The NBA is back in full swing tonight, with a 12-game slate beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Using Stokastic’s NBA DFS projections, let’s take a deeper dive into the player pool to discuss the top NBA DFS high-priced studs for today.
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High Priced NBA DFS Plays: Tuesday, October 25
Stud No. 1 — Luka Doncic: Dallas Mavericks-San Antonio Spurs
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 55.02 | FanDuel: 52.92
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 11.70% | FanDuel: 4.30%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $11,000 | FanDuel: $11,600
Luka Doncic is the highest-priced player on both DraftKings and FanDuel, and he looks like the clear place to start when discussing high-priced studs tonight. In what looks like one of the most intriguing matchups on the slate, Doncic versus Victor Wembanyama sets up as must-see TV tonight. An $8,500 Wembanyama is worth a discussion in his own right, but Doncic can always be used as a building block, especially on slates with a lot of value.
Doncic’s $11,000 price tag seems steep compared to Jokic’s $10,000 tag last night. However, the reality is that Doncic is over $1,200 cheaper than his average salary from last season. With Kyrie Irving now starting the season as his running mate, Doncic is surely not the must-play he would’ve been without Irving by his side, but his upside is undeniable, as he has a slate-breaking ceiling every time he steps on the court. Doncic is projected for low ownership on both DraftKings and FanDuel and is worth being overweight on if you feel comfortable with enough of the value pieces.
Stud No. 2 — LaMelo Ball: Atlanta Hawks-Charlotte Hornets
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 49.59 | FanDuel: 46.49
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 4.40% | FanDuel: 5.30%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $9,900 | FanDuel: $9,700
Perhaps the best overall play on tonight’s slate, Ball was covered extensively in my Contrarian Plays article. Simply put, Ball is projected to be only 4.40% owned and has an 8.90% chance of being optimal. He is projected only behind Doncic in terms of fantasy points, and it’s always nice to be able to roster the second-highest-projected player on the slate with leverage.
While he’s never quite lived up to his full potential, Ball easily has Doncic-like upside, and no one would be surprised if he ended up as the highest scorer on tonight’s slate.
Stud No. 3 — Tyrese Haliburton: Washington Wizards-Indiana Pacers
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 45.77 | FanDuel: 43.99
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 5.60% | FanDuel: 4.60%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $9,100 | FanDuel: $9,400
If it weren’t obvious, this slate is loaded with good point guard options, and one could easily make the case that Tyrese Haliburton is the best of them all. While Ball looks slightly better at home against Atlanta, Haliburton is probably in an even better spot at home against the Wizards, and his $9,100 price tag does not do his upside any justice.
Haliburton is projected to be optimal 8.30% of the time on DraftKings, yet only 5.60% of the field is expected to roster him. The story is similar on FanDuel, where Haliburton is only projected to be 4.60% owned and has an optimal percentage of 7.80%. Massive upside in a game that should be high-scoring and competitive makes Haliburton an elite tournament play while the field goes elsewhere.
There are only four teams in play tonight, so while there will be news leading up to lock, it should easily be enough to handle. Be sure to check out Stokastic Deeper Dive and Live Before Lock shows to see who is in and who is out on tonight’s slate.
