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 bunch 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 position.
Let's take a look at who you should target on today's main slate.
The Slate
| Away | Home | Over/ Under | Home Spread | Away Total | Home Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Golden State Warriors | New Orleans Pelicans | 235 | -4 | 115.50 | 119.50 |
| Charlotte Hornets | Los Angeles Clippers | 227.5 | -16 | 105.75 | 121.75 |
| Oklahoma City Thunder | Houston Rockets | 225.5 | -10 | 107.75 | 117.75 |
| Cleveland Cavaliers | Milwaukee Bucks | 224 | -15.5 | 104.25 | 119.75 |
| Philadelphia 76ers | Atlanta Hawks | 224 | 5 | 114.50 | 109.50 |
| Chicago Bulls | New York Knicks | 221.5 | 1.5 | 111.50 | 110.00 |
| Portland Trail Blazers | San Antonio Spurs | 221.5 | -6 | 107.75 | 113.75 |
| Denver Nuggets | Sacramento Kings | 217.5 | 5 | 111.25 | 106.25 |
| Utah Jazz | Phoenix Suns | 216 | 4.5 | 110.25 | 105.75 |
| Indiana Pacers | Detroit Pistons | 212.5 | 2 | 107.25 | 105.25 |
| Orlando Magic | Toronto Raptors | 211.5 | -4.5 | 103.50 | 108.00 |
Point Guard
On a full, 11-game slate, we can go a lot of different ways with every position, but Stephen Curry ($9,200) grades out as the top point guard play tonight in my projections in a shootout with the New Orleans Pelicans. Curry's minutes have been modest at best because the Golden State Warriors are getting blown out (what a time to be alive).
Ben Simmons ($9,700) should be in consideration whether Joel Embiid returns or not, really. Simmons has played 35 minutes in each game so far. That could leave Russell Westbrook ($10,900), Damian Lillard ($10,000), and Trae Young ($9,400) overlooked if Simmons and Curry wind up being a popular combination.
If not spending top-dollar, we can look to De'Aaron Fox ($7,700), Lonzo Ball ($6,900), and Eric Bledsoe ($6,400). Fox has been hampered by a hip injury, most recently playing just 20 minutes. Ball has taken 29 shot attempts the past two games, and Jrue Holiday is questionable. Bledsoe rode overtime and foul trouble to 33 minutes last game, though the Milwaukee Bucks have blowout potential in their favor tonight.
On the flip side of that game, Darius Garland ($4,600) projects well against the Bucks. The Cleveland Cavaliers' rookie has played 31 and 29 minutes with 9 and 12 field goal attempts.
Core Plays: Stephen Curry, Ben Simmons, Eric Bledsoe
Secondary Plays:
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