Cavaliers–Hawks is the game to build around. It carries a 238.1 total, and the Hawks are favored by just 1, with a 50% win chance for each side. Kings–Pelicans sits at 236.6 with the Pelicans favored by 6. Grizzlies–Trail Blazers checks in at 233.1 with the Trail Blazers favored by 7.5. The three-game slate locks at 8:00 PM ET Thursday. Grizzlies–Trail Blazers tips at 10:00 PM ET, so late swap can re-solve open spots from that game after lock.
The injury news sits mostly in the Kings' frontcourt. Maxime Raynaud, Keegan Murray and Dylan Cardwell are all out. Domantas Sabonis (DK $9,200) projects for 35 minutes and Precious Achiuwa (DK $5,800) for 25. The Pelicans play without Yves Missi, and DeAndre Jordan (DK $3,800) projects to start at center. The Trail Blazers are without Shaedon Sharpe. Two Cavaliers guards, Jaylon Tyson (DK $4,000) and Meleek Thomas (DK $3,800), are questionable.
Injury Watch
- Yves Missi (Pelicans, out)
- Maxime Raynaud (Kings, out)
- Keegan Murray (Kings, out)
- Jaylon Tyson (DK $4,000) (Cavaliers, questionable)
- Jordan Poole (DK $4,000) (Pelicans, doubtful)
- Dylan Cardwell (Kings, out)
- Meleek Thomas (DK $3,800) (Cavaliers, questionable)
- Shaedon Sharpe (Trail Blazers, out)
Point Guard
Darius Acuff Jr. (DK $7,100)
The Kings run their offense through Acuff against the Pelicans. He has a 33.0% usage rate and a 35-minute projection. His 39.4 Hero Projection comes at a value of 5.55, the top value at point guard.
On October 27 against the Spurs, Acuff scored 30.3 DK points, and he averages 36.7 over his last three. Sportsbooks set him at 22.1 points. His 32.3% optimal rate leads the position, and the field crowds into him.
Dejounte Murray (DK $7,700)
Yves Missi is out, and Murray handles the ball for the Pelicans against the Kings with a 25.4% optimal rate. He projects for 32 minutes at a 25.0% usage rate. His props line sits at 17.1 points.
Damian Lillard (DK $7,000)
Sportsbooks set Lillard at 20.3 points against the Grizzlies, and he carries a 21.6% optimal rate. He scored 34.3 DK points against the Lakers on October 27 and holds a 36.3 average over his last three.
Shooting Guard
Zach LaVine (DK $6,600)
LaVine projects for 35 minutes against the Pelicans with a 27.4% usage rate. His 34.6 Hero Projection gives him a value of 5.25, the second-best value at shooting guard.
His last two games went for 51.0 DK points against the Grizzlies on October 25 and 30.8 against the Spurs on October 27. He carries a 39.2 average over his last three. His 27.1% optimal rate makes him a crowd favorite with the numbers behind him.
Jrue Holiday (DK $5,100)
The Trail Blazers are 7.5-point favorites over the Grizzlies, and Holiday scored 34.0 DK points against the Lakers on October 27. He averages 27.8 over his last three. His 25.0% optimal rate ranks third at shooting guard.
CJ McCollum (DK $5,600)
The Hawks carry a 119.3 implied total against the Cavaliers, and McCollum projects for 27 minutes with a 21.3% optimal rate. Sportsbooks set him at 16.0 points.
Small Forward
Saddiq Bey (DK $5,400)
Bey comes off the Pelicans' bench against the Kings and projects for 24 minutes at a 21.9% usage rate. His 30.0 Hero Projection carries a 5.56 value, the top value at small forward.
He scored 18.0 DK points against the Nuggets on October 28 and averages 23.9 over his last three. His 30.4% optimal rate leads small forwards, and the field piles in on him.
Jerami Grant (DK $4,400)
Grant scored 19.8 DK points against the Jazz on October 26 and carries a 12.0% optimal rate into the Trail Blazers game. He projects for 23 minutes at an 18.0% usage rate.
Power Forward
Jalen Johnson (DK $9,500)
Johnson runs the Hawks' offense from the forward spot against the Cavaliers. He carries a 26.3% usage rate over 34 projected minutes. His 50.7 Hero Projection is the top mark at power forward.
Eleven assists against the Heat on October 28 gave Johnson 44.8 DK points, and he averages 50.9 over his last three. Sportsbooks set him at 7.2 assists. His 32.4% optimal rate leads the position, a play the field backs heavily.
Deni Avdija (DK $7,800)
Avdija projects for 34 minutes for the Trail Blazers against the Grizzlies with a 30.0% optimal rate. He posted 44.0 DK points against the Lakers on October 27 and holds a 43.6 average over his last three.
Cameron Boozer (DK $7,200)
Boozer averages 41.4 DK points over his last three for the Grizzlies, and he takes a 32-minute projection into the Trail Blazers game. He is 22.1% owned with a 22.1% optimal rate.
Center
Onyeka Okongwu (DK $5,600)
Okongwu starts at center for the Hawks against the Cavaliers on a 29-minute projection. His 29.6 Hero Projection carries a value of 5.29, the top value at center.
He put up 29.8 DK points against the Rockets on October 26, then 24.0 against the Heat on October 28. That gives him a 25.3 average over his last three. His 23.0% optimal rate leads centers, and the field is already on him.
Domantas Sabonis (DK $9,200)
Maxime Raynaud is out, and Sabonis carries the Kings' frontcourt against the Pelicans with a 21.5% optimal rate. Sportsbooks set him at 13.6 rebounds and 6.5 assists. His 69.2 ceiling is the top mark at center.
Evan Mobley (DK $7,900)
Mobley plays the frontcourt in Cavaliers–Hawks, a game with a 238.1 total. He is 15.5% owned with a 20.5% optimal rate, a leverage of 5.0 that Build & Sim can size.
What The Market Is Saying
The market builds around scoring. Domantas Sabonis (DK $9,200) is its default stud center, and Zach LaVine (DK $6,600) is its go-to Kings value against a Pelicans team the market reports is on the second night of a back-to-back. Ty Jerome (DK $8,300) and Jalen Johnson (DK $9,500) round out its high-priced builds. The market splits on Donovan Clingan (DK $6,100), on the pace of Cavaliers–Hawks and on the scoring of Damian Lillard (DK $7,000). A minority of the market goes to cheap pivots in DeAndre Jordan (DK $3,800), Robert Williams (DK $4,200) and Aaron Wiggins (DK $4,900), and the crowd watches the Kings' thin frontcourt and the minutes of Zion Williamson (DK $7,500). DFS Hero has Lillard at a 21.6% optimal rate. The DFS Hero numbers back the core: Sabonis sits at a 21.5% optimal rate and Johnson at 32.4%, and Clingan's 21.3% optimal rate against 17.0% ownership gives him a leverage of 4.3.
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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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