Welcome to the Wednesday edition of FanDuel NBA lineup advice. The NBA season officially kicked off with two games last night, but it feels like the true NBA DFS season starts with tonight’s huge 11-game slate. Tonight we have four players checking in with salaries over $10,000, all centers. The highest expected point total of the night is 233 points between the Kings and Suns and we don’t have to worry about any back-to-backs or players being rested yet. With all that in mind, let’s take a look at tonight’s best plays:
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Point Guard
Luka Doncic (DAL): $9,900
Not only does Doncic come with as high of a ceiling as any player on the slate, his ability to stuff the stat sheet in every category gives him one of the safest floors as well. The reigning rookie of the year was phenomenal in his debut campaign, averaging 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game. He came on even stronger down the home stretch of the season, increasing his averages to 22.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 7.2 assists while compiling five triple-doubles after the All-Star break. To top it off, he opens up the season against a Wizards team that struggled against guards last season and didn’t do much of anything to improve for this season.
Welcome to the Wednesday edition of FanDuel NBA lineup advice. The NBA season officially kicked off with two games last night, but it feels like the true NBA DFS season starts with tonight’s huge 11-game slate. Tonight we have four players checking in with salaries over $10,000, all centers. The highest expected point total of the night is 233 points between the Kings and Suns and we don’t have to worry about any back-to-backs or players being rested yet. With all that in mind, let’s take a look at tonight’s best plays:
Create FanDuel lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool
Point Guard
Luka Doncic (DAL): $9,900
Not only does Doncic come with as high of a ceiling as any player on the slate, his ability to stuff the stat sheet in every category gives him one of the safest floors as well. The reigning rookie of the year was phenomenal in his debut campaign, averaging 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.0 assists per game. He came on even stronger down the home stretch of the season, increasing his averages to 22.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 7.2 assists while compiling five triple-doubles after the All-Star break. To top it off, he opens up the season against a Wizards team that struggled against guards last season and didn’t do much of anything to improve for this season.
Others to consider
De’Aaron Fox (SAC): $8,600
The Kings point guard made huge strides in his second year and was voted as the top breakout candidate by NBA general managers heading into the season. It’s always a good idea to target high ceiling players in high scoring games, and with the expected point total of 233 points between the Kings and Suns, Fox fits the bill perfectly.
D.J. Augustin (ORL): $4,800
If you’re looking to pay down and save some salary at the point guard position, Augustin is your guy. The starting point guard in Orlando faces Cleveland, who gave up the most fantasy points to point guards last season and didn’t address the lack of defense by adding Darius Garland with their lottery pick in the spring.
Shooting Guard
Tyler Herro (MIA): $3,600
In an 11-game slate, you’ve got to save cost somewhere to pay up for your studs. The sharp-shooting guard from Kentucky impressed in the summer league and preseason. Now he’s battling for a starting spot and should see plenty of minutes tonight with Dion Waiters suspended for the season opener.
Others to consider
Devin Booker (PHO): $9,000
If you’re playing in multiple tournaments you’ll want some shares of Booker tonight. His 32.9% usage rate was the third-highest in the association last season, as he averaged 32.2 points, 7.3 assists, and 4.8 rebounds per game after the All-Star break.
Gary Harris (DEN): $5,500
Harris is a nice mid-priced option on the slate tonight. He’s primed for a bounce-back season after last year was riddled with injuries. He made a solid playoff run, averaging 14.2 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 2.3 assists over 14 playoff games, all higher than his regular-season averages.
Small Forward
Taurean Prince (BKN): $5,000
There aren’t any high-priced options at small forward on tonight’s slate, so it’s a good place to look for value. The former Hawk shot 39% from three-point range last season and should see plenty of time on the court. You can expect him to see significant usage until Kevin Durant returns from his torn Achilles, which is unlikely to happen this season.
Others to consider
Jake Layman (MIN): $3,500
Layman played minimally in his first two seasons in Portland but made huge gains last year. Now he’s projected to get a shot at a starting role in Minnesota. At the minimum salary of $3,500, it will only take 17.5 FanDuel points for him to hit 5X value, something that is completely in play tonight.
Will Barton (DEN): $5,100
Much like his teammate Gary Harris, Barton is looking to bounce back after an injury-plagued season. It’s unclear if Barton will start or play the sixth-man role off the bench, but he can definitely produce useful fantasy numbers in either role.
Power Forward
Kristaps Porzingis (DAL): $7,700
It’s easy to forget just how good Porzingas was before he tore his ACL in February of 2018. In that season he saw a 31% usage rate while averaging 22.7 points, 6.6 rebounds, 1,2 assists, 0.8 steals, and 2.4 blocks per game. He’s looked impressive in the preseason with his new Mavericks teammates, and he may not see a lower salary this season.
Others to consider
Jayson Tatum (BOS): $6,900
All eyes are on Tatum in Boston now that Kyrie Irving and Al Horford have moved on to other teams. The third-year forward should see his usage increase this season as he becomes a focal point of the Celtics offense alongside newly acquired Kemba Walker.
Christian Wood (DET): $3,900
The Pistons have already ruled out Blake Griffin for the first week of the NBA season and Markieff Morris is listed as questionable for the season opener with back tightness. If Morris can’t go, Christian Wood immediately becomes a strong value play as the last available power forward for Detroit. Thankfully the NBA now requires teams to submit starting lineups 30 minutes ahead of tipoff.
Center
Karl-Anthony Towns (MIN): $11,000
You only get one center in FanDuel’s lineup format, so you’d better make it count. Big KAT is the closest you can get to a sure-thing at the position. Last season he averaged an impressive 48.7 FanDuel points per game and notched seven 20-20 performances. He matches up against the Nets in the season opener, who were a bottom-five team against centers last year. Youngster Jarrett Allen and veteran DeAndre Jordan aren’t likely to slow him down tonight.
Others to consider
Wendell Carter Jr. (CHI): $ 6,700
Carter is a great play if you’re looking to go contrarian tonight. He had a solid start to his rookie season, averaging 10.3 points and 7.0 rebounds in 44 games before being shut down for the year with a sports hernia in January. The starting center for the Bulls could get off to a big start to the season in Charlotte while facing Cody Zeller.
Here’s an example of a lineup you can confidently roll out tonight with $500 of wiggle room to use as you please:
PG: Luka Doncic
PG: D.J. Augustin
SG: Tyler Herro
SG: Gary Harris
SF: Taurean Prince
SF: Will Barton
PF: Kristaps Porzingis
PF: Jayson Tatum
C: Karl-Anthony Towns
Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel
Aaron Larson is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Aaron, check out his archive and follow him @aalarson.
