NBA DFS Advice for October 21, 2021

We only have three games tonight, as we see the last of the teams that have not played yet. A smaller slate like this one is a lot easier to navigate then the eleven game behemoth we had last night. With that said, there is still a lot for us to talk about for this slate strategy wise. We have a ton of stars to choose from for a three game slate, so we are looking at more of a stars and scrubs style lineup. As four teams on this slate have not played yet this season, it is still going to be very easy for us to find value. One team we are going to talk about is the Heat, as they are running a new lineup with the addition of Kyle Lowry. Our core for tonight consists of our favorite studs and some great value plays, and we will get to all our favorite options in the premium content.

Here’s a balanced core For DFS Basketball 10/21/21 (using DraftKings Values)

While there is not quite as many value options as we had last night, this slate still gives us some fantastic cheap plays. Our priority for value as of now is Jalen Brunson who is coming into the season with a questionable $3,500 price tag. Brunson was solid last season averaging 22.3 FPTS per game. At only 25 years old, Brunson promises to still be improving. The Mavericks do not have a lot of ball handling past Luka Doncic so Brunson should have to take a pretty big role offensively this season. More then anything, we really want some budget options on this slate so we can get to the stars that we like so much.

One of the best opportunities to find value at the beginning of the NBA season is to look for guys you think will step up. A lot of guys in there first few seasons take significant leaps, and there is a nice period before the DFS pricing adjusts. One guy we are looking at coming into this season is Deandre Hunter who we can take at a very safe $4,700 tonight. Hunter was a decent producer for this price point last year, where he averaged 25.1 FPTS. However, we saw him show much more upside before injuries slowed him down. Hunter looks good coming into this season, and we could see him doing a lot more for the Hawks.

Whenever Giannis Antetokounmpo is on a DFS slate, he is going to be one of the first guys we consider in terms of spend up options. Antetokounmpo has been the most consistently dominant force in NBA fantasy over the past few seasons, and we are confident that is not going to change soon. Antetokounmpo is still coming in way too cheap at $10,300 here, as we know he usually sits around at least $11,000. Antetokounmpo averaged 56.4 FPTS last season, and he has bee around there for years. He should certainly be the most expensive player on this slate, and the fact that he isn’t makes him our de facto spend up for Cash tonight. We like Antetokounmpo a lot for tournaments as well, but Steph Curry and Paul George are also solid GPP plays. 

On Tuesday we talked about how we liked getting to Jrue Holiday at his $7,000 price tag. Holiday was playing great, but unfortunately he left with injuries at the end of the second half. For tonight’s slate, Holiday is probable, and he is priced at only $6,500 on DraftKings. If Holiday plays without a minute limit, he is one favorite options on the slate at this price. This is a guy who averaged close to 40 FPTS per game last season, and he is never going to be cheaper than this. The Heat are a tough matchup, but for the Bucks studs like Holiday and Antetokounmpo that should mean more minutes if it stays competitive. With a price like this, reinjury is really the only thing to be concerned about with Holiday for tonight.

Here’s a balanced core For DFS Basketball 10/21/21 (using FanDuel Values)

Point Guard

Trae Young – PG ($9,100 DK) We have quite a few superstars on this slate right below $10,000 or higher, so Young fits into a lot of lineups when you need a stud who is a little cheaper. What is great about Young is his great games can match that of $11,000 players, so he works well in tournament lineups. $9,100 would have been a pretty good price to pay for Young last season, as he a averaged 46.7 FPTS per game. Young has grown as a player every year since he joined the league, and he could be a 50FPT a game guy soon. Matchup wise, we are happy attacking the Mavericks as they lack any great defenders. Young has a lot of upside here and this price unlocks some more upside for your lineup then a guy like Steph Curry (Who we also like). 

Shooting Guard 

Cam Reddish – ($3,900 DK) Reddish is one of our priorities tonight for cheap value, as we were surprised to see him clock in under $4,000 to start the season. Reddish averaged 21.8 FPTS last season and was typically more expensive than he is tonight. As a 22 year old coming into his third season, we expect Reddish to be more productive this year, and his price will go up in a matter of time. Reddish looked fantastic in the Hawks preseason games, and we would not be surprised if he has a significant role in Atlanta’s offence. At this price, Reddish is giving us a lot of upside without much risk.

Small Forward 

Paul George – (9,700 DK) This seems like a preposterous price to be paying to roster George. However, there is a great reason why he is so expensive on DraftKings tonight. Kawhi Leonard is going to miss a lot of this season, so the Clippers offence is extremely lacking. George is going to have to put on nightly scoring clinics for this team to compete for the playoffs, and he should get the usage for a career year. The Clippers have a fantastic matchup against the fast paced Warriors tonight, so all the opportunity for a big game is there. George is not our favorite play for cash games, but he has the scoring upside we like for tournaments.

Grayson Allen – (3,800 Dk) The Bucks are still missing a few core rotation pieces for tonight, so we expect that Allen gets the start and significant floor time again. Allen was solid last time out, as he scored 10 pts with a few steals. We saw him handle the ball a lot for Milwaukee however, so we like gambling on him again here. Allen gives us some great salary savings to get to our stars, and he will have some big nights when his shot is falling. Allen has some good upside for tournaments from three point shooting, and his peripherals give him a decent floor.

Power Forward 

Kristaps Porzingis – (7,100 DK) Porzingis did not live up to everyone’s full expectations last season. But he is absolutely built for DFS and he still produced at a solid rate. Porzingis averaged 36.6 FPTS per game last season, so this is still actually a nice price to roster him. The Mavericks have made it clear they hope Porzingis can do more for there offence, so there is some upside here of him taking a step up. Regardless of his issues, Porzingis always gives us crazy upside in DFS with points, boards, and blocks.

Center

Bam Adebayo– (7,600 DK) The Heat are running out an upgraded roster with the addition of Lowry at the point. Adebayo is going to have a lot of guys who know how to feed him the ball this season, so we could see his scoring take a step up. Regardless, Adebayo is too cheap for the 41.7 FPTS per game that he averaged last season, and the Bucks give up some big games against centers. Adebayo has some nice upside here, and he is our favorite play in this price range.

General strategy 

We are always going to be forced into a lot of speculation when we are looking at teams who have not played there first game of the season yet. For example, we don’t know Lowry’s presence on the Heat is going to impact the stats of other guards. We don’t love getting to Jimmy Butler early on, as he is not going to have to initiate nearly as much offence with Lowry in the mix. We also don’t love getting to Lowry, as usage will probably be a lot lower than it was over on the Raptors. If you are playing multiple lineups for tournaments tonight, we recommend getting a healthy mix of Antetokounmpo, Curry, Young, George and Doncic. All of these guys are high upside stars and could be the play that you need in your lineup to win big. If your are looking for how to get different tonight, you can try going for a more balanced build with Adebayo, Holiday and Khris Middleton, as most people will probably be looking at stars and scrubs. For Cash games, we really like using Antetokounmpo alongside the value plays we mentioned as priorities.

Go win your lineup and tell us how you did. Twitter (@FantasyDFSX) is a good place for that.