High-Upside NBA DFS Picks: Stephen Curry the Most Efficient He's Been

After the league took a break for Thanksgiving yesterday, there are 13 games on the schedule tonight. Even with a day off, monitoring the news will be critical for tonight’s large slate. Make sure to follow Stokastic’s starting lineups page to see who is in and out of the lineup tonight. This article features three boom candidates and one bust/fade option, driven by Stokastic’s NBA DFS Boom/Bust Tool. Let’s look at some of the best NBA DFS picks for the big slate, starting with Warriors sharpshooter Stephen Curry.

BIGGEST DISCOUNT EVER!

Get Your First Week of Stokastic+ Platinum for JUST $5 with Promo Code 'THANKS'

Boom/Bust NBA DFS Picks & Projections Today

NBA DFS Boom: Stephen Curry: $10,600 DraftKings/$10,400 FanDuel

40.1% DraftKings Boom/36.4% FanDuel Boom

The Warriors have a chance to get back to a .500 record for the first time since very early this season. One of the main reasons the Warriors are even 9-10 is the outstanding play of Stephen Curry. He ranks second in the league in points with 31.6 per game, and he is shooting a career-best 52.4% from the field and making a league-high 5.2 3-pointers per game. Curry ranks in the top 3 on both DraftKings and FanDuel in boom percentage for this 13-game slate. In Stokastic’s NBA DFS projections, Curry has the highest value among the top-priced options, making him easily the best pay-up player on the slate.

This matchup against the Jazz is tied for the highest total on the slate at 237.5 points, and the Warriors are 7-point home favorites. Getting the best player on one of the highest-scoring teams of the night is always a great decision. Even though the Jazz have a 12-8 record, their defensive rating has dipped to 21st in the league and they are allowing 115.1 points per game. The Warriors rank second in pace, but their problem has been slowing teams down defensively. If this game is competitive and high scoring like it is projected to be, getting exposure to Curry will become a necessity tonight.

Latest NBA DFS Content

NBA DFS Boom: Jusuf Nurkic: $6,800 DraftKings/$6,100 FanDuel

29.0% DraftKings Boom/39.4% FanDuel Boom

Jusuf Nurkic is leading the slate with the highest boom percentage on FanDuel. He ranks third in value in Stokastic’s NBA DFS projections on FanDuel, which is quite high for a player priced in the mid-range on this large of a slate. After a super-hot start, the Trail Blazers have cooled off recently, losing four straight games without their All-Star point guard Damian Lillard. Despite the team’s struggles, Nurkic is averaging 18.3 points per game while shooting 60.4% from the field. He is one of the main focal points of the Trail Blazers offense with Lillard being out.

In six games without Lillard this season, Nurkic’s usage rate has climbed from 19.9% to 25.2% and he is averaging 7 more points per game. The Trail Blazers are 5-point road underdogs playing against the Knicks tonight, and this total is average for this slate (222.5 points). The Knicks do rank in the top 10 in points allowed in the paint this season, but they are also a below-average rebounding team. At this salary, a double-double from Nurkic can easily provide value on this slate. As long as Nurkic can stay out of foul trouble, he will get plenty of opportunity against the smaller Knicks frontcourt.

NBA DFS Boom: Jose Alvarado: $3,800 DraftKings/$4,700 FanDuel

55.1% DraftKings Boom/37.6% FanDuel Boom

Backup point guard Jose Alvarado is the best value on the entire slate. With C.J. McCollum out due to the COVID protocols, Alvarado will be thrust into the starting lineup as the main facilitator in this Pelicans offense. Trey Murphy is also questionable, which may open up more minutes at the guard position tonight. Alvarado has the highest boom percentage on DraftKings and the second highest on FanDuel at his very cheap salary on both sites. In Stokastic’s first ownership run this morning, Alvarado is coming in at 45.5% on DraftKings and 38.8% on FanDuel. He is impossible to get away from on this slate.

Even with the McCollum out, the Pelicans are only 2-point road underdogs against the Grizzlies. A big reason is Desmond Bane being out due to an ankle injury, and it will be an electric Ja Morant – Alvarado point guard matchup. The Pelicans rank sixth in offensive rating and are averaging 117.6 points per game, third most in the league. Alvarado has scored double-digit points in five of his last six games, and he is averaging a career high in every major statistic this season. He fills up the stat sheet in a variety of ways and has the highest value in Stokastic’s NBA DFS projections for both sites tonight.

NBA DFS Bust: Anthony Davis: $10,900 DraftKings/$11,800 FanDuel

45.0% DraftKings Bust/56.2% FanDuel Bust

After another mini break, LeBron James is still listed as questionable with an ankle injury. He has not played the last five games, and it has been the Anthony Davis show. Make sure to monitor the status of James closer to lock, as him playing will make Davis an even worse play tonight. With a rising salary on both DraftKings and FanDuel, Davis has by far the worst value in Stokastic’s projections among all of the elite options. Despite playing through lower back tightness, Davis has been crushing lately. However, it is only a matter of time until James comes back, and tonight could be that night.

Even with Davis’ recent heroics, the Lakers are still 5-11, the second-worst record in the Western Conference. They are 5-point road favorites against the Spurs tonight and have an implied total of 116.75 points. If James is unable to play, Davis could still not reach value given such a high salary on both sites. In Stokastic’s NBA DFS rankings, Davis has an A Grade and a C Value on both DraftKings and FanDuel. With James in, Davis looks way overpriced. Even if James is out, there is risk in going to Davis tonight.

Thanks for reading to the end of this article! If you appreciate this free content and want to see more of it every day, you can help us out by sharing this article on social media!