NBA DraftKings Picks and Optimized Lineup (10/21)

What a brutal first couple slates for the major contenders in the NBA…the loss of Gordon Hayward, LeBron dealing with injury, Draymond going down and Chris Paul out for a month. This is going to open the doors for a lot of value options for the upcoming slate in place of some injured stars. Let’s dive in!

Matchups:

Blowout Potential – Starters may sit late

San Antonio Spurs @ Chicago Bulls

Orlando Magic @ Cleveland Cavaliers

Dallas Mavericks @ Houston Rockets

Philadelphia 76ers @ Toronto Raptors 

Phoenix Suns @ LA Clippers

Sacramento Kings @ Denver Nuggets

Slow and Steady – Starters might underperform 

Golden State Warriors @ Memphis Grizzlies

Oklahoma City Thunder @ Utah Jazz 

Close Matchups – Pick the Starters

Detroit Pistons @ New York Knicks

Portland Trailblazers @ Milwaukee Bucks

Indiana Pacers @ Miami Heat

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Shooting for the Stars

Giannis Antetokounmpo – $10,800

This slate offers up a myriad of star options but I think paying up for Giannis will be the best combination with the value offered on the slate this week. Giannis is a stat sheet machine and came out against a tough defensive Celtics team and dropped 37 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 3 steals. The Greek Freak looked like a surefire MVP candidate and will not disappoint in this matchups against the Trailblazers at home. The Blazers are a high pace team that just gave up 17 points to rookie TJ Leaf off the bench on Friday. The starting defense will prove to be tough as Aminu was 13th overall at the position in defensive rating in 2016, but with Giannis playing over 40 minutes a night he will have plenty of opportunities to return value.

With other stars on the slate in slow pace, grind-it-out matchups (Warriors against the Grizzlies, Thunder against the Jazz) and the other big guns in blowout potential matchups (Spurs against the Bulls, Cavs against the Magic, Raptors against the 76ers, Rockets against Mavericks), Giannis provides the best security on the slate. DraftKings lineups will have plenty of value accessible to afford arguably the best fantasy player of 2017. Lock him in with confidence.

Honorable Mentions
If you’re playing in tournaments this weekend and want to fade the Greek Freak, then I like the 76ers chances of keeping things close with the Raptors. Kyle Lowry ($7,900) and DeMar DeRozan ($8,300) will also be good options against a poor defensive guard pair in Philly…The Warriors will be in a tough matchup for production overall because of the Grizzlies pace, but due to injuries the starting guards are going to see Andrew Harrison, James Ennis and rookie Dillon Brooks. Fire up Klay Thompson ($6,500) and Draymond Green ($7,300) with confidence…You have to like Nikola Jokic ($9,300) in the matchup against a weak Kings front court. A 50-burger may be on deck, folks…Blake Griffin ($9,800) looked like the man in LA Thursday and should easily reach his value against the Suns. With the possession volume without Chris Paul in town, Blake is going to be a DFS lock in good matchups…

Middle of the Pack

Trevor Ariza ($4,700)

I’m staying in the flames with Ariza. Opening night Ariza ended with a line up 16 points, 8 rebounds and 1 assist on zero turnovers helping lead the Rockets to a win over the defending champions. He was quiet against the Kings Thursday night, but I expect Ariza to rebound in a big way Saturday against the Rockets. Without Chris Paul for the next four weeks and the potential for Harden to sit in today’s matchup blowout, the Rockets will need their supporting cast to step up and produce. Ariza has been very reliable for the team so far and I expect his role to increase further. He is very capable of reaching 5x value before the Rockets blow the pants off the Mavericks this weekend.

Honorable Mentions

Robin Lopez ($5,400) looked like the most reliable threat alongside Lauri Markkanen ($5,200) against the Raptors Thursday, the pair could be in for big minutes against the Spurs if the Bulls can keep it close. They will also need Justin Holiday ($5,500) to show up again too…With no Whiteside for the Heat or Myles Turner, Thaddeus Young ($5,900) will also be a great option at his price in the matchup as well…James Johnson ($5,200) will start for the Heat today with Whiteside out and will be highly owned as a great value play, but if you are paying up for Giannis will be a great fill in option…

Bargain Shopping

Bojan Bogdanovic ($4,100)

The fact that a starter in the NBA is still worth under $5,000 dollars is ludicrous. Bogdanovic is in a close matchup, seeing 25 minutes a game and putting up consistent line for a guy at his price. If you’re paying up at the power forward spot for Giannis or Blake Griffin and need some value at the SF on a thin slate featuring stars in unfavorable DFS matchups, pick up Bojan. The Heat have allowed the second most points to the small forward the first two matchups of the season, so he’ll have plenty of opportunities to produce as a small forward or utility man in your lineups.

Honorable Mentions

Jonas Valanciunas ($4,800) is a great option at center if you want to roll the dice with his minutes share today, that one’s always dicey…Dejounte Murray ($4,400) will split time with Patty Mills in place of Parker for the Spurs in a great matchup against the poor guard defense of the Bulls. He looked great in the opener…Bench options for the Raptors and Rockets could be in play today with blowouts, meaning Delon Wright ($3,500), Ryan Anderson ($4,100) and Eric Gordon ($5,400) could be good cheap options today…JJ Barea ($4,200) could be a great option in a blowout against the Rockets today. Dennis Smith will see time early but if this gets out of hand, Barea could hit value easily at his price…

Optimized DFS Lineup

Giannis Antetokounmpo – PG

Trevor Ariza – SG

Danilo Gallinari – SF

James Johnson – PF

Robin Lopez – C

JJ Barea – G

Thaddeus Young – F

DeAndre Jordan – UTIL

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