The NBA is back with an eight-game slate on Thursday. Using Stokastic’s NBA DFS Boom/Bust tool, let’s dive into the player pool to discuss the best NBA DFS contrarian picks on DraftKings this evening like Tyrese Haliburton and Rui Hachimura.
NBA DFS Contrarian Picks — Plays For Today
Contrarian Stud — Indiana Pacers-Chicago Bulls
Tyrese Haliburton is the top contrarian stud on DraftKings at $10,300. One of the breakout stars of the young season, Haliburton comes into tonight’s action putting up 24.7 points, 12.0 assists, 3.9 rebounds and 1.5 steals/blocks en route to averaging 52.3 DraftKings points per game. Although Haliburton had seen a bit of a dip in production since the In-Season Tournament, he seems to have righted the ship with 61 DraftKings points in each of the past two games.
Despite Haliburton’s tremendous nightly production, the field isn’t overly interested in getting to him tonight, with only 3.90% of lineups expected to roster him on DraftKings compared to an 8.00% optimal percentage. Make sure to watch the Deeper Dive and Live Before Lock shows to stay up on all the latest information, as things can change as lock approaches.
Contrarian Mid-Tier — Rui Hachimura: Los Angeles Lakers-Charlotte Hornets
The Lakers are in a great spot tonight against Charlotte, and Rui Hachimura is the top contrarian mid-tier play on DraftKings at $4,800. He especially stands out from a leverage perspective thanks to a matchup with a Hornets team that routinely gets dominated by opposing big men.
Hachimura ranks behind only Portland’s Jabari Walker as the top leverage play on the slate, with Stokastic’s tools rating him as optimal 10.60% of the time this slate plays out on DraftKings. The field isn’t getting to him at nearly this rate, however, as he’s only projected to be 4.70% owned. Hachimura is averaging a paltry 19.8 DraftKings points per game, so the masses are glancing over him tonight despite him looking like arguably the top differentiator on the entire slate.
Contrarian Value — Julian Champagnie: San Antonio Spurs-Portland Trail Blazers
San Antonio shooting guard Julian Champagnie is DraftKings’ top contrarian value play at $4,400. In a really good spot in Portland against the Trail Blazers, Champagnie seems to have secured a spot in the Spurs’ starting-five, and there’s a lot to like about him in tournaments at only $4,400.
Although Champagnie’s production can be extremely volatile, he’s played well since being moved to the starting lineup, averaging 27.3 DraftKings points per game over the past two contests. While we can’t expect Champagnie to maintain his current offensive role once Victor Wembanyama returns to full strength, that’s a bridge we’ll cross in the future, as Wembanyama presumably will still be on a minutes limit tonight. Champagnie is projected to be optimal 9.80% of the time on DraftKings, and with only 5.30% of the field projected to roster him, he is the top contrarian value play on the slate.
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