NBA Daily Fantasy Rankings & DFS Optimizer Picks Tonight

The NBA DFS Big Board is a one-stop shop for building lineups. It gives each player on the slate a Points Rating, Value Rating and Leverage Rating on a scale from 1 to 100, which allows you to easily decipher some of the top options on the slate. Let’s dive into some of the NBA daily fantasy rankings using the Big Board and Awesemo’s NBA Projections.

NBA Daily Fantasy Rankings & Big Board Projections

Dennis Smith Jr., PG/SG, Portland Trail Blazers

DraftKings Value Rating: 83 | FanDuel Value Rating: 95

Smith has seen a large price increase on DraftKings, but he stands out as one of the best sources of value on Monday’s slate. The Blazers are currently playing without Damian Lillard and Anfernee Simons, and Smith logged nearly 36.8 minutes without both players in their last game.

Smith is not projected for quite as much playing time on Monday, but he should still see more than enough minutes to pay off his salary. He is currently projected for 29.1 minutes, and Smith has averaged 1.05 FanDuel points per minute this season. Smith has historically played at least 28 minutes in 79 career games, and he has averaged 31.51 FanDuel points in those outings.

That said, Smith is currently projected for the highest ownership on FanDuel, and his optimal lineup percentage sits at just 26.3% in the Boom/Bust Probability Tool. That gives him a significantly negative leverage score, which makes him a candidate to be over-owned on a 10-game slate.

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Ish Smith, PG, Charlotte Hornets

DraftKings Value Rating: 98| FanDuel Value Rating: 88

Smith is the preferred value option on DraftKings. He moved into the Hornets’ starting lineup on Sunday due to the absences of LaMelo Ball and Terry Rozier. He ultimately finished with more than 32 minutes of playing time, and he responded with 37.25 DraftKings points.

Ball and Rozier are both out of the lineup again on Monday, but DraftKings has not adjusted Smith’s salary to reflect his current role. His price tag actually decreased by -$1,400 following his performance on Sunday, so he is an absolute steal at just $3,400. Smith has averaged 0.87 DraftKings points per minute with Ball and Rozier off the court this season, so he can do plenty of damage with 32 minutes.

Smith also stands out as a potential target in the prop market. The Awesemo Player Prop tool currently gives him a 72% chance of hitting the under on his rebound prop, making it one of the best wagers of the day.

Jimmy Butler, SG/SF, Miami Heat

DraftKings Points Rating: 95 | FanDuel Points Rating: 96

The problem with Dennis Smith Jr. and Ish Smith is that both players are going to command massive ownership. If you want to go that route, consider pairing them with some potentially undervalued stud options.

Butler stands out as one of them. He is expected to return to the Heat’s lineup on Monday, but Bam Adebayo remains out with a thumb injury. If Butler does suit up, that means he should carry a bit more upside than usual. Butler has increased his production to 1.48 FanDuel points per minute with Adebayo off the court this season, thanks to a team-high usage rate of 33.0%.

Unlike the value options, Butler is not expected to capture much ownership on this slate. However, he owns the highest optimal lineup percentage on FanDuel per the Boom/Bust Probability tool, and he is sixth in that department on DraftKings. Overall, he owns one of the top leverage marks on both sites.

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