Mavericks–Pacers carries the slate. The Pacers' 124.0 implied total is the highest of the night, and they are 7-point favorites in a 240.5 game total. Raptors–Wizards sits right behind it: the Raptors' 123.0 implied total is second on the slate, with the Raptors favored by 8.5 in a 237.0 total. Six games lock at 7:00 PM ET, and Pistons–Heat tips at 8:00 PM ET, an hour after lock, as the one late-swap window. The Pistons are 1.5-point favorites there, and their 118.5 implied total is third on the slate.
Knicks–Celtics is the other end. The Knicks' 109.3 implied total is the slate's lowest and the Celtics' 111.8 is second lowest, with the Celtics favored by 2.5. The injury news centers on the Hornets, who play without Coby White and Kon Knueppel against the Hawks. That puts Dennis Schroder (DK $4,900), Grayson Allen (DK $4,800) and Naz Reid (DK $6,600) at the middle of the card, even with the Hornets' 112.3 implied total third lowest. The Magic are without Anthony Black against the Timberwolves in a 234.6 total, and the Mavericks play without Santi Aldama and Dereck Lively II.
Injury Watch
- Kon Knueppel (Hornets, out)
- Coby White (Hornets, out)
- Anthony Black (Magic, out)
- Santi Aldama (Mavericks, out)
- AJ Dybantsa (Wizards, out)
- Dereck Lively II (Mavericks, out)
- T.J. McConnell (Pacers, out)
- Donte DiVincenzo (Timberwolves, out)
Point Guard
Dennis Schroder (DK $4,900)
Coby White and Kon Knueppel are out, and Schroder runs the Hornets' offense against the Hawks. His props line sits at 6 assists and 13.5 points. He carries a 31.5 DK average through one game this season.
A 34-minute projection makes him the top value at point guard, at 6.08. He is 25.7% owned with a 31.9% optimal rate.
Jalen Suggs (DK $5,300)
Anthony Black is out, and Suggs starts in the Magic backcourt against the Timberwolves in a 234.6-point game. He projects for 32 minutes. He is 21.4% owned with a 22.9% optimal rate, the second-best optimal rate at point guard.
Dyson Daniels (DK $5,900)
Daniels scored 38.5 DK points against the Magic on October 21, and the Hawks draw the Hornets next. His props line carries 6.3 rebounds and 4.8 assists. He is 14.9% owned with a 20.6% optimal rate.
Shooting Guard
Grayson Allen (DK $4,800)
Allen draws 29 projected minutes in a short-handed Hornets backcourt against the Hawks. A knee issue kept him out of a preseason game, and he was off the injury report by the October 21 game against the Nets. His props line sits at 14.4 points and 2.6 threes.
His shooting carries a 51.7 ceiling, and he is the top value at shooting guard at 5.61. He is 28.7% owned with a 41.4% optimal rate.
Desmond Bane (DK $6,100)
Bane's last five games ran between 27.8 and 33.8 DK points, and the Magic face the Timberwolves. He is one of the night's most popular plays, and his 33.5 projection is second at shooting guard. He carries a 29.6% optimal rate.
Pelle Larsson (DK $3,800)
Larsson worked through an illness in practice on October 18 and October 19, and he projects for 25 minutes for the Heat against the Pistons. He is 14.2% owned with a 22.4% optimal rate. His leverage of 8.2 is second at shooting guard.
Small Forward
Naji Marshall (DK $4,500)
Santi Aldama is out, and Marshall plays 28 projected minutes for the Mavericks against the Pacers, whose 124.0 implied total is the slate's highest. He scored 29.5 DK points with six assists against the Rockets on October 21.
He brings a 48.4 ceiling, and he is the top value at small forward at 5.74. He is 18.4% owned with a 21.9% optimal rate.
Jayson Tatum (DK $9,200)
Tatum carries the Celtics' offense against the Knicks with a 19.7% optimal rate. His props line reaches 25.8 points and 6.2 assists. The field likes him, and his 48.3 projection is the best at small forward.
Scottie Barnes (DK $7,800)
Barnes fills every column for the Raptors, whose 123.0 implied total against the Wizards is second on the slate. His props line carries 7 rebounds and 5.3 assists. He is a crowd favorite at his price, with an 18.6% optimal rate.
Power Forward
Naz Reid (DK $6,600)
Reid starts at power forward for the short-handed Hornets against the Hawks and projects for 33 minutes. His props line sits at 18.1 points and 7 rebounds. He carries a 47.3 DK average through one game this season.
Reid also qualifies at center, and his 5.64 value is the best at power forward. He is 27.7% owned with a 36.3% optimal rate and a leverage of 8.6.
Bobby Portis (DK $4,700)
Portis started the Heat's preseason finale on October 16, and he brings a 47.1 ceiling to the Heat frontcourt against the Pistons, with center eligibility on top. He is 8.9% owned with a 16.7% optimal rate, and his leverage of 7.8 is second at power forward. He is the kind of leverage play Build & Sim sizes against the contest's real payouts.
Giannis Antetokounmpo (DK $10,200)
Antetokounmpo is the Heat's lead scorer against the Pistons, with a 12.7% optimal rate. His props line sits at 27.4 points and 10 rebounds. A popular spend at the top of the salary range, he carries the top projection at power forward, 53.5.
Center
Ivica Zubac (DK $6,900)
Zubac anchors the Pacers against the Mavericks, who play without Dereck Lively II, and the Pacers' 124.0 implied total is the slate's highest. He projects for 32 minutes with a props line of 11.1 rebounds and 15.4 points.
He holds a 39.8 DK average through one game this season, and his 37.9 projection is third at center. He is a popular play with a 21.6% optimal rate.
Karl-Anthony Towns (DK $8,300)
Towns projects for 30 minutes for the Knicks against the Celtics, and he scored 42.5 DK points against the 76ers on October 20. He qualifies at power forward and center. He is 8.6% owned with a 9.6% optimal rate.
Jalen Duren (DK $7,100)
Duren starts at center for the Pistons against the Heat with a 7.1% optimal rate. His props line sits at 17.1 points and 9.5 rebounds. The field has him in plenty of lineups, and he holds a 38.3 DK average through one game this season.
What The Market Is Saying
The market builds around Immanuel Quickley (DK $6,200) as its default guard with the Raptors favored over the Wizards, takes Tyrese Haliburton (DK $8,000) against the Mavericks, and goes to the short-handed Hornets for cheap plays through Dennis Schroder (DK $4,900) and Moussa Diabate (DK $5,200). It splits on which star to pay for, with Giannis Antetokounmpo (DK $10,200), Cade Cunningham (DK $9,700), Anthony Edwards (DK $9,500) and Jalen Johnson (DK $9,100) all in the mix, and it reports that Haliburton came back from an Achilles tear on Wednesday with no setback. DFS Hero has Antetokounmpo at a 12.7% optimal rate. A minority of the market takes Edwards as leverage and Obi Toppin (DK $4,500) as a cheap power forward. DFS Hero pushes back on Edwards with a 2.0% optimal rate against 6.6% ownership and on Haliburton with a leverage of -5.9. It agrees on Quickley, whose 19.8% optimal rate sits above his 18.6% ownership, and on Schroder, who carries a 31.9% optimal rate.
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The content in our articles is based on data available at the time of publishing. Always double-check your lineups before locking in your players.
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