Monday, Nov. 8 brings an eight-game main slate with just one game tipping off in the first hour. 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.
**Be sure to check out Awesemo’s free premium content today: The NBA Player Rostership Rankings, which will help you when making NBA DFS picks.**
NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks, Monday, Nov. 8
Yahoo Play of the Day — Luka Doncic: Dallas Mavericks vs. New Orleans Pelicans
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 46.58 | DraftKings: 49.63
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 24.1% | FanDuel 24.1% | DraftKings 17.2%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $48 | FanDuel $10,200 | DraftKings $10,700
The Pelicans have the worst defensive efficiency in the league now that they have replaced Steven Adams with Jonas Valanciunas. Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram being injured are not helping this cause either. They are playing at the fifth-fastest pace while allowing 112.4 points per 100 possessions. Kristaps Porzingis does not impact Luka Doncic on a per-minute basis. In 1,712 minutes without Porzingis since the beginning of last year, Doncic is averaging 1.45 Yahoo points per minute. In in 1,141 minutes together in that same time frame, Doncic averages 1.47 Yahoo points per minute. The moral of this story is, play Doncic at his excellent salary tonight.
Julius Randle: New York Knicks at Philadelphia 76ers
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 41.28 | DraftKings: 43.35
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 7.6% | FanDuel 7.6% | DraftKings 5.3%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $43 | FanDuel $9,500 | DraftKings $9,700
Joel Embiid is out tonight, joining Tobias Harris, Matisse Thybulle and Isaiah Joe in the health and safety protocol. Nerlens Noel and Marcus Robinson are both questionable on the New York side. This means Julius Randle should again play 36 to 37 minutes in what suddenly is a very winnable game for the Knicks. Randle will likely see his popularity surge as lock approaches, but this is one of those situations to roll with the masses. Tonight there are 16 teams in the player pool, which will provide plenty of other avenues to create unique lineups.
Miles Bridges: Charlotte Hornets at Los Angeles Lakers
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 40.64 | DraftKings: 41.84
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 11% | FanDuel 11% | DraftKings 15.8%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $34 | FanDuel $8,300 | DraftKings $7,700
While this is a back-to-back game for the Hornets, they played the Clippers last night, so they did not have to travel. The Lakers have turned over the majority of their roster between the Russell Westbrook trade with the Wizards and bringing in a new crop of veteran free agents. Through 10 games they are playing at the fastest pace in the league and have mediocre defensive efficiency. There is a chance that Anthony Davis will join LeBron James on the sideline tonight, which would only serve to speed things up. Miles Bridges has played at least 34 minutes in each of his last 10 games, and he is averaging 37 per game. Even more important is that he is seeing nearly 20 field goal attempts per night on a mix of 3-point shots and his rim rocking dunks. Throw in double-digit combined rebounds and assists with a couple blocks and steals, and he is having a fantasy breakout.
Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball Discount Dandies
Andre Drummond: Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 44.75 | DraftKings: 45.16
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 53.2% | FanDuel 45.7% | DraftKings 42.7%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $20 | FanDuel $5,500 | DraftKings $5,700
Welcome to the most popular play of the night. Philadelphia is going to be the source of several value options since they are missing a majority of their projected starting lineup. On the season Andre Drummond is averaging 1.39 Yahoo points per minute. This is right in line with his production from the last several seasons. When Drummond started for Embiid a week ago against Portland, he rolled up 60 Yahoo points. While he is not likely to have five steals again, a 15-point, 15-rebound game is absolutely on the table, as is something approaching 50 Yahoo points.
Adam Scherer also thinks Andre Drummond is one of the best options at center tonight. He broke down what makes Drummond such an ideal play in today’s NBA DFS Deep Dive — the most in-depth and comprehensive article in the industry.
Philadelphia 76ers vs. New York Knicks
Danny Green has been out for a week with a hamstring injury, and even if he is able to play, it is unlikely he will see much more than 25 to 27 minutes rather than risk reinjury. Tyrese Maxey has logged 44 minutes in back-to-back games for the 76ers, and that seems likely again tonight. Seth Curry, Shake Milton and Furkan Korkmaz are all likely to see around 35, and Drummond will be in the mix for something approaching that figure as well. Georges Niang is likely to be around 30, and Paul Reed in the 20- to 25-minute range is a wild card who could get more if Drummond or Niang are in foul trouble or if Green does not suit up.
Phoenix Suns at Sacramento Kings
Deandre Ayton has been ruled out, so that means JaVale McGee and Frank Kaminsky will absorb the majority of the 48 center minutes. While McGee is likely to start again, Kaminsky had more minutes off the bench each of the last two games that McGee started with Ayton out. Kaminsky also has the advantage of dual-position eligibility on DraftKings and FanDuel, where he is also listed as a power forward.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS picks for the Monday, Nov. 8 Slate
This is shaping up to be a wild one tonight, so be sure to keep tabs on the news that breaks after lock, and there is a gap between the first game and the remainder of the slate. 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.
