NBA

FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Tuesday 11/9/21

If you're new to daily fantasy basketball -- maybe you started your DFS journey during the MLB or NFL seasons, or maybe basketball is your sport and this will be your first year giving it a shot -- you're in for a treat. The NBA scene changes on a week-to-week, day-to-day, and -- depending on injury news -- even a minute-to-minute basis, making every slate a unique one that requires an ever-changing approach.

With so much changing so quickly, we're here with plenty of tools to help you out. We have daily projections, a matchup heat map, a lineup optimizer, and a bunch of other great resources to help give you an edge.

Daily fantasy basketball is very reliant on a player's opportunity, so you'll need to make sure that you're up-to-date with key injuries. Our projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news, we have player news updates, and the FanDuel Scout app will send push notifications for pressing updates regarding your players.

We'll also be coming at you with this primer every day, breaking down a few of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's break down today's main slate on FanDuel.

The Slate

Away Home Game
Total
Away
Implied
Total
Home
Implied
Total
Away
Pace
Home
Pace
Milwaukee Philadelphia 218 111.75 106.25 7 30
Atlanta Utah 222.5 107.25 115.25 14 13
Portland LA Clippers 220.5 109 111.5 9 2


Tuesday's three-game slate is among the smallest of the year thus far, but it has every dynamic you could want -- including injury news.

Joel Embiid was expected to rest last night and play this evening, but he had to enter the league's COVID-19 protocol and will be out for Tuesday, as well. That should open the door once again for a monstrous outing from Andre Drummond. Philadelphia will also be without Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle, and Isaiah Joe due to COVID-19 protocols -- though none of the absences are new.

On the other side, Milwaukee is status quo. Both Khris Middleton (COVID-19 protocols) and Brook Lopez (back) remain out for Tuesday.

With Marcus Morris already set to miss another game for the Clippers, there are no pending questionable statuses to monitor as of now. The NBA always finds a way in the afternoon, though.

Guards

Donovan Mitchell ($8,700): As is going to be the case on many three-game slates, Mitchell isn't the best point-per-dollar play. Still, the 222.5-point total between his Jazz and the Hawks is the slate's highest, and Mitchell's 36.1% usage rate is the top mark on the favored side. For that reason, despite hitting for at least 5.0 FanDuel points per $1,000 in just 3 of 10 games this season, he makes a lot of sense as a place to allocate salary at guard. The lack of point-per-dollar pop games could suppress his popularity, too.

Tyrese Maxey ($6,600): The bummer about this primer being written in the morning is late-afternoon chaos can change things. When Danny Green returned for the Sixers on Monday, whoever didn't start between Maxey and Shake Milton became less viable. It was Milton, and he played just 21 minutes on Monday. Maxey, though, drew the start and played 39 minutes. His 43.3 FanDuel points in that contest were no fluke; Maxey is a top-tier option when Embiid and Harris are off the floor for Philadelphia (21.6% usage rate; highest amongst starters).

Seth Curry ($5,200): Weirdly, the guy who's been playing normal minutes for Philly all along has become one of the best sources of value on the team. Curry's low usage role (18.5%) is the exact one that typically fades as offensive efficiency does, so it helps him considerably that Drummond and Maxey have played well without the team's stars. He's eclipsed 32 FanDuel points in 4 of 11 contests this season with a variety of supporting casts, and that means the ceiling is still there at this salary.

Others to Consider:
Jrue Holiday ($6,800): Played 29 minutes in his last game. Probably under-salaried in this spot for a role of 30-plus minutes with no Middleton. Razor-sharp tournament pivot off Maxey.
Reggie Jackson ($6,100): Only other guard option I can reasonably see getting to 5.0 points per $1,000 at his median outcome. Has seen 33-plus minutes in each of the last six games.

Wings

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,300): I love Paul George. He's the MVP of the league thus far in my opinion. But, when Giannis is just $500 more in salary, George -- and all other stud salary options -- just have very little appeal. Giannis has eclipsed 60 FanDuel points (5.31 value score at this salary) in 5 of his 10 games thus far this season. It's hard to argue with that combination of floor and upside when enough value exists to make him a possibility. With the Bucks a 5.5-point road favorite, there is no real blowout concern, and therefore, there are no concerns with Giannis.

Robert Covington ($4,800): Forward is a great spot to pair value with Giannis. Covington appears to be back to normal. He's returned to at least 30 minutes in each of the last three games for the Blazers, and in turn, he's posted at least 25 FanDuel points in each of them. On a full slate, Covington's ceiling might be too low due to his 11.6% usage rate, but on a three-game slate where much of the Sixers' value has been salaried accordingly, he is more than serviceable.

Danny Green ($4,600): There was no easing Green back into the fold on Monday. He jumped right into a 30-minute performance due to the Sixers' COVID woes, and he delivered requisite value thanks to three blocks and two steals. Green is solid defensively, so there's no certainty that his block and steal marks decline, but his true ceiling and scoring upside will come from bettering Monday's 2-for-8 shooting effort from deep. With the back-to-back, watch Green's status closely; both Milton and Furkan Korkmaz would get a bump without him.

Others to Consider:
Paul George ($10.800): If I can fit him with Giannis, I will. I will not choose George over Giannis in a single lineup, though. Still an elite role (34.0% usage).
Furkan Korkmaz ($5,400): Surprisingly started and played 40 minutes in place of Milton. Solid value option, but he will be popular. The Sixers' starting five will be key.
Bogdan Bogdanovic ($4,800): Met value at this salary in four of the last six games, but his ceiling is too low with reduced shot volume (10.3 per game). Use only if needed in this salary area.

Bigs

Andre Drummond ($7,200): Drummond saw a much-needed salary increase before tonight's slate, but it just isn't enough. Drummond's averaging 18.46 rebounds per 36 minutes this season, and he gobbled 25 boards last night in 38 minutes. His value is obvious, but the entire 76ers' roster also sees a huge lift in pace from their league-worst mark (97.5) to Milwaukee's seventh-best clip (103.5). If your single-entry lineup lacks a Philadelphia presence, something has gone terribly wrong.

John Collins ($6,800): With Trae Young at $9,500, the best place to access the Hawks might be Collins. Collins played 30 minutes in Monday's blowout loss to Golden State -- the seventh straight game posting at least that many minutes. He's a productive player (1.10 FanDuel points per minute) who is getting good run. He's exceeded 35 FanDuel points in three of his past five games, so there are many worse options than the double-double threat.

Bobby Portis ($5,700): Portis might be the best play on the slate among those below $6,000. He finally reached the magic 30-minute mark in his last game, and to no one's surprise, he exploded with 47.6 FanDuel points. The frontcourt is entirely his as Brook Lopez continues to sit, and the void of Khris Middleton has afforded Portis 13.0 shots per game and a 25.6% usage rate in the past three contests. He also moved into the starting lineup -- a massive green flag moving forward.

Others to Consider:
Rudy Gobert ($9,000):
Salary is more than fair for his rebounding volume, but on this slate with Drummond, he is hard to justify. Drummond is a better overall play at a lower salary.
Jusuf Nurkic ($6,900): Same story as Gobert. An enticing salary on other slates, but for $300 less than Drummond, he's difficult to prioritize.