Saturday, Nov. 13 brings us a six-game main slate stretching from 7:00 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. ET. 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, Saturday, Nov. 13
Yahoo Play of the Day — Spencer Dinwiddie: Washington Wizards at Orlando Magic
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 29.38 | DraftKings: 31.91
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 44.2% | FanDuel 41.7% | DraftKings 32.2%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $22 | FanDuel $6,200 | DraftKings $6,500
Bradley Beal (bereavement) is away from the team tonight. That means we will see Spencer Dinwiddie and Kyle Kuzma ($22) as the first two options to fill the fantasy void left behind. This season in 123 minutes without Beal, Dinwiddie is averaging 1.26 Yahoo Fantasy points per minute while Kuzma is at 1.20 in 58 minutes. This is a significant increase for both awe they are in the 0.85-0.90 range when sharing the court with the face of the Washington franchise. Orlando plays at a middle of the pack pace like the Wizards, however, they are in the bottom five allowing 107.9 points per 100 possessions.
Montrezl Harrell ($29) is an intriguing option off the bench as he too will see an increase in offensive opportunities. Aaron Holiday ($10) will be starting in place of Beal, though he is not particularly exciting on Yahoo with teammates Deni Avdija and Raul Neto also at the minimum salary.
Ja Morant New Orleans Pelicans vs. Memphis Grizzlies
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 44.53 | DraftKings: 46.7
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 16.8% | FanDuel 14.3% | DraftKings 9.5%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $40 | FanDuel $9,800 | DraftKings $10,200
Keep in mind that this is a back-to-back as well as the third game in four nights and fourth game in six days for Ja Morant, however, he did only play 31 minutes last night. In his last three games he has 50+ Yahoo Fantasy points and tonight he gets a matchup against the Pelicans who have the worst defense in the league allowing 112.5 points per 100 possessions. Morant clearly has taken things up a notch and we are still getting about a 15% discount on his Yahoo salary as compared to the other DFS sites.
Fred VanVleet: Toronto Raptors vs. Detroit Pistons
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 38.23 | DraftKings: 38.66
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 15.4% | FanDuel 16.2% | DraftKings 9.1%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $34 | FanDuel $8,500 | DraftKings $8,700
Tonight is a good matchup for Fred VanVleet as the Pistons are a marginal defensive squad who is coming off a 98-78 shellacking at the hands of Cleveland last night. The return of Pascal Siakam actually does not dramatically impact VanVleet who has similar fantasy production with or without him on the court including last season’s games. It actually will give defenses someone else to worry about and also provides someone capable of consistent scoring which should boost VanVleet’s assist rate. The key thing to remember is that Kyle Lowry is no longer with Toronto and that is really helping create the extra opportunities for the former Wichita State Shocker. Update: VanVleet is a game time decision with a sore groin, if he is out Malachi Flynn ($10) will likely draw the start and become another value option.
Paul George: Los Angeles Clippers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 46.77 | DraftKings: 49.18
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 15.8% | FanDuel 35.6% | DraftKings 24.3%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $49 | FanDuel $10,000 | DraftKings $10,600
Once again Paul George is going to be a player for us to target and while he has not reached 50+ Yahoo Fantasy points in five games, that level of production is very much in play tonight. Currently, George is leading the team in points, rebounds, assists and steals with this production allowing him to score 45+ Yahoo Fantasy points in all but two games this season. Minnesota crushed the Lakers last night, but they are not going to find an easy path to victory against one of the best defenses in the league. After starting the season by losing four of their first five games, Los Angeles has now won six in a row behind George who has lead the team in points and assists in each game during this stretch.
Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball Discount Dandies
Minnesota Timberwolves at Los Angeles Clippers
Most of the value options are on the Wizards tonight, though there are a couple in the final game. Last night Jarred Vanderbilt rejoined the starting lineup for the first time in four games and he helped Minnesota halt a six-game losing streak. It is likely that coach Chris Finch keeps him in this role again tonight. While he is still likely capped out at 20-22 minutes, being in the starting lineup should at least guarantee him 17-18 minutes. The fourth quarter is always the wild card as Vanderbilt typically does not see the floor. However, in the two games against the Clippers 10 days ago, he actually played the entire fourth quarter in the first game and saw six minutes in the second. Last night in the blowout he did not play in the final frame, though there is a decent chance he will tonight.
Terance Mann and Isaiah Hartenstein are viable options on the late slate or if looking for differentiation from the Wizards cheapies. This duo can be found for the Yahoo minimum and their teammate Luke Kennard ($11) is also in play.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS picks for the Saturday, Nov. 13 Slate
Tonight is a two and a half hour gap between the fifth game and the final game of the night, so do keep tabs on any surprise news that comes out well after lock. 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.
