NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Thursday 10/25/18

If you're new to daily fantasy basketball -- maybe you started your DFS journey during the MLB or NFL seasons, or maybe basketball is your sport and this will be your first year giving it a shot -- you're in for a treat. The NBA scene changes hugely on a week-to-week, day-to-day, and -- depending on injury news -- even a minute-to-minute basis, making every slate a unique one that requires an ever-changing approach.

With so much changing so quickly, we're here with plenty of tools to help you out. We have daily projections, a matchup heat map, a lineup optimizer, and a ton of other great resources to help give you an edge.

We'll also be coming at you with this primer every day, breaking down a few of the day's top plays at each price point.

Let's take a look at who you should target on today's main slate.

Best of the Best

LeBron James ($12,000): LeBron's role has been predictably huge with Rajon Rondo and Brandon Ingram both suspended, boasting a 29.8% usage rate and playing 35.5 minutes per game in two contests without those two. Those minutes come despite the fact that a blowout in his last game left him playing only 28.1 minutes, with none coming in the fourth quarter. As 3.5-point underdogs tonight, the Los Angeles Lakers have the slate's second-highest implied total, and LeBron should see his usual minutes, which means high-30's or even low-40's, like he did in his first game without Rondo and Ingram. That kind of volume makes the King the slate's top play in all formats.