Tonight’s first game of an ESPN doubleheader could be a revenge game as Jalen Brunson returns to the Dallas Mavericks. Brunson was a fantastic guard for Dallas but when Dallas didn’t choose to resign him, the Knicks flew in and he has been the top superstar of New York sports. These two teams come in with almost identical records as both have 10 wins on the season. The Knicks are coming off a special win in Denver on Monday while the Mavs had a nice win in Atlanta to wrap up a road trip. With plenty of storylines, this should be a fun way to kick off a Wednesday night.
Knicks at Mavericks DFS Start’em
Knicks G Miles McBride($4,200 on DraftKings)
The player called Deuce has been a huge spark player off the bench for the Knicks for the last year. He might not be one of the more productive players in the world but when he is on, he can be one of the more fun players to watch in the game of basketball. This start is purely based on the value that DraftKings is giving for him. To be even close to $4,000 is crazy for a guy who will get a good amount of minutes in the game. Those become a low-risk- high-reward start that has to be in your lineup if you choose to DFS for this game.
Mavericks F Naji Marshall($6,000 on DraftKings)
One of the more surprising contributors to the Mavs in the 2024-25 season has been Marshall. While most casual fans have no idea who this player is, and if you have been watching the last week of Dallas’s games, he has been nothing short of fantastic. While his extremely high production probably won’t sustain all year, it is likely to repeat tonight. As a DFS player, you need to be in the moment and that moment right now is Marshall.
Knicks at Mavericks DFS Sit’em
Knicks G Cam Payne($4,000 on DraftKings)
The Knicks backcourt is the easiest sit of this nationally televised game. Payne is a solid bench piece for all of the teams where has landed but that doesn’t make him a good start for tonight’s game. Outside of scoring, Payne doesn’t offer a lot more than that from a fantasy perspective. This is such a low value that many people will do it because it seems low risk, but the ceiling just isn’t high enough to start him. I would stay away from the Knicks’ number two point guard.
Mavericks C Daniel Gafford($7,000 on DraftKings)
The Mavs starting center has been a welcome addition since being traded from Charlotte to Dallas at the trade deadline last season. But Gafford hasn’t put up great numbers of late. If he can’t even score 15 points, that’s a problem because rebounding is so inconsistent because of the rebounding ability of Luka Doncic.
The team also had Derrick Lively who at times gets the hot hand from the coaching staff. With a matchup against Anthony-Towns, Gafford will be defending more on the perimeter which will take him away from the glass. That hurts his fantasy production, which means he should not be in your lineup.
Conclusion
To wrap things up, this a great game to see where these two teams are at. Both expect to have a deep run in the postseason but have added major new pieces which have them to an okay start to the season. Mavs added Anthony-Towns and Bridges while the Mavs added future Hall of Famer Klay Thompson. It makes sense both teams have been off to slow starts but now nearly 20 games, these teams want to start clicking and become a bigger factor in their respective conferences. That starts tonight in a game where whoever wins, will feel like they got a huge win.
