Friday, Nov. 26, kicks off the holiday weekend with an 11-game slate. Let’s look at the player pool and discuss the top NBA DFS picks for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups. Do not forget to head over to the Awesemo NBA DFS home page for more great written daily fantasy basketball content.
NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks, Friday, Nov. 26
Yahoo Play of the Day — Ja Morant: Memphis Grizzlies vs. Atlanta Hawks
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 46.39 | DraftKings: 48.19
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 21.6% | FanDuel 23.3% | DraftKings 4.1%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $43 | FanDuel $9,300 | DraftKings $10,700
Tonight Memphis is hosting Atlanta in what is essentially a pick-’em game with a 226-point total. These teams are in the middle of the pack when it comes to pace, but both eschew defense and are in the bottom four teams from an efficiency perspective this season. Ja Morant has taken another step forward in his third year, and he has 40-plus Yahoo points in eight of his last nine games. In this stretch he is averaging 33.4 minutes per game and 20 field goal attempts. This has culminated in 25.4 points, 6.1 rebounds, 7.1 assists and 1.9 combined blocks/steals.
Anthony Edwards: Minnesota Timberwolves at Charlotte Hornets
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 38.09 | DraftKings: 39.65
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 16.0% | FanDuel 18.0% | DraftKings 26.7%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $33 | FanDuel $7,900 | DraftKings $7,500
There is going to be a lot of attention on the Timberwolves today given their dream matchup against the Hornets as well as the absence of Patrick Beverley freeing up minutes for other backcourt options. This game is in Charlotte, and the Hornets are favored by a bucket in a game with the second-highest point total of the night. Although Edwards has been somewhat uneven in his performances, there is no denying that he has raised his fantasy ceiling and his baseline expectations in his second season. In his last nine games he has two 60-fantasy-point outings, though he also has two with 25 fantasy points or less. In 13 games this month he is averaging 36.2 minutes and 18.9 field goal attempts. This has resulted averages of 22.8 points, six rebounds, 3.5 assists and 2.6 combined blocks and steals.
Wendell Carter Jr.: Orlando Magic vs. Chicago Bulls
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 30.46 | DraftKings: 31.52
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 30.8% | FanDuel 42.6% | DraftKings 27.8%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $21 | FanDuel $5,500 | DraftKings $5,600
During the long NBA season, everyone likes to find a good narrative that could spur a player into an above-average performance. Tonight Wendell Carter Jr. is hosting his former team while also getting to go against Nikola Vucevic, the player who replaced him in Chicago after last year’s trade. Now, keep in mind that even if this were not the case, Carter would still be in an excellent situation at a favorable salary across the DFS sites. This season he is averaging 1.06 Yahoo points per minute, and the Magic will need his size against the Bulls frontcourt. It is also helpful that he qualifies as a power forward on most sites since centers are plentiful tonight. On a fun note, in his first game in Chicago after the trade he had 19 points, 12 rebounds, four assists and three combined blocks and steals on his way to 47.4 fantasy points in 31 minutes.
Fellow Awesemo NBA DFS expert Zach Brunner uses the Awesemo premium tools and data to find some of the best value plays on the slate. Carter was popping as one of the top overall-graded players tonight, which he goes in-depth on in his NBA DFS Picks, Grades & Values article today.
Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball Discount Dandies
Malik Beasley: Minnesota Timberwolves at Charlotte Hornets
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 21.19 | DraftKings: 22.21
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 37.8% | FanDuel 30.3% | DraftKings 30.1%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $10 | FanDuel $4,200 | DraftKings $3,900
Patrick Beverley is out with a groin injury, and Josh Okogie has not played in five games. That means that Malik Beasley will likely be receiving a spot start tonight in Charlotte. The Hornets play fast and are not particularly concerned with defense, making this an excellent fantasy environment.
In 55 games Since the beginning of last season, including 36 starts (all last year), Beasley is averaging 0.86 Yahoo points per minute. This year that has dropped somewhat to a 0.72 rate, but D’Angelo Russell and Karl-Anthony Towns have been healthy, and Anthony Edwards is asserting himself more in the offense. That can all be set aside since Beasley is at a rock-bottom salary, though because of his popularity tonight, gamers will need to find lineup differentiation elsewhere.
Even if he does not draw the start, Beasley should be in the mix for 25 Yahoo points, and against Miami in his last appearance he dropped 38.6 in 37 minutes after replacing the injured Beverley in the first quarter. There is a good chance Minnesota will continue to bring Beasley off the bench and his first rotation will be replacing Russell, but he should still have plentiful minutes in the remainder of the game.
Teammate Jarred Vanderbilt ($13) continues to be overlooked by the Yahoo salary algorithm, and while he has attempted more than four field goals just once in the last four games, he has four straight double-digit-rebound efforts and is averaging a combined 3.2 blocks and steals in this stretch, resulting in four straight games of 29-plus Yahoo points.
Denver Nuggets vs. Milwaukee Bucks
If Nikola Jokic (wrist) is out for a fourth straight game, there will be ample opportunity for Will Barton, Aaron Gordon and Monte Morris to see plenty of offensive opportunities. If Jokic returns, keep in mind that Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray are still out, and it is unlikely that Bones Hyland and P.J. Dozier will play. That means more minutes in the backcourt for Facundo Campazzo and Austin Rivers. Jeff Green and JaMychal Green are also in play, though they are best utilized on the late slate with the smaller player pool.
Boston Celtics at San Antonio Spurs
Robert Williams is out, Josh Richardson is doubtful, and Jaylen Brown has played 22.8 and 24 minutes since returning from a three-week layoff due to a hamstring injury. If Brown continues to be eased back as expected, Jayson Tatum will be carrying the load in a winnable road game for the Celtics. Marcus Smart and Dennis Schroder are also viable options if Richardson is out, as they should get more usage. Al Horford had his first game under 30 fantasy points after reaching that milestone in five straight. He gets a boost with Williams out and comes with an appropriate salary across the DFS sites on Friday.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS picks for the Friday, Nov. 26 Slate
Tonight there are 22 teams in action, and coming off a holiday some players could get the night off with “flu-like symptoms.” Half of the teams also play on Saturday, so monitor the status of players who do not always see both ends of back-to-backs. Keep in mind that salaries and scoring formats differ across the various fantasy sites, and a slam-dunk play on Yahoo may be a below-average NBA DFS pick on DraftKings or FanDuel.
