NBA DFS Picks 24 October: Fanteam, DraftKings, FanDuel & Yahoo

The Fanteam main slate covers seven games: ATL-HOU, CHI-WAS, CLE-BKN, DAL-SAS, DEN-NOP, PHI-MIL and PHX-GSW. You build a lineup of seven players (PG, SG, SF, PF, C and two UTIL) under a 90 cap, with at most seven from one team. On Fanteam a value around 3 is normal, so anything clearly above that is doing real work.

Jokic leads the projections and also has the best value of the group. Denver carries the highest implied team total on the slate. Jokic is not on the latest injury report, but that does not confirm him healthy, so lineups are not final. Murray gets the same boost from the Denver environment at a lower price.

Wembanyama has the best matchup profile and a huge ceiling. The risk is rest on a back-to-back, and San Antonio has not submitted a report yet. I would rather pay for him and check news late than fade him in advance.

Anthony Davis is my favorite mid-priced play. Washington is thin without Dansa, which pushes usage toward Davis and Young. Both have the same rest question, since Washington also has no report yet. If both play, I prefer Davis, who gets the bigger share of the work, though Young at 13.2 is fine value too.

Embiid is the Philadelphia piece I like. According to the latest injury report, LeBron James is questionable, and Dean Wade is questionable too. If LeBron sits, Embiid’s workload goes up against a Bucks defense I do not respect. Embiid is not on the report, but that is not confirmation that he plays, so I will not lock him in early. Jalen Johnson is the most expensive of the group per point, but he is the focal point of the Hawks offense. I will use him, just not as my first choice.

Mitchell is the likely popular pick, and I understand it. Brooklyn’s defense will probably focus on him, so I see him as a solid play rather than a must-have.

Dallas is the story here. Cooper Flagg is being evaluated and is likely out, but Dallas has no report yet, so treat everything below as conditional. If he is out, Marshall, Washington, Sasser and Risacher all pick up extra opportunity. Marshall is the best of them. His role is the steadiest of the group and his projection is already strong at 8.0. Washington looks underpriced to me even before any Flagg news.

Risacher is a weaker option than Marshall. I would only go there if Flagg is confirmed out and I need the salary.

Sharpe is a good source of production at a modest price. Foul trouble is the risk, but the center spot in Brooklyn is strong. Jalen Smith is a useful per-possession producer with a limited role, so he is a secondary choice.

Brandon Williams has the highest value of all and is the cheapest piece here. Golden State has not submitted a report, so check that before you commit.

The math is friendly. Jokic and Wembanyama together cost 36.8 of your 90, which leaves about 10.6 per slot for the other five. A couple of the plays above make that comfortable.

These are not bad players. They are badly priced tonight.

Ware is the clearest one. He is coming off the bench and producing little, and his price looks like last season’s role. I cannot play him at 11.2. Sarr has trouble getting production when he shares the floor with Davis, and that role does not fit the price. Smith and Murphy are fine players, but the projections sit well below what you pay for at 11.5 and 12.0.

DraftKings uses eight roster spots (PG, SG, SF, PF, C, G, F, UTIL) and a $50,000 cap. Value here means points per $1,000, and around 5 is normal. Wembanyama is $10,700 at 5.44, Anthony Davis is $8,700 at 5.26 and Jalen Johnson is $9,100 at 4.98. The Dallas group again leads the cheap options, and the Flagg question applies.

FanDuel uses nine players (PG, SG, SF, PF, C, G/F, F/C and two UTIL) under a $60,000 cap. The top end is priced evenly: Jokic is $11,900 at 5.04 and Wembanyama is $11,600 at 5.03. Down the board, I like Khaman Maluach at $4,300. Phoenix has Mark Williams out and Oso Ighodaro doubtful according to the latest injury report, which opens the center spot. DeMar DeRozan is also interesting inside the Denver offense.

Yahoo uses eight players (PG, SG, G, SF, PF, F, C, UTIL) under a $200 cap, with at most six from one team. Value is a plain ratio, and above 1 beats the price. The stars sit close to 1, so the edge is in the cheap end. Maluach at 10 and Lendeborg at 14 are the standouts.