NBA DFS Picks 9 November: DK, FanDuel, Yahoo

Games and pace

Golden State against New Orleans carries the highest implied total for a single team, with the Warriors at 122.6. Los Angeles and Atlanta have the highest game total on the board at 239.0, and both teams sit near 119 to 120 points implied. That is the game I want the most exposure to.

LAL-ATL: total 239.0, Lakers 120.2, Hawks 118.9
GSW-NOP: total 234.4, Warriors 122.6, Pelicans 111.8
TOR-MEM: total 231.9, Raptors 116.1, Grizzlies 115.8
DAL-IND: total 230.9, Mavericks 118.2, Pacers 112.7
SAS-PHX: total 227.7, Spurs 118.1, Suns 109.6
DET-WAS: total 222.8, Pistons 116.2, Wizards 106.7
DEN-HOU: total 221.2, Nuggets 105.8, Rockets 115.4
CLE-CHA: total 217.3, Cavaliers 114.3, Hornets 103.0

Charlotte has the lowest game total, but that is not a reason to skip the Hornets. I come back to them below. New Orleans has not submitted an injury report yet, so anything involving the Pelicans is provisional.

NBA DFS picks for Fanteam

Fanteam asks for seven players under a 90 cap, with up to seven from one team. That averages roughly 12.9 per slot, so one or two stars plus a block of cheap value is the natural build. Value here is projected points divided by price, and a ratio near 3 is normal.

Top plays

Player	Pos	Team	Salary	Proj	Value
Luka Doncic	PG	LAL	20.2	56.7	2.81
Nikola Jokic	C	DEN	19.7	54.2	2.75
Victor Wembanyama	PF	SAS	18.8	53.6	2.85
Cade Cunningham	PG	DET	15.8	48.4	3.06
Jalen Johnson	PF	ATL	16.2	46.1	2.85
Alperen Sengun	C	HOU	15.0	45.9	3.06
Cooper Flagg	SF	DAL	16.5	45.8	2.78
Scottie Barnes	SF	TOR	14.7	44.2	3.01

Doncic has the highest projection on the slate, but I am not locking him in. I would rather spend the premium slot on Wembanyama. According to the latest injury report, San Antonio is without Devin Vassell and Tobias Harris, and Phoenix has Mark Williams out, so I expect Wembanyama to carry a heavy workload against a team with no clean way to slow him.

Jokic is listed as Probable with a right elbow sprain, along with Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon and several other Nuggets. I would play him if he is in the lineup and not before. If he sits, Sengun’s role improves, and at 15.0 he already has one of the better ratios among the stars.

Cunningham is my favorite mid-priced piece. Washington is listed with Anthony Davis as Questionable, and Detroit has Jalen Duren out. If Davis sits, the Wizards lose their defensive anchor and Cunningham gets an even better matchup. At 15.8 he already projects 48.4 either way.

Barnes carries a Questionable tag for Toronto, as do Immanuel Quickley and Collin Murray-Boyles, and Kawhi Leonard is out. Barnes is a fine value if he plays. Wait for lineups before you commit.

Value plays

Player	Pos	Team	Salary	Proj	Value
Christian Anderson	PG	CHA	5.5	21.8	3.96
Keldon Johnson	SF	SAS	7.3	26.4	3.62
Hannes Steinbach	C	CHA	5.8	20.1	3.47
Grayson Allen	SF	CHA	8.7	29.3	3.37
Naji Marshall	SF	DAL	8.7	29.0	3.33
Naz Reid	C	CHA	11.5	37.1	3.23
Daniss Jenkins	PG	DET	7.2	23.2	3.22

Charlotte is the center of this section. According to the latest injury report, Kon Knueppel, Brandon Miller, Dennis Schroder and Grant Williams are all out, and Moussa Diabate is Doubtful. That leaves a lot of shots and touches for Reid, Allen, Anderson and Steinbach. Reid is the safest of them. If Diabate is out, his case gets stronger. Allen is a nervy play because the offense has so few creators, but the price still gives room.

Keldon Johnson is the cleanest cheap San Antonio option, given the two Spurs absences. Marshall is the Dallas play. Kyrie Irving is not on the injury report, so lineups are not final, but if he sits, Marshall absorbs extra work. Jenkins works for similar reasons with Duren out for Detroit.

Fades

Player	Pos	Team	Salary	Proj	Value
Ivica Zubac	C	IND	10.7	23.6	2.21
Trey Murphy III	SF	NOP	11.5	28.5	2.48
Jabari Smith Jr.	PF	HOU	11.7	30.0	2.56
Ty Jerome	PG	MEM	13.8	35.9	2.60

None of these are bad players. They are badly priced tonight. Zubac is the clearest case: 10.7 for 23.6 projected is the weakest ratio on the board. Jerome at 13.8 is a steep price for a Memphis team that has Scotty Pippen Jr. and Isaiah Stewart out and a tough matchup in Toronto. Murphy’s team has not submitted a report yet, which is one more reason to be careful.

DraftKings value plays

DraftKings uses eight slots and a $50,000 cap. Value here is projected points per $1,000, and around 5 is typical. The Charlotte and San Antonio cheap options carry over, and Christian Anderson stands out at $3,300.

Player	Pos	Team	Salary	Proj	Pts per $1,000
Christian Anderson	PG	CHA	$3,300	21.8	6.61
Keldon Johnson	SF	SAS	$4,400	26.4	6.00
Hannes Steinbach	C	CHA	$3,500	20.1	5.74
Grayson Allen	SG	CHA	$5,200	29.3	5.63
Naji Marshall	SF	DAL	$5,200	29.0	5.58
Daniss Jenkins	PG	DET	$4,300	23.2	5.40

FanDuel value plays

FanDuel needs nine players under $60,000. Detroit’s frontcourt is the interesting spot, since Duren is out and Paul Reed projects 34.0 at $6,100.

Player	Pos	Team	Salary	Proj	Pts per $1,000
Keldon Johnson	SF	SAS	$4,100	24.6	6.00
Naji Marshall	SF	DAL	$5,000	29.2	5.84
Julian Champagnie	SG	SAS	$4,100	23.0	5.61
Paul Reed	C	DET	$6,100	34.0	5.57
Matisse Thybulle	SF	LAL	$3,900	21.5	5.51
Daniss Jenkins	PG	DET	$4,000	22.0	5.50

Yahoo value plays

Yahoo uses eight slots, a $200 cap and a maximum of six players per team. Value is a plain ratio near 1, and every player below beats that comfortably. Yaxel Lendeborg is the headline at 14 for a projected 39.0.

Player	Pos	Team	Salary	Proj	Value
Yaxel Lendeborg	SF	GSW	14	39.0	2.79
Kingston Flemings	PG	ATL	10	22.0	2.20
Paul Reed	C	DET	18	34.0	1.89
Ja’Kobe Walter	SG	TOR	14	25.0	1.79
Matisse Thybulle	SF	LAL	14	21.5	1.54
Cameron Boozer	PF	MEM	27	38.9	1.44

FAQ

Who are the best NBA DFS picks on Fanteam tonight?

Cade Cunningham and Alperen Sengun both have a value ratio of 3.06 among the top plays. Wembanyama is my preferred premium option, and Naz Reid and Grayson Allen are the best Charlotte plays.

Who is the best cheap play on the slate?

Christian Anderson of Charlotte projects 21.8 at 5.5 on Fanteam and $3,300 on DraftKings. Keldon Johnson of San Antonio is the other cheap option I like across several sites.

Is Nikola Jokic safe to play?

According to the latest injury report, Jokic is listed as Probable with a right elbow sprain. That is not a guarantee. I would use him only after the lineup is confirmed.

Check lineups and the injury report again before lock, because several key players are still game-time calls.

For the always-updated slate numbers and full player projections for DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo and Fanteam, see our NBA DFS Projections page.