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NBA DraftKings Picks: Monday Main Slate (November 2)

By DFS Hero Team

Bulls–76ers carries the slate's highest total at 239.0. The 76ers, 6-1, are 10-point favorites over the 1-5 Bulls, and their 124.5 implied total is also the highest on the slate, which puts LeBron James (DK $7,600) and Caleb Wilson (DK $7,000) in the best game environment of the night. The 11-game main slate locks at 7:00 PM ET with Thunder–Cavaliers, and the rest of the games tip between 7:30 and 8:30 PM ET.

Bucks–Timberwolves at 234.1 and Pelicans–Grizzlies at 234.0 carry the second- and third-highest totals. The Spurs are 16-point favorites over the Jazz, and the Knicks are 15-point favorites over the Nets, whose 101.8 implied total is the lowest on the slate. Pistons–Hornets carries the lowest total at 210.5. The injury news centers on the Magic, without Paolo Banchero, Anthony Black and Jalen Suggs. The Timberwolves are without Anthony Edwards, and the Thunder are without Chet Holmgren. Jalen Johnson (DK $9,700), Joel Embiid (DK $8,900) and Kyrie Irving (DK $7,600) are questionable.

Injury Watch

  • Anthony Edwards (Timberwolves, out)
  • Paolo Banchero (Magic, out)
  • Chet Holmgren (Thunder, out)
  • Anthony Black (Magic, out)
  • Nic Claxton (Bulls, out)
  • Jalen Johnson (DK $9,700) (Hawks, questionable)
  • Joel Embiid (DK $8,900) (76ers, questionable)
  • Kyrie Irving (DK $7,600) (Mavericks, questionable)

Point Guard

Darius Acuff Jr. (DK $8,000)

The Kings run their offense through Acuff, and the Mavericks are the opponent. He carries a 33.2% usage rate into a 35-minute projection. He scored 54.8 DK points with nine threes on October 31 and has a 49.8 average over his last three.

His props line sits at 23.4 points and 5.7 assists. He carries a 5.19 value, and his 12.0% optimal rate leads point guards.

LaMelo Ball (DK $8,200)

With Anthony Edwards out, Ball has the Timberwolves' offense in his hands against the Bucks, and he carries a 9.0% optimal rate. He carries a 28.1% usage rate, and his props line is set at 3.7 threes. The Timberwolves' 122.8 implied total ties for the second highest on the slate.

Kyrie Irving (DK $7,600)

Irving runs the Mavericks' offense against the Kings with a 26.8% usage rate and an 8.5% optimal rate. He scored 55.0 DK points against the Rockets on October 30, with a 42.0 average over his last three. He is questionable, and the Mavericks tip at 8:00 PM ET, after lock, so he is a late-swap check.

Shooting Guard

Desmond Bane (DK $7,000)

Bane's props line sits at 3 threes and 20 points for the Magic against the Wizards, with Anthony Black and Paolo Banchero out. He gets a 36-minute projection. He hit six threes for 42.5 DK points on October 30, then five for 30.0 on November 1.

His 5.55 value is the best at shooting guard. He carries a 14.4% optimal rate, and the field treats him as one of the slate's go-to guards.

Josh Hart (DK $5,800)

Hart's rebounds and steals carry his line for the Knicks against the Nets. His props line sits at 7.3 rebounds and 1.4 steals over a 33-minute projection. His 9.8% optimal rate is third at shooting guard.

Tyler Herro (DK $6,900)

Herro handles the Bucks' scoring against the Timberwolves with a 28.0% usage rate and an 8.9% optimal rate. His props line is set at 20.5 points. He averaged 35.5 DK points over his last three.

Small Forward

Franz Wagner (DK $8,300)

Wagner is the Magic's playmaker against the Wizards. He handed out 11 assists for 51.3 DK points on October 30, then 12 for 40.0 on November 1. He carries a 30.1% usage rate into a 36-minute projection.

His props line sits at 23.8 points. His Hero Projection of 46.4 sits close to Jayson Tatum (DK $9,900) at 46.8, and his 16.3% optimal rate is the best at small forward.

Caleb Wilson (DK $7,000)

Nic Claxton is out for the Bulls, and Wilson carries an 11.6% optimal rate against the 76ers in the game with the slate's highest total. He carries a 26.5% usage rate over 34 projected minutes. He hit six threes for 43.8 DK points against the Celtics on October 30.

Tristan da Silva (DK $4,800)

Da Silva faces the Wizards with a 26.4 DK average over his last three and an 11.4% optimal rate. He is 3.8% owned with a leverage of 7.6, the top mark at small forward, and Build & Sim can size him across the lineup set.

Power Forward

LeBron James (DK $7,600)

James draws the 76ers' 124.5 implied total against the Bulls. His props line sits at 6.6 assists and 6.4 rebounds over a 33-minute projection.

His 40.2 DK average over his last three came before he sat out the 76ers' October 31 game with a back issue. The 76ers tip after lock, so he is a late-swap check. His 11.8% optimal rate is second at power forward.

Jalen Johnson (DK $9,700)

Johnson runs the Hawks' playmaking from power forward against the Pacers, with a props line of 7.1 assists and the top Hero Projection at the position, 48.7. He is 9.3% owned with a 10.6% optimal rate. He is questionable after an ankle injury on October 31, and the Hawks tip at 7:30 PM ET, after lock, so he is a late-swap check.

Karl-Anthony Towns (DK $8,500)

Towns averaged 48.8 DK points over his last three for the Knicks and carries a 10.6% optimal rate against the Nets. His props line sits at 11.7 rebounds over a 32-minute projection. He is eligible at both power forward and center.

Center

Aday Mara (DK $4,100)

Chet Holmgren is out, and Mara is the Thunder's center against the Cavaliers, with a 23-minute projection. He blocked four shots for 29.8 DK points against the Rockets on October 31. His last-three average sits at 24.5.

Mara is set at 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 blocks on his props line. He carries a 6.02 value, and his 12.5% optimal rate leads centers.

Onyeka Okongwu (DK $6,400)

Okongwu stretches the floor for the Hawks against the Pacers, with a props line of 1.6 threes and 13.9 points. He averaged 33.2 DK points over his last three. His 11.3% optimal rate is second at center.

Rudy Gobert (DK $5,700)

Rebounding drives Gobert's line for the Timberwolves against the Bucks, with a props line of 10.4 rebounds and an 8.0% optimal rate. He scored 34.8 DK points against the Clippers on October 30, then missed the Timberwolves' October 31 game with a back issue. The Timberwolves tip at 8:00 PM ET, after lock, so check his status before then.

What The Market Is Saying

The market treats Victor Wembanyama (DK $11,100) against the Jazz as the default spend, and DFS Hero backs his ceiling with the top Hero Projection at center, 53.4, at a 6.7% optimal rate against 5.2% projected ownership. LaMelo Ball (DK $8,200) is the market's core guard with Anthony Edwards out, and Franz Wagner (DK $8,300) is its core forward against a Wizards defense the market reports has allowed the most DraftKings points to small forwards; DFS Hero has Wagner at a 16.3% optimal rate. The market splits on which guard to pay up for among Darius Acuff Jr. (DK $8,000), Tyrese Maxey (DK $9,000) and Cade Cunningham (DK $9,300), and it splits at center between Onyeka Okongwu (DK $6,400) and Domantas Sabonis (DK $9,500), Alperen Sengun (DK $8,700) or Karl-Anthony Towns (DK $8,500). The market also watches the questionable tags on Jalen Johnson (DK $9,700) and Joel Embiid (DK $8,900). DFS Hero has Acuff at a 12.0% optimal rate, Okongwu at 11.3%, and Towns and Johnson at 10.6% each.

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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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