NBA DFS Advice for October 23, 2021

We have had four days of NBA basketball so far, and we have got a chance to see what every team is starting off with. For the first four slates, there have either been a few games playing or double digits. Tonight, we have a more normal seven game slate, and we have had a solid glimpse of the early rotations. The one thing we must keep in mind for this slate is going to be that a few teams are on the second half of back to backs. The Pacers, Raptors, Spurs, Pelicans, Bulls and Suns all played last night as well, so we must be a bit concerned about the minutes of some guys. Typically, young healthy players are ok for minutes on back to backs, but veterans or guys with injury issues will usually be limited. Another factor of tonight’s tail end games is that players performances last night do not play into there prices. Considering it was only the second game, that is very relevant. We definitely have a lot of value to look at on this slate, as we have found a few guys $4,000 and under who we really like. For studs we have one superstar in our core tonight, and we like getting to a few cheaper midrange studs. Our core lineup has a few of our favorite budget plays, and a good foundation for where to spend the salary. In our premium content we go over some plays that can take your lineup in different directions for different tournaments.

Here’s a balanced core For DFS Basketball 10/23/21 (using DraftKings Values)

The pacers played last night, so there is a chance that Malcom Brogdon does not play quite as many minutes here. However, we cannot look past his amazing price and the way he has been producing. Brogdon has been two cheap for both of his games, and he is still only $7,300 tonight. Brogdon has gone for well over 50 FPTS in both of his game this season, and he has played massive minutes with huge usage. Brogdon has been taking a lot of the offensive responsibilities for Indiana, he has shot the ball 20 or more times both games. We are getting 50 point upside here for way too cheap. There is some risk with this play, as the Pacers have a tough matchup with the Heat, and it is a back to back. However, this price on Brogdon is just too good to ignore.

The young Raptors really stood out in last nights game against the Celtics. Scottie Barnes led the way with a dominant 25 point 13 board game. Barnes finished with 45.8 FPTS last night and he would be a lot more expensive if there was another day between slates. We are still getting Barnes at only $4,000 here, which makes him one of our favorite value options tonight. It has been made quite clear that the Raptors are going to give Barnes a massive role. He shot the ball 17 times in 35 minutes last night. Although the Raptors are on a back to back, we are not too worried about the rookie getting his run. Coach Nurse was playing Barnes deep into a blowout last night, and he could have rested him more for tonight’s game. In fact, Barnes could see more minutes with the Raptors studs resting, which could mean higher usage. Regardless, at this price we really all the upside we get from Barnes.

Our favorite spend up and go to for Cash games tonight is going to be Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo is the most consistent producer on this slate, as he averaged over 55 FPTS per game last year. The Bucks really struggled last time out, but we expect to see them come back strong with a much easier matchup against the Spurs tomorrow. Antetokounmpo is too cheap here at $10,500, as we know he should be over $11,000. He is not the most expensive player on tonight’s slate, but he certainly he should be. Getting away from Antetokounmpo for GPP’s makes some sense, but we still plan on using him a lot for our tournament lineups. For Cash games, Antetokounmpo is the superstar we want to build around.

Along with Barnes, one raptors who dominated in last nights contest was Precious Achiuwa. Achiuwa has been the starting center for the Raptors, and he seems to be getting comfortable in the role. He went for 40 FPTS last night, and he has gotten even cheaper to $3,600. Like Barnes, we expect the minutes to be solid for Achiuwa in the back to back, if he continues to start he should be good. At this price Achiuwa has a great floor and ceiling, as we will likely see him closer to $5,000 very soon. He is playing a huge role as the starting center for Toronto, and he is not being priced for it.        

Here’s a balanced core For DFS Basketball 10/23/21 (using FanDuel Values)

Point Guard

Jrue Holiday – PG ($6,500 DK) This is a weird one. Holiday was one of our core plays two nights ago as he was probable going into Thursday nights game. Holiday ended up out, so we never go to see how he was going to produce. Holiday is in the exact same situation going into tonight’s slate, as he is probable at $6,500. We must look at this probable tag as Holiday is likely going to play. This is a guy who averaged just shy of 40 FPTS a game last year and has a solid matchup against San Antonio. If Holiday can play without a minutes limit there is not much to say here, he is way to cheap making his floor and upside great. Of course, you have to watch the news here as there is a chance he gets called out again. If that ends up happening, then Khris Middleton, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and any other high usage Buck is going to be a priority.

Shooting Guard 

De’Anthony Melton – ($3,800 DK) The Memphis Grizzlies are one of our favorite sources of value plays tonight, as a few young Grizzlies are way too cheap for the increased role there taking on this season. Melton started in the absence of Dillon Brooks to open the season, so we expect to see him start as long as Brooks remains out. Melton played 31 minutes last game, and he scored 31..5 FPTS. He should have been priced up significantly going into tonight’s game, but he is still super cheap here. If Melton gets the start again he is going to be smashed into a lot of our lineups and an easy play for Cash. We do have a lot of options for value tonight, so we are mainly focused on the budget plays from Toronto and Memphis.

Small Forward 

Luka Doncic – (10,800 DK) The upside on Doncic is insane he produces at a much higher rate then anyone else on the slate other then Antetokounmpo. We would like if Doncic was a bit cheaper, however he is certainly not overpriced. We have enough great cheap plays tonight to play both Doncic and Antetokounmpo alongside each other. The ownership on Doncic should be a bit lower than usual tonight, as he was relatively underwhelming in his first game. We do prefer Antetokounmpo for cheaper, especially in Cash games. However, we are targeting enough cheap guys tonight to give us the salary for both.

Desmond Bane – (3,300 Dk) Another Grizzlies value play we are all over for tonight is Bane. The sophomore showed one of the best games of his career in the season opener, which is a fantastic sign. He scored 33.75 FPTS, and his price has not been raised at all. We saw Bane take 16 shot attempts in 30 minutes last game. It seems quite likely Bane will be producing more in his second season, which means he is going to be priced up very soon.      

Power Forward 

Keldon Johnson – (4,900 DK) Johson appears to be taking a bigger role in the Spurs offence this season, which is something we expect to happen with all the veterans leaving. We saw Johnson put on a monster performance last night, scoring over 40 FPTS. He was the first option for San Antonio, which is not something we would have seen his first two seasons. We really like getting to Johnson at this price point as we expect him to get more expensive throughout the season. The back to back is a bit of concern here, but we are hoping his young legs means full minutes.

Center

Steven Adams – (4,600 DK) Our priority for center tonight is going to be Achiuwa, as he is playing a huge role at a crazy price. However, Adams is also a nice value in this spot. We know who Adams a producer, fantastic rebounder, and solid scoring. He was great in his first game with the Grizzlies scoring 33 FPTS in 32 minutes. The fact that Adams saw that much floor time is a good sign, and he probably should be $500 more expensive.

General strategy 

The value options on this slate are fantastic and the ones we have mentioned all feel very safe. On the other hand, a lot of our star options feel like the floors are low for the price. Antetokounmpo is clearly our favorite star to pay up for tonight, and in Cash games he is going to be the first guy in for us. For Tournaments a lot of guys offer a lot of upside, starting with Doncic. One big piece of news that we are waiting on for tonight is that Kyle Lowry is currently questionable. If he ends up out we really like getting to Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, and other guards from the Miami Heat. Likewise, if Holiday ends up out tonight the guards from Milwaukee look great. This feels like a great tournament slate, as there is a lot of variance in the players productions. Good luck with this one and make some money.

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