On the heels of another small two-gamer, the NBA offers us a huge 11-game slate on Friday. Using Stokastic’s NBA DFS Boom/Bust tool, let’s dive into the player pool to discuss the best NBA DFS contrarian plays on DraftKings this evening.
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NBA DFS Picks – Contrarian Plays For Today: October 27
Contrarian Stud — Cade Cunningham: Detroit Pistons-Charlotte Hornets
Coming off a monster performance in which he dropped 51.8 DraftKings points in a loss against Miami, Cunningham has not been embraced by the field Cunningham yet. He is only projected to be 3.30% owned tonight, but Cunningham has a 9.90% chance of being optimal, giving him the highest leverage score of any player on the slate outside of Kevin Love.
Despite questions about his fit with Jaden Ivey that were raised all offseason, Cunningham was the clear alpha for Detroit on Wednesday night, playing 36 minutes to Ivey’s 17. Cunningham may never live up to his Luka Doncic-like upside, but at $8,800 he doesn’t need that. The Pistons are matched up with LaMelo Ball and the Hornets, and Cunningham has massive upside in this spot. This could also be the last time he is under $9,000 for a while.
Contrarian Mid-Tier — Zach LaVine: Toronto Raptors-Chicago Bulls
The field is making it clear they do not want to go back to LaVine tonight. Although he certainly left a lot to be desired against the Thunder, playing only 25 minutes en route to a measly 24.5 DraftKings points, expect a big-time bounce back from LaVine, as he’s still too cheap at $7,100.
While he isn’t popping in the tools quite as much as Cunningham, LaVine offers nice leverage in his own right, with only 9.70% of the field expected to roster him. He has an optimal percentage of 13.70%, so there is a lot to like about LaVine in tournaments as the Bulls look to turn the page from an embarrassing season debut. He has massive upside at this price point, and even if it won’t happen all that often, there’s no reason for LaVine to be so much lower owned than he was on Wednesday.
Contrarian Value — Kevin Love: Miami Heat-Boston Celtics
Love is the top leverage play on the board, and he looks like an elite value play in tournaments at $4,300. Miami has a tough matchup against the Celtics, but at this price point, Love does not need to do all that much. After playing 28 minutes and putting up 31 DraftKings points in Miami’s season debut on Wednesday, Love has an even bigger role with this Heat team as it tries to adjust to life without Max Strus and Gabe Vincent.
Love is optimal an eye-popping 19.10% of the time on DraftKings, yet the masses still don’t want to get there, as he is only projected to be 12.10% owned. Love is too cheap given his current role, and he projects as one of the best contrarian plays on the slate.
