Tonight is the rare night in the NBA with the Mavericks at Jazz as their one-lone game on the docket. This game, which is being televised on NBA TV, has two teams that are going in two completely directions. The Mavericks are coming off an NBA Finals appearance last season and added future Hall of Famer Klay Thompson. The Mavs are off to a slow start but Luka Doncic continues to play like a top-five player in the league. The Jazz on the other hand are in rebuild mode with no players even touching superstar level. This is a game that Dallas needs to win.
Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz DFS Start’em
Mavericks C Daniel Gafford($6,000 on DraftKings)
The Mavs Center has taken full control of the position after it went more Dereck Lively II towards the end of last season. Gafford has been a much better scorer than Lively, which has kept him on the court more. Gafford is extremely efficient which already makes him a must-start and DFS players know they won’t be losing many points on missed field goals. His rebounding is solid while he is a strong defender. This price line makes this an even more favorable pick of the game. Definitely start Gafford on Thursday night.
Jazz G Jordan Clarkson($7,000 on DraftKings)
The former sixth man of the year has been playing like it for the Jazz. Clarkson still comes off the bench but he gets close to 30 minutes every game which makes him a great player to start in DFS. Most fantasy players need to know that the players they start have either consistent production or minutes. Clarkson offers both but the element that he is adding to his game is the assists. With that part of the game taking over, that means Clarkson has more to offer in fantasy and for a struggling Jazz team.
Dallas Mavericks at Utah Jazz DFS Sit’em
Mavericks G Klay Thompson($6,600 on DraftKings)
This Klay Thompson acquisition could take the Mavs to the next level and that would be a championship, but it is early November and things have not clicked for Thompson in this offense. Thompson has only two games of at least 20 points this season and it just feels like this new partnership needs more time to develop. The best defensive players on Utah are the wings which could cause Thompson to struggle after such a good performance in his last game. This is too expensive a price point for a player still finding his role on a new team.
Jazz G Keyonte George($7,600 on DraftKings)
The Jazz believe they have a young star in George and while that probably is the case, that doesn’t mean he is a must-start in DFS. Like other young players, George is wildly inconsistent. In one game, he can off for 33 and then the next, he would only get 10 points. With a player of this high price point, it is impossible to know which of those nights it could be. This sit is a safe one as there are players around this price point who you know will give good production. If you choose to start him, just know how high is ceiling is and how low it is as well.
Conclusion
With this game having a heavily favored visiting team, this could be a blowout waiting to happen, especially after the way the Mavericks lost in their last game. So it would be wise to take a shot on one, maybe even two cheap players who could get garbage minutes. The starters might not play their usual high minutes. It will be tough to pick those players because it is such a top-heavy game but especially players on the Jazz, you need to take a shot and hope those players can get enough minutes to produce in a DFS format.
