After a small two-game Opening Night slate on Tuesday, we jump right back into the madness with a monster 12-gamer on Wednesday. Using Stokastic’s NBA DFS Boom/Bust tool, let’s take a deeper dive into the player pool to discuss the best contrarian options on DraftKings this evening.
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NBA DFS Picks – Contrarian Plays For Today: October 25
Contrarian Stud — LaMelo Ball: Atlanta Hawks-Charlotte Hornets
Unlike last night, where the contrarian options were few and far between, there are tons of ways to get different on tonight’s 12-game slate. A few players are picking up warranted high ownership, but in general it’s a pretty flat tonight, with good options at every price point. LaMelo Ball at $9,900 in particular stands out as the top contrarian spend up. He is projected in Stokastic’s NBA DFS Boom/Bust tool to be optimal 9.10% of the time on this slate, yet Ball is only projected to be 4.80% owned, making him one of the top leverage plays on the board.
Although Ball has certainly had his ups and downs during his short NBA career, his upside is as high as any other point guard playing tonight, and at minimal projected ownership. He looks like an elite way to get different in GPPs.
Contrarian Mid-Tier — Ben Simmons: Cleveland Cavaliers-Brooklyn Nets
Ben Simmons is one of the biggest enigmas in the history of DFS, and he comes into this season with even more question marks than when he entered the league seven years ago. Despite his inconsistencies, Simmons, like Ball, has immense upside, and at $5,900 on DraftKings he’s one of the top tournament plays on the slate.
While Cleveland is not typically a team to target players against, the Cavaliers will be playing without Jarrett Allen tonight, significantly decreasing their defensive presence in the paint. The paint is, of course, where Simmons thrives, and he has legit 8x upside on his $5,900 tag on DraftKings. He is projected to be optimal 6.20% of the time but is only projected to be 1.20% owned, making him a really strong leverage play in the mid-tier.
Contrarian Value — Robert Covington: Portland Trail Blazers-Los Angeles Clippers
This is dumpster diving a bit, but that’s what makes NBA DFS so fun, and nothing is more fun than writing up Robert Covington on a 12-game slate. If you can’t sense the sarcasm, it’s definitely there, but at only $3,300 Stokastic’s NBA DFS Boom/Bust tool has him as the top leveraged player on the entire slate.
With starting power forward Terance Mann out tonight, Covington is expected to compete for power forward minutes with Nicolas Batum and Marcus Morris. We have Covington as the clear winner in that trifecta, as he projects for 20.75 DraftKings points with an 11.20% chance to be optimal. Compare that to his 1.50% projected ownership, and it’s crystal clear why he stands out as a potential diamond in the rough at only $3,300.
