Sunday features a five-game slate starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Let’s dive into some of the top plays on the slate using the FantasyLabs tools and metrics.
Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups, or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.
Note: Projections and Leverages Scores/Ratings may change throughout the day after this article is posted. The NBA DFS landscape changes quickly.
Consult the NBA Player Models directly for any updates as we get closer to lock.
NBA DFS Point Guard Picks
Stud
Damian Lillard wasted no time making himself known with the Milwaukee Bucks, as he scored 39 points in the season opener and made all 17 of his free-throw attempts. He added eight rebounds and four assists while nearly scoring 60 DraftKings points. A repeat performance is on the table, as the Bucks will be playing without Khris Middleton, leaving even more usage to go to the electric point guard.
Lillard and the Bucks are seven-point home favorites against the Hawks, implied for a slate-high 122.75 points. This is the best game environment on the slate, as the Hawks are playing at the third-fastest pace in the league through their first two games. In his two games against the Hawks last season, Lillard scored 42 and 33 points while making five 3-pointers in each contest.
Lillard has the highest ceiling projection at point guard on both DraftKings and FanDuel on Sunday.
Value
Lakers starting point guard D’Angelo Russell has been serviceable despite shooting an abysmal 35.7% from the field. Russell is averaging 34.5 minutes per game and is projected for close to one DraftKings point per minute Sunday. He is the third scoring option on the Lakers right now behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Russell is averaging 14 field-goal attempts and currently ranks second on the team in assists with six per game.
With the Lakers publicly trying to limit the amount of minutes James has to play this season, that could mean a direct uptick in Russell’s outlook. James played 35 minutes last game in the Lakers’ fourth-quarter rally, so it wouldn’t be surprising if he took a backseat in this contest. This is a great spot for Russell, as the Kings play at a lightning-fast Pace. Expect many opportunities for the veteran guard to continue to stuff the stat sheet.
Fast Break
De’Aaron Fox went bananas with 22 fourth-quarter points against the Warriors as the Kings fell short against their California rival. He had 39 points in total while shooting 50% from the field and 56% from downtown. Fox will get a great matchup for his skill set Sunday. Behind Fox’s elite speed, the Kings led the league last year in transition-possession frequency, while the Lakers allowed the fourth-most transition points at 23.4 per game. With a 234-point game total, expect a barnburner. Fox is specifically a strong play on DraftKings, where his salary hasn’t budged all season.
Stephen Curry is questionable with foot soreness. His status is going to dictate the landscape of the guard position. If Curry plays, he looks like a strong play after a 41-point performance Friday night where he shot 14-for-19 from the field and buried seven 3-pointers. If he sits, Chris Paul will likely be one of the most popular plays yet again. Paul’s salary has increased quite a bit since opening night and Draymond Green is back, but this team is worth monitoring the closer we get to lock.
NBA DFS Shooting Guard Picks
Stud
Similar to the Golden State situation, the same can be said for the Philadelphia 76ers, as James Harden is a major question mark at the guard position. If he sits or is on a minutes limit, load up on Tyrese Maxey once again. Maxey has scored 30-plus points in back-to-back games while shooting 52.4% from the field and 58.8% from downtown. He also leads the team with 7.5 assists per game, which would likely come down if Harden suits up.
Maxey and Joel Embiid have proven to be a great one-two combo, as they are far and away leading the team in usage rate. Tobias Harris at just 16.9% is eye-opening, but that proves how much the ball is in Maxey’s hands. Another added bonus is playing time. Maxey has played 40 and 41 minutes in back-to-back games. As a 9.5-point favorite against the Trail Blazers, getting exposure to an aggressive Maxey feels like a necessity.
Value
Malcolm Brogdon has exceeded his salary expectations in both games to start the season despite coming off the bench for the Trail Blazers. He has attempted at least 15 field goals in back-to-back games and leads the team with a 29% usage rate. At $5,000 on DraftKings, Brogdon has the third-highest projected Plus/Minus on the slate. He is projected to play 30 minutes, but that could rise if Scoot Henderson continues to struggle.
Henderson may be more valuable on FanDuel, as he has the highest projected Plus/Minus on the slate. His $5,000 salary has a 94% Bargain Rating. Despite having the lowest team total on the slate at 204.5 points, the Trail Blazers guards are strong values across the industry. Anfernee Simons remains out for the foreseeable future, so they need to find production from Brogdon, Henderson and Shaedon Sharpe. Choose wisely.
Fast Break
Paul George is leading the Clippers in scoring with 31.5 points per game while shooting 58.8% from the field and 43.8% from behind the arc. His peripherals have been lacking, but those are bound to come back, as George has averaged 6.4 rebounds per game throughout his career. The Spurs have been one of the worst defenses in the league for the past couple of years, so getting exposure to George is more than reasonable on this five-game slate.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
On FanDuel, Kawhi Leonard is tied for a slate-high 13 Pro Trends, as his $8,700 salary is resulting in an 80% Bargain Rating. Leonard has averaged 24 points per game through the first two games while shooting 9-for-15 from behind the arc. He leads the Clippers with a 30.5% usage rate and 19.5 field-goal attempts per game. Projected to play over 35 minutes, Leonard is one of the best value pay-up options on the slate for both sites.
The Clippers are nearly double-digit favorites at home against Leonard’s old team, the San Antonio Spurs. Through two games, the Spurs have been playing energized in front of their home crowd, but this is their first road game of the season. This is a matchup worth exploiting, as the Spurs had the worst defensive rating in the league last season at 119.6 and gave up a league-high 123.1 points per game.
Value
Jae Crowder led the Bucks in bench minutes with 27 in their first game and will likely be one of the key beneficiaries of the absence of Khris Middleton. In fact, 23 of Crowder’s 27 minutes were played without Middleton, as he had a team-high DraftKings Plus/Minus and a 1.51% usage rate increase with Middleton off the floor. It wouldn’t be surprising if Crowder got to 30-plus minutes Sunday, especially if he is knocking down his shots.
Playing this many minutes, Crowder is going to find himself open on several occasions and rack up a few peripherals just by being on the floor. He did just that last game, as Crowder finished with nine points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals. He shot 3-for-4 from the field and made his lone three-point attempt. It won’t take much for Crowder to pay off his $4,000 salary on DraftKings and $4,100 salary on FanDuel on Sunday.
Fast Break
LeBron James is an excellent pay-up option on DraftKings at $8,900 if he gets another loose minutes restriction. James played the majority of the second half last game and had a near triple-double with 21 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds. He scored 50.5 DraftKings points, which would be fantastic on this slate. James’ perimeter shooting has been poor, but he is capable of putting on a slate-winning performance, especially in this high-paced game environment.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
Despite the addition of Damian Lillard and his impressive first game, Giannis Antetokounmpo had a 38.1% usage rate in his 35 minutes played. Giannis stuffed the stat sheet in the season opener with 23 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks. His seven turnovers and six missed free throws resulted in an uncharacteristic DraftKings score of under 50 points. Expect a little bit of a bounceback in a much better matchup.
The Hawks ranked second-to-last in points allowed in the paint last season with 54.6 per game. They lost John Collins in the offseason and failed to acquire another big man. This matchup sets up perfectly for Giannis, who led the league last year with 8.8 field goals made per game from less than five feet. 60.8% of his scoring came from the paint, and he also led the league in transition points.
Giannis will also benefit from the absence of Khris Middleton. Elite spot for the Greek Freak.
Value
Jalen Johnson is one of the best values on DraftKings on Sunday at his sub-$5,000 salary. Johnson leads the Hawks in blocks and is averaging 16 points and eight rebounds per game off the bench. He is shooting 66.7% from the field and has the second-highest Plus/Minus on the team in their first two losses. Johnson is proving to be a capable backup who may get more playing time in the near future.
Our NBA Model has Johnson projected for a modest 28 minutes, and he still looks like an incredible value play. Coaches love defense, and Johnson has two blocks and three steals in his two games. He will likely be one of many players who attempts to slow down Giannis on Sunday. Prioritize Johnson on DraftKings due to his cheap price tag and the fact that he has the highest projected ownership on the slate at around 32%.
Fast Break
Priced at $8,000 on both sites, Victor Wembanyama displayed a part of his upside last game with a stat-stuffing 21-point, 12-rebound, three-steal, three-block performance. His 49 DraftKings points came on an 0-for-6 shooting night from behind the arc. If he puts up six total steals and blocks, Wembanyama is going to be impossible to ignore on FanDuel. He is a great play on both sites even with a difficult matchup against the Clippers.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
Joel Embiid had a nice bounceback game last night, scoring 34 points on 14-for-21 shooting from the field. He added nine rebounds and eight assists, which totaled 63.25 DraftKings points. This is the second leg of a back-to-back, but Embiid averaged 34.6 points, 10.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 2.4 blocks, and a 39.6% usage rate on no days rest last season. His assists may take a hit if James Harden plays, but Harden’s status is up in the air.
Embiid has absolutely destroyed Deandre Ayton throughout his career. He has scored 33-plus points in each game while averaging a massive double-double with 36 points and 13.9 rebounds per game. Embiid has gotten to the line 12 times per game in this matchup. Pure domination. Drawing 15% projected ownership on DraftKings is enticing given his success against Ayton. If Harden remains out, this spot gets even better for Embiid.
Value
Zach Collins has picked up right where he left off last season with the Spurs after averaging a career-high in points, rebounds, and assists. Through two games, Collins is averaging 11.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 5.5 assists while playing an absurd 35.5 minutes per game. He is the veteran of the Spurs frontcourt, and if he is playing this many minutes, Collins is simply too cheap. At 32 projected minutes, Collins is a great value piece.
Collins is center-only eligible on DraftKings, but has power forward and center eligibility on FanDuel, making it more reasonable to fit him in with the other stud centers on this slate. Shockingly, the Clippers have been one of the worst rebounding teams and have allowed 50 points per game in the paint this season. That trend likely won’t continue, but it is intriguing to mention as a positive for rostering Collins in this matchup.
Fast Break
Domantas Sabonis continued his dominance on the glass with 18 rebounds last game. Through two games, Sabonis is averaging 20.5 points, 15 rebounds, and six assists per game. He has back-to-back games with over 50 DraftKings points. Sabonis averaged a near triple-double in his three games against the Lakers last season with 19.7 points, 14.3 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game while shooting 57.5% from the field.
Anthony Davis is a boom-or-bust fantasy player, but his $9,100 salary on DraftKings is too cheap. Davis had a 30-point, 12-rebound double-double last game with a Wembanyama-like three steals and three blocks against the Suns. In his lone game against the Kings last season, Davis had 24 points and 14 rebounds. There are so many great center plays on this slate that it feels like a priority to have two of them in your lineups on both DraftKings and FanDuel on Sunday.
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