The first weekend of the Association and we finally have a medium-sized main slate of eight games. Pricing is starting to work itself out on both DraftKings and FanDuel so building lineups will get a little tougher moving forward. This article features three boom candidates and one bust/fade option as we narrow down the options. These plays below are driven by Stokastic’s NBA DFS Boom/Bust Tool. Let’s take a look at some of our best NBA DFS Picks for the main slate prioritizing Giannis Antetokounmpo.
Boom/Bust NBA DFS Picks & Projections Today
NBA DFS Today Boom: Giannis Antetokounmpo: $11,000 DraftKings/$11,500 FanDuel
72.1% DraftKings Boom/52.6% FanDuel Boom
Towering above everyone else when it comes to the highest boom percentage on both DraftKings and FanDuel is once again Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo. In the Bucks first game, Giannis finished with a near triple-double going for 21 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists while even tallying one steal and three blocks. Giannis is the most expensive player on the slate, but that isn’t steering anyone away. He is projected for the highest ownership on both sites in a fantastic matchup against the Houston Rockets. The Greek Freak should feast in this spot.
Last season the Rockets had the worst defensive rating and the second-highest pace in the league. Trends are pointing in the same direction for them this season as they have already allowed 123 points per game through the first two games. Khris Middleton and Pat Connaughton remain out for the Bucks who are 13-point home favorites implied for a slate-high 122 points. The crazy part about Giannis’ near triple-double last game is he had only a 25% usage rate. Expect that number to climb rapidly and even in a projected blowout, it is very difficult to fade the best fantasy player in the league tonight.
NBA DFS Today Boom: Saddiq Bey: $5,500 DraftKings/$5,100 FanDuel
40.6% DraftKings Boom/35.7% FanDuel Boom
With locking in the most expensive player on the slate, we need to find some value so our next two boom options are two value players priced in the low mid-range on both DraftKings and FanDuel. The first is Pistons forward Saddiq Bey who is notoriously known for his boom or bust style of play. That is holding true to form already this season as Bey posted his first game with eight points on five field goal attempts and last game with 26 points and 15 field goal attempts. Not knowing which Bey will show up is what makes him a great boom candidate and keeps his salary in check.
Despite playing on the road, the Pistons are one-point favorites as this game total is the second-highest on the slate at 229.5 points. So far this season, the Pacers rank fourth in pace as they have played much faster ever since they traded away Domantas Sabonis for Tyrese Haliburton and Buddy Hield. Would not expect a lot of defense to be played in this matchup with so much young talent flying up and down the floor. In our Stokastic projections, Bey is one of the better value options on both sites and helps us afford Giannis, which is always a major positive.
NBA DFS Today Boom: Alperen Sengun: $5,400 DraftKings/$5,000 FanDuel
37.2% DraftKings Boom/35.5% FanDuel Boom
Priced nearly identical to Bey is Rockets center Alperen Sengun. It was a bit shocking to see Sengun not in the starting lineup to start the season, but instead the Rockets went with Bruno Fernando. However, Fernando had to leave their game last night with a sore knee so it is tough to expect him to give it a go in this spot tonight. With that being said, Sengun is back in the Rockets starting lineup and makes for one of the best values on the slate. Sengun is second to Giannis in projected ownership for both DraftKings and FanDuel as they are playing in the same game.
The Rockets may be 0-2, but they are going to make for a great fantasy environment all season long playing fast-paced with an extreme lack of defense. Even with only playing 24.5 minutes, Sengun is averaging a double-double through two games with 19 points and 10.5 rebounds per game. Expect to see his minutes rise tonight if the Rockets are able to keep this game competitive. Regardless, Sengun is averaging a ridiculous 1.44 DraftKings points per minute this season and is another fantastic value option. This Rockets and Bucks game will be popular, but it is tough not to stack it up.
NBA DFS Today Bust: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: $9,500 DraftKings/$9,600 FanDuel
50.0% DraftKings Bust/52.3% FanDuel Bust
Thunder guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is today’s NBA bust for the main slate. After a competitive first game against the Timberwolves, the Thunder travel on the road yet again to Denver to take on the Nuggets as 8.5-point underdogs. The Thunder are implied for only 109.25 points as they will likely be one of the worst teams all season long. Playing the Nuggets will be a little bit different than the Timberwolves. Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder will try to speed up the tempo in this game, but the Nuggets with Nikola Jokic will feast all night in the paint.
Gilgeous-Alexander is priced appropriately based on his last game against the Timberwolves where he put up 32 points, six rebounds, five assists, three steals, and two blocks. However, in this matchup he has the highest bust percentage among the expensive players. Not only that, but in our NBA DFS Rankings, Gilgeous-Alexander may have an A grade, but he also has a C value on FanDuel and a D value on DraftKings. Expect the Nuggets to roll in their home opener as they will likely welcome Jamal Murray back from injury. Tough to see the Thunder keeping this game close and even if they do Gilgeous-Alexander can still bust.
