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. Wednesday features a sizable 11-game slate, and there are some critical injuries to dissect.
NBA DFS Picks & Optimal Lineup Construction | Nov. 3
Tobias Harris, PF, Philadelphia 76ers
The 76ers were extremely shorthanded in their last contest. Harris was ruled out due to health and safety protocols, while Joel Embiid got the night off for rest. Ben Simmons remains away from the team, so the 76ers were down their top three players against the Blazers.
Harris remains out tonight, but Embiid is not currently listed on the injury report. That means he should be back in the lineup, and he should carry a monster workload. He has played just nine minutes without Harris so far this season, but he increased his usage rate to 45.9% with Harris and Simmons off the court last year. Expect him to own a monster projection.
Stephen Curry would also become a viable option, while Georges Niang would have some appeal off the bench. Niang played 31.2 minutes in the 76ers’ last contest, and he led the team with a 29.5% usage rate. It will be interesting to see what the ownership projections look like for Niang on Wednesday.
D’Angelo Russell, G, Minnesota Timberwolves
Russell has also been ruled out on Wednesday, which should benefit the rest of the Timberwolves’ stud options. Anthony Edwards has increased his usage rate by a team-high 4.5% with Russell off the court this season, resulting in an average of 1.17 DraftKings points per minute. Edwards has already been excellent to start the year, scoring at least 40 DraftKings points in five of six games, and he has additional scoring upside tonight.
Karl-Anthony Towns should also benefit, but not to the same extent. His usage rate increases by just 2.7%, and his fantasy scoring has decreased over 94 minutes without Russell. That is a small sample size, but it makes sense that a big man would benefit as much in that situation. He needs someone to get the ball into his hands when the team’s starting point guard is sidelined.
Malik Beasley could possibly step into that role, especially if Patrick Beverley is also out. He has increased his usage rate by 4.4% sans Russell, and he has also increased his assist rate by 2.6%. Beasley’s salary has decreased by $1,200 since the start of the year, so he could be an interesting buy-low option.
Scottie Barnes, F, Toronto Raptors
Barnes has been awesome for the Raptors this season, and he has passed Cade Cunningham in terms of Rookie of the Year odds on DraftKings Sportsbook. Unfortunately, he has been ruled out for tonight’s matchup against the Wizards.
O.G. Anunoby leads the team with a 28.4% usage rate with Barnes off the court this season, and he has also increased his rebound rate by 1.8%. He has averaged 1.10 FanDuel points per minute in that situation.
Precious Achiuwa has seen the largest usage bump with Barnes off the court (+5.7%), so he is also worth some consideration.
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