NBA DFS Picks 2 November: Fanteam, DraftKings, FanDuel & Yahoo

Fanteam is the main focus. Lineups have seven players (PG, SG, SF, PF, C and two UTIL) under a 93 cap, and you can take up to seven from one team, so there is no real stacking restriction. On this scale, a value around 3 is normal and anything above 4 is excellent.

Top plays

Wembanyama is my favorite of the expensive group. He leads the top plays in projection per unit of salary among the big names, and San Antonio has the second-highest implied total on the slate. Jokic projects highest overall at 60.3, but he costs 20.2, so he is a price I pay only if the rest of the lineup is cheap enough.

Franz Wagner stands out at 13.8. According to the latest injury report, Orlando has Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs, Anthony Black, Jonathan Isaac and Noah Penda all out. Wagner is not on that report, so lineups are not final, but his projection of 47.1 for that price is the best value in the top group.

Jalen Johnson is listed as questionable with a left ankle sprain, and Atlanta is implied for 121.6. I would wait for news before locking him in. Sabonis is another one I like. Sacramento lists Keegan Murray, Ben Simmons and Maxime Raynaud as out and Zach LaVine as questionable, so I expect Sabonis to carry a large share of the offense.

Giannis, Jokic and Wembanyama are not on the report. That does not confirm they are playing, so check lineups before lock. Doncic and the Lakers have no report yet.

Value plays

Indiana dominates this list. Six of the seven best values are Pacers, and ATL-IND is one of the higher-total games on the slate. Indiana has not submitted an injury report yet, so I would not build around any single Pacer until lineups are final. Quenton Jackson is the one I trust most because his projection of 32.5 is the highest of the group. The 5.2 to 5.8 range (Smith, Brown, Slawson) is where I look for salary relief to afford a Jokic or Wembanyama.

Jalen Smith is the best non-Indiana value. Chicago is in the highest-total game on the board, and he is listed as probable with a left finger sprain. Nic Claxton is listed as doubtful with a hamstring strain, which is worth keeping in mind for the Bulls frontcourt.

Fades

These are not bad players. They are badly priced tonight. Gordon at 12.3 projects for 27.7, and Braun at 11.0 projects for 25.2. If I am paying for Denver, I would rather put that salary into Jokic. Holiday and Ware sit at the same level of value, around 2.3 to 2.4, when the slate offers plenty of options above 3.

DraftKings uses eight players and a $50,000 cap. Wembanyama at $11,100 is the best of the top plays at 5.26 points per $1,000, ahead of Jalen Johnson (5.20) and Giannis (4.94). Doncic at $12,000 projects for 56.7. The cheap end is again Indiana, so the same warning applies: Indiana has no report yet.

FanDuel needs nine players under a $60,000 cap. At the top, Wembanyama is $12,000 for 58.6 projected and Jokic is $11,800 for 57.8, both close to 4.9 points per $1,000. Jalen Johnson at $9,700 projects for 48.7. The cheap options again come from Indiana, with Kelly Oubre added to the mix.

Yahoo uses eight players and a $200 cap, with at most six from one team. The scale is different here: a value above 1 beats the price, and the top plays sit right around it. Wembanyama is 54 for 58.6 projected (1.09) and Giannis is 50 for 52.7 (1.05). The cheap end is more varied than on the other sites, and it is not all Indiana.

Golden State, the Clippers, Brooklyn and Indiana have not submitted reports, so these cheap names carry the most lineup risk.