis Smith Jr. as the main backup point guard. Rozier should be in the mix for 40 fantasy points in good matchups and his salary does not reflect his growing responsibilities. Kelly Oubre Jr. and Gordon Hayward are also solid options, though mistakes and injury risk respectively, will likely cap this duo to something just under 30 minutes most games.
Miles Plumlee, PJ Washington and rookie Nick Richardson will be the main frontcourt options. Coach Steve Clifford will need all of them as a healthy front line for the Pelicans is going to create a lot of fouls for opposing teams.
Starting off with the BIGs for New Orleans, Zion Williamson looked impressive in the opener with 25 points, nine rebounds, three assists and a whopping four steals, nearly reaching the 50-fantasy point plateau. While he is accompanied by a lofty salary, it is still at a discount to the mega-studs on tonight’s slate. Jonas Valanciunas should easily roll up a double-double and flirt with 40 fantasy points in this matchup.
Brandon Ingram and C.J. McCollum round out the core four from New Orleans. Similar to their teammates, both players should score 40 fantasy points more often than not and if the Hornets can keep things within reach until the final frame, there is plenty of fantasy upside available.
In summary for this game, Oubre is looking like an incredibly popular option for his reasonable salary on both DraftKings ($5,600) and FanDuel ($5,100). Zion of course is the sexy option, but does slightly falter on a full 11-game slate, from a median projection – but that in turn comes with limited popularity. Rozier is a core option on both sites and the rest of the key players from both teams can be sprinkled in as differentiation plays. There is no need to roster more than two or three players from this game on any one tournament entry.
San Antonio Spurs at Indiana Pacers
Once again the Spurs are underpriced on DraftKings and to a lesser extent on FanDuel. Myles Turner is out for the Pacers which means that Jakob Poeltl should be able to rebound at will against an undersized Indiana frontcourt. Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Tre Jones should continue to be on the radar until the salary algorithms catch up with their increased responsibilities.
This quartet saw very little court time on Wednesday with the game being all but over after the second quarter with the Spurs trailing by 21 points at the half. The Pacers are favored by a bucket, so this game has a stronger chance of being competitive into the fourth quarter and though the Spurs are in a complete teardown mode, their starters can still get in full run and “lose a close one” as they gain valuable experience.
Tyrese Haliburton is a fantasy demon and someone who will get lost in the shuffle on a large slate, particularly on DraftKings. While he likely will be one of the 10 or 15 most popular options tonight, the relative field exposure pretty flat with so many teams in action. Buddy Hield, Jalen Smith and Isaiah Jaackson are all above average plays on FanDuel tonight. Terry Taylor is a marginal option on DraftKings if he draws another start, though we need to keep an eye out as Goga Bitadze would be a far better option at $3,200 if he starts, though it is still tough using a center slot on DraftKings with so many excellent point per dollar options.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks Today
The world is our oyster with plenty of decision points across all salary ranges and positions. This makes for a raucous tournament environment and all sorts of lineup structures are in play. Be sure to check out the Stokastic NBA Boom/Bust tool which is a must for tournament players. Clicking on this link will allow you to get 10 days of all-access Stokastic+ for just $10 dollars – this includes projections and tools for every sport.
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