FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Saturday 11/13/21

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 NBA is very reliant on 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, and we also have player news updates.

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

Guards

Ja Morant, PG, (FanDuel Salary: $9,800) - Morant is a high-ceiling player in a juicy game environment. The Memphis Grizzlies are playing at the New Orleans Pelicans and are 2.5-point favorites in a game with a 221.5-point implied total, which is tied for the highest on the slate. The Pels are allowing the sixth-most FanDuel points per game to point guards (49.5) and sit dead last in defensive efficiency. Morant has topped 50.0 FanDuel points in three straight. He can produce another high-upside game in this spot.

Spencer Dinwiddie, PG/SG, $6,200 - Bradley Beal is going to miss tonight's game, which leaves a gaping hole -- a 32.5% usage rate to be exact -- in the Washington Wizards' offense. Dinwiddie should benefit in a big way. He's got the highest non-Beal usage rate on the Wiz (23.2%), and he owns a 31.2% usage rate this year when on the court without Beal, per RotoGrinders CourtIQ. While the 203.5-point total in Washington's date with the Orlando Magic is a blah mark, it's actually the fourth-highest over/under on this six-game slate. We peg Dinwiddie for 33.4 FanDuel points, which amounts to 5.39 per $1,000.

Darius Garland, PG, $6,000 - Garland has logged at least 34 minutes in six straight games and has put up at least 31.6 FanDuel points in four of those six games, including 37.9 last time out sans Collin Sexton. Sexton -- who carries a team-high 26.4% usage rate -- will sit again tonight, as may Lauri Markkanen and Kevin Love. Garland projects for 33.5 FanDuel points, according to our algorithm, and is the slate's fifth-best point-per-dollar play as of early Saturday afternoon.

Others to Consider: D'Angelo Russell ($7,100), Reggie Jackson ($6,300), Aaron Holiday ($3,800)

Wings

Paul George, SG/SF, $10,000 - Not only is this a smaller slate, but we don't have many guys with elite ceilings. George definitely has big-time upside, going for 61.3 FanDuel points earlier this month, and he's played at least 37 minutes in three of the past four games. He brings a team-best 33.5% usage rate into a home clash with the Minnesota Timberwolves in a game featuring two teams that sit in the back end of the top 10 in pace. The T-Wolves have permitted the seventh-most FanDuel points per game to small forwards (43.4). We have George projected for a slate-best 45.2 FanDuel points.

Tobias Harris, SF/PF, $7,700 - Joel Embiid will be out again today, and he's missed the last three. Harris has been out for two of those games, but in the one he played, he posted a 27.9% usage rate and generated 36.9 FanDuel points. For the season, Harris has a 30.3% usage rate when on the floor without Embiid, and this clash between the Philadelphia 76ers and Indiana Pacers carries an appealing 217.5-point total. Our algorithm projects Harris for 39.7 FanDuel points (5.15 per $1,000).

Isaiah Stewart, PF, $4,800 - We have several good power forward/center options, so you need to be judicious with who you plug into your power forward slots. Our model is really big on Stewart as we project him for 27.6 FanDuel points (5.74 per $1,000) and rank him as the premier point-per-dollar choice among forward-eligible players. Stewart has seen 24, 14, 22 and 31 minutes in his past four outings, but the 24-minute game came last time out without Kelly Olynyk, who will be sidelined again. A big part of our projection is slating Stewart for 29.1 minutes versus the Toronto Raptors.

Others to Consider: Domantas Sabonis ($8,700), Evan Mobley ($6,800), Terance Mann ($4,500), Deni Avdija ($3,700)

Bigs

Andre Drummond, C, $8,900 - Three games ago, Drummond's salary was $5,500. It's been a crazy and quick rise, but it's fully warranted as he's totaled 50.5, 51.5 and 34.9 FanDuel points in that time. While Drummond is no longer a no-brainer play at this elevated salary, he's still a solid option. He's averaging 33.3 minutes, 19.0 boards and 3.0 blocks/steals per night without Embiid over the last three. We have him amassing 42.2 FanDuel points against Indiana.

Robert Williams, PF/C, $6,100 - Williams is my favorite center play on this slate, which is saying something given the options available to us. Prior to Jaylen Brown's absence in the past three games, Williams had seen 32-plus minutes just twice all year. He's received 40, 32 and 33 in the three games without Brown and has scored 34.5, 40.1 and 27.6 FanDuel points. Our model expects him to finish with 34.8 FanDuel points, which amounts to 5.70 per $1,000. He's our top point-per-dollar play at the five.

Others to Consider: Karl-Anthony Towns ($9,700), Jonas Valanciunas ($8,800), Wendell Carter Jr. ($6,000)