NBA DFS Picks 14 November: Fanteam, DraftKings, FanDuel & Yahoo

Fanteam is a 7-player build (PG, SG, SF, PF, C and two UTIL) with a 90 cap and a limit of seven players from one team. Value here is projected points divided by salary, and anything near 3 is solid.

Giannis is the top projection on the board, and according to the latest injury report he is listed as available with a right wrist sprain. Cleveland’s frontcourt is thinner with Mobley out, which helps Miami’s matchup. I see him as the clear pay-up option. There are few alternatives at his level.

Wembanyama costs the most, and his ratio of 2.63 is the lowest in this group. Golden State is missing Stephen Curry and Jimmy Butler according to the injury report, which helps his case. De’Aaron Fox and Devin Vassell are both questionable for San Antonio, so lineups are not final. If either sits, Wembanyama’s workload only grows.

Jalen Johnson is my favorite of the stars. He has the best ratio of the big-salary group at 3.10 and sits in the game with the highest total. Chicago has lost Caleb Wilson, so I expect Atlanta to push the pace. Sengun is the other one I like. Utah’s frontcourt is gutted, with Markkanen, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Nurkic all out according to the injury report, and Houston is the biggest favorite of the night.

Towns at 14.7 has the best ratio here (3.12), and he is the centerpiece of a New York team implied for 115.0. Indiana is without Tyrese Haliburton. Aaron Nesmith is questionable, so I would check his status before committing to the Knicks side. Mitchell at 13.9 is the lone strong shooting guard option, in a Cleveland game with a total of 236.8.

Franz Wagner is a conditional play. Paolo Banchero is out per the report, and Jalen Suggs, Tristan da Silva and Jamal Cain are all questionable. That will shape the Orlando rotation, but Wagner is the focal point of a team implied for 116.8 either way.

Fanteam value plays

Stewart is the play I keep coming back to. Zach Edey and Quinten Post are both out for Memphis according to the injury report, which leaves a real rotation role open at a salary of 7.0. Allen is in a similar spot. With Mobley out, Cleveland needs him at the five in a game with a high total, and Tyson should pick up extra work around him.

The Chicago pair is useful too. Wilson is out per the report, so Smith and Buzelis both inherit more of the frontcourt and forward work. Norman Powell is questionable, and if he sits, Chicago has even less creation, which pushes more usage toward the rest of the lineup. Cardwell is the cheap Sacramento option, since the Kings list Precious Achiuwa and Maxime Raynaud as out. Okongwu costs more, but his projection is the highest of this group.

Fanteam fades

These are not bad players. They are badly priced tonight. Utah is implied for only 105.0 against Houston, and Hayes at 10.4 for 21.6 projected points is the worst ratio on the board. The salaries for Bailey and George ask you to pay for a game that is unlikely to go their way. George might work as a single dart in a big field, but I would not pay that price in a balanced build.

Nembhard has more usage with Haliburton out, and the price already reflects it. Indiana is implied for just 104.9, and I would rather spend that salary elsewhere.

DraftKings uses 8 players (PG, SG, SF, PF, C, G, F, UTIL) and a $50,000 cap. Value here is points per $1,000, and around 5 is par. The top end is Giannis ($11,500, 55.9 projected), Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,400, 50.4) and Jalen Johnson ($9,300, 48.1, the best ratio of the top group at 5.17). The cheap bigs make the lineup work.

FanDuel asks for 9 players (PG, SG, SF, PF, C, G/F, F/C and two UTIL) under a $60,000 cap. Wembanyama ($12,600, 55.4 projected) and Giannis ($11,700, 54.4) lead the projections. Salary relief comes from the same Cleveland, Chicago and Memphis spots, plus Jeremiah Fears in New Orleans, where several rotation players are out according to the injury report.

Yahoo is an 8-player build (PG, SG, G, SF, PF, F, C, UTIL) with a $200 cap and a maximum of six players from one team. Value is a plain ratio, so a mark above 1 beats the price. The stars sit right around 1, with Giannis at 1.01 and Jalen Johnson at 1.01, so the edge comes from the cheaper end of the board.