The NBA season is finally here, and to kick things off there are two marquee matchups. First, the Nets and Bucks will face off after meeting in the Eastern Conference Semifinals last season, then the Warriors and Lakers will go head-to-head. With these four teams in action, NBA fantasy lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel will be flush with high-level talent. The Awesemo NBA Starting Lineups page will give you breaking news when starters are announced as well as a full injury report on players who might be missing in action. Below are some NBA daily fantasy options that stand out for tonight’s slate using Awesemo Boom vs. Bust Tool and NBA DFS projections.
If looking for more NBA fantasy picks from Awesemo’s lineup optimizer, check out the DraftKings cheat sheet and FanDuel cheat sheet for tonight.
NBA Fantasy Projections & Optimal Lineup Picks Tonight
Boom: James Harden vs. Bucks: $9,300 DraftKings/$10,600 FanDuel
72.2% DraftKings Boom/30.2% FanDuel Boom
By a wide margin, Harden carries the highest boom score on the slate for DraftKings tonight, per Awesemo’s Boom Bust Tool. With Kyrie Irving (personal) missing from equation, Harden is going to see his already massive role grow to new heights. In the 12 full games he played without Irving last season, Harden’s usage jumped 3.8 points to a mammoth 31.8%, helping him score 54 DraftKings points per game. Visiting the Bucks, the Nets carry the highest implied team total of the night (119.5 points), and this matchup’s total is also the high mark of this slate (237.5). When Harden competed in a total of at least 235 points last season, he produced 60.3 DraftKings points per game.
Not only does Harden boast the second-highest raw projection on the slate, he is also a top-five value for both DraftKings and FanDuel tonight. Without question, Harden is a building block for all formats.
Boom: Khris Middleton vs. Nets: $7,200 DraftKings/$7,800 FanDuel
47.3% DraftKings Boom/18.7% FanDuel Boom
Middleton is underpriced for this projected shootout against the Nets and sports a top-five boom score for both DraftKings and FanDuel according to Awesemo’s Boom Bust Tool. He was incredible against Brooklyn last season, averaging 46.4 DraftKings points per game in 10 matchups, including eight games of at least 40 DraftKings points. Middleton was also outstanding in competitive settings last season, scoring 40.6 DraftKings points per game when the Bucks were in a spread of less than 5 points. Plus, compared to some of the other studs on the slate, Middleton’s ownership is not expected to get too out of control tonight. As a result, he has a top-five leverage score for both DraftKings and FanDuel per Awesemo’s Boom Bust Tool.
Boom: Jordan Poole vs. Lakers: $4,800 DraftKings/$4,900 FanDuel
45.9% DraftKings Boom/26.1% FanDuel Boom
As the Warriors starting shooting guard with Klay Thompson (Achilles) still on the shelf, Poole is a core value play for tonight’s two-game slate. Kelly Oubre also left in free agency this offseason, and Awesemo’s projections currently have Poole slated for 30 minutes this evening against the Lakers, which is more than enough time for him to outproduce his low price tags. Last season Poole averaged 0.95 DraftKings points per minute and 32 DraftKings points per game when he logged 25 minutes or greater.
The Lakers present a tough matchup after leading the league in defensive rating last season, but Poole is too cheap to ignore. For both DraftKings and FanDuel, he is rating as the best point-per-dollar value of the night per Awesemo’s projections.
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