Los Angeles Lakers' Russell Westbrook runs up the court during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021, in San Antonio, Texas. Los Angeles won 125-121 in overtime. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
Tuesday's card was wild when LeBron James got ruled out right before lock, and it looks like we're going to be in for another crazy one here. Every NBA slate is like that, though, and it's always tough to know what to expect. In any case, our projections have been on point, and we have a bunch of pieces we like for this slate. Without further ado, let's kick things off with a triple-double machine!
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Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 50.94 DK - 53.47
There have obviously been some growing pains in Westbrooks's first week with the Lakers, but this dude is too good to be this cheap. We're literally talking about a guy averaging 23.6 points, 9.8 rebounds, 9.8 assists, and 1.7 steals since 2016! That's a five-year sample size of ridiculous numbers, and he won't stray too far away from those averages no matter who he plays with. What's even crazier is this price drop, with Russ sitting between $11,000 and $12,000 for most of that time. That means his price is impossible to avoid, and we absolutely love that this is the second half of a back-to-back set. That means a nicked-up LeBron James or Anthony Davis could sit, which would open up even more stats for Russ. He's starting to find it, too, averaging 20.3 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 10 assists over his last three games. Not to mention, Westbrook will surely be hungry against the OKC team that made his name.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 30.2 DK - 31.17
Picking rookies has volatility attached to it, but this Orlando team has a ton of value. Suggs has been doing a lot of ball-handling for them, averaging 12.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. That might not sound special, but it equates to a 23-point average. That's really all you can hope for from a $5K player, especially with this rookie shooting just 28 percent from the field. That means he'll inevitably get better, and we genuinely believe he'll be the 30-point player that our projections have him forecasted for. Charlotte is far from problematic, owning a 21st OPRK against opposing guards this season.
Damian Lillard is just 2-of-24 from three-point range, but this $8,200 price tag on FanDuel is insane.
Opponent - CLE
Proj Pts FD - 52.16 DK - 54.04
PG struggled to figure things out with Kawhi Leonard from a statistical perspective, but he knows what he needs to do when The Claw is out. That's taking over this offense, leading the club with a 35 percent usage rate with him off the floor. More importantly, he's averaging about 1.4 DK points per minute in that time since last season, and he's been even better this year. In fact, PG is averaging 55 DK points per game, despite playing just three quarters in a blowout win on Monday. All of that has PG13 as one of the best options in fantasy, and he should thrive against a Cleveland team that sits 23rd in fantasy points allowed to opposing SGs.
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 36.84 DK - 37.08
OG has been throwing up bricks all season long, but he continues to be a fantasy beast. He's actually been one of the primary playmakers since the preseason, posting a 25 percent usage rate. It's easy to understand why when you see that Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam are out of the picture, with OG taking at least 15 shots in all four games. If that usage rate and shot total continue, Anunoby is a prime candidate to be an $8K player sooner rather than later. He thrived against the Pacers last season, too, averaging 37 DK points per game in their two meetings. That's right on par with his season average this year, which looks even better when you see Indiana's 26th OPRK against opposing wings.
If Malik Monk starts again, he could be a sneaky play around $4K after a nice game on Tuesday.
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 42.88 DK - 44.4
Brown looked like an MVP in the opening game of the season but followed it up with one of the worst performances of his career. He then bounced back with a 54-point gem, bringing his season average to 47 DraftKings points per game. That might be a bit inflated, but it's not far off of his average last season and our projections. What we do love is the fact that he's been the man in Boston, posting a 29 percent usage rate while attempting 21 shots a night. That's all you could hope for from an $8K player, and we absolutely love that he faces a Washington club that ranked 29th in total defense last season. In their two matchups last year, JB averaged 45 DK points per game across just 33 minutes a night.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 26.98 DK - 26.92
I wasn't sure what to think when Orlando swiped Wagner early in the first round, but early results are incredibly encouraging. The youngster has actually scored at least 22 DK points in all four games, seeing his minutes and usage rate boost up in seemingly every game. A 22-point floor is hard to find from a sub-$5K player, and we expect the 20-year-old to improve as the season progresses. Charlotte is far from scary, too, surrendering the second-most fantasy points to opposing small forwards this season. It's also a rare Orlando game that could stay close, which only adds to Franz's intrigue.
Kyle Kuzma is averaging over 10 rebounds a game and looks like a different player with the Wizards.
Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 53.79 DK - 52.3
There's a slight chance that AD will be rested here in the second half of a B2B, but if he plays, we love him in this spot. The biggest reason we like him is that LeBron is nicked up. With James off the floor last season, Davis led the team with a 34 percent usage rate and 1.3 DK points per minute. That rate is pretty much what we've seen all year, with AD amassing a 50-point average. He can perform no matter who else is on the floor, and we anticipate that being the case against an OKC team that might have the worst roster in the NBA. If Davis does get ruled out and LeBron ends up playing, don't be afraid to pivot to The King!
Opponent - TOR
Proj Pts FD - 31.4 DK - 30.02
Turner has been a disappointment for most of the season, but his upside is truly tremendous. The big man dropped 64 DK points less than a week ago and has that capability anytime he steps on the floor. His average is sitting below 30 fantasy points, but we expect it to surpass that number the more he gets involved in this offense. That's where our projections are sitting, and it's just a matter of time before this price tag gets north of $6K too. The matchup against Toronto might be the best part of this play, though, with Turner scoring at least 41 DraftKings points in his two meetings with the Raptors last season.
Jaren Jackson Jr has 50-point upside below $7K and faces one of the worst defenses in the NBA.
Opponent - PHO
Proj Pts FD - 31.99 DK - 30.8
Holmes earned himself a contract extension in the offseason, and he's showing why in the early going. The big man has gobbled up double-digit rebounds in every game this season, averaging 14.3 points and 10.7 rebounds per game. Both of those are career-highs, and it'd be even more impressive if he didn't deal with foul trouble in two of those. Those are incredible averages from a guy playing fewer than 30 minutes a night, and we're excited to see what he does when he gets closer to the 32-35 minutes we anticipate. Facing Phoenix is certainly not an easy matchup, but it doesn't really matter when you see this sub-$6K price tag on DraftKings.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 34.86 DK - 34.78
Mo Bamba might be one of those guys that's better for fantasy than he is in real life, but that's perfect for our profession! This dude snatches up rebounds and swats away shots at ease, providing some of the best rates in the NBA. That's certainly been the case thus far, averaging 13.5 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.0 steals, and 1.8 blocks per game. Those are impressive averages from a guy barely cracking $6,000, especially with Mo playing 30 minutes a night. As long as that playing time continues, Bamba should be an easy bet for a fantasy-point-per-minute. The matchup with the Hornets isn't too bad either, with Charlotte sitting 21st in defensive efficiency ratings.
Steven Adams is averaging nearly 40 DK points per game and remains way too cheap on both sites.
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