Monday Slate Starter: NBA DFS Strategy for DraftKings & FanDuel Lineups Today | 11/1/21

The Slate Starter is a daily first look at to get your daily fantasy basketball lineup-building process started before lock tonight. Each day, we will go through some of the best NBA DFS picks, top stacks and optimal lineup construction for DraftKings and FanDuel. Be sure to check Awesemo’s NBA Starting Lineups page, as it will be updated throughout the day as the NBA injury reports are released and breaking news surfaces. Let’s dive into three of the stud centers on Monday’s nine-game slate.

NBA DFS Picks & Optimal Lineup Construction | Nov. 1

Nikola Jokic, C, Denver Nuggets

Jokic has had an interesting start to his season. His overall numbers are a bit down, but he’s played 25.3 minutes or less in two of his first six games. He’s been dealing with a right knee bruise, which has been a bit concerning for the coaching staff. Still, he played on both legs of their back-to-back set on Friday and Saturday, so it seems like he’s good to go.

When Jokic has been on the floor, he’s been the best fantasy producer in the league. He’s averaged a ridiculous 1.85 DraftKings points per minute, which is the top mark in the fantasy. Last year’s MVP has posted a higher usage rate than he did last season, and he’s increased his rebound rate by nearly 10 percent. He’s also been insanely efficient as a scorer, shooting 60.8% from the field and 42.3% from 3-point range. Add it all up, and Jokic could be in store for an even bigger year. He’ll take the floor in a strong spot against the Grizzlies on Monday. They rank 27th in defensive efficiency to start the year,

Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Minnesota Timberwolves

Towns has also had a strong start to the year, but he seems a bit overpriced compared to his counterparts. Towns has averaged 25.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists through his first five games, resulting in an average of 1.38 DraftKings points per minute. He should see some improvement in the rebounding department moving forward – he’s never averaged less than 10.5 rebounds per game – but he also appears due for some shooting regression.

Towns has always been an elite shooter for a big man, but he’s currently drilled 50.0% of his 3-point attempts. He’s also attempting six 3-pointers per game, which is a sizable number for a big man. He’s around 40% from 3-point range for his career, so expect that number to decrease as the season progresses.

His matchup against the Magic on Monday is intriguing. They’ve been dreadful defensively, ranking dead last in terms of defensive efficiency, but they’ve also played at the third-slowest pace in the league.

I’ll be interested in checking out how Towns grades out in the Awesemo Player Prop tool. He could be someone worth fading.

Joel Embiid, C, Philadelphia 76ers

Like Jokic, Embiid has also struggled with injuries to start the year. He collided knees with Jonas Valanciunas in the 76ers first game this season, and he’s been questionable ever since.

He hasn’t actually missed any time, but his production hasn’t been great. His usage rate and rebound rate were both way down in his first four games, and he averaged just 19.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in those contests. He bounced back in his fifth game of the year, dominating over 31 minutes against the Pistons, which provided some optimism that he was turning the corner. Unfortunately, he came crashing right back to reality in his last game, finishing with just 29.75 DraftKings points against the Hawks.

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