We’re back to the madness on Friday with an 11-game slate that begins at 7:00 p.m. ET on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Using Stokastic’s NBA DFS projections, let’s take a look into the player pool to discuss the top NBA DFS high-priced studs for today.
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High Priced NBA DFS Plays: Friday, October 27
Stud No. 1 — Nikola Jokic: Denver Nuggets-Memphis Grizzlies
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 62.15 | FanDuel: 58.66
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 8.00% | FanDuel: 4.80%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $11,600 | FanDuel: $12,100
The highest-priced player on DraftKings tonight, Jokic has seen his tag jump considerably from the $10,000 he was listed at on opening night. While he certainly looked better at $10,000 compared to $11,600, Jokic is still underpriced here, as Stokastic has him as the seventh-best points-per-dollar value play on the entire slate.
With so many good options in every price range, Jokic is projected to be only 8.00% owned on DraftKings and has a 9.80% chance of being optimal. On FanDuel Jokic is expected to be optimal 8.00% of the time, and he’s pulling even less ownership, where only 4.80% of the field is expected to roster him. He is the highest-projected player on the slate across both sites, and while he isn’t the must he was on Wednesday, he’s an elite building block if you can make it work around him.
Stud No. 2 — Luka Doncic: Brooklyn Nets-Dallas Mavericks
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 57.59 | FanDuel: 55.05
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 6.00% | FanDuel: 2.30%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $11,400 | FanDuel: $12,300
Doncic is the only other player above $11,000 on DraftKings, and he is actually the highest-salaried player on FanDuel tonight at $12,300. Projected for minimal ownership on both sites, he is one of the most intriguing players on the slate after dropping an easy 72.3 DraftKings points against the Spurs.
Doncic is optimal 9.90% of the time on DraftKings but is only pulling 6.00% ownership, making him one of the highest-rated leverage plays on the entire slate. With similar optimal and ownership percentages as Jokic, Doncic has a slighter higher chance to be optimal while also projecting for a little less ownership. The story is the same on FanDuel, where Doncic is projected for 2.30% ownership and a 6.70% chance of being optimal. Given that Jokic projects better across both sites, he’s definitely the safer play and the preferred cash game option, but Doncic is great in GPPs, with the field still very hesitant to get here.
Stud No. 3 — Donovan Mitchell: Oklahoma City Thunder-Cleveland Cavaliers
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 49.19 | FanDuel: 47.53
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 18.20% | FanDuel: 9.80%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $9,400 | FanDuel: $10,000
In a weird twist of fate for the first Friday night of the season, the only high-priced stud pulling any ownership tonight is Donovan Mitchell. While he’s not nearly as expensive as the two studs mentioned above, Mitchell is the only player priced above $9,000 on DraftKings that is expected to be higher than 10% owned. Given his cheap $9,400 tag, it makes sense why 18.20% of the field is expected to roster him.
Mitchell is coming off a monster performance in Brooklyn, and he and the Cavaliers should be in for a high-scoring, competitive game as the Thunder roll into Cleveland for the only time this season. Though Jokic and Doncic have better upside in tournaments, Mitchell is more of a cog in the machine, with the masses already there.
With 22 teams playing tonight, there will almost definitely be news leading up to lock. Be sure to check out Stokastic Deeper Dive and Live Before Lock shows.
