Wednesday, Oct. 27, brings a giant 10-game main slate with a plethora of options. 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 Rostership Rankings, which will help you when making NBA DFS picks.**
NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks, Wednesday, Oct. 27
Yahoo Play of the Day — Paul George: Los Angeles Clippers vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 43.12 | DraftKings: 45.44
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 5.4% | FanDuel 2.8% | DraftKings 3.1%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $46 | FanDuel $10,500 | DraftKings $10,300
Even in a laugher on Monday when the Clippers bested the Trail Blazers 103-72, Paul George still had a solid 47.5 Yahoo points despite playing a season-low 27 minutes. The last time George played fewer than 30 minutes was back in April when he had 44.9 Yahoo points in 27 minutes as Los Angeles rolled over Minnesota, and then a week later he had just 16.1 fantasy points in 25 minutes when the team pulled the starters in a losing cause to the Pelicans in New Orleans. That was only because the playoffs were right around the corner. The point of these examples is that, even if the Clippers manage to crush the Cavaliers tonight, George should still have a viable fantasy performance and he is not going to break the bank on Yahoo.
Russell Westbrook: Los Angeles Lakers at Oklahoma City Thunder
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 42 | DraftKings: 43.41
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 1% | FanDuel 17.3% | DraftKings 2.9%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $43 | FanDuel $8,400 | DraftKings $9,300
Last night LeBron James got a night off, and tonight it is likely that Anthony Davis will rest. Update: LeBron James (ankle) has been ruled out in the afternoon injury report and Anthony Davis (knee) is listed as questionable for tonight. This make sense, as that duo is going to have the carry the Lakers in the playoffs, which are still six months away. Russell Westbrook is the main beneficiary of one of the superstars sitting since that means he will at most be playing with one fellow high-usage player at a time. Though last night’s game went to overtime, Westbrook still saw around 10 minutes on the court without Davis and vice versa. Tonight there is likely to be a similar pattern with James and Westbrook, which bodes well for their respective fantasy prospects. Expect the popularity for both players to increase once speculation of Davis getting the night off is official. James is also an excellent option at tonight’s salary across the DFS sites if Davis indeed is out.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Los Angeles Lakers
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 38.58 | DraftKings: 39.46
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 15.6% | FanDuel 31.1% | DraftKings 24.7%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $33 | FanDuel $7,100 | DraftKings $7,100
This is also a back-to-back game for Oklahoma City, which lost to Golden State. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was a tick shy of 40 Yahoo points while playing 36 minutes. The only slight concern here is that this will be the third game in four nights for the Thunder. Otherwise this is a nice matchup, particularly if Davis sits for Los Angeles. The Lakers are playing at the third-fastest pace in the league with Westbrook at the helm, and their defense has a long way to go as they work in 10 players who were not with the team last season.
Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball Discount Dandies
Franz Wagner: Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Hornets
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 26.12 | DraftKings: 25.76
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 22.8% | FanDuel 11% | DraftKings 7.5%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $11 | FanDuel $4,700 | DraftKings $4,800
Rookie Franz Wagner continues to see solid minutes and has double-digit field goal attempts in each of his three starts. Though his playing time will likely take a hit once some of the key Orlando players return from injury, the Magic are going to give plenty of run to Wagner. Charlotte is not a particularly defensive minded club, and they are also playing at a top-10 pace. This is an excellent spot to employ Wagner at a near minimum salary on Yahoo.
Grayson Allen: Milwaukee Bucks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 21.66 | DraftKings: 22.79
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 18.4% | FanDuel 4.1% | DraftKings 16.7%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $11 | FanDuel $4,800 | DraftKings $4,400
Grayson Allen has been a steady contributor with his new team. While Bobby Portis is slated to return tonight, he has missed significant time with a hamstring injury, and the Bucks are not likely to push him hard. Rodney Hood also is in the rotation mix, though it is hard to see him with more than 10 to 12 minutes. Since Allen is in the starting lineup, he is a safer option than his fellow discount dandies Jordan Nwora and Pat Connaughton, who are coming off the bench. Though the Timberwolves have been somewhat frisky this season, and their fans are happy with the 2-1 start, their wins came against Houston and New Orleans, neither of which hold a candle to Milwaukee.
Precious Achiuwa: Toronto Raptors vs. Indiana Pacers
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 25.06 | DraftKings: 24.91
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 32.2% | FanDuel 24.4% | DraftKings 14.6%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $14 | FanDuel $4,900 | DraftKings $4,900
While Pascal Siakam is on the sidelines with his injury, Precious Achiuwa should continue to see 26 to 28 minutes in the rotation and with a few extra as upside if he stays out of foul trouble. In his last three games as a starter he is averaging just shy of 29 minutes, 12 points, 12.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists for just over one fantasy point per minute. Though the Pacers are a good rebounding team, Toronto will need minutes from Achiuwa to combat the frontcourt duo of Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS picks for the Wednesday, Oct. 27 Slate
Tonight should be a fun one, and with 20 teams in the player pool, do not feel forced to play any particular player with so many pivots available. 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.
