Monday, October 24 kicks off a new week with an eight-game main slate starting 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. Let’s dive into our NBA DFS Building Blocks.
NBA DFS Building Blocks Today: Monday, October 24
Core Play of the Day — James Harden: Philadelphia 76ers-Indiana Pacers
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 50.14 | FanDuel: 47.47
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 25.9% | FanDuel: 14.8%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $9,000 | FanDuel: $10,000
Tonight needs to be the night that Philadelphia turns things around. They lost on Opening Night in Boston, which is acceptable, as is dropping a two-point game to Milwaukee. However, losing by nine points to a tanking San Antonio team in front of their home crowd is unacceptable. The 76ers are getting a slight pass from fans with the Phillies in the World Series, the Eagles being a Super Bowl contender and the Flyers having one of the best records in the NHL. That cover is going to dissipate soon and it is time for Joel Embiid and James Harden to get down to business.
Embiid is a fine option, but there are plenty of centers in the mix tonight and far better point-per-dollar values. That leaves Harden as an intriguing choice, particularly on DraftKings, where he is carrying only a $9,000 salary. The Pacers are a dreadful team and without Myles Turner to protect the rim, they are playing at the fastest pace in the league, with 108.4 possessions per 48 minutes while allowing 114.0 points per 100 possessions.
Harden is a triple-double threat every time he takes the court and through three games he is averaging 26.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, 9.3 assists and 2.0 combined blocks and steals. Remember that tonight will be just his 37th game with the ‘Sixers and he, Embiid, Tyrese Maxey and Tobias Harris are still gelling.
Pascal Siakam: Toronto Raptors-Miami Heat
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 44.1 | FanDuel: 42.7
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 11.0% | FanDuel: 15.3%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $8,700 | FanDuel: $9,000
Pascal Siakam stands out on both DraftKings and FanDuel, where he can be employed as a power forward or center. That forward eligibility is crucial with so many compelling center matchups tonight. Through three games, Siakam is contributing across every statistical category and leading the Raptors with 27.7 points and 10.3 rebounds. He also is behind only Fred VanVleet with 7.0 assists per tilt. For those worried about this matchup against the Heat, keep in mind that Siakam dropped 50 fantasy points in Miami on Saturday in a narrow 112-109 loss. As long as he did not have too much fun in South Beach over the last 48 hours, he should be in the mix for something approaching 50 fantasy points again.
Additional NBA DFS Picks Today – Sports Wagering Opportunities
Siakam is also popping in the NBA player props market and has a 4.5 over/under assists prop. The Stokastic NBA player projections have him for 6.0 assists and a 72% chance of surpassing this milestone. There is a heavy -160 moneyline accompanying this wager, so using this as part of a regular or same-game parlay is advisable to create a higher potential payout.
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Utah Jazz-Houston Rockets
Whoa, Nelly! We have ourselves a potential track meet with a 231.5 projected point total and this game being listed as a pick’em. This is a back-to-back for Utah and their third game in four nights, with the other two matchups ending in overtime wins. Somehow against all odds, the Jazz is undefeated despite shipping out Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell for a passel of draft picks.
Lauri Markkanen is looking like the primary offensive option and The Finnisher has embraced this role. Most nights he is likely to see something approaching 20 field goal attempts while also contributing a dozen combined rebounds and assists. The salary algorithms have not yet caught up to this new level of production and we should not be shy about rolling with Markkanen in a majority of lineups tonight.
Kelly Olynyk and Jordan Clarkson thrive on bad teams and they are both decent options, though Olynyk is the “safer” play as he at least can provide rebounds and assists in addition to his scoring outbursts. Mike Conley is likely to sit out on this back-to-back which means Collin Sexton and Malik Beasley should get more runs. Jarred Vanderbilt is a trap, as he rarely takes more than a handful of shots most games and Walker Kessler is penalized since he is only center eligible.
Houston is without Bruno Fernando, though they are still bringing Alperen Sengun off the bench and it seems like he is going to be looking at a soft cap of 24-to-26 minutes. Last year down the stretch, he was a starter and seeing minutes in the low-30s, and if he gets that type of workload he will be a threat for 50 fantasy points in this matchup.
Kevin Porter Jr., Jabari Smith and Jalen Green are fun to watch and fun to roster for fantasy purposes. However, they have a lot of developing to do before they are going to be more than stat-stuffers on a tanking team. Eric Gordon will be celebrating his 34th birthday on Christmas and his best fantasy days are well behind him. KJ Martin Jr., Usman Garuba and Tari Eason are dart throws in a game stack, though there are better one-off options.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks Today
The NBA will be a pleasant alternative to the debacle that is masquerading as Monday Night Football. Tomorrow will be even bigger contests and prize pools with The Association taking center stage. NBA DFS is back, baby! 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, including projections and tools for every sport.
