NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: The Real Opening Night is Here (Oct. 22)

Wednesday brings a robust 12-game featured slate, tipping off at 7:00 p.m. ET on FanDuel and DraftKings. Let’s get into the top NBA DFS picks and building blocks: Zion Williamson is the foundational play of the day, with PJ Washington being the discount dandy du jour at the DraftKings minimum salary, while Victor Wembanyama, Anthony Davis, Cooper Flagg and Ja Morant are intriguing tournament targets.

These picks are based on the latest available data. For real-time lineup updates, check out our NBA DFS Starting Lineups Page.

NBA DFS Picks Today – Building Blocks: Wednesday, October 22

Stokastic’s NBA DFS projections and Sims are live just in time for Opening Night! For the first two slates of the season, you can unlock full access to all our NBA DFS tools for just $1 with promo code SGA! Choose a package, enter the promo code and enjoy two days of Stokastic NBA DFS for just a buck.

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NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks

Wembanyama led the league in blocks during his first two seasons, averaging 3.6 in 29.7 minutes per game during his rookie campaign and a stellar 3.8 in 33.2 minutes. The 21-year-old attempted 8.8 3-point attempts at a 35.2% success rate last year. In 18 of his 46 appearances, he connected on at least four attempts, including six or more seven times. Combining this volume with his blocks makes him a tremendous tournament option.

For DFS purposes, Wemby is the only San Antonio player worthy of our consideration. De’Aaron Fox, Jeremy Sochan and Lindy Waters III are all out with injuries. That means rookie Dylan Harper, 2025 Rookie of the Year Stephon Castle and versatile veteran Devin Vassell will initiate the offense. There are 24 teams in the player pool, and aside from a FanDuel ($6,700) sprinkling of Castle, there is no need to dig any deeper with San Antonio tonight. Perhaps the Spurs will be more prominent on Friday if the main DFS sites exclude the four 10 p.m. ET games from the player pool as they did frequently last year.

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There is still plenty to like in this game from the Dallas side, though here is where the analysis diverges. DraftKings somehow assigned PJ Washington the minimum salary of $3,000. Perhaps this was a naming convention issue for Paul Jamaine Washington Jr., an “oversight” allowing more casual gamers to roster plenty of recognizable options (real ones will remember the Jimmy Butler ticket service promotion fiasco) or just one of those unfortunate things. Savvy gamers will be playing 99% to 100% of Washington and focusing on the other seven roster slots. For perspective, Washington is $6,100 on FanDuel and projected to be on less than 5% of all tournament rosters. Last year, with the Mavericks dealing with a myriad of injured players, Washington was typically assigned a salary in the $7,000 to $7,800 range. His appropriate salary tonight would be around $6,300 to $6,600. Take the free pick and move along.

The Mavs will be without Kyrie Irving until mid-March at the earliest, Dante Exum is out for a month and Daniel Gafford is doubtful. This means D’Angelo Russell and Brandon Williams are the likely point guards, though word is rookie Cooper Flagg will also be called upon to orchestrate the offense. The top selection in the 2025 NBA Draft is a little spendy on DraftKings ($7,000), and he projects to be on less than 5% of all tournament rosters. FanDuel is a different story entirely, where his $6,000 salary is quite appealing, and the odds-on favorite for Rookie of the Year is expected to be on every other lineup.

Anthony Davis stands out on DraftKings ($9,700), and the future Hall of Famer is likely to be on one-third of all lineups. In turn, on FanDuel ($10,900) he slips to a sedate 10% projected popularity, even with his PF/C dual eligibility. This disparity is also a result of Washington providing so much salary relief on DraftKings with no comparable players on the blue site.

The Stokastic NBA DFS Projections have Davis for 33.6 minutes, Flagg for 33.5 and Washington at 30.7. No other Maverick projects for more than 26 minutes, making this a two-man show for each site tonight.

Bookmark our NBA DFS Starting Lineups Page to see projected and confirmed lineups, along with any pertinent notes and assumptions that the Stokastic data team is considering, as well as highlighted injury situations to monitor.

It is also a good idea to tune into the Stokastic NBA Deeper Dive and Live Before Lock at 5:00 p.m. ET on YouTube for expert analysis, key insights and winning strategies to dominate your NBA DFS picks today!

Considering there are 24 teams in the player pool, for tournaments there are ample alternatives to Zion, though for cash games (H2H, 3-mans, 50/50s, etc.) he is the building block du jour.

Kevon Looney (knee) is likely two weeks away from a potential return, and Dejounte Murray is going to miss at least half the season as he recovers from a torn Achilles. Trey Murphy III and Herbert Jones are healthy after playing 53 and 30 games, respectively, last year. Brandon Ingram is in Toronto and CJ McCollum is in Washington, and it is unlikely that Jordan Poole will take aways from Williamson, particularly since they are probably going to have staggered minutes for portions of the game, with New Orleans lacking many offensively minded players. Murphy will get his without impacting Williams, and Jones is a low-usage option who focuses on defense. .

Injuries struck early for Memphis, with Ty Jerome and Scotty Pippen Jr. both getting hurt at the end of training camp and each likely to miss two months or more. Brandon Clarke and Zach Edey were already recovering from offseason surgeries, leaving the frontcourt nearly as thin as the backcourt.

Ja Morant had a minor ankle tweak in the preseason, though he no longer has an injury designation. Injuries and multiple suspensions held the 26-year-old to only 307 of 492 (62%) games over his six seasons in the Association. Desmond Bane is now in Orlando, Luke Kennard is with Atlanta and Jake LaRavia is a Los Angeles Laker. It is time to prove the detractors wrong, though there are significant questions about Morant being able to rise to the occasion.

That is not a concern tonight, and Morant projects as one of the better fantasy point-per-dollar options, with 50-plus-fantasy point upside. He is a borderline core play on FanDuel ($8,300, 31.4%) while being classified as a tournament flier on DraftKings ($9,400, 6.4%).

Need help getting started with Stokastic’s NBA DFS Sims? Check out all of these FREE resources before making NBA DFS picks today!

• How to Use NBA DFS Sims: Expert Strategy Guide, Tips & Advice
• How Stokastic’s NBA DFS Sims Are Better Than Optimizers in Every Way
• NBA DFS Sims: Single-Lineup Simulator Is a Lineup-Building Godsend
• NBA DFS Contrarian Strategy: How to Use Stokastic Ownership Projections
• NBA DFS Late Swap Strategy with Stokastic’s NBA DFS Sims
• NBA DFS Leverage & Game Theory: Large Field GPP Strategy

Jock Landale is expected to be the starting center, and he is $4,000 on DraftKings, which makes him playable, even with the Washington pricing gaff. Other potential discount dandies on DraftKings include: Ziaire Williams ($3,000), Guerschon Yabusele ($3,800), Javon Small ($3,000) and Tre Jones ($4,000). FanDuel offers up: Quentin Grimes ($4,500), Grayson Allen ($4,300), Day’Ron Sharpe ($4,100) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($4,100).

There will be more to analyze as the season gets under way, particularly on the smaller slates and, of course, as injuries continue to mount.

Today’s Top Sports Betting Picks

If you’re serious about winning in NBA DFS, you know the edge comes from having the right tools. The same principle applies to sports betting, and that’s where Portfolio EV shines.

Take a bet like Josh Giddey to accumulate fewer than 37.5 points + rebounds + assists (PRA) tonight. On the surface, it’s a simple play. But behind the scenes, it’s a +EV bet, meaning it’s mathematically profitable based on the best odds available. Portfolio EV finds these +EV bets and allows you to bet them at high volume with just a couple clicks, maximizing your bankroll’s long-term profitability.

Digging into the details on Portfolio EV, Giddey is currently listed at -115 on Hard Rock, with several operators posting under 35.5 PRA at the same -115 odds. PointsBet is going with under 34.5 PRA at -115, which is beyond punitive. That is a swing from a stellar 8.2% expected ROI all the way down to a negative 10.1% expected ROI compared to the -138 “true odds” for under 37.5 PRA.

To be clear, Giddey has the keys to the Chicago offense, and he should post gaudy numbers consistently. Last year, Detroit was 10th in the league, allowing 110.0 points per 100 possessions, though like the Bulls, the Pistons did play uptempo, with each team averaging top-7 possessions per game. This will be the second season for coach J.B. Bickerstaff, and we know he takes pride in defense-minded teams.

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