DFS NBA Picks
The first NBA week is officially in the books. We have seen some interesting things thus far. There are players who are struggling to find their initial footing, while others are already in mid-season form. However, it is only one week, so there are still a few players we need to not give up on just yet. Last week was a little bit rough with our picks, but hey just call it early season jitters. We are back tonight.
For the DFS projections and pricing, we will be using Fanduel and DraftKings.
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Point Guard
Tyrese Haliburton (FD: $9,600, DK: $9,400): Throughout two games there is one guarantee from the Indiana Pacers; they are going to run up and down that court. The Pacers already maintain a pace of 104.5, while accumulating the number one offensive rating by a wide margin with 128.2. The conductor of this offensive symphony is Tyrese Haliburton. In his first two games, Haliburton has generated a fantasy score of 47.6 on FD and 50.4 on DK, respectively. He is simply a wizard with the ball. Tonight’s opponents are the Chicago Bulls who are all over the place, but will definitely have Alex Caruso hounding their All-Star point guard throughout.
Derrick White (FD & DK: $5,900): The Boston Celtics’ big offensive focus is to shoot threes, as they were second last year in threes made. That ideology has not changed. A big beneficiary of this philosophy is Derrick White, who hit five threes alone last game. Their opponent tonight might have gotten a win last game, but do not let that fool you, the Washington Wizards are a putrid defensive squad. Their first game against the Indiana Pacers was embarrassing, to say the least. They allowed 143 points, while the Pacers made 20 threes. White might get some of the easiest looks he has ever seen tonight.
Shooting Guard
Anthony Edwards (FD & DK: $9,200): Anthony Edwards in his first game struggled from the field, but his second game was a solid step in the right direction. However, we are expecting a huge leap for the fourth-year wing. Talks of an All-NBA and future face of the league have been continuous since the summer. Tonight is the night for him to showcase the new and improved Anthony Edwards. He is coming back to his hometown to play the Atlanta Haws; a team that is coming off the first night of a back-to-back. The explosion is coming and tonight could easily be that night.
Cole Anthony (FD: $5,700, DK: $5,300): Going into the season, no one truly knew how to gauge the Orlando Magic’s backcourt. They had a former number-one overall pick in Markelle Fultz while drafting other guards in the lottery, such as Cole Anthony, Jalen Suggs, and Anthony Black. However, the best out of the bunch has been Cole Anthony. He is still not a starter, but he has been producing at a very high level thus far. Anthony is on the cheaper side, which could be a great addition, while you round out the rest of your lineup.
Small Forward
Jayson Tatum (FD: $10,700, DK: $10,500): Jayson Tatum is very, very pricey today, but for excellent reason. The Boston Celtics are a title contender, while the Washington Wizards are basement dwellers this season. The Wizards’ defense is going to be awful all season. Tatum could be in line for a generational night, after posting modest numbers against the Miami Heat in his last game. The Wizards maintain a high pace while handing out three-point attempts. Expect Tatum to reach at least 30 points tonight with ease. Splurge on Tatum for your lineups tonight.
Brandon Miller (FD & DK: $5,200): Brandon Miller was the second overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft, but he is just fine playing his role. Miller is coming off the bench and not forcing the issue. We have seen Scoot Henderson and Victor Wembanyama force the issue so far in their rookie campaigns, but Miller has been the opposite. He has been efficient in those first two games. Furthermore, in his last game, Miller reached 30 fantasy points on FD and DK. At $5,200, Miller can be a good value play.
Power Forward
DeMar DeRozan (DK: $7,500): One thing is a guarantee for a Chicago Bulls game. DeMar DeRozan is going to get some buckets. His worst shooting performance through three games is 45% and 20 points. DeRozan is going to be there no matter what playing his game. The Indiana Pacers are not an exceptional defensive unit, which can cause some issues playing against a lethal scorer like DeRozan. He has not gotten less than 33 points on DK so far, which is a trend I see continuing tonight.
Michael Porter Jr. (FD: $6,500, DK: $6,300): Did you expect Michael Porter Jr. to be a rebounding machine this season? Yeah, I didn’t either. in his first three games, MPJ is averaging 11 rebounds a game. Nobody would ever confuse MPJ as a glass cleaner, but here we are. However, the scoring in the first two games were not up to his standards, but yesterday’s game saw him come to life. He dropped 20 points and made four threes. Hopefully, MPJ can add to that performance, but be cautious as the Denver Nuggets are on the second night of a back-to-back.
Center
Jalen Duren (FD: $8,000, DK: $7,100): The Detroit Pistons are ranked number one in rebound percentage at 56.9%, which is due to Jalen Duren being a man amongst boys, despite being 19 years old himself. Duren is your current rebound leader at 15 a game!!! He is a monster on the glass. That trend should continue, as they are facing an OKC Thunder team, who is coming off the first game of a back-to-back and lost the rebounding battle by 19. There is a chance Duren replicates his 56 fantasy point game from the other night.
Clint Capela (FD: $6,300, DK: $5,800): Clint Capela is a double-double machine no matter what. Through three games, Capela is averaging a double-double once again. It is clockwork for that man to get his 10 rebounds. The matchup doesn’t matter for Capela. He is going to do what he does best. His price seems relatively low for someone who can achieve 30 points rather easily. Look for Capela as a nice value play.
