There are eight NBA games on the main slate tonight, with DraftKings and FanDuel both removing the two late matchups. We don’t have much cheap value at the moment, but it is likely that more will become available throughout the day, as there are plenty of questionable players and a few teams on back-to-backs. Let’s dive into the best NBA daily fantasy picks today such as Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo.
NBA Daily Fantasy Picks Today
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NBA Daily Fantasy Picks Today No. 1 – Nikola Jokic
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $11,200/FanDuel: $12,200
- Stokastic’s Point Projections: DraftKings: 66.5/FanDuel: 63.5
- Stokastic’s Ownership Projections: DraftKings: 15.3%/FanDuel: 7.2%
Jokic is the highest-projected player on tonight’s slate. He is also the most expensive on DraftKings, but he is second to Giannis Antetokounmpo on FanDuel. The opportunity cost at center is higher on FanDuel, however, so he is actually more popular on DraftKings. Jokic has seen a bump in rebounding rate in limited minutes alongside Jamal Murray without Aaron Gordon on the floor, and that was true in games without Gordon last year as well. In six total games played alongside Murray and Michael Porter Jr. without Gordon since the start of last season, Jokic has produced 1.89 DraftKings points per minute and a 23.6% rebounding rate compared to 1.70 DraftKings points per minute and a 19.4% rebounding rate in the games that all three of his teammates were active.
NBA Daily Fantasy Picks Today No. 2 – Giannis Antetokounmpo
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $11,000/FanDuel: 12,400
- Stokastic’s Point Projections: DraftKings: 59.2/FanDuel: 58.3
- Stokastic’s Ownership Projections: DraftKings: 4.2%/FanDuel: 4.8%
Antetokounmpo is the second-highest-projected player tonight behind Jokic. He isn’t projected for much ownership on either site, which makes him a strong contrarian play by default. It is relatively difficult to find the salary for him because of limited value at the moment, but that could certainly change by lock. However, it is likely that, even if more value does become available, the field will gravitate to Jokic first. Antetokounmpo has an unappealing matchup, as the Cavaliers are one of the slowest teams in the league and are also strong defensively. They are without Evan Mobley, however, which should weaken their defense a bit. Antetokounmpo has produced 1.61 DraftKings points per minute in 35.4 minutes per game in the 23 that he has played alongside Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton this season.
NBA Daily Fantasy Picks Today No. 3 – Trae Young
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $9,900/FanDuel: $10,200
- Stokastic’s Point Projections: DraftKings: 53.5/FanDuel: 50.4
- Stokastic’s Ownership Projections: DraftKings: 14.2%/FanDuel: 17.6%
Young is the sixth-most expensive player and the fourth-highest-projected player tonight on both sites. He has a favorable matchup against the Kings, who rank 10th in pace and 22nd in adjusted defensive rating. Young has produced 1.36 DraftKings points per minute, a 30.0% usage rate and 41.7% assist rate in 36.1 minutes per game in the 15 that he has played alongside Dejounte Murray and Jalen Johnson this season.
There are six games tonight and we are still waiting on important injury news. Be sure to check out Stokastic’s Deeper Dive and Live Before Lock shows.
