Friday, October 28 wraps up the work week with an enticing 11-game slate locking 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 and FanDuel 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. Let’s dive into our NBA DFS Building Blocks.
NBA DFS Building Blocks Today: Friday, October 28
Core Play of the Day — Giannis Antetokounmpo: Milwaukee Bucks-New York Knicks
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 61.82 | FanDuel: 59.8
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 7.9% | FanDuel: 21.3%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $12,100 | FanDuel: $11,800
Why yes, this recommendation is for the player with the highest salary on Friday. Fortunately, with 22 teams in action, we have an abundance of mid-tier point-per-dollar options as well as the typical handful of discount dandies. Plus, at the time of this article being posted, there is still plenty of time until lock for additional news to come out of nowhere.
Giannis Antetokounmpo currently leads the Bucks with 36.0 points and 13.0 rebounds, while his 5.7 assists are just behind Jrue Holiday. Oh and the two-time NBA MVP also is averaging 2.7 combined blocks and steals. The Knickerbockers are far from a defensive stalwart with their 104.5 points allowed per 100 possessions and they are playing at the 11th fastest pace with 102.4 possessions per 48 minutes. Clearly, Antetokounmpo is essentially matchup-proof, but with Khris Middleton still sidelined with an injury, he is playing 37.7 minutes per game with a 37.2% usage rate, which is behind only Luka Doncic.
LeBron James: Los Angeles Lakers-Minnesota Timberwolves
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 50.18 | FanDuel: 48.77
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 21.8% | FanDuel: 27.5%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $10,200 | FanDuel: $10,600
This season has gotten off to a dreadful start for the Lakers, who are still in search of their first win. In a wild marketing twist, PointsBet Sportsbook decided to pay out anyone who had bet the under on Los Angeles failing to surpass 42.5 wins. If that doesn’t motivate LeBron James and Anthony Davis, what actually will?
Davis is questionable with lower back soreness but is expected to play. Russell Westbrook is sidelined with a sore hamstring, though it is probably best for the Lakers if he continues to sit. In his last two games, he is 4-for-26 (15.4%) from the field. James is dealing with a sore foot, but at this stage of his career, we know he is going to have various minor ailments throughout the season. This is probably as healthy and fresh as he will be for the rest of the year and it is time for him to help drag his team out of their current malaise.
Additional NBA DFS Picks Today – Sports Wagering Opportunities
Grayson Allen is an interesting option in the player props market with a 1.5 over/under assist prop. The Stokastic NBA player projections have him for 2.6 assists, which gives him a 72% likelihood of surpassing this milestone. Last year, he averaged 2.0 assists per 36 minutes and with Middleton on the shelf, he has seen a bump in his playing time. In his three outings, he has 4, 2 and 4 assists. This wager does have “heavy juice” at -180, so it is best utilized in a parlay or same-game parlay, particularly if you have a promotional booster to add on top as well.
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New Orleans Pelicans-Phoenix Suns
Brandon Ingram (concussion) is likely to be out for the next week, but the list of injuries does not end there. Zion Williamson (back/hip) did not play on Tuesday and he is questionable for tonight. It has been five full days since he has played, so hopefully, he is back in the mix tonight.
CJ McCollum (finger) is questionable with a sprained middle finger on his right hand. Jose Alvarado (back spasms) would be the next man up, followed by Dyson Daniels (ankle) but they too are questionable. Finally, Herbert Jones (sprained knee) missed Tuesday’s game and was limited in practice yesterday.
Parsing through all of this, it would make a lot of sense to backload some rosters tonight in order to capitalize on news that likely will not come out prior to the main slate lock. Jonas Valanciunas and Trey Murphy III are locked into solid minutes in any circumstance. If Williamson is out, then Larry Nance Jr. and Naji Marshall would see a boost in their projections. Finally, when it comes down to the backcourt, we are going to want whoever is starting, so that is where leaving multiple roster slots available is the savvy move.
Everyone other than Jae Crowder (trade request) is available for Phoenix. Considering the Suns are favored by just half a dozen points, it makes sense that at least one, if not both of McCollum and Williamson are likely to play tonight. The longer the Pelicans can keep this game somewhat close, the better the chances the core rotation of Phoenix will produce fantasy points.
Devin Booker, Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton and Cameron Johnson are the core four to target in this matchup. Booker is fifth in the league with 32.5 points per game, Paul is first with 10.3 assists and Ayton is a double-double threat every time he steps on the court. This trio rates out as solid options on both DraftKings and FanDuel, while Johnson is one of the better forward options on FanDuel at just $4,300 tonight.
Houston Rockets-Portland Trail Blazers
Kevin Porter Jr. is dealing with a bruised quad and Alperen Sengun is a game-time decision with an illness. If they are active tonight, both players are fine options as the Houston highwire act travels to the Pacific Northwest. Jabari Smith and Jalen Green continue to be stellar plays and they should rack up the fantasy goodness in this matchup tonight. In the absence of anyone being ruled out, it is hard to recommend anyone else other than KJ Martin Jr. as a late-slate-only option.
Damian Lillard (calf) is suffering from a lower right leg injury and will be out for at least a week. Portland does not play again until Wednesday and with this being a cakewalk matchup, why take any risks this early in the season? Anfernee Simons will be running the show and will have a chance to build on the success he found last year in a similar role. Jusuf Nurkic is going to be needed to clog the paint and also contribute on offense. He should be able to flirt with a 20-10 game and 40 fantasy points, as Houston is just not equipped to slow him down.
Josh Hart, Jerami Grant and Justise Winslow will also benefit from extra opportunities as the Blazers look to fill the void left by Lillard. Deeper down the bench, Shaedon Sharpe, Keon Johnson and Nassir Little are each likely to see a boost in playing time, though it is going to be hard to pinpoint exactly which would be the preferred target as this could easily be a hot hand situation determined by the whims of coach Chauncey Billups.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks Today
There is likely to be a lot of news for the West Coast nightcap double feature, so be smart about preparing contingency plans to take advantage of any scenario. One way to get a leg up on the competition is to make sure to enable push notifications from the Stokastic NBA Twitter account. Of course, subscribers should be keeping tabs on the Discord channel, where immediate analysis of any news will be available.
