Wednesday, Nov. 3, brings a giant 11-game main slate replete with plenty of shifting roles and injury concerns. 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, Wednesday, Nov. 3
Yahoo Play of the Day — Fred VanVleet: Toronto Raptors at Washington Wizards
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 42.63 | DraftKings: 43.86
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 21% | FanDuel 26.1% | DraftKings 15.7%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $36 | FanDuel $8.000 | DraftKings $8.500
The season started slowly for Fred VanVleet, though he has surpassed 40 Yahoo points in three of his last five games as his shot selection and accuracy has improved to 46.8% from the field and 41.7% from downtown. In this stretch VanVleet is averaging 39.1 minutes, 18.6 points, 6.4 rebounds, 8.2 assists and 1.6 combined blocks/steals per game. Heavy minutes are nothing new for VanVleet, who has been among the league leaders each of the last three seasons. The matchup with Washington is a solid one, and while the Wizards have improved on defense and are not playing nearly as fast as they were last year, they are still fantasy friendly in both categories.
O.G. Anunoby: Toronto Raptors at Washington Wizards
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 37.55 | DraftKings: 39.01
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 38.2% | FanDuel 32.9% | DraftKings 16.8%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $29 | FanDuel $7,300 | DraftKings $7,700
Tonight the Raptors are going to be without rookie Scottie Barnes (thumb) for a second straight game. This leaves a major minutes void, as Barnes was already accounting for 34.9 minutes per game through his first seven career appearances. Pascal Siakam (shoulder) and Yuta Watanabe (calf) are also injured. Coach Nick Nurse has encouraged O.G. Anunoby to step into the offensive hole left by Siakam’s injury and Kyle Lowry’s departure to Miami, and he has responded with 18.3 field goal attempts per game, which is up from 12.1 in 2020 and 8.2 in 2019. Anunoby has been logging heavy minutes as well this season, with 36.5 per game, though he was already being counted on as a “glue guy” in his two previous campaigns as a starter, tasked with focusing on defense and whatever else the team needed. This is a matchup where Anunoby should thrive, and anything below 40 Yahoo points is going to be a disappointment.
Jonas Valanciunas: New Orleans Pelicans at Sacramento Kings
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 42.71 | DraftKings: 44.45
Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 6.4% | FanDuel 8.6% | DraftKings 16.9%
DFS Salary: Yahoo $39 | FanDuel $8800 | DraftKings $8500
There are quite a few excellent center options tonight, though Jonas Valanciunas has a very friendly salary, and he has the same upside as the other top-end options. The only concern is that he played 36 minutes last night, although the Kings are also on a back-to-back and just gave up 20 rebounds to Rudy Gobert. Brandon Ingram may miss another game with his hip issue, and Zion Williamson is still on the shelf. That should give extra opportunities for Valanciunas to see the ball in the paint on offense.
Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball Discount Dandies
Philadelphia 76ers vs. Chicago Bulls
Joel Embiid will be returning, but Tobias Harris (health and safety protocols) is likely to be out through the weekend and Ben Simmons has no expected return date. That gives several players the potential for increased opportunities, though coach Doc Rivers can be fickle with his rotations when key contributors are not available. Seth Curry has seen his salary increase to an appropriate level for his starting role, so there is not much value left at his current tag.
Furkan Korkmaz is in a solid spot at $12 on Yahoo and with a similar discount on the other DFS sites. Regardless of his role as either a starter or off the bench, he should be in line for 25 to 28 minutes. Shake Milton is more of a wild card and unlikely to see more than 20 to 22 minutes, but he could easily surpass Korkmaz in game.
Georges Niang is the real prize, as he played every minute that Andre Drummond was on the bench and just over 15 minutes alongside him. Embiid is back, and Drummond will likely be his direct backup, but Niang should see something in the 20- to 24-minute range, and that would be plenty of time to still make a strong fantasy contribution. Tyrese Maxey is at an appropriate salary for his starting role, and Matisse Thybulle is far too mercurial to trust his fantasy output.
Injury Situations
Keep tabs on news throughout the day, as with 22 teams in action it will be plentiful. Be sure to check out the Awesemo NBA Starting Lineups page where all of the breaking news is handled, with the most up-to-date injury reports and starting lineups. There are a couple key items to watch for, including the status of Kristaps Porzingis, who has missed the last four games with a back issue. If he remains out, then look to Dwight Powell as a punt option with Maxi Kleber also out for the next week.
Patrick Beverley missed the last game with a sore calf, but he has carved out a key reserve role with the Timberwolves. If he is available tonight, then he is a nice option on Yahoo at the site minimum.
Finally, if Svi Mykhailiuk is in the starting lineup again in place of Barnes, he becomes an early-slate option in all formats. While sometimes it is better to wait, particularly on a large slate, pouncing on Mykhailiuk frees up salary cap for upgrades at the mid- and upper tiers in the later games.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS picks for the Wednesday, Nov. 3 Slate
Tonight there is a mega-slate with 11 games, so flexibility is going to be key. Things are staggered tonight, with six games in the first hour, three in the second and then the final two tipping off at 10 p.m. ET on the West Coast. 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.
