NBA DFS Advice for November 4, 2021

We are back with another NBA five gamer, as tonight’s slate features a ton of factors that we need to break down. Even though this is a shorter slate, there is no shortage of injury news and questionable tags. We already have some absurd value plays available, and it is likely some more big names are going to be ruled out before lock. This is one of those slates where the budget plays at the bottom are actually more enticing than the superstars we can pay up for in terms of value. Our core for the night consists of the Superstar we like building around for this slate, as well as a few value plays that really stand out with the news we have now. As always, we will cover some potential priorities based around the questionable tags in our premium content.

Here’s a balanced core For DFS Basketball 11/4/21 (using DraftKings Values)

Cade Cunningham was the most popular play on Tuesdays slate, and he disappointed a lot of people with a measly 12 FPTS. However, there was a lot to like about what we saw from Cunningham in Tuesdays game, he played 29 minutes and put up 14 field goal attempts, including nine three pointers. Cunningham didn’t connect once from deep last time out, while also failing to collect a single defensive stat. He shot two for fourteen and showed an absolute floor, however the role he played was fantastic. We are still able to roster Cunningham at only $4,000, which makes him an amazing play here. He is one of our favorite plays on this slate and one of the guys we want to build around tonight. Cunningham has the upside to go for a massive performance, and at this price it is hard for him to really hurt us. The fact that Cunningham was bad last time out could work in our favor here, as he is not going to be as much of a lock for people as he really should be.

One guy who is quietly putting up a fantastic season so far is Dennis Schroder who has been one of the more productive Boston Celtics. Schroder is averaging 31.5 FPTS so far with the Celtics, and we are still able to roster him at $5,600. Schroder has had some big games this season as he is the number one point guard for Boston. He should be a little more expensive coming into tonight, and we like getting to him if we have the salary. With that said, if some more injury news opens we may have more enticing plays available.

One thing we discussed in the introduction was the notion that our value plays look a lot better today then our studs at the top end. For example, there is no stud on this slate that is as much of an easy lock for us as Cunningham. With that said, one star does really stand out for us in Anthony Davis. Davis is averaging more FPTS this season then anyone else that we can roster tonight, and he has an easy matchup against the Oklahoma City Thunder. Davis has fantastic upside, and we have seen him play over 30 minutes consistently. The Lakers have entered their questionable tags every night phase for Davis and Lebron James, but we are not going to think too much of it unless someone is ruled out or doubtful. 

We saw Deandre Ayton sit out the last game, which opened a massive opportunity for the remaining Suns big men. We Put Ayton in our core here because this situation is going to create some high value plays either way. If Ayton plays tonight, we really like him in this spot. He is a little to cheap here at $6,600, and his upside is fantastic in an easy matchup with the Rockets. However, if Ayton is out then we get some insane value. Frank Kaminsky went for over 35 FPTS last time out, as he saw a huge boost in floor time in Ayton’s absence. We really like getting back to Frank the Tank if Ayton sits again here, and JaVale McGee becomes a fantastic value as well.

Here’s a balanced core For DFS Basketball 11/4/21 (using FanDuel Values)

Gilgeous-Alexander is a little too expensive for us over on DraftKings tonight, but it is a completely different story when he comes in at $7,600 on FanDuel. SGA does everything for the Thunder, as he is there clear first option. He typically plays around 38 minutes in close games, and his usage this season has been pretty nuts. We do not have a ton of great spend up options tonight, so Gilgeous-Alexander is one of our favorite players to get to over on FD. His upside is fantastic here, and at this price we are not worried about his downside.

Point Guard

Tyler Herro – PG ($6,700 DK) We don’t love a lot of the stud plays on this slate at where they priced, however Herro does stand out as being a little too cheap for how good he has been. Herro has been fantastic this season, averaging 37.3 FPTS per game so far. He has taken a massive role for the Heat averaging over 31 minutes a night and being one of there two highest usage guys. Herro has massive upside when he has a big scoring night, and he has been consistent lately. We like getting a little different with our stars and scrubs and squeezing in a Herro when we can.

Shooting Guard 

Josh Giddey – ($5,800 DK) So far a lot of the rookies have tearing it up in the NBA this season, dropping some massive games for DFS. We saw one of these performances last time out for Giddey when he went for 38.75 FPTS. He has shown us 47 FPTS upside only seven games into his career, and he is getting opportunities on a nightly basis in Oklahoma. Giddey did see a $600 price jump since last time out, but that is well warranted given how good he has been. Lu Dort missed last game and is questionable for tonight, we like Giddey even more if Dort is out and is it led to Giddey playing 35 minutes last time. However, we are still fine with getting to Giddey if Dort ends up in. 

Small Forward 

LeBron James – (10,400 DK) Typically when all the Lakers are playing we look elsewhere for our superstar targets. However, the Lakers are most of our options for superstars on this slate, so we are much more interested than we would typically be. James has some of the best upside on this slate even if he is sharing the floor with Davis and Russell Westbrook. James typically is the primary ball handler when all three stars are on the floor, so his upside looks better then Westbrook’s here. 

Saddiq Bey – ($5,900 Dk) Bey really stands out to us at this price point as he has been taking a huge role as a leader for the Pistons and averaging 31 FPTS per game. Bey has been playing massive minutes for the Pistons, and he consistently gets a ton of shots up. Bey has some poor shooting nights, like the two for thirteen we saw out of him last night. However, he also has some ceiling nights when he gets hot where he shows massive upside. Bey is a little cheaper than he should be here, and there aren’t many plays in this price range that stand out.

Power Forward 

Georges Niang – (4,400 DK) It is a little bit ugly to see how expensive Niang has gotten over the course of two slates, as he was only $3,200 a few games ago. However, the price jump makes a lot of sense given the ridiculous minutes load that Niang has been playing with Tobias Harris’s injury. Niang has played over 30 minutes in two straight contests, in which he scored 37.75 and 27.25 FPTS respectively. We expect Niang continues to see massive minutes here, and he is a guy we are looking at for value if more injury news does not open. 

Center

Bam Adebayo – ($8,100 DK) On a slate with a ton of superstars taking the court it would be very easy for us to overlook Adebayo as a spend up option. However, our studs do not look great tonight, and Adebayo is one of the only stars we can get to who is coming in too cheap. Adebayo is averaging 43.2 FPTS per game this season, and he has been showing a lot more upside than he had last year. The addition of a brilliant playmaker in Kyle Lowry has helped Adebayo consistently get engaged in the Heat’s offence, as we are seeing him with more big scoring nights. We love getting to Adebayo against the Celtics, who are playing the undisciplined Robert Williams at center. 

General strategy 

The first thing we want to talk about in our general strategy for tonight is Donnovan Mitchell, who is questionable here. If Mitchell plays, there is not too much to like from the Jazz as most of their players don’t present too much upside. However, if Mitchell got ruled out we would be all over the Jazz in this one. Mike Conley, Jordan Clarkson, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Joe Ingles all look good here if Mitchell sits. Keep an eye on the news for this one as Mitchell is just one of the plays that could open a ton of value. We already mentioned Ayton, and we also have a lot of cheaper guys who could be out. Players like Lu Dort and Royce O’Neale open a lot of value on there teams as well as they usually play solid minutes when they’re in. This is a slate to watch the news, and make sure you know starting lineups. Cheap guys sneaking into the starting lineups is always a way to get some easy value plays before lock. Good luck and have some fun with this one.

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