NBA DFS rolls on Friday night with a nice sized 10-game slate. The Coach is here with his starting five and authentic insight from ‘inside the ropes.’ The NBA’s fantasy landscape changes daily with nightly examples of last-minute injury designation and load management. For reference, last night, the pay line in FanDuel’s $12k main slate pay line at 291 was lower than the usual threshold. We will continue to operate and expect our pay line to be in the low 300s.
Our starting lineup is designed to provide core players with which to construct your DFS lineups. We strive for players who have the potential to be less owned and will give us a lineup different from the masses. Your obvious must-start studs or options are not always mentioned; we try to offer balanced DFS salary options. The fantasy point-per-game averages referenced are those across FanDuel scoring. Who gets the green light from the Coach tonight?
DFS Starting Guards
Jalen Brunson ($9.2k DraftKings and $9.3k FanDuel)
Jalen Brunson will be leading the way tonight for us at point guard. We need exposure to the Knicks-Grizzlies contest that boasts the slate’s highest implied game total at 245. Brunson has the ball in his hands all game and gets the green light versus the Grizzlies who rank in the lower half in fantasy points allowed to point guards. Brunson enters as the overall fantasy PG4, putting up 42.54 fantasy points a game in his last five starts.
We will ride the Josh Giddey train again tonight and plug him as our starting shooting guard. Giddey’s DFS price tag is on the rise but still reasonable. In his last four games, he is averaging 55.15 fantasy points, 12 boards and 8 dimes. Giddey has been knocking on the triple-door nightly and will face the Raptors who allow the ninth most to guards. He provides us roster flexibility as point guard eligible and will play in what is expected to be a competitive game. The Raptors-Bulls feature a two-point spread and the fourth-highest implied game total.
Substitution Options: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Devin Booker, Lonzo Ball, Cason Wallace
DFS Starting Forwards
Kawhi Leonard ($7.6k DraftKings and $8k Fanduel)
We wanted to insert a piece of the Thunder-Hawks game at small forward. It has the board’s second highest implied game total at 242 points. The concern is the potential blowout with OKC being a 12.5 point favorite. We only like SGA, but his triple-digit salary is cost prohibitive. We will instead pivot to Kawhi Leonard.
We should be safe using him tonight with yesterday being an off day for the Clippers. Leonard is a DFS ceiling threat and is coming on strong. In his last two starts, he has hit 44.6 and 40.8 fantasy points and is playing about 32 minutes. He is set up tonight as the Lakers allow the tenth most points to forwards. We also get some roster flexibility to use Kwahi at either forward spot.
Aaron Gordon ($5.4k DraftKings and $ 5.9k Fanduel)
Jalen Duren ($6.5k DraftKings and $7.3k Fanduel)
At his DFS price tag, Jalen Duren will man the middle for us tonight. This guy has been a machine posting a double-double in six of his last eight starts. Duren is in the green light spot facing the Nuggets who allow the fifth most points to centers despite the presence of Nikola Jokic. Duren is averaging 40.96 fantasy points and 12.8 boards in his last five contests. He is another terrific salary relief option and will play in the same game environment as the previously mentioned Aaron Gordon.
Substitution Options: Jaren Jackson, Kristaps Porzingis, Nikola Vucevic, John Collins (GTD) or Walker Kessler
DFS Tournament Stacks
Jalen Brunson-Josh Hart-OG Anuoby or KAT/ Ja Morant-Desmond Bane-Jaren Jackson/ Devin Booker-Bradley Beal-Kevin Durant/ Josh Giddey-Lonzo Ball-Nikola Vucevic
Final Thoughts
It is impossible to mention every player, but our substitution options provide our followers additional green light options and flexibility within your DFS builds. We strive to balance studs and value plays that might be potentially lower-owned. Pay attention to implied game totals and try to get pieces of those games within your lineup construction.
The top DFS builds will consist of the right balance between studs and value players that pay at least 5x their DFS salaries. Good luck with your roster builds, and please like and follow us on social media. Please double-check our recommendations and your roster builds once line-ups are finalized for late inactives.
