NBA DFS rolls on Wednesday night with an eight-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. Last night’s FanDuel $10k main slate pay line was up slightly to 341 points. We were right there, but Bradley Beal disappointed us with just nine fantasy points across 14 minutes.
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
Shai Gilgeous Alexander ($11.6k DraftKings and $10.8k Fanduel)
The Coach is taking the five digit DFS salary plunge and starting Shai Gilgeous-Alexander at point guard tonight. We are hoping the masses will shy away from him due to his prohibitive salary. He has a mega green light tonight playing a slate high 251.5 implied game total and facing Memphis who yields the tenth most fantasy points to the position. SGA ranks as the overall PG1 at 54.18 fantasy points per game and in his last two starts, his average is at 64.15. We will have to get creative elsewhere to fit his salary into our DFS builds. Ja Morant, a GTD, is a good pivot off SGA despite the Thunder’s defensive prowess.
Malik Monk ($7.7k DraftKings and $7.8k Fanduel)
We need a piece of the Kings-Nuggets whose 238 implied game total ranks second best in tonight’s main slate. Malik Monk is a nice DFS option based on salary and flexibility. Monk, dual-guard roster eligible, will meet the Nuggets tonight who rank just 23rd in fantasy points allowed to shooting guards. Monk has been steady averaging 31.2 fantasy points and seven assists in his last four contests. We have just a five and a half point game spread, so he should be playing in a competitive game script.
Bench Options: Jamal Murray, Ja Morant, Russell Westbrook, Luke Kennard, Kris Dunn
DFS Starting Forwards
Kris Middleton ($5.5k DraftKings and $6.1k Fanduel)
We found ourselves a nice DFS bargain at small forward in Kris Middleton. Jordan Poole remains out with the elbow injury so Middleton has seen consistent usage. In his last two games, he is producing 33.05 fantasy points, 4.5 assists, and 23 minutes. We feel he can maintain that production against a Utah defense that ranks 30th in fantasy output to small forwards. That makes Middleton a strong bet to pay 5x-6x his DFS salary in what is forecasted to be a competitive game script.
Jaden McDaniels ($7k DraftKings and $6.9k Fanduel)
Jaden McDaniels has been a rock for the Timberwolves of late. He is averaging nearly 40 fantasy points and 16.7 rebounds in his last three games. He will play in a green light fantasy environment with the Hornets allowing the fourth most points to the position. There is always the blowout concern in any Hornets game, but Charlotte is a very competitive 29-27 ATS this season. McDaniels is a terrific mid-tier DFS option tonight and can play either forward spot within our roster builds.
DFS Starting Center
Santi Aldama ($6.4k DraftKings and $6.3k Fanduel)
Santi Aldama will be the starting five man for tonight, but be prepared with one of our bench options, as he is a GTD. Jaren Jackson is already out with the ankle injury he sustained Monday night, if Aldama is active he will have a major opportunity. Aldama has produced 32.72 fantasy points and seven boards per game in his last seven contests. He does have a tough match up versus the Thunder defense, but should be in line for at least 35-37 minutes tonight. We get additional exposure to the Thunder-Grizzlies forecasted fantasy bonanza.
Bench Options: Nikola Jokic, Jalen Duren, Brooke Lopez, Kyle Flipowski
DFS Tournament Stacks
SGA-Jalen Williams-Chet Holmgren/ Malik Monk-DeMar DeRozan-Zach LaVine/ Jamal Murray-Aaron Gordon or Michael Porter-Nikola Jokic
Final Thoughts
It is not possible to mention every player or obvious starts. Our bench options provide our followers, much like a coach, with additional green light options, injury replacements, and flexibility for your DFS builds. We strive to balance studs and value plays who might also be potentially lower-owned. Pay attention to implied team and game totals and try to get roster exposure to those games.
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 always double-check our recommendations and your roster builds once line-ups are finalized for late inactives.
