The Saturday NBA DFS action locks at 7:00 p.m. ET on DraftKings and FanDuel, with the former posting a six-game slate, while the blue site is rolling out all eight matchups on their featured slate docket. Let’s get into the top NBA DFS picks and building blocks: Luka Doncic is the bucks-deluxe option today, with P.J. Washington an interesting fantasy points per dollar target. There should be plenty of discount dandies with most teams having played on Friday, so buckle up for a fun ride.
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: Saturday, November 8
NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Luka Doncic: Lakers at Hawks
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 59.97 | FanDuel: 57.02
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 26.75% | FanDuel: 12.12%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $11,800 | FanDuel: $12,800
Austin Reaves (groin) and LeBron James (sciatica) remain out, which is putting massive usage towards Luka Doncic, who is leading the league at 38.8%, which is above the 34.5% he posted last year in Los Angeles, as well as topping his all-time NBA career mark of 35.5%.
The Lakers last played on Wednesday, when they won their fifth-straight game. The team is rolling at 7-2 and favored by 3.0 points in Atlanta tonight, with the home team missing Trae Young. The Hawks have been above average on defense this season, allowing 113.8 points per 100 possessions, while playing at a top-10 pace.
Doncic is averaging 40.0 points per game, which would be leading the league if he had not missed four games. In his five appearances he has averaged 11.0 rebounds which is the highest of his career, while his 9.2 assists are the second most. Yes, this is a small sample size and all three stat categories will subside somewhat when Reaves and James return, but for now it is full steam ahead!
Marcus Smart is in play on both DraftKings and FanDuel, projecting to be on 15%-to-20% of all tournament rosters with his favorable salary and multi-position eligibility. Jake LaRavia has been getting ample run, topping 34.5 minutes in four of his last five and starting the last two. Steals are and points are his pathways to upside and he has 25-plus points twice in this stretch, with three games of three or more steals.
It is hard to be excited about any particular Atlanta player, with the salaries stabilizing now that Young has been out for four games. Jalen Johnson and Kristaps Porzingis have the highest fantasy point upside, with Dyson Daniels and Nickeil Alexander-Walker tertiary targets.
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NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
P.J. Washington: Mavericks at Wizards
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 40.01 | FanDuel: 39.61
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 34.2% | FanDuel: 49.1%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $7,300 | FanDuel: $6,900
Last night the Mavericks were gobsmacked in Memphis, trailing by 30 points for most of the third quarter. Dereck Lively II (knee) is out for another week and Anthony Davis (calf) is doubtful and expected to miss a couple more games.
Daniel Gafford only played 12 minutes last night, attempting one shot and corralling one errant carrom across three shifts. He tweaked his ankle about two minutes into the second half and did not return. If he starts, he is an interesting option against his former team, though far from a must play.
Even with Gafford in the projections, veteran P.J. Washington looks like a fine tournament target. Washington’s stat lines are all over the place, but when everything clicks he can pop off for 50 fantasy points, as evidenced by his 29 points, 12 rebounds, three assist and three stocks (steals plus blocks) in 36 minutes on the road against a tough Houston squad. On the flipside, he also has two of nine games this season with single-digit points and three with six or fewer rebounds.
The Wizards have the second-worst defensive efficiency rating this season, allowing 123.6 points per 100 possessions, with only Brooklyn’s 125.1 being more dreadful. Washington is playing at the third-fastest pace, while Dallas is 8th, so there should be fantasy goodness to go around.
Cooper Flagg has flashed plenty of upside, though he also has struggled at times — keep in mind that he is being asked to be a lead facilitator of the offense and he will be celebrating his 19th birthday next month. Last night his 27.3 minutes were the most for the Mavericks as coach Jason Kidd did not overburden his starters when the game was out of hand.
D’Angelo Russell has started the last two games, though he has done nothing with the opportunity, averaging 18.5 minutes, 9.0 points, 1.5 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 0.5 stocks. Naji Marshall was forced into point guard duty last season when the rotation was decimated by injuries and he has played well over the last three games. Keep tabs on the news from Dallas as the winds of change are picking up. Max Christie is also performing well since moving into the starting lineup. He is not going to produce eye-popping numbers, but he and Marshall are currently placeholder values on DraftKings. They are not as important on FanDuel, where there are four additional teams in the player pool.
Both the DraftKings and FanDuel slates will be discussed in depth tonight, so sure to tune into Stokastic NBA Deeper Dive and Live Before Lock at 6:00 p.m. ET on YouTube for expert analysis, key insights and winning strategies to dominate your NBA DFS picks today!
Alex Sarr is becoming a trustworthy option from the Wizards, with minutes in the upper-20s most games. That is key as new coach Brian Keefe continues to roll out a deep rotation, with a lot of mixing and matching that is leading to inconsistent minutes. In his last trio of tilts, Sarr is averaging 23.0 points, 6.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 3.7 stocks. The 20-year-old has a path to 40-plus fantasy points tonight against a limited Dallas frontcourt.
Bub Carrington is a discount dandy on both DraftKings ($4,100) and FanDuel ($4,000), worthy of consideration if he draws another start. Kyshawn George is questionable and Bilal Coulibaly is out, there could be a spot start for Justin Champagnie or Tre Johnson. The latter got the nod last night, but Khris Middleton also started and we don’t know that he will be playing on back-to-back sets.
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NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Ivica Zubac: Clippers vs. Suns
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 40.25 | FanDuel: 39.42
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: n/a | FanDuel: 35.9%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $6,900 | FanDuel: $7,000
James Harden is expected to be back with the team tonight, though Kawhi Leonard is out with an ankle issue. On the Phoenix side, Dillon Brooks (groin) is getting close to a return and Jalen Green looked great in his debut with 29 points.
Savvy gamers will want to use Ivica Zubac on FanDuel, where this game is on the featured-slate. DraftKings has a two-game late-slate with decent prize pools and while Zubac is a strong option there, the smaller player pool will automatically force him into a prominent role for that slate.
The Clippers brought in Brook Lopez and John Collins to help keep Zubac fresh for the postseason, after he logged a career-high 32.8 minutes last year. He has not played in the final frame of the last two games, with Los Angeles being blown out by Denver (126-107) and Phoenix (115-102). In these games he played 25.6 and 27.2 and would have been in the low-30s if they were competitive.
Collins is the other player who looks interesting on the FanDuel featured-slate, though it is likely he will be phased out by better fantasy point per dollar options as more news is released with the upcoming injury reports.
The Indiana Pacers are in Denver tonight as the other late game, though Nikola Jokic has a hefty $12,400 salary on FanDuel and the Nuggets are 12-point home favorites. He is always live for tournaments with his 80-point upside, though that is more of a luxury tonight. Pascal Siakam is the last man standing for the Pacers and he is a tournament flier on the blue site.
None of the Suns are particularly interesting on FanDuel, though Devin Booker and Grayson Allen are fine for tournament differentiation, along with Green.
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 Royce O’Neale to have fewer than 2.5 made 3-pointers 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, O’Neale is currently listed at -116 for under 2.5 made 3-pointers, which works out to a steady 6.3% expected ROI when compared to the -133 “true odds.” Most other books have this wager in the -145 to -160 range, which maths out to between a NEGATIVE 4% to 7% expected ROI..
O’Neale is still going to launch threes and he had 10 attempts in the last game, even with Green seeing his first action for Phoenix. It is also important to realize that 75 of O’Neale’s 89 (84%) field goal attempts are from beyond the arc. This is going to be a wager that is not fun to watch, but we can see the math is on the side of the under when getting that -116 on DraftKings or PointsBet.
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