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NBA DraftKings Picks: Sunday Main Slate (November 1)

By DFS Hero Team

The Pacers carry the highest implied total on the slate at 117.0. They are 3.5-point favorites over the Nets in a 230.5 game total. The Lakers sit second at 115.8, also 3.5-point favorites, against the Raptors in a 228.1 total. Four games lock Sunday, November 1 at 3:30 PM ET, with Celtics–Magic tipping at lock and the other three after it. The Celtics are 6.5-point favorites with a 69% win chance, and the Magic's 107.8 implied total is the lowest on the slate. Clippers–Warriors holds a 221.0 total with the Warriors favored by 2.5.

The injury list opens minutes on five rosters. The Pacers are without Tyrese Haliburton, T.J. McConnell and Ivica Zubac. The Magic are without Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs, and the Nets are without Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr. The Warriors are missing Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler, Draymond Green and Kristaps Porzingis. Kawhi Leonard is out for the Raptors, and Brandon Ingram and Bradley Beal are out for the Clippers. Obi Toppin (DK $4,900) is questionable for the Pacers, whose game tips after lock, so he is a late-swap check.

Injury Watch

  • Paolo Banchero (Magic, out)
  • Tyrese Haliburton (Pacers, out)
  • Stephen Curry (Warriors, out)
  • Kawhi Leonard (Raptors, out)
  • Ivica Zubac (Pacers, out)
  • Jalen Suggs (Magic, out)
  • Brandon Ingram (Clippers, out)
  • Obi Toppin (DK $4,900) (Pacers, questionable)

Point Guard

Andrew Nembhard (DK $7,100)

Tyrese Haliburton and T.J. McConnell are out, and Ivica Zubac is sidelined too. That leaves Nembhard running the point for the Pacers against the Nets. The Pacers carry the slate's highest implied total at 117.0, and his props line sits at 9.1 assists and 18.5 points on a 33-minute projection.

The field is on him, and his newest games back it: 42.8 against the 76ers on October 28, then 39.5 against the Heat on October 30. He carries a 34.8 DK average over his last three and the top optimal rate at point guard, 28.3%.

Brandon Williams (DK $4,400)

Williams moved to the Warriors' bench on October 26 and handles a 31.5% usage rate against the Clippers, with a 15.5 DK average over his last three and a 26.7% optimal rate. With Stephen Curry, Jimmy Butler and Draymond Green out, his 18-minute projection tops each of his last three games. A crowd favorite, he carries the best value at point guard, 6.20, with a 14.4-point props line.

Darius Garland (DK $8,200)

Garland's props line sits at 22.8 points and 7.1 assists against the Warriors, with Brandon Ingram out for the Clippers, and he carries a 24.7% optimal rate. He runs the offense at a 32.5% usage rate and scored 35.5 against the Timberwolves on October 30. A widely played guard, he holds the second-highest projection at point guard.

Shooting Guard

Desmond Bane (DK $6,900)

Bane carries a 35-minute projection for the Magic against the Celtics, with Paolo Banchero and Jalen Suggs out. His props line sits at 19.2 points and 2.9 threes, and his usage rate is 24.4%.

Bane is a popular play with form behind him: 32.3 against the Raptors on October 28, then 42.5 against them on October 30. He averages 37.3 DK over his last three and holds the second-highest optimal rate at shooting guard, 22.9%.

RJ Barrett (DK $7,300)

Raptors–Lakers carries a 228.1 total, and Barrett takes a 33-minute projection into it with Kawhi Leonard out. His props line is 20.7 points. The crowd leans into him, and his 21.3% optimal rate is third at shooting guard.

Keaton Wagler (DK $5,400)

Wagler posted 33.0 off the bench against the Lakers on October 28, then 23.5 against the Timberwolves on October 30, and he draws the Warriors next. He is 16.1% owned with an 18.2% optimal rate.

Small Forward

Scottie Barnes (DK $8,700)

Barnes runs the Raptors' offense against the Lakers at a 33.3% usage rate. His newest games show it: 50.5 against the Magic on October 28, then 57.3 on October 30. He averages 41.5 DK over his last three.

His props line asks for 23.1 points and 7.1 rebounds, and his 31.0% optimal rate is the top mark at small forward. Widely rostered, he pairs that with a 68.8 ceiling.

Franz Wagner (DK $8,300)

Wagner handed out 11 assists in a 51.3-point game against the Raptors on October 30, and he faces the Celtics on a 35-minute projection with a 29.2% optimal rate. He averages 44.0 DK over his last three. The field backs him heavily, and he holds the third-highest projection at small forward.

Jayson Tatum (DK $10,100)

The Celtics carry a 114.3 implied total against the Magic, and Tatum runs their offense at a 31.9% usage rate with a 25.3% optimal rate. A popular anchor, he holds the top projection at small forward, 49.1, with a 49.3 DK average over his last three.

Power Forward

Julius Randle (DK $7,500)

Egor Demin and Mikel Brown Jr. are out, and Randle carries the Nets' offense against the Pacers at a 27.8% usage rate on a 35-minute projection. His props line sits at 20 points in a game with a 230.5 total.

Randle scored 42.8 against the Celtics on October 27, then 28.5 against the Pistons on October 30. A popular power forward, he carries a 33.7 DK average over his last three and a 25.2% optimal rate.

Yaxel Lendeborg (DK $7,600)

Lendeborg carries a 33-minute projection for the Warriors against the Clippers at a 26.0% usage rate, with a 24.7% optimal rate. His props line asks for 20.2 points and 7.5 rebounds, and a big share of the field rosters him.

Pascal Siakam (DK $8,400)

Siakam averages 39.8 DK over his last three, and he draws the Nets with the Pacers on the slate's highest implied total. His props line sits at 22.8 points, and he is 18.7% owned with a 19.7% optimal rate.

Center

Isaiah Jackson (DK $4,500)

Jackson projects to start at center for the Clippers against the Warriors and holds the best value at the position, 6.07. His props line sits at 9.1 points and 7 rebounds on a 25-minute projection.

His newest games run 12.3 against the Lakers on October 28, then 38.3 against the Timberwolves on October 30, with a 26.0 DK average over his last three. A popular center, he carries the top optimal rate at the position, 22.7%.

Wendell Carter Jr. (DK $5,800)

Carter faces the Celtics after scoring 33.8 against the Raptors on October 30, and he carries a 27.4 DK average over his last three with a 19.7% optimal rate. A well-rostered big, he has a props line of 12 points and 7.7 rebounds.

Walker Kessler (DK $7,800)

Kessler projects to start for the Lakers against the Raptors and holds the top projection at center, with a 13.1-point, 9.8-rebound props line and a 7.6% optimal rate. He is 2.3% owned with a leverage of 5.3, a leverage play to let Build & Sim size.

What The Market Is Saying

The market builds around the Lakers in the late game. It pairs Luka Doncic (DK $12,300) with Walker Kessler (DK $7,800) against the Raptors, backs Austin Reaves (DK $8,900) beside them, and uses Pascal Siakam (DK $8,400) as its default forward. It splits on the Celtics against a Magic roster missing Jalen Suggs and Paolo Banchero, and a minority of the market backs the Clippers to beat the Warriors. The crowd also watches Mitchell Robinson (DK $4,100), questionable for the Celtics, and keys on Neemias Queta (DK $4,400) as the Celtics' center who matters. DFS Hero has Jayson Tatum (DK $10,100) at a 25.3% optimal rate. The DFS Hero numbers favor the Lakers' cheaper pieces: Kessler carries a leverage of 5.3 and Reaves a leverage of 4.0, while Doncic holds a 23.1% optimal rate against 24.4% ownership and Siakam a 19.7% optimal rate against 18.7% ownership.

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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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