There is a large NBA daily fantasy slate to end the workweek, with 10 games scheduled for tonight. Unlike the first few days of the season, there is a bit of NBA DFS injury news yet to come out, so be sure to check the Awesemo NBA Starting Lineups page to see who is in, who is out and who is starting as news breaks, and look at the NBA DFS rankings and projections for both DraftKings and FanDuel lineups tonight.
NBA Daily Fantasy Picks: Awesemo Grades | October 22
*Grades are ordered DraftKings, FanDuel. Initial grade indicates a player’s strength of output, with the value grade indicating their strength as a play in relation to their salary.
C Christian Wood — Grades: A, A | Values: A, A
Christian Wood is one of the top-graded players on both DraftKings and FanDuel tonight. His season debut did not go as planned, with the Rockets getting blown out by the Timberwolves. He played only 32 minutes before the bench was cleared with 8:22 left in the game. Wood still put up 16 points and nine rebounds, so it is clear he can be a 20-10 player this season and tonight. He faces a poor Thunder team that he has routinely beaten up in his career. There is almost no chance the Rockets will get blown out tonight, so Wood should see his full helping of minutes in a positive matchup. For this reason, Awesemo’s projections are loving him tonight.
C Jonas Valanciunas: Grades — A, B | Values: A, A
For a cheaper option than Wood on FanDuel, Jonas Valanciunas provides the same amount of upside for $1,600 savings. They are essentially the same price on DraftKings. Making his Pelicans debut on Wednesday, Valanciunas had a tough matchup against the 76ers, and his final output reflected this. He generated only 30 NBA daily fantasy points in 30 minutes. However, he did this on 3-for-19 shooting. Yes, this shooting percentage is terrible, but focus on the 19 shot attempts, which he achieved only three times last season. Valanciunas is a rebounding machine, but it looks like he will also be involved in the offense for New Orleans a bit more this season, at least until Zion Williamson returns. Awesemo projects him to be one of the top values at the center position on both sites tonight.
PG Shai Gilgeous-Alexander — Grades: A, A | Values: A, A
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is also looking like a good value tonight. He was also blown out on Wednesday, playing 32 minutes. Gilgeous-Alexander looked on track to play about 35 minutes prior to the benches clearing, and Awesemo’s projections have him slated for 34.8 tonight against an easier opponent in Houston.
Last game he shot 1-for-7 from downtown and dished only two assists. These are two areas that can clearly be improved upon tonight in a much easier overall matchup for Oklahoma City. His teammates hitting a few more shots increases his assist totals, but it will also free him up for easier scoring opportunities than he saw against Utah. He is a great value on both sites, but especially at DraftKings with his reduced $6,700 price tag.
SF Franz Wagner — Grades: C, C | Values: A, A
Looking to the cheaper options for this final value player, Franz Wagner impressed in his NBA debut. Wagner started for the Magic last game, but they also kept him in down the stretch despite getting blown out. It is nice to know his minutes are safe despite the game script, which makes him an incredible safe value play considering his cheap price.
He managed only a 12% usage rate in his debut, but he shot 6-for-9 from the floor and dished two assists. Wagner has earned the right to have the ball in his hands a bit more, which should come as he becomes more comfortable. He also blocked two shots and grabbed one steal. This has been a pattern for him throughout the preseason, so he can be trusted to add some defensive stats every night as well.
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