NBA DFS First Look & Optimal Lineup Picks Today

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 some of the key players on Wednesday’s massive 13-game slate.

NBA DFS Picks & Optimal Lineup Construction | Nov. 9

Will Barton, SG/SF, Denver Nuggets

Someone is going to have to pick up the slack for the Nuggets on Wednesday. Michael Porter Jr. is currently dealing with a back injury, and he is expected to be sidelined for the foreseeable future. Jamal Murray remains out while recovering from knee surgery. Nikola Jokic will serve a one-game suspension. That leaves the team without all three of their max players vs. the Pacers.

Barton stands out as one of the most obvious beneficiaries. He has posted a usage rate of 25.7% with all three players off the court this season, and he’s averaged 1.34 DraftKings points per minute.

The players who will suit up for the Nuggets benefit from an excellent matchup, as well. The Pacers rank just 24th in defensive efficiency to start the year.

Frank Kaminsky, PF/C, Phoenix Suns

Deandre Ayton remains out of the lineup for the Suns, which means it is safe to fire up Kaminsky once again. He was fantastic in his first two games without Ayton, racking up 39.1 and 31.2 FanDuel points, but that figure dipped to just 21.0 in his last game. Still, that was more than enough to pay off his price tag.

Overall, Kaminsky has averaged a strong 1.09 FanDuel points per minute this season, and he has the potential to play 28 minutes in this spot.

Expect Kaminsky to carry massive ownership on FanDuel, where he remains massively underpriced at just $4,300. It is hard to consider fading him at that price tag.

Kaminsky could also provide some value in the prop market. Make sure to utilize the Awesemo Player Prop tool to take advantage of the most exploitable player props each day.

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Ricky Rubio, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavs have provided plenty of value with their frontcourt players recently, but they could provide some value with their guards on Wednesday. Collin Sexton suffered a torn meniscus, which is going to sideline him for the foreseeable future.

Rubio should step in as the starting point guard, and he has massive upside in that role. He is coming off a monster performance in his last game, finishing with 61.25 DraftKings points thanks to a career-high 37 points. That is obviously an outlier performance, but Rubio has averaged 1.23 DraftKings points per minute with Sexton off the court this season. If he plays more than 30 minutes – he played 31.3 in his last game – he could provide excellent value at his current price tag.

Rubio is someone who should also carry significant ownership, so make sure to utilize the Boom/Bust Probability tool. As long as he is not too negatively leveraged, he’s worth serious consideration.

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