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 players who stand out as key options on Friday’s 11-game main slate.

Want to see how your lineup stacked up against yesterday’s winning NBA DFS lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo? Check out Awesemo’s Optimal Lineup Review, which uses Fantasy Cruncher Rewind to analyze the winning plays from the night before.

DraftKings & FanDuel NBA DFS Lineup Advice Today

Nikola Vucevic, C, Chicago Bulls

Demar DeRozan has gotten most of the love for the Bulls this season, but Vucevic has been the better value recently. He’s seen a nice spike in value with Lonzo Ball and Zach LaVine out of the lineup, increasing his usage rate by +4.8% in two games without both players. Overall, he’s averaged 46.63 DraftKings points in those contests, and he’s racked up at least 47.0 DraftKings points in three of his past four games.

However, Vucevic’s price tag has actually decreased over that time frame. He was priced at $9,000 on DraftKings in his last game, but he’s down to just $8,800 on Friday. That’s not a huge difference, but his price should be increasing given his recent play. Friday’s slate is loaded with quality options, but Vucevic should own decent marks in our NBA Projections.

Gabe Vincent, PG/SG, Miami Heat

The Heat are going to be a nice source of value on Friday. Kyle Lowry remains out of the lineup due to personal reasons, while Tyler Herro is in health and safety protocols. That leaves the team without two of their top backcourt options.

Vincent has started in place of Lowry recently, and he’s coming off a big performance in his last outing. He finished with 31.5 DraftKings points over 36.9 minutes, and he was just 4-13 from the field in that contest. That suggests that his performance wasn’t all that fluky, as does Vincent’s average of 0.85 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. If he’s going to continue to see that many minutes with Lowry and Herro out of the lineup, he’s an excellent value at just $4,800.

The only potential concern with Vincent is his projected ownership. The value options for the Heat could be chalky on this slate, so it will be important to see how they fare in the Boom/Bust Probability tool. If they’re expected to be over-owned, it could be worth looking elsewhere.

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Jaren Jackson Jr., PF/C, Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies are another team with multiple key absences on Friday. Dillon Brooks, Desmond Bane, and Kyle Anderson are all listed as out on the injury report, which would leave the team without three of their best players.

Ja Morant should draw most of the attention for the Grizzlies, and that’s deserved. He racked up 67.0 DraftKings points with all three players out of the lineup on Wednesday, and he’s been one of the best players in basketball this season.

That said, I prefer Jackson from a pure value standpoint. He’s significantly cheaper than Morant across the industry, and he’s been the bigger beneficiary with Brooks, Bane, and Anderson off the court this season. He’s increased his usage rate by a team-high +5.0% with all three players on the sidelines, resulting in an average of 1.50 DraftKings points per minute.

Jackson racked up 29 points in his last outing, so he could also be worth targeting in the player prop market. If his scoring prop hasn’t adjusted to his increased role given their current absences, the over could own a nice grade in the Awesemo Player Prop tool.

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