NBA DFS Advice for November 2, 2021

We have a small five game NBA DFS slate for tonight. However, we have a lot to talk about for a slate of this size. The first thing we want to mention is all the questionable for tags for tonight, as Brandon Ingram, Devonte Graham, Kristaps Porzingis, Lebron James, Bam Adebayo, andDeandre Ayton are all listed as questionable for tonight. To be uncertain about so many guys can make preparation tough for this slate, which is why for today we are doing our best trying to prepare you for whatever news is to come. In our core plays, we are going with four guys who look great right now and should be strong options no matter what happens. Then, in our premium content we will discuss all the potential priorities for if players who are currently questionable get ruled out tonight. 

Here’s a balanced core For DFS Basketball 11/2/21 (using DraftKings Values)

We mentioned in our introduction that a lot of teams have guys questionable for tonight. For the Bucks, we already know they are missing a ton of players. Jrue Holiday and Khris Middleton are both out tonight for Milwaukee, so we know we are going to have a lot of Bucks value. One value play who stands out as a super solid option is George Hill, who has consistently been playing 30 or more minutes in the games without Holiday. Hill feels very safe here as he has scored over 20 FPTS in his last five games, while he is still only $3,800 here. Hill is about $500 too cheap for this one, and he is a value play we are looking at for all our Cash games. If a lot of injuries come out today we may have more great value options, but there will likely still be room to play Hill.

We have the second NBA game for first overall pick Cade Cunningham tonight, and we really like betting on the rookie at his crazy price tag. Cunningham is only $3,600 here, so it feels like he is priced for a floor outcome. He has been dealing with injuries this year, but we expect him to play around 25 minutes tonight. He went for just under 15 FPTS while shooting one for eight in his first game, so it is so easy for him to come up with solid value tonight. We love the upside on Cunningham here and starting out with him and Hill gives us a lot of flexibility.

Giannis Antetokounmpo is getting expensive here at $11,600, but he is still our favorite superstar to target as of now. Antetokounmpo is the most productive fantasy player on this slate. Furthermore, he has a fantastic matchup against the Detroit Pistons, while the alternative superstar Luka Doncic has a tough game against the Miami Heat. The best thing about the Freak tonight is that he is the only star taking the court for the Bucks with Middleton and Holiday out. Antetokounmpo will have to do a lot for Milwaukee here, and we could see one of his big nights. Also, since we are targeting Cunningham and Hill it is not hard to find the salary to pay up here.

We really need to see if Porzingis is going to be playing tonight to know how much value we have from the Mavericks. However, one guy who we want to talk about regardless is Dwight Powell. Powell looks like a nice value here at $4,000, and his minutes are solid knowing Maxi Kleber is out. If Porzingis ends up out again as well, we really like going to Powell as it should mean big minutes in the Dallas frontcourt. If we get a situation where Porzingis is in, and Ingram and Graham are out. Then we would probably prefer looking to New Orleans for value.

Here’s a balanced core For DFS Basketball 11/2/21 (using FanDuel Values)

Point Guard

Chris Paul – PG ($7,600 DK) Paul is a guy who we would often overlook on a bigger slate for some crazy value or superstar play. However, tonight a lot of the studs don’t look that great and Paul stands out as a nice value where he is priced. Paul is averaging 38.5 FPTS per game so far this year, which is right around where we expect him to be. He has had a few days off since his last game, so we are hoping he can play closer to 40 minutes in this one. Paul always has nice upside, and we like him more than a lot of the guys in this price range.

Shooting Guard 

Grayson Allen – ($4,800 DK) With all the holes in the Bucks rotation right now it is hard not to like guys like Allen for value. Allen has been playing solid minutes all year and we expect to see him play over 30 minutes against Detroit tonight. He saw a significant usage bump last game when Middleton was out, as he got up a season high 14 field goal attempts. Allen has some upside in this spot, and we feel very confident he is at least over 20 FPTS.

Small Forward 

Luka Doncic – (11,100 DK) A bad matchup against the Heat is what is preventing Doncic from being a core play for us tonight, but on a five game slate he still deserves to be mentioned. Doncic is the only superstar producer on the slate other then Antetokounmpo, who is coming in at an expensive $11,600 here. For that reason, there are going to be a lot of lineups where Doncic fits but Antetokounmpo does not. Furthermore, Doncic is the type of player who can still go off in any matchup. If he has one of his nights here it will be hard not to have him with only five games.

Herbert Jones – ($3,500 Dk) Whether or not we are going to Jones is entirely dependent on if Ingram plays tonight or not. If Ingram ends up playing here we really do not like Jones, as his usual role with this team is quite limited. However, we saw Jones start and play a whopping 36 minutes last game when Ingram was out. We expect Jones to see a great role if that is the case today, which would make him one of our favorite value plays on the slate. 

Power Forward 

Anthony Davis – (9,700 DK) With a dream matchup against the Houston Rockets frontcourt, we like getting to Davis here regardless of if Lebron plays. We do not have a ton of superstar options tonight, so there are less guys Davis needs to be better then to be a winning play. He has great upside that could certainly show playing against the Rockets, as their frontcourt is weak on defense. If Lebron does end up out tonight, Davis looks even better, and he becomes one of our favorite spend up options. 

Center

Jonas Valanciunas – ($8,500 DK) Valanciunas has been absolutely feasting so far in his time as a Pelican. He is averaging over 46 FPTS on the season. Valanciunas has been playing well over 30 minutes a night, while being a top usage guy for New Orleans. If Graham and Ingram end up out here, Valanciunas will likely have to take even higher usage to make up for the scoring. He would be one of our favorite spend up options if that is the case, but we really like getting to him regardless. He has fantastic upside and has been playing a very consistent role for the Pelicans.

General strategy 

We are going to use our general strategy for tonight as an opportunity to talk about all these questionable tags. With only five games playing, it is absurd to have so many big names be unknown. The Pelicans are a team that really stands out if their guys are out, as two of there top usage guys could be gone. We love getting to Valanciunas and Jones if Ingram is out. If Graham is out we could see a nice value opportunity for Kira Lewis or Trey Murphy. Keep an eye on who plays for the Pelicans, and we like any cheap guys who sneak into the starting unit. For the Lakers, we have seen this team play a few games without James already. We know Russell Westbrook is an absolute priority for us if James is out, and we also like trying to get to Davis. Ayton would be an interesting one if he ends up sitting for the Suns, and it would leave JaVale McGee is an obvious value for us. If Porzingis sits for the Mavericks, we love Powell and we also like Dorian Finney-Smith for value. This is the kind of slate that is not worth playing if you cannot be checking the news from an hour before lock, as a ton of stuff is up in the air. Look to maximize on value that opens up, as you can easily get ahead of people who aren’t using all the news.

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