NBA DFS First Look & Optimal Lineup Picks Today

The Slate Starter is a daily first look at to get your daily fantasy basketball lineup-building process started before lock tonight. Each day, we will go through some of the best NBA DFS picks, top stacks and optimal lineup construction for DraftKings and FanDuel. Be sure to check Awesemo’s NBA Starting Lineups page, as it will be updated throughout the day as the NBA injury reports are released and breaking news surfaces. Let’s dive into some players who stand out as key options on Tuesday’s seven-game NBA slate.

Want to see how your lineup stacked up against yesterday’s winning NBA DFS lineups for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo fantasy basketball? Check out Awesemo’s Optimal Lineup Review, which uses Fantasy Cruncher Rewind to analyze the winning plays from the night before.

DraftKings & FanDuel NBA DFS Lineup Advice Today

Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers

What does Embiid have to do to get some respect from the DFS community? He checked in with approximately 5% ownership across DraftKings tournaments in his last outing, and those who rostered him were rewarded. He erupted for 83 DraftKings points thanks to a triple-double with 40 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Do not expect another 80 fantasy points on Tuesday, but it’s within the realm of possibility. Embiid has been an absolute monster recently from a usage perspective, averaging a mark of 43.8% across his past 13 games.

Embiid should also continue to benefit from the 76ers’ shorthanded roster. James Harden is not yet ready to suit up for the 76ers, while Seth Curry and Andre Drummond are in Brooklyn. Embiid has seen a team-high usage bump of +4.5% with Curry off the floor, so expect his already sky-high usage rate to be even higher on Tuesday. The Celtics aren’t a great matchup, but Embiid is as matchup-proof as it gets. He figures to be one of the top studs in Awesemo’s NBA Projections.

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Terry Rozier, PG/SG, Charlotte Hornets

Rozier is another player carrying a sizable workload at the moment. He’s racked up at least 36.5 minutes in eight of his past nine games, and he’s gone over 40.6 minutes in three of them. Rozier has averaged 1.09 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, so he’s capable of making the most of that playing time. He’s been at his best over his past two games, finishing with 66.5 DraftKings points in both contests.

Rozier and the Hornets draw an excellent matchup Tuesday vs. the Timberwolves. They’ve played at the fastest pace in the league over their past 10 games, and the Hornets are second in that department. This game should check in with a total approaching 240 points, which is very appealing for fantasy purposes.

It will be interesting to see what Rozier’s ownership looks like on Tuesday. There could be some sticker-shock with his increased price tag, but he’s still displayed more than enough upside recently to justify a spot in your lineup. If his ownership projection is too low, he’ll earn a strong leverage score in the Boom/Bust Probability tool.

Oshae Brissett, PF/C, Indiana Pacers

The Pacers overhauled their team before the trade deadline, including a blockbuster deal sending Domantas Sabonis to the Kings in exchange for Tyrese Haliburton. Picking up Haliburton has to be considered a win for the Pacers, but losing Sabonis does leave the team thin in the frontcourt. Myles Turner and Isaiah Jackson are also currently out with injuries.

That’s left Brissett to pick up the slack. He’s played at least 36.8 minutes in back-to-back games, and he’s responded with at least 42.75 DraftKings points in both contests. Brissett has also increased his production to 0.90 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, making him simply too cheap at $5,400 on Tuesday.

Brissett has finished with a double-double in each of his past two games, so he’s also worth some consideration in the player prop market. Make sure to take advantage of the Awesemo Player Prop tool, which highlights the most exploitable player prop bets each day.

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