Thursday, Nov. 14 has a five-game main slate on all the big daily fantasy sites. Before you lock in your NBA DFS lineups and NBA DFS picks on DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo and FantasyDraft, make sure to check out check out Awesemo’s DFS basketball NBA rankings and projections. Let’s dig into some NBA DFS Picks, including Trae Young and Spencer Dinwiddie.
Hey! Check out our Twitter account for loads of FREE giveaways.
Don’t forget to check out the NBA DFS Strategy Show with Josh Engleman and Adam “ShipMyMoney” Scherer as they break down the NBA DFS slate and give out their thoughts on the potential return of Paul George, the New Orleans injuries and more.
NBA DFS Picks: Prime Time Players
Trae Young: Atlanta Hawks at Phoenix Suns
DraftKings $9,600, FanDuel $10,100, Yahoo $45 Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 23.0%, FanDuel 23.9% Yahoo Fantasy 32.8%
Yes, Giannis Antetokounmpo grades out as the highest projected raw points scorer by 15-plus fantasy points. However, his price tag is at an apex level and this game is in Milwaukee with the Bucks heavily favored tonight. That makes the reigning MVP more of a luxury play for me. Even without Khris Middleton since the beginning of last season, Giannis is not seeing much of a bump on his fantasy points per minute rate.
Instead I will be looking towards Trae Young tonight in a fine matchup against Phoenix. Devin Booker and Ricky Rubio are not too interested in playing defense and the rim protection for the Suns is not scary. This is the third game of a five-city West Coast swing for Atlanta, but they are on an every other day schedule until wrapping up in Los Angeles on a Saturday and Sunday back-to-back.
Young has topped 60 fantasy points in five of his nine games—two of the others were a blowout on a back-to-back and the game where he sprained his ankle. Kevin Huerter, Evan Turner and Vince Carter are all listed as out for tonight.
NBA DFS Picks: Good Value
Spencer Dinwiddie: Brooklyn Nets at Denver Nuggets
DraftKings $5,700, FanDuel $5,500, Yahoo $19 Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 11.8%, FanDuel 20.0% Yahoo Fantasy 11.0%
While not the most sexy of price points, Caris LeVert is out of action with a thumb injury. It looks like Garrett Temple will remain in the starting lineup, which keeps Dinwiddie with the second unit for the bulk of his minutes. He has carved out solid usage with 17.1 points and 4.7 assists. He should also be in the closing unit if the game is close. Additionally as long as Kyrie Irving (shoulder) is in action, he should draw the defensive attention of Gary Harris.
We do not yet have enough news to know who could move into the good value bucket for New Orleans, Miami and the Clippers while we wait on information about Brandon Ingram, Goran Dragic, Paul George and Kawhi Leonard.
NBA DFS Picks: Risky Value
Kelly Oubre, Jr: Phoenix Suns vs Atlanta Hawks
DraftKings $5,500, FanDuel $5,500, Yahoo $20 Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 30.2%, FanDuel 46.0% Yahoo Fantasy 41.0%
Full disclosure, Kelly Oubre, Jr. is one of my favorite basketball players all the way back from his rookie season with the Wizards. He finally got to spread his wings last season after being traded to Phoenix. This season has been a bit disappointing from a fantasy perspective with just over 27 fantasy points per game. His traditional metrics are okay with 29.1 minutes, 15.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists and 1.7 combined blocks/steals.
Oubre missed the last 10 games of the season with injury, but in his final twelve appearances which were all starts he was stellar. During that dozen-game stretch he averaged 32.9 minutes, 20.2 points, 5.7 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 3.0 combined blocks/steals for 35.6 fantasy points.
So why is this a risk? Well, we have not yet seen Oubre hit the top 30 in fantasy points in his last six games and he is fouling at a higher rate than last year. He is looking like one of the most popular plays tonight and I do not see a high probability of him crushing my hopes and dreams if I leave him off most of my rosters.
Again, this does not mean Oubre is a bad play, it just means that he is going to be popular and has not shown out in some time. By all means, play him as long as you are aware of the above. Mix him in with some contrarian lineups and you will be fine if he crushes tonight.
FantasyCruncher NBA DFS Tip of the Day
Use promo code PRIMETIME to receive 50% off any one-month premium subscription (including FantasyCruncher options).
With the incredibly user-friendly FantasyCruncher, we can take our lineup construction to the next level.
Today’s highlighted feature is the ability to limit players with multi-position eligibility to just one position. This is accomplished by using the drop-down in the “Position” column that appears for any player that is eligible at more than one position.
Final Thoughts
Again, we still have lot of news pending from when this article was posted at 11 a.m. This is the NBA and a lot can change in the last 30 minutes leading up to lock. Be sure to tune in to the DeeperDive and especially Live Before Lock tonight on the Awesemo YouTube channel.
Thursday’s lock time is at 8 p.m. ET so do not get caught off guard.
As always, you can reach out to me in Awesemo.com Premium Slack or on Twitter @EMacDFS if you have any NBA DFS questions about DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo or FantasyDraft.
Good Luck NBA DFS Gamers! ~ EMac
If you haven’t signed up for Yahoo Fantasy DFS, click this link and use the promo code Awesemo when making your first deposit and you will be eligible for $30 of free play, which Yahoo will match through the first $30 of your deposit (this bonus will be received in Yahoo Sports Rewards Points, a.k.a. YSRP which can be used to enter any paid contest immediately).
