Charlotte Hornets guard LaMelo Ball (2) pushes the ball up the court during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic, Wednesday, Nov. 24, 2021, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
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Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 47.52 DK - 51.81
There isn’t a lot of defense expected in this Hornets-Pistons game and that’s going to be good news from a fantasy perspective. LaMelo Ball ran about 32 minutes in the first game of the season, going for a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists. He struggled from the field at 4-15 which is somewhat problematic, but a good sign for the usage.
His price on FanDuel is right in the sweet spot and even though this game doesn’t have the highest total, we can have exposure here. Because of the way he contributes across the stat line, the floor is high even in this tier.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 45.35 DK - 49.04
One of the big surprises from the first night of the season was the insane usage Cade Cunningham had coming back from a lost 2023 season. He put up a whopping 27 shots for the Pistons in their one-point loss to the Heat. Cade had twice as many shots as the next closes Pistons guy and this could be a trend that continues going forward.
And even with all of the chucking, he still managed nine assists as well. He’s the whole offense right now and these prices are simply too low.
Opponent - ORL
Proj Pts FD - 32.44 DK - 35.42
The bad news first: the Blazers stink and they got killed in the first game of the season, losing 123-11 to the Clippers. Don’t let the final score fool you, this was well over before a garbage time “comeback” in the 4th quarter. The good news though is that Scoot Henderson played through the blowout, running 36 minutes when it was all said and done.
He didn’t pile on the stats, but I think those are going to come for the #2 overall pick and his price is too low on both sites.
Opponent - SAC
Proj Pts FD - 36.58 DK - 39
Going a little on the older side here, and really just as a DraftKings play, we have Chris Paul who got his first start as a Warrior on Thursday night. Golden State lost, but CP3’s stat line did the trick, putting up 14 points, nine assists, and six rebounds in 34 minutes.
I’m not sure the run is sustainable for the season at his age, but as long as Draymond Green is out (which he is for this game), I think Paul is a DraftKings play for sure at sub-$7K.
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 30.86 DK - 33.03
Another turn back the clock guy for our Friday NBA action with Gordon Hayward ringing in as a pretty good value on both sites. He came out for the first game of the season and played 33 minutes, putting up a balanced stat line of 10 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, and a block + steal each.
We’ll take it from Hayward even if the usage was on the lower side. With this Hornets squad that will probably stick, but his minutes are safe because of what he brings on both ends of the court.
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 28.58 DK - 30.67 We knew the Spurs were going to go a bit unconventional to start the season with Jeremy Sochan getting the nod as the point guard with the first five. It went about as expected, playing 29 minutes and putting up 13 rebounds, eight rebounds, and five assists.
I think we can expect to see him get after it a bit more defensively and the Rockets could completely stink this season. At a weaker SF position, Sochan makes for a good play on DraftKings.
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 36.8 DK - 38.18
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 35.35 DK - 38.25
It seemed like there was going to be something of a logjam in Detroit over the big man minute going into the season, but that appears to not be the case. The frontcourt run was consolidated almost exclusively to Jalen Duren and Isaiah Stewart in the opener who each started and played 32 and 35 minutes respectively.
Duren had a bit of foul trouble but still managed 17 points and 14 rebounds, good to completely crush his price on DraftKings. Meanwhile, Stewart went for 14 points and 14 rebounds himself which was another major DK win.
Both have been priced up on FanDuel where the salary is a bit tougher to fit. But these guys have very high floors considering the Pistons have made it clear which way they want to go this season.
Opponent - DAL
Proj Pts FD - 27.79 DK - 29.68
Nic Claxton has already been ruled out of this game for the Nets which is going to really cause some upheaval with their frontcourt minutes. Day’ron Sharpe could draw the start here in his place, though Brooklyn could also elect to go smaller against Dallas and play someone like Dorian Finney-Smith there as well.
We will have to wait a bit closer to tip-off to know that for sure. Regardless, Sharpe is almost a play even off the bench if you thought he was going to run minutes in the low-20s. He’s one of the best per-minute rebounders in the league and has a high floor at these prices if he can get on the court.
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