Thursday, Nov. 11 has a three-game main slate with a surprising amount of uncertainty, with late injury news likely coming from the Pacers in the 9:00 p.m. ET game and the Heat, who do not take the court until 10:30 p.m. ET. Let’s look at the player pool and discuss the top NBA DFS picks for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups. Do not forget to head over to the Awesemo NBA DFS home page for more great written daily fantasy basketball content.
NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks, Thursday, Nov. 11
Yahoo Play of the Day — Fred VanVleet: Toronto Raptors at Philadelphia 76ers
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 37.88 | DraftKings: 38.83
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 28.8% | FanDuel 39.9% | DraftKings 27.7%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $36 | FanDuel $8,100 | DraftKings $8,400
Defense has not been much of a priority for the 76ers, who are missing a significant portion of their rotation with injuries or because of COVID-19. For the last week, their ambulatory players have been logging heavy minutes, and that is coming at the expense of defense. While Fred Van Vleet has been missing Pascal Siakam and Kyle Lowry taking a lot of the attention off him, this is the perfect matchup to suit his freewheeling style. The salary is reasonable, especially considering he is likely to see 36 to 38 minutes tonight and has an outside shot at 40 if the game remains competitive.
Adam Scherer wrote up VanVleet as one of the best guard plays on tonight’s slate in his NBA DFS Deep Dive article. Check out who else Adam is highlighting as some of the top options today.
Andre Drummond: Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 44.29 | DraftKings: 44.33
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 44% | FanDuel 35.8% | DraftKings 36.7%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $35 | FanDuel $9,100 | DraftKings $8,600
Lather, rinse and repeat. All three of tonight’s home teams played on Tuesday’s three-game slate, so there will be some familiar recommendations tonight. This all starts with Andre Drummond, who will continue to see heavy minutes for Philadelphia while Joel Embiid is out. Tonight there is a chance that Tobias Harris will return from the health and safety protocol, and Seth Curry (sore foot) could be back after a one-game absence, but neither will impact the fantasy prospects for Drummond. In back-to-back starts against Milwaukee and New York, Drummond is averaging 15.5 points, 22.5 rebounds, two assists and 2.5 combined blocks/steals. Once again, he should own the paint with Siakam and Khem Birch both listed as out for the Raptors.
Paul George: Los Angeles Clippers vs. Miami Heat
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 46.92 | DraftKings: 49.46
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 32.2% | FanDuel 33.9% | DraftKings 33.4%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $49 | FanDuel $10,300 | DraftKings $10,200
The Heat lost in overtime last night to the Lakers, and tonight they will face the Clippers without Jimmy Butler. Paul George is posting career highs across the board while also averaging a tick shy of 50 Yahoo points. Last night Bam Adebayo only ended up playing 34 minutes despite playing most of the extra period. Coach Erik Spoelstra had a quick hook for Adebayo after he picked up his third foul 97 seconds into the second quarter. This is important, as it means there is a good chance he will play tonight, which would help keep this game competitive. Miami perpetually has a couple of key players listed as questionable, and their coach is not afraid to take a “schedule loss” in order to keep his players rested and healthy. Though there is a chance something will keep Adebayo, Lowry or Tyler Herro out tonight, it is a good sign that nobody who had the questionable tag heading into the last two games does as of this afternoon.
Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball Discount Dandies
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Toronto Raptors
Even with both Curry and Harris returning to action tonight, Tyrese Maxey ($23), Shake Milton ($17), Furkan Korkmaz ($17) and Danny Green ($14) are solid value options. If Harris remains out, then Georges Niang ($11) and Paul Reed ($10) also stay in the mix as discount dandies. Reed is best if he is in the starting lineup, as coach Doc Rivers is not afraid to keep him tethered to the bench otherwise.
Indiana Pacers at Utah Jazz
Last night Caris LeVert (back) did not play in Denver, but Malcolm Brogdon (non-COVID illness) returned to the lineup after a week off. It would not be a surprise for one or both to be out tonight. If that is the case, then T.J. McConnell becomes an outstanding mid-tier option, and Torrey Craig and Justin Holiday would be more than just dart throws at the Yahoo minimum salary.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS picks for the Thursday, Nov. 11 Slate
Two of tonight’s three games tip off during Thursday Night Football, so do not forget to keep tabs on breaking news while other gamers may be distracted by the NFL. Keep in mind that salaries and scoring formats differ across the various fantasy sites, and a slam-dunk play on Yahoo may be a below-average NBA DFS pick on DraftKings or FanDuel.
