NBA DFS Picks 30 October: Fanteam, DraftKings, FanDuel & Yahoo

Fanteam is the main focus. The slate covers ATL-CLE, NOP-SAC and POR-MEM. The format is 7 players (PG, SG, SF, PF, C and two UTIL) under an 82 cap, with at most 7 from one team. Value here is a plain ratio of projection to salary, and anything near 3 is solid.

Top plays

Domantas Sabonis is the player I want most. He projects at 49.4 for 15.3 against a New Orleans frontcourt that is short on bigs, and he has a very high floor for a center. Jalen Johnson projects the same 49.4 at 15.8. His matchup against Mobley and Allen is harder than Sabonis has, so I rank him second, but his production is hard to replace.

Deni Avdija is the best mid-priced play. Portland is short-handed, there is extra usage to go around, and he projects at 41.3 for 13.0. He will be heavily owned, and I am fine with that. Darius Acuff Jr. at 11.8 is a volume play. His shooting is inefficient, but he keeps taking shots, and the Pelicans are a good spot for a big night.

Mitchell is the pay-up option I would use mainly in tournaments. His ceiling is real even against Atlanta’s perimeter defenders, though his price keeps the value under 3. Jerome has had a strong run and his usage is high, but Jrue Holiday may be put on him, and he is a popular play already.

Value plays

Donovan Clingan leads the group at 3.49 for 10.2. The price is attractive, though I would not treat him as a lock, since his role has a ceiling and production has lagged his recent workload. Zach LaVine at 11.0 projects at 35.4. He plays big roles on a Kings team that is trying to win and he shoots a lot. Onyeka Okongwu at 9.3 is a fair price, but I am cautious about the matchup with Jarrett Allen and Cleveland’s bigs.

Fades

These are not bad players. They are badly priced tonight, because the projection does not cover the salary.

Murphy has not been aggressive, and the matchup caps his ceiling. If Poole sits, I would look at him again. Zion is a tournament-only idea for me: the points are empty, and the price is steep for that. Daniels and Alexander-Walker both land in a heavy Atlanta rotation on the second night of a back-to-back, and neither projects enough for the price.

DraftKings uses 8 players (PG, SG, SF, PF, C, G, F, UTIL) and a $50,000 cap. Value is points per $1,000, and about 5 is the baseline. Clingan again leads at $6,100. Sabonis and Avdija are the stars I would build around, and LaVine and Okongwu give cheap salary relief.

FanDuel needs 9 players (PG, SG, SF, PF, C, G/F, F/C and two UTIL) under a $60,000 cap. The cheap end is where the slate gets interesting. De’Andre Hunter at $4,000 and Jeremiah Fears at $4,300 project well for the price, though Hunter is coming off a good game and I am not sure it repeats. Clingan is the top value again.

Yahoo uses 8 players (PG, SG, G, SF, PF, F, C, UTIL) with a $200 cap and at most 6 from one team. Value is a plain ratio, and anything above 1 beats the price. Cameron Boozer leads at 1.53. He is a strong rebounder and passer, and the Memphis role is solid. Acuff and LaVine are again good options, and Sabonis at 38 is a very good price for a top projection.