October 25 brings the majority of the league into play with 24 teams taking the court. The action tips off at 7:00 p.m. ET on DraftKings and FanDuel, and there are several options in the player pool worth analyzing to find the top NBA DFS building blocks and NBA DFS picks for DraftKings and FanDuel lineups. There are mid-tier value plays at every position, with one of the biggest player pools we will see all year. How do Evan Mobley, Zach LaVine and Tyus Jones stack up? Let’s dig into the NBA DFS picks and core plays.
NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Wednesday, October 25
Yesterday we had a quick reminder that the NBA landscape can shift quickly from a DFS perspective, with Bradley Beal ruled out just before lunch time on the East Coast. Tonight there are six times as many teams in action for the first time this year, so do not be surprised to see players officially being sidelined throughout the day.
Luka Doncic (calf), Darius Garland (hamstring) and Zach Collins (non-COVID illness) are the notable starters who could very well end up sitting tonight. Of course, that would in turn vault the likes of Kyrie Irving and Donovan Mitchell up in the projections and create yet another value center option with, say, Charles Bassey.
Speaking of centers, there are soooooo many terrific fantasy-point-per-dollar options up and down the salary sheet, it does not make sense to punt at this position since the cashing lineups will all but assuredly have centers scoring at least 30 fantasy points.
Core Play of the Day — Evan Mobley
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 37.74 | FanDuel: 37.72
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 40.2% | FanDuel: 33.4%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $6,300 | FanDuel: $7,400
Jarrett Allen is out with a bruised ankle, which means that Evan Mobley will not need to battle his teammate for rebounds and, more importantly, offensive opportunities in the frontcourt. Over the last two seasons when Mobley is on the court without Allen, he sees a 1.4% increase in his usage and a 1.8% increase in his effective field goal rate.
Over the last two seasons, Mobley has averaged just over 1.1 fantasy points per minute, and he gets close to a 10% increase when Allen is off the court. Last year, in 13 games without Allen, Mobley averaged 35.5 minutes, 16.9 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 2.39 combined blocks and steals. The 22-year-old has power forward and center eligibility on both DraftKings and FanDuel, which makes it easy to get him onto rosters while also providing the flexibility to play him alongside a center-only player. If a couple things break Mobley’s way, a foray over the 40-fantasy-point plateau is all but assured.
Zach LaVine — Chicago Bulls vs. Oklahoma City Thunder
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 39.41 | FanDuel: 37.76
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 33.7% | FanDuel: 13.2%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $6,800 | FanDuel: $7,800
There are so many superstars in play tonight and there will be ample discount dandies, so to give this article a little shelf life, the goal is to cover the players that should maintain their fantasy baseline and even improve if unexpected news pops up. Zach LaVine has a tremendous salary on DraftKings, and it is favorable on FanDuel as well. Both sites have bestowed him shooting guard and small forward eligibility which is essentially a cheat code that grants ample roster construction flexibility.
The Chicago roster has essentially stayed intact from last year, so we should have a good idea of how things will unfold tonight. Of course, what happens on the court is still key and a myriad of things could upset the apple cart, but from a projection standpoint, we have a good understanding of the baseline roles.
Tyus Jones — Washington Wizards at Indiana Pacers
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 31.98 | FanDuel: 31.2
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 37.4% | FanDuel: 37.6%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $4,900 | FanDuel: $5,700
The Washington Wizards are one of the teams with a major roster overhaul. Gone are Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis, while Jordan Poole and Tyus Jones are the incoming players getting career-elevating roles. Poole finally gets out of the Splash Brothers’ shadow and will be able to take as many shots as he desires. Jones finally gets a full-time starting point guard gig after being one of the best backups in the league for the last few seasons.
This debuting backcourt will be teaming with Kyle Kuzma (new four-year, $90 million contract) to form a trio of fantasy goodness in Washington. While the Wizards are not going to win a lot of games, they should at least be a lot more fun to watch this season without moping players and ultimately a full-blown tank job.
Washington is projected for 24.5 wins, so even without a concerted tanking effort, it is going to have one of the worst three records in the league, which gets an equal shot of the most lottery balls for the upcoming NBA Draft.
Last year it was hard to tell if Indiana should have been trying or tanking, as it seemed like even the Pacers were not sure. This season they project for 39.5 wins, which has them firmly in the mix for a Play-In slot and an outside chance at one of the top 6 postseason berths. From the Pacers, Tyreese Haliburton looks like an outstanding luxury option tonight, as this game has one of the highest-projected point totals (235.5) and this matchup is teeming with fantasy goodness.
Additional NBA DFS Building Blocks Pick — Sports Betting Opportunities
Tonight Julius Randle is an intriguing option in the sports wagering market, with a +200 line to record a double-double. NBA Bet Pro currently has Randle projected to reach this milestone with +167 “True Odds,” which is how OddsShopper measures the potential expected ROI, and in this case, it is indicative of a line that is presenting an extra 12% value. Last year Randle recorded 40 double-doubles in his 77 appearances (51.9%).
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Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
When you start to build your DFS lineups, be sure to let us do the heavy lifting for you by tuning into the Stokastic NBA Deeper Dive and Live Before Lock Shows 4:45 p.m. ET on YouTube, brought to you by bet365 – new users, use this link receive $150 in bonus bucks when you make your first $5 wager. Full details can be found here.
