NBA DFS Process | October 20, 2026 | DraftKings & FanDuel Picks, Plays & Slate Breakdown

NBA is a projectionProjectionsDFS projections estimate a player's fantasy points for an upcoming slate using expected opportunities, performance and the contest's scoring rules. They describe an expected result, not a guaranteed score.Check the projection's update time and assumed role before using it. If news is already included, adjusting again for that same news can double-count its effect.Read the full definition of Projections driven sport. It's a lot less correlationCorrelationCorrelation describes how two players' fantasy scores move together. Positively correlated players tend to have big games at the same time, usually because one player's success directly adds points for the other.When you build a tournament lineup, ask which of your players need the same thing to happen. The more of them that do, the higher your lineup's ceiling.Read the full definition of Correlation like an MLB and NFL due to obviously NFL quarterback throws a touchdown. It's to a receiver. Usually a running back. You get a lot of points in one outcome. Baseball, multiple guys on base. You hit a home run. You get multiple points for multiple different guys. Basketball. It's such an up and down game. A lot of possessions. Stacking doesn't mean as much. It doesn't mean a little more on shorter slatesSlate SizeSlate size is the number of games or matchups included in a DFS contest's schedule. In sports built around one event, it can instead describe the number of eligible competitors; it does not mean the number of contest entries.Before building, count the credible alternatives at each position. A slate with plenty of games can still leave you with very few appealing choices at one position.Read the full definition of Slate Size.

We'll talk about that today, but as you can see on the stone, two point Oh, you can sort by anything, minutes, projectionMinutes ProjectionA minutes projection estimates how much playing time a player will receive in a game. You use it to estimate opportunities for fantasy production, not as a guarantee of playing time or points.Ask what would make the player lose minutes. If your lineup only works when he gets the most optimistic playing time estimate, reconsider the pick.Read the full definition of Minutes Projection, ownershipOwnershipOwnership is the percentage of lineups in a contest that include a given player. Projected ownership is an estimate made before lock; actual ownership is posted once the contest locks.Ownership isn't something to avoid; it's something to build around. The goal is understanding how the field is likely to build, then finding your edge relative to that.Read the full definition of Ownership, point guard, shooting guard, small forward. Uh, you can optimize your lineup, see how much is projected for how much ownership, how much salary you're using. If you want to start plugging in certain players and then optimize from there, it's really good.

Um, assists per game, rebounds per game, anything you need to be able to sort, to go by positions, to hand build quick, you can save. So just say, plug in those two. I like this lineup. You can save this in the top right. And then right here, boom, your save lineups. And you can do that. So it's like a virtual hand build. A lot easier. So we do have Partner OptimizerOptimizerAn optimizer is software that builds DFS lineups within a site's salary cap and roster rules. It uses projected fantasy points, your settings and, in some tools, simulations to select combinations for a chosen goal.Build a small test batch first. Check which players and combinations repeat, and investigate why before increasing the lineup count or changing settings.Read the full definition of Optimizer over at SaberSim on multiple different packages. Let me just pull that up real quick.

But I do think if you're just on the basic package and looking to build a couple of teams, that Stone 2.0 point oh is a great way to do that. But, yeah, as you can see for SaberSim, we talk about a lot core starter ultimate. I do think the starter is the best deal for most people out there. The extra fifty dollars to be able to get four hundred more lineups, SaberSim projections and ownership.

A contest flashback to see what the pros are doing. There's so many sports going on right now. As our man Rio is talking, there's no better time to get in with us. But if you haven't tried us at all, five days for nineteen dollars. I think that's a good time to take advantage of that trial as well. Also, you have single sport options in the single sport NBA. Less than a dollar a day for all of our content. Just twenty dollars more.

For Saversim. So we'd love to have you. And I'll show actually really, really quick the NBA new Slate Station. I'm not going to – yeah, so I'll go like – yeah, I'll go like this. So you only can see these top write-ups. But Rio does and Matt Belman, whoever's on it for the day, Ham on the weekends. Write-ups for the studs, as you can see the prices here, mid-tier and value. And then you will see the cores come up as well.

Rio and Matt will be doing a DraftKings one. So ham on FanDuel. I will be doing cash and you will see all of that populate through the top. So very in-depth stuff. Again, I showed a little bit off, but Rio takes a lot of time. A lot of knowledge goes into this stuff and you can see in sorts by mid-tier and value. Real. I talked to plenty. Anything you want to mention for NBA specifically building teams?

Obviously, this is a three game slateSlate SizeSlate size is the number of games or matchups included in a DFS contest's schedule. In sports built around one event, it can instead describe the number of eligible competitors; it does not mean the number of contest entries.Before building, count the credible alternatives at each position. A slate with plenty of games can still leave you with very few appealing choices at one position.Read the full definition of Slate Size staggered start time versus the usual NBA slates that are like eight, nine games all within an hour or whatever. But yeah, what are your thoughts on today's slateSlateA slate in DFS is the set of games, races, fights or tournament rounds covered by a contest. It determines which events your player selections can come from and which performances count toward your score.Before building, open the contest details and check the included events, scoring period and lock rules. Do not assume two sites offer identical slates just because both call them the main slate.Read the full definition of Slate particular? Anything you want to mention for NBA DFS before we go game by game?

Yeah, I would say for this slate in particular, it's kind of in tune with what you would see on like a Christmas day or like a Thanksgiving day NFL slate where you're going to have a lot of information and a lot of time in between the games locking to make decisions. So, you know, you could take stands in the first games on some lower end guys. You could take stands on games throughout the slate and over stack, things like that.

Just a couple of ideas of how you can kind of play the slate a little bit differently instead of just jamming in projectionsProjectionsDFS projections estimate a player's fantasy points for an upcoming slate using expected opportunities, performance and the contest's scoring rules. They describe an expected result, not a guaranteed score.Check the projection's update time and assumed role before using it. If news is already included, adjusting again for that same news can double-count its effect.Read the full definition of Projections.

Um but yeah you also you need to be late swappingLate SwapLate swap lets you change unlocked players in an entered DFS lineup after the contest starts. Both the players you remove and their replacements must remain eligible for editing under the contest's lock rules.Before the first games lock, identify affordable backup combinations for your later players. Check that each combination fits the open positions, then confirm your saved changes in every affected entry.Read the full definition of Late Swap always for even on a three game slate any two game slate whatever it is you always need to be late swapping because people just still aren't doing it enough and the longer we get into a slate the more information we'll have from the games before so need to be uh updating as you go through every single game on the slate and yeah tonight is no different Absolutely. Great call there.

SaberSim makes that a lot easier to do so. Again, starter and ultimates are great for that. Who would I not say hi to? Triscuit, what's up? Nate D., Bryce, big money, big ad. First, Anthony, great to see you. Spinblock, what's going on? I already said Zim. AFC, great to see you guys as well. Yeah, great tournaments on DraftKings and FanDuel. Yeah, they'll stay fine. I wish they stayed something like this all year, especially on non-Monday and Thursday NFL slates until the interest went down.

But unfortunately, tomorrow you'll see probably a decent bit smaller one than today. Hey, $200,000 up top. Plenty of money to win. And that's what we'll be looking to do. What's up, Bronco? We're sharing our partner optimizerOptimizerAn optimizer is software that builds DFS lineups within a site's salary cap and roster rules. It uses projected fantasy points, your settings and, in some tools, simulations to select combinations for a chosen goal.Build a small test batch first. Check which players and combinations repeat, and investigate why before increasing the lineup count or changing settings.Read the full definition of Optimizer over at SaberSim. We go game by game for the NBA show. So we will start off with the first game of the night, the Boston Celtics and the Detroit Pistons. The nice thing about this slate, like the biggest favorites, the Knicks at minus one eighty.

No favorite above five. So all these games. Should be close, have OT potential, which is always nice when fully stacking or stacking more to get those five extra minutes in overtime, but... Celtics are minus one and a half point favorites over the Detroit Pistons. Two twenty and a half total, which is the last on the slateSlateA slate in DFS is the set of games, races, fights or tournament rounds covered by a contest. It determines which events your player selections can come from and which performances count toward your score.Before building, open the contest details and check the included events, scoring period and lock rules. Do not assume two sites offer identical slates just because both call them the main slate.Read the full definition of Slate. The other two games, two thirty one and a half and two thirty and a half. Just shortened by ownershipOwnershipOwnership is the percentage of lineups in a contest that include a given player. Projected ownership is an estimate made before lock; actual ownership is posted once the contest locks.Ownership isn't something to avoid; it's something to build around. The goal is understanding how the field is likely to build, then finding your edge relative to that.Read the full definition of Ownership in this game.

Peyton Pritchard and then Azure Thompson, Jalen Duren and Jason Tatum. Obviously, Jalen Brown leaves Boston. Yeah, I mean, I saw the warm up with those guys didn't even say a word or something. Definitely something going on there. But yeah, what are you doing in the first game? Of the night, Boston and the Pistons. Yeah, before I jump in, I've got to say what up to a familiar face. I've got BJ in here. Hope all is going well with you, my man.

Missed him somehow. I don't know where you put that, but good to see BJ. Oh, there he is. Good to see BJ. Yeah, but like you said, this game does feature the lowest over-under on the slate. Pricing, I'm going to probably say it a lot, but pricing is really soft on the slate in comparison to what we saw from most guys on these teams last year. But yeah, we got some familiar or some new faces on each side of these teams.

Boston obviously made the big trade, getting rid of Jalen Brown, sending him to the Sixers and got Paul George in return. I do think that Paul George could fit pretty nicely. Obviously, I think Jalen Brown is a much more talented player and just better overall player. Than Paul George at this point of his career. But in terms of fit, I do think that he fits a little bit better in terms of what the offensive scheme is with Joe Mazzullo.

And he's not going to be taking away usage from guys that they want to have the ball in their hands, like guys like Tatum, Derek White, and Peyton Pritchard that all have really strong roles this year with Jalen Brown no longer there. They also added the front court, some front court depth champion Mitchell Robinson is going to be, looks like he's going to be starting.

I think that they'll be going with him They did start him in the preseason, so I think that's going to be him in front of Keita to start this year. Maybe we'll see it flip, but I doubt it. I really like that addition as well. Just adding a guy with crazy historic offensive rebounding rates to a team that's going to be launching a ton of threes and keeping possessions alive is exactly what he does.

I really think that it's a really strong fit for Boston to add a guy like Mitchell Robinson. As for Detroit, let Tobias Harris walk and then sign John Collins. I think that's a pretty lateral move in terms of talent level there.

I think both guys kind of do similar things uh Collins is a little bit younger more athletic but both guys I would say are more like stretch bigs but I do think that he fits slightly better than Tobias does just adding another lob threat alongside Kate NSR with Jalen Duren uh it does make some sense and then Isaiah Joe added some bench depth some three-point shooting which they really really needed because they are one of the lowest uh frequency three-point shooting teams in the NBA last season uh they were actually the second lowest three-point frequency in the NBA last year so adding him keeping duckman robinson definitely helps him out in that regard uh

How these teams match up though I do think that it sets up pretty well for boss and I saw somebody in the chat say that Boston rolls here and I kind of can see that happening as well just the way that Boston is going to be launching away from three. Detroit is much more of a three-point funnel, always been a team that's really good on the interior, and they'll be that way once again.

But, yeah, I really do think that there's a chance that Boston could blow this game away just with the way that they can pile on a ton of threes.

And Detroit, their offense, a lot of question marks around it if they're not – really going to be able to shoot the ball from three of two guys in during NSR that literally won't be taking any threes Cade not the most prolific three-point shooter then you got John Collins and Dr Robinson starting unit I do think that there is a chance Boston could roll here adding Paul George over Jalen Brown he's a thirty nine percent three-point shooter compared to thirty four point seven percent from Brown so upgraded that department but yeah I do like Boston win this one here um I think it's a really good spot and just price tag and kind of just overall outlook for Jason Tatum.

I think that we see a healthy Tatum this year getting further away from the Achilles injury from two playoffs ago. I think he's got MVP-like aspirations this year, going to have a huge role with Jalen Brown off the court.

Uh we saw his usage jump nearly seven points for up to thirty seven percent last season average one point four four fantasy points a minuteFantasy Points Per Minute (FPPM)Fantasy points per minute (FPPM) measures a player's fantasy production per minute played. Calculate it by dividing total fantasy points by total minutes over the same games, using one site's scoring system.Separate competitive rotation minutes from minutes played after a game is effectively decided. A rate built against reserves may not represent the matchup and role you expect tonight.Read the full definition of Fantasy Points Per Minute there's more data if you want to go back even further to twenty twenty four with jaylen brown off the court but it's a lot of the same you're gonna see increases across the board uh the usage in the preseason was at twenty nine percent twenty eight percent assist percentage twenty percent rebounding rate roughly so It's a guy that could be for you with a triple-doubleTriple-Double BonusThe triple-double bonus is extra fantasy scoring for recording at least 10 in three categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals or blocks. In DraftKings NBA Classic, it adds 3 points on top of the player's statistical scoring and double-double bonus.Check how often a player reaches all three thresholds in the same game under a similar role. Separate averages for points, rebounds and assists can overstate the likelihood.Read the full definition of Triple-Double Bonus literally every time that he steps on the court.

And to make matters a little bit better for him, I don't think that Asar is going to be on him. I could be wrong there, but last year they were putting Asar on the lead guards on Boston. So it was more Tobias Harris and those types of guys on Tatum and Jalen Brown. So if it's John Collins on Jason Tatum, I really think it's a good spot for him. I'm going to be...

Jamming him in pretty much every slate until we see him above $10,000 because I really do think that's where he should be priced uh but yeah tonight's no different I'm gonna be starting with a lot of Tatum in my lineups tonight dropping down to uh Derek White guy that's gonna be getting overlooked I do think rightfully so though he was really struggling shooting the ball last year down to thirty two percent from deep versus being a career thirty seven percent three-point shooter um but like everybody on the team he's gonna see a big usage bumpUsage RateUsage rate estimates the percentage of a team's offensive plays a player uses while on the court, based on shot attempts, free throw attempts and turnovers. It does not measure assists or time spent holding the ball.Check who shared the floor in any usage sample. Numbers collected against reserves or with several starters missing may not describe the role you are projecting tonight.Read the full definition of Usage Rate with no jalen brown and it's

Really just a matter of whether or not he's making his shots the good news for him in the preseason he was getting in the paint a little bit more more of his uh scoring was in the two-point range So if he can get some shots going, some easier shots going in like that floater and around the rim, and then if he, you know, you run into a hot shooting night, there's definitely a outcome where Derek White does pay off the $7,000 price tag.

But I think overall guys like Paul George and Payne Pritchard, and then some other guys in the comparable price tag are going to be much better plays, but you are getting him at pretty low ownership. I need to see what, what a saver half I'm at tonight.

Which one uh Derek White yeah seven percent yeah yeah that's I probably want to be over overweight that because I do think there's more than a seven percent chance that he's the guy that you need um but still fourth on the list for the Celtics uh tonight for me I do think Paul George a little bit better had pretty strong preseason usage looks healthy to start the year like I said up top I think that he does thrive in this type of offensive scheme so I'm I'm good with him uh and then Payne Pritchard is going to be one of the shockier plays on the slate, but I think for good reason.

The Celtics extended him in the offseason, going to get an immediate chance for a larger role. There's been a lot of positive things around Payne Pritchard coming into the year. He was really good in the preseason. They're kind of changing up his role a little bit more.

He was more of an on-ball role, like a prototypical point guard, had a thirty six percent assist percentage, one hundred thirty two point eight percent, not percent, but one hundred thirty two point eight offensive rating when he was on the court as well. So offense was humming with him out there. But like I said, with Asar, the downside is that it could be Asar and Pritchard.

They did have that matchup a lot last year, but their minutes might be staggered a little bit more. So Pritchard is expected to come off the bench, still would treat him like starter with starter like minutes.

So if you see him coming off the bench, no need to run and tag everybody in the Discord he's projected to come off the bench but I do I'm not going to be overthinking the price tag for him at five point four $4,000 I think it he's close to a lock for six x's price tag even in a tougher matchup just from the expected role increase I'm I'm pretty high on pritchard and tatum in particular this season but uh tonight as well and then kata and mitch rob gonna be split in the forty eight minutes down the middle Maybe somebody gets twenty six, twenty seven.

I doubt it, though. I think they're going to want to go pretty much fifty fifty, not into either of them as much in this type of matchup. Both are good from a permanent perspective. I'd probably leave Mitchell Robson because it's cheaper and going to be starting, but no strong lean there. Is there anything that you want to add on the Boston side before I get over to Detroit? If Kata started, would you just swap your interests? Yeah, probably.

Who else besides, like, I always look at the minute projectionsMinutes ProjectionA minutes projection estimates how much playing time a player will receive in a game. You use it to estimate opportunities for fantasy production, not as a guarantee of playing time or points.Ask what would make the player lose minutes. If your lineup only works when he gets the most optimistic playing time estimate, reconsider the pick.Read the full definition of Minutes Projection on SaberSim, but, I mean, clearly something's off because there's no way Jason Tatum's playing thirty-three minutes in a close game. Any of these other ones that you see that looked under-projected in terms of minutes or over? Like, Pritchard's not playing twenty-seven and a half. Any other of these guys? I have screen sharing it, too, if it's easier that way. Um... I mean, all this is just all starters. Yeah, they're just giving too much to the bench.

Yeah, definitely. I mean, Pritchard's probably four minutes under projected. I'd say Tatum like three, like two and a half, maybe. Yeah, all these guys should be like the thirty two, like thirty four ish range, I would say. Yeah, it does feel... I think Mitrov's an interesting contrarianContrarianA contrarian play or lineup is one built around choices most of the field will not make, such as low-owned players, unpopular teams or an unusual salary structure.Pick one or two contrarian spots per lineup and ground each in a real reason. The rest of the roster can look like the field.Read the full definition of Contrarian center play. Yeah, you can say that about Keita or Mitrov. If either get in foul trouble, too, and you do get the extended minutes, I think that's interesting at single-digit ownership.

I mean, Tatum just looks like the best play, arguably, on the slate. Ownership's going to follow, though, so no hot take right there. Peyton Pritchard, I think, is elite as well. If I had to mix in a secondary guy, it is Paul George over Derek White and stuff, but... It's harder for me to get to these these bench plays. I don't have any hot takes on the Boston side. It sounds like you like Boston as a bet, though. Yeah, I like them to win this game tonight.

All right. That's what I'm that's what I was loading up on my phone, trying to get some back from yesterday. All right. But yeah, Paul, what about Paul Reed? He looks top of the value on Detroit side in terms of our point per dollar. SaberSim in our average. Yeah, I mean, probably one of the few guys on the slate sub-$4,000 that's strong play. I think it's probably him and Isaiah Joe, but I'm not seeing a ton sub-$4,000 that I'm really excited about.

I would say overall on this slateSlateA slate in DFS is the set of games, races, fights or tournament rounds covered by a contest. It determines which events your player selections can come from and which performances count toward your score.Before building, open the contest details and check the included events, scoring period and lock rules. Do not assume two sites offer identical slates just because both call them the main slate.Read the full definition of Slate, I'm going to try to stay away from those types of guys, especially on...

Single entrySingle-EntryA single-entry contest allows each user exactly one lineup. It can be a cash game or a tournament.In single-entry, one or two contrarian decisions are usually enough. Pair a strong, popular core with a lower-owned piece instead of fading everything the field likes.Read the full definition of Single-Entry and satellites or like any sort of like higher stakes thing I probably want to get away from the paul reeds because I do think that pricing is really soft and you could jam in a lot of guys that are going to be playing a lot of minutes tonight um but yeah I have no issues there um let me pull up the piston side yeah I

Think it it all starts in the Pistons with kade I'm not really breaking any news there but he's gonna have a massive role we've talked about it pretty much since we've been doing NBA shows, that his role is just some of the best in the entire NBA in terms of usage, touch time, assist percentage, rebounding, all that stuff are really good numbers and definitely indicative of a guy that should be priced above $10,000. And I'm fine with the matchup.

The Boston was a bottom four in pick and roll defense last year. Cade, one of the better pick and roll scores in the league. And it's pretty sticky over the past couple of years that Joe Missoula has been the head coach for Boston, that they do give up more pick and rolls on average. Cade was great against Boston last year, average fifty two points per game against Celtics. I'm totally fine with him as a spend upSpending UpSpending up means choosing a higher-priced player over a cheaper alternative, using more of your lineup's salary budget at that spot. You may also hear it called paying up.Build a version with your preferred expensive player and another without. Before choosing, check whether either version relies on a cheap player whose expected role still depends on unresolved injury news.Read the full definition of Spending Up.

I think that OwnershipOwnershipOwnership is the percentage of lineups in a contest that include a given player. Projected ownership is an estimate made before lock; actual ownership is posted once the contest locks.Ownership isn't something to avoid; it's something to build around. The goal is understanding how the field is likely to build, then finding your edge relative to that.Read the full definition of Ownership looks pretty much in check on him. Yeah, seventy percent feels good. I think that it's a pretty good spot for Cade, so I'm totally fine with him there. A little bit more excited about the upside and just guys like Jalen Duren and Asar Thompson taking a step forward. If you had to guess, I mean, it's obviously kind of like I'm leading to it, but like Jalen Duren had a huge usage role in the preseason.

I'm not sure if you kept up with preseason stuff as much, but he was behind just Luka Doncic in usage in the preseason. And it sounds like everything was running through him in the low post.

Uh not even just a low post he was taking them all up at times he was at the top of the key yeah they were really looking to use him in more of like a ball handling role I think that they did that early on last year as well I remember him having some pretty crazy numbers and like flirting with a triple doubleTriple-Double BonusThe triple-double bonus is extra fantasy scoring for recording at least 10 in three categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals or blocks. In DraftKings NBA Classic, it adds 3 points on top of the player's statistical scoring and double-double bonus.Check how often a player reaches all three thresholds in the same game under a similar role. Separate averages for points, rebounds and assists can overstate the likelihood.Read the full definition of Triple-Double Bonus early in the season and then kind of as the season rolls along you get away from stuff earlier in the year but I mean, they just signed to a huge deal.

They obviously are locked in long-term with him. So how he looks long-term is really how good the Pistons are going to be. So they definitely are invested heavily in him.

So I wouldn't be surprised if that, what we saw in the preseason, he's probably not going to have like a thirty six percent usage rateUsage RateUsage rate estimates the percentage of a team's offensive plays a player uses while on the court, based on shot attempts, free throw attempts and turnovers. It does not measure assists or time spent holding the ball.Check who shared the floor in any usage sample. Numbers collected against reserves or with several starters missing may not describe the role you are projecting tonight.Read the full definition of Usage Rate but high twenties is definitely in play um so yeah I'm really high on jaylen duran definitely don't think the matchup is good mitch robertson kato very well equipped to guard a guy like jaylen duran but if the role is really going to be close to what we saw in the preseason or even a fraction of what we saw then Yeah, he's probably fifteen hundred dollars under price, I would say.

So I'm going to try to be ahead of him or ahead of the curve there, even though he is looking at some decent ownership. I think you can get ahead of that pretty easily because six point $5,000 good price tag there. And another guy that the Pistons are hoping takes a big step forward on bigger stuff and talk about him a lot. But Asara Thompson, they're going to use him a lot more on ball as well, probably staggered away from Cade.

The preseason numbers were not good though fifteen percent usage rate uh did add twenty one percent assist seventy percent rebounding rate so good numbers across the board um yeah at his price it's not like you need forty DK points for him like anything above thirty two is going to be probably enough to be viable in your lineup so I'm I'm good there and then I think the rest of the Pistons more so sprinkles for me I'm not like I said I'm not crazy about the Paul Reed type of play I think John Collins is pretty solid um

I've always liked John Collins as a player, and I think that he's okay as a fantasy option, but I'm not sure how much there really is to go around there when Durant and Cade are going to take up so much usage and rebounding opportunities. Like, Isaiah Joe, definitely fine to take a shot on him. I think you want to pair him away from Duncan Robinson if you even get any of those two guys together. I'm not really into Dennis Jenkins.

Don't really think Duncan's that great of a player. So, yeah, it's going to be mostly the starting five for Detroit for me. Yeah, I think Detroit's the second worst team collectively behind Philly in terms for Daily Fantasy. And also, yeah, like the Durham price tag, wow, way too cheap. But half the guys on the slate are way too cheap. Over half of the guys, like the Isaiah Joes of the world, the Jenkins or Herter.

I mean, we just don't need to dumpster dive that much, but it will be contrarianContrarianA contrarian play or lineup is one built around choices most of the field will not make, such as low-owned players, unpopular teams or an unusual salary structure.Pick one or two contrarian spots per lineup and ground each in a real reason. The rest of the roster can look like the field.Read the full definition of Contrarian if you want to do that. Like Dylan Harper should never be $5,100. Case and Wallace, $4,600. O.G., $5,300. Thompson, fifty two, Pritchard, fifty four. And you don't price the studs in the stud range. So, Isaiah, Joe, it's a clear way to get different and like get different in roster constructionRoster ConstructionRoster construction is how you organize a DFS lineup within its salary cap and roster rules. It includes where you spend or save, which positions you prioritize, and how your players fit together.Build two versions around your biggest spending decision, then compare every player who changes. Revisit the comparison when injury news changes the available value.Read the full definition of Roster Construction. But these guys got to do something for sure.

Like even if he gets his fifteen at $3,500, more than likely not enough. Obviously possible, but that's the one thing on the slate for DraftKings for sure, which then makes Cade. Sure, there's a couple other spends in a vacuum. You'd probably rather like Tatum or Towns or Brunson, but I'd rather get Contrarian playing a Cade up top than I would probably an Isaiah Joe down low. Dern looks great, though. I like everything you said about him, the usage.

Didn't have to talk me to that at the price tag. The one that I guess I'm most worried about, and not even most worried, but Azur Thompson, just at ownership. I know I prefer Harper. I prefer OG. Probably prefer Taysom. That's pretty close, but he's just the one. That thirty five percent, he might even be a little higher, but a guy that can't really shoot that still does have K dominating the ball.

And then during now with his extended usage, he can get it done in a lot of ways. But if I try and pick a guy that's going to be one of the chalkiest on the slate, I think Thompson would be the one I'd be fine getting under on. Any mention about Paul Reed and Collins? I might have missed it, but mainly at that center position just with Paul Reed. Would you group him away from during centers? Pretty good on the slate.

Yeah, I usually don't. Maybe not on a three-game slateSlate SizeSlate size is the number of games or matchups included in a DFS contest's schedule. In sports built around one event, it can instead describe the number of eligible competitors; it does not mean the number of contest entries.Before building, count the credible alternatives at each position. A slate with plenty of games can still leave you with very few appealing choices at one position.Read the full definition of Slate Size. You could probably find routes where they both get there, but normally it's not something that I like to do. I don't really have a huge take on Collins. I'm not really sure what to expect from him from a role perspective. But he does fit what they need, which is more like a stretch athletic big. So I'm fine with him.

But you're also kind of in that same range of some other forwards like Asar and OG that are just hands down much better plays. Yep, for sure. All right, let's move on to the second game of the slate. And again, this is the first game on DraftKings. DraftKings is just doing these last two games. FanDuel. Or FanDuel. What am I talking about? All right. We got the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers and the New York Knicks. Wardo's New York Knicks. The defending... Champs, the New York Knicks.

There you go, Wardo. You can get hard from that one. But it is decent-sized favorites. I mean, not decent. For this slateSlateA slate in DFS is the set of games, races, fights or tournament rounds covered by a contest. It determines which events your player selections can come from and which performances count toward your score.Before building, open the contest details and check the included events, scoring period and lock rules. Do not assume two sites offer identical slates just because both call them the main slate.Read the full definition of Slate, the biggest favorites. But minus four and a half are the Knicks. Two thirty-one and a half total. One point greater than the OKC Spurs total. Yeah, I mean, great NBA game. And the NBA did phenomenal for their three games today. It's all teams, all competitive games. Everything that you want to see to open the year.

It's going to get ownershipOwnershipOwnership is the percentage of lineups in a contest that include a given player. Projected ownership is an estimate made before lock; actual ownership is posted once the contest locks.Ownership isn't something to avoid; it's something to build around. The goal is understanding how the field is likely to build, then finding your edge relative to that.Read the full definition of Ownership though, for sure. On the Knicks side, like I said, the Knicks definitely will be chalkyChalkChalk is the most popular, highly owned play on a slate. The term comes from sports betting, where the favorite is called the chalk.Don't label chalk good or bad. Ask whether each popular play deserves its ownership, then decide which chalk you'll eat and which you'll fade.Read the full definition of Chalk, but Philly will be the lowest owned cumulative on the slate when it, and it makes sense when you have all of these studs playing together for the first time in the regular season, they all, it's hard to divvy up exactly how the seventy Sixers are going to roll. I still think it's going to be on bead as the elf on the team.

If one had to be in the maxi number two, playing their same pick and roll that they've done. Um, But yeah, the addition to Jalen Brown, obviously, Edgecombe in his second year, LeBron there. You never know. You truly never know. Yeah, I'll let you break down the game, but I am curious to hear your thoughts on how Philly plays just most of the year. Still a lot of pick and roll with Embiid, Maxey, and then find open guys and slashers, or what do you think?

It sounds like they're going to be just doing more spacing, at least that's what Embiid said. But yeah, like you said, there's just so many high-usageUsage RateUsage rate estimates the percentage of a team's offensive plays a player uses while on the court, based on shot attempts, free throw attempts and turnovers. It does not measure assists or time spent holding the ball.Check who shared the floor in any usage sample. Numbers collected against reserves or with several starters missing may not describe the role you are projecting tonight.Read the full definition of Usage Rate guys and only one ball to go around. So who is the guy to kind of run away with it is the biggest question for the Sixers this season. I do agree with you. I think it's going to be Embiid, number one. But I don't know. We don't really know Jalen Brown to take much of a backseat in his career.

So... I wouldn't be surprised if Maxi defers a little bit early on. If the preseason is at all predictive of what we should expect, then it was Embiid, Brown, Maxi, Vijay, and LeBron in terms of the pecking order for usage. I somewhat agree with that. Maybe Edgecombe is behind LeBron long term this season, but I do think LeBron is going to take a big backseat on offense. But he's basically going to be running the point guard role.

Maxie's going to be a one A, one B type of scoring option with Embiid and Brown. I guess one A, one B, one C. And then LeBron's basically going to be running the point guard. He had a assist percentage in the preseason. Maxie was behind him at thirty three percent.

But I think that for DFS purposes this team is really interesting because you have a lot of guys that I mean like we said a lot of times already like these guys are underpriced but the Sixers in particular like these guys are all well underpriced in terms of their historical fantasy success in the past like maxi we've known to be like a nine point $5,000 player And Bede, I don't know exactly what he capped out at last year, but a guy that can look like a $10,000 player at times.

LeBron was kind of in like the mid fives. Jen Brown got up to like the upper eights. BJ, I think he got up to like seven at one point last year. But these guys are all going to be really like some of the lower owned mid-tier options on the slate and all have slate breaking upside options. I think it's a little tougher to make the case for a guy like Maxie. Not really going to be a guy that I want to take an overweight stance on.

I think the matchup is fine. Not really worried about anybody on the Knicks in particular to shut him down. But just the usage not looking that good in the preseason has me a little bit worried about him. He's also going to be losing playmaking opportunities to LeBron. So the assist numbers might come down a little bit. I think it's going to be the toughest for him to pay off his price tag, especially if he's going to be kind of relegated to more of a score first option.

So it's either an around-the-field play for me on Maxie or maybe even a little bit underweight. The guy I want to get overweight on, though, is Embiid. He looks like he's in much better shape than he ever has been in the last couple of years coming into the start of the season. I think he's in a pretty good spot against Cat. He's done very well against Cat in the past. Last season averaged fifty four DK points per game.

They lined up against each other for one hundred sixty possessions as well. He was averaging ten point three free throw attempts per seventy five minutes, meaning he was able to get Cat into foul trouble, which is kind of the downside for Cat. But yeah, I do think Embiid at eight point $1,000, really good price tag and a guy that I want to be overweight on. Brown is kind of in the maxi range for me.

That's the one I'm kind of like, he's one of the tougher fades that I don't really feel comfortable about because I do think that he could really break the slate open in a big way at his position. But the matchup is not good. He's going to see OG on the other side. He did struggle against OG over the last couple of years, only sixteen point three points for seventy five.

Yes, fair tag, but sharing usage with Maxi and Embiid and then not really having the playmaking to go along with it well with LeBron there. I don't think I end up with a lot of him, but that's the one that I really could come back to at the end of the night that is going to be the reason why I lost money. But yeah, I'll get to a lot of LeBron here. I do like what I saw from him in the preseason.

I don't think we're ever going to see LeBron averaging around thirty points per game for the rest of his career, but that's not really a hot take. He's definitely more of a pass first option now, and I think he's OK with that. He's definitely going to be the guy that's probably leading the Sixers in assists this season.

He had a forty three percent assist percentage, like I said, in the preseason so he's gonna be the number two option behind him beat uh on the sixes for me tonight and then vj he's gonna be pretty easy to get overweight on uh just because they're the point gray shooting guard options are really strong that are cheaper than him but Yeah, I mean, he was really good in the preseason. Twenty-two percent usage rate, so not that low. He's a stud. Yeah, he's a stud for sure.

And he knows it. He ain't going to worry that he's playing with all these studs. That's what I'm thinking about this team, too. Sorry not to interrupt, but they have enough, especially with LeBron. Like just heady guys that know the game. Like when people catch fire, like I can see this team just trying to keep going to them until they're not. Cause they all know they're going to have their times throughout the year and they want to make each other happy.

It feels like, which is appealing on a slate like this with only three games and looking at all these ownerships and none of their price tags are like, wow, you can see any of them outscoring. And there's a lot of volatility in these projectionsProjectionsDFS projections estimate a player's fantasy points for an upcoming slate using expected opportunities, performance and the contest's scoring rules. They describe an expected result, not a guaranteed score.Check the projection's update time and assumed role before using it. If news is already included, adjusting again for that same news can double-count its effect.Read the full definition of Projections and stuff right now without knowing how Philly is going to play.

But yeah, like I'm not saying make a rule min one by any means but at ownership is ways to get different like this what I'm saying instead of playing isaiah joe as ways to get different I'd rather play one of these guys um and again if someone gets makes two threes early like they're probably going to try and get them a third one in the next couple possessions or at least an open look and then if the defense over adjusts you make the right play like that's how I see this this uh this team going.

So at ownership on a game, three games late at these prices, I just think naturally I'm going to have to at least get overweight on a lot of them. Just, I don't want to play too many of them together. Yeah. I would probably, I don't want to say like a hard rule and say max two, but it does make a little bit of sense at least from like Maxie and beat and Jalen Brown.

Cause I think those are the three guys that will more often than not leave the team and scoring and how often they all hit together is probably pretty, Max, too, sounds good. It feels like you almost need OT, but even then, Nick's price is another pricing on the slate. I like that. Yeah, getting back to Vijay, I guess it's kind of just like a Sixers thing overall, but this is also a Nick Nurse-led team.

We know that he loves to push up his guys' minutes. Thirty eight minutes from Maxie and Jalen Brown and Edgecombe right off the bat to give them more overall upside. I think that if we had to say which guys or which team is going to have a player that leads the slate tonight in minutes, it's definitely coming from Philly. The bench unit is not that great. Like there's nobody on the bench unit that's going to be.

At risk of taking away minutes from anybody in the first unit. You're talking about Anthony Simons, KCP, Dean Wade, like Adem Bona and Jabari Walker. None of these guys are going to be eating minutes into the first unit. So you could really see some big minutes right off the bat opening night for Philly. So, yeah, I'm in on Edgecombe. Definitely think it's easier to get overweight on him where you're spending $3,000 less or $2,000 less on guys like Maxi and Jalen Brown.

So I'm definitely going to be looking to that. The preseason numbers look really good for him. Twenty two percent usage, twenty eight point six percent assist percentage, eight point three percent rebounding rate. So those numbers hold true or even remotely true. He's definitely the most underpriced sixer, I would say tonight. Any thoughts on these questionable tagsInjury NewsInjury news is information about a player's health that can change whether they compete, how much they play or how effectively they perform. In DFS, it also affects opportunities for teammates and opponents.Before an uncertain player's game locks, identify an alternative you can afford at each affected position. Check whether making that change would require another player whose game starts earlier.Read the full definition of Injury News, Simons, Dean Wade, and Bona?

I haven't heard much, but I think it sounded like Simons – or I think Wade, it sounded like he was pretty far away from returning. Okay. I don't know about Simons or Bona yet, so we just have to wait and see. Not that it really matters, but – Yeah, I mean, who those minutes would go to, like, I don't know if they're going to give it to Phelan or, like, Caleb Love or these guys yet.

Probably going to go to, like, the more veteran-like players like KCP and Justin Edwards. So, yeah, exactly. You're not playing the guys that whoever those minutes would go to. So it doesn't really matter too much for the slate.

Um yeah heading over to the next side of things I think that one of the safest spots there's a pretty predictable team like we know where the fantasy points are coming from it's mostly going to be cat and Bronson and then you have really easy price tags to get to on hard McHale and OG uh but if the preseason and postseason is at all indicative of what to expect from the next this year then it's going to be a really really big year for cat um coming into the season without a new contract, him and Hart are, I think they're still negotiating with the owner trying to get a new contract done.

So he's gonna come out a little angry, especially after doing so good in the postseason. But yeah, he had a thirty percent assist percentage in the preseason and he's coming off of a postseason where he averaged eight, over eight assists per game. I think that he was in like the five ish range in the regular season.

So I have no doubt that in a full game from Cat, he's going to pay off his price in a pretty big way and be worthy of a GPPGPP (Guaranteed Prize Pool)A GPP is a tournament whose prize pool is guaranteed to pay out in full even if the contest does not fill. Payouts are steep: a small group at the top wins most of the money.Before you enter a tournament lineup, ask how it finishes first, not just how it cashes. If you cannot name that scenario, rebuild it.Read the full definition of GPP winning score. But the downside is always going to be foul trouble for him. There was a game against Embiid last year where he went for forty eight points in thirty four minutes and then. In the other game, he played just sixteen minutes, and that was a game that was decided by three points.

I was looking at the box score, and he picked up a lot of fouls in the second and third quarter, and then lost a ton of runs in the second half. So that's always an outcome for Cat. It's an outcome for any big, but Cat particular is a guy that has committed some pretty dumb fouls in the past.

Yeah I do think that I want to be around the field on him he's coming with a lot of ownershipOwnershipOwnership is the percentage of lineups in a contest that include a given player. Projected ownership is an estimate made before lock; actual ownership is posted once the contest locks.Ownership isn't something to avoid; it's something to build around. The goal is understanding how the field is likely to build, then finding your edge relative to that.Read the full definition of Ownership I wouldn't set a maximum rule of cabinet b because there are scenarios where they both go off but I think in the hand build or like a single entrySingle-EntryA single-entry contest allows each user exactly one lineup. It can be a cash game or a tournament.In single-entry, one or two contrarian decisions are usually enough. Pair a strong, popular core with a lower-owned piece instead of fading everything the field likes.Read the full definition of Single-Entry I probably I'm not gonna be playing those guys together um but I think in mme like where this is the

Game that goes over to time and we get five more minutes from each of these guys there's a chance those are the two guys that you need and it's nice that cat has power forward eligibility as well so definitely want to be around the field or a little overweight on cat same thing for brunson should see a lot of vj edgecomb tonight which it could be a matchup to exploit edge edgecomb is probably their best defender it's him and jaylen brown but I think they'll probably put vj on brunson he had

No issue with that matchup last year though top thirty real points twice in four matchups The Sixers were a little bit better in pick and roll last year, but I don't think that those numbers are truly sticky because we know that Embiid is a guy that plays a ton of drop coverage. So Brunson is going to have a lot of open looks in that mid range, one of the most dangerous players in the league versus drop coverage. In on Brunson for sure.

And then the trio of Hart, McHale, and OG. I think OG clears these guys by a pretty wide margin, and you're not really sneaking up by anybody. He's going to be one of the highest-owned players on the slate, definitely the highest-owned at his position. Hart really wasn't able to get his scoring going versus Sixers last year. Also comes in a little bit banged up.

He's not on the injury reportInjury NewsInjury news is information about a player's health that can change whether they compete, how much they play or how effectively they perform. In DFS, it also affects opportunities for teammates and opponents.Before an uncertain player's game locks, identify an alternative you can afford at each affected position. Check whether making that change would require another player whose game starts earlier.Read the full definition of Injury News, but he tweaked his ankle last week, and then he's also dealing with a finger injury that he'll have to have surgery on once he retires. But Yeah, there's always a chance that the Sixers hide Joel Embiid on Josh Hart, which could lead to some open looks for him, just a matter of whether or not he's making them, because we know that he's a guy that can't always fill up the stat sheet. Yeah, I don't really have a strong take there.

I think that he's fine at ownership, but if it creeps up a little bit closer to Locke, I probably wouldn't want to take a big stance there. I'd be fine being underway to Mikael Bridges, though. I just don't think that he's really going to be needed offensively. Apparently, he's adding more rim scoring to his repertoire, but we'll see how much that's actually true. We know that he's a guy that loves that little, like, floater range, that turnaround jumper.

But he does have a decent matchup versus a team that did struggle in transition last year.

Should also note that the Sixers were looking to play with a lot of pace in the preseason I think they were second in pace behind the heat um so if that holds true this could be the game that does pop off in scoring and yeah fine with og he did struggle against jalen brown in the past I think that they're going to be guarding each other on both ends of the court he apparently averaged zero points for last season against jalen brown I'd be surprised if he was held scoreless against him here and he's just way too cheap definitely won't be overweight on the NBA finals hero og and nobi and then drummond

I think he deserves a sprinkle in non-cat lineup so max one of those two guys just hoping for a foul trouble there Great breakdown. I don't really have much more to add on the Knicks side. It's going to be heavily owned with the top MAIN guys, like you can see, just all underpriced. DraftKings, I mean, they did it with the NFL to start the year, too, and then... I'm not going to say overcorrected, but completely went the other way, which I like and made it tighter.

Hoping NBA does that because it's, yeah, you can play pretty much anything opening night. I do want to mention FanDuel quick because this game is on the FanDuel slate, the first one. FanDuel did make changes to their NBA products. So instead of going two point guards, two shooting guards, two small forwards, two power forwards in the center, they pretty much kind of copied DraftKings to an extent. One point guard, one shooting guard, one small forward, one power forward, one center.

Then you have a guard forward spot, a forward center spot, and two utility spots. And on FanDuel, where you get an extra point for blocks and steals, that's heavily weighted to centers today. So Towns, only center. Actually, let me double check. He's only center. Yeah, he's only center. Wemby only center. There's Hartenstein on the slate. There's a lot of good centers, but you will see center take up a lot more of the utility ownershipOwnershipOwnership is the percentage of lineups in a contest that include a given player. Projected ownership is an estimate made before lock; actual ownership is posted once the contest locks.Ownership isn't something to avoid; it's something to build around. The goal is understanding how the field is likely to build, then finding your edge relative to that.Read the full definition of Ownership on FanDuel than you will on DraftKings.

Just majority of slates due to the scoring over there. So just wanted to note on that. And it's going to be similar for this game with ownership on FanDuel as well. The Knicks stuff's getting a lot of the ownership and then not much going to the Seventy Sixers. Who's starting for Boston? Rio thinks it's going to be Mitra, but obviously him or Keita. I got nothing else in this one. Anything else for you?

Otherwise, we will go to the last game of the night. No, we kind of talked about it yesterday for FanDuel scoring. But, yeah, you're just going to want to jam in centers basically every night over there. Yep. All right, last game, the rematch for the Western Conference Finals. What a game we have here between the San Antonio Spurs and the OKC Thunder. We are looking at pretty much a coin flip. We got minus-one-twelve Spurs, minus-one-oh-eight Thunder, two-thirty-and-a-half total in this one.

In terms of ownershipOwnershipOwnership is the percentage of lineups in a contest that include a given player. Projected ownership is an estimate made before lock; actual ownership is posted once the contest locks.Ownership isn't something to avoid; it's something to build around. The goal is understanding how the field is likely to build, then finding your edge relative to that.Read the full definition of Ownership, you can see Dylan Harper mentioned at the top, fifty-one-hundred, projected to be the highest Owned on the slate, I mean, Chet, fifty nine. These prices are just all jokes. This looks like a phenomenal game to stack up. How do we get different in this game? Is there any rules? And then I was curious if you had any like you said, you like Boston in game one, if you had any take on the spread or anything in the next Philly game.

Any thoughts on this one? Next Philly, I would probably lean the next side there. I just think that there's too many question marks in the Philly offense right now that I could see them being the team that kind of falls flat on their face. As far as this game goes, though, do not have much of a lean here. I mean, these are two of the top three defenses in the league. Spurs were one of the best offenses. OKC was not too far behind them.

I think if there was a case to make for San Antonio, it's that they didn't really lose anybody. They added Tobias Harris, but he's not going to be playing tonight, unfortunately. OKC lost some pretty key rotation pieces, though. Dort Wiggins and Isaiah Joe all on the move. But it does look like they struck gold once again in the draft, which is to nobody's surprise.

They got Bennett Sturtz and Ade Mara, who look like guys that could develop into something really special in the near future. I don't think that we're going to see any sort of meaningful minutes off the bat from these guys, but there's going to be times this season where they will be heard from. We know that OKC will do some mass rest stuff at times against some weaker opponents.

So if you give me Mara starting at any point in the season, like that's a hundred percent lock type of play. I mean, he looked really, really good in the preseason. Yeah, he did. I mean, so many highlights with him. Very efficient. Yeah, it's like the OKC is the Brewers for baseball, even though I should say the Brewers are OKC for for the for basketball. But man, they just they continue to develop. They continue to hit. They played the long game.

They good management up top for sure. Yeah, I don't I don't know enough about.

The um financial side of NBA I feel like it's kind of more little next mo but it does seem like okay see in the near future we'll be left with some decisions to be made and if this Mara guy turns out to be special like they could move on from Chet at some point I think it's more likely it's gonna be like Hartenstein and Caruso next year but I mean it's a good problem to have yeah for sure I'm hoping that my Jazz will be in a similar situation.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah, as far as how these teams match up, I don't think that there's really any crazy mismatches here. I think both the teams are very strong top to bottom defensively and offensively, so it's really just a matter of who's better tonight. I think the MAIN story for OKC, aside from losing those back-end rotation pieces, is how they're going to look with a healthy J-Dub. I think that we all...

I know we don't forget about how good he was because we know but it's been a long time since we've seen him a hundred percent so maybe people have a little bit of short-term memory I mean two years ago but all NBA all defense I mean he's one of the better players in league I don't know where you put him in like ranking wise but he's got to be top top ten or top fifteen right yeah I mean I was getting initially want to say top ten but man there are so many good hoopers out there nowadays like ten to fifteen seems probably about right I'd have to look at paper though yeah so

I mean adding him back he looked healthy in the preseason I think it's gonna be huge for them so yeah we'll see how that looks but yeah these are gonna be the one and two seed in the west it's not a hot take by any means And then for the Spurs, their MAIN story is that we got word a couple of days ago, or maybe a week ago, whatever it was, that they're going to be starting Castle, Fox, and Harper together.

How that's going to look, I mean, they'll be a little bit smaller. Harper's definitely not a small guard. Castle either. I think they're more like six, five, six, six around there. But they also have Vassell out there, who's not a true power forward. The three-guard lineup was not that great last season, though. They got outscored by twenty-six point one point.

Per hundred possessions in seventy three total minutes sample size is way too small to say that it's predictive of how they'll look this year but it is informative at least and then in the preseason when we did struggle shooting the ball a bit from beyond the arc was just one for twelve from three-point range but he did shoot sixty percent from uh the paint area I think that he's going to be looking to get to the rim a lot more this year we have a little bit more spacing with dylan harper even though The word on him is that he's not that great of a shooter, but I'll get to that in a second.

He looked a lot better in the preseason there. Yeah, for OKC, Shea at ten point $2,000 was really good on the offensive end of the preseason, which is not a surprise at all, but he did have a shockingly low. Eighteen point six percent usage rateUsage RateUsage rate estimates the percentage of a team's offensive plays a player uses while on the court, based on shot attempts, free throw attempts and turnovers. It does not measure assists or time spent holding the ball.Check who shared the floor in any usage sample. Numbers collected against reserves or with several starters missing may not describe the role you are projecting tonight.Read the full definition of Usage Rate. There was just kind of catching up on some news, but a little bit of talk from teammates and coaches around OKC about how they plan to handle Shay's usage on an energy on the offensive end.

They're going to have guys taking the ball a little bit more. It's very easy to do that with a guy like Jalen Williamson lineup. AJ Mitchell, obviously a guy that can handle a case in Wallace as well. And then Jerry McCain off the bench. So there's a chance that the usage comes down a little bit this season.

Not sure if that actually comes to fruition because when push comes to shove you want the ball in your best player's hand especially in a close matchup like this but either way it's going to run into a little bit of a tougher matchup oh a really tough matchup with stefan cast on the other end um shea averaged twenty nine and a half points per game four and a half assists per game or four and a half rebounds per game five and a half half assists per game

In just under forty-six DK points per game and then the postseason a little bit less points but more assists went slightly up in drafting points per game as well around like forty-eight DK points per game so all in all pretty strong play I think I'm probably signing with Cade at a spend upSpending UpSpending up means choosing a higher-priced player over a cheaper alternative, using more of your lineup's salary budget at that spot. You may also hear it called paying up.Build a version with your preferred expensive player and another without. Before choosing, check whether either version relies on a cheap player whose expected role still depends on unresolved injury news.Read the full definition of Spending Up option in the summer position and then definitely Tatum and Wemby I think are better overall plays than Shea but ownership kind of reflects that as well um And then with the Spurs charting out just an overall smaller lineup, I do think that helps the outlook of Jalen Williams a lot more coming into the season.

A hundred percent healthy. He's said that he's been pretty much away from the hamstring injury since June. So he looks like he's good to go. Second on the team in usage in the preseason, twenty seven percent. I really have a spot for him. I think I'm going to. Take a pretty heavy overweight stance on Jalen Williams at six point $6,000. Yeah, you got a little bit of sticker shock on Chet at five point $9,000. I mean, he's been terrible in the match.

If you don't need me to tell you that the numbers say that as well. But just for reference, he averaged just thirteen point five points per seventy five against Wemby over the last three seasons. Fifty two percent true shooting percentage. Not great, but even a bad game from him.

Could be something like twelve to fourteen points maybe double digit rebounds handful of assistant stocks and that could be plenty enough to pay off a five point $9,000 price tag so definitely not a guy I'm really looking to take an underweight uh stance on I think it's more around field if anything slightly over um and then hard Senate four point $9,000 is kind of the the center that unlocks everything on the slate Don't really think that he's great from a permanent standpoint.

He was okay against the Thunder – sorry, the Spurs in the regular season, preseason, postseason last year. So, yeah, I don't really have a strong take there. I am just fine with him. Like, if you can find ways to get away from him, I think that's smart. But I don't think you need to by any means. There were some games that his minutes – I'm just looking at how many minutes he played against the Spurs.

Twelve in game one, twenty-seven, twenty-one, seventeen, thirty, sixteen, twenty. I take it in those matchups they went smaller? I'd have to double-check the rotations, but...

It probably um yeah I have to double check they probably moved Chet up to the five and then one with like a yeah because they probably went Crusoe a lot in that in that uh yeah I think that and AJ Mitchell started balling in that series too and got extended run yeah so I guess for Hardenstein like it's not a matter of Jalen Williams taking his minutes it'd be one of those other guys so there might be uh some correlationCorrelationCorrelation describes how two players' fantasy scores move together. Positively correlated players tend to have big games at the same time, usually because one player's success directly adds points for the other.When you build a tournament lineup, ask which of your players need the same thing to happen. The more of them that do, the higher your lineup's ceiling.Read the full definition of Correlation there if you want to be like a Max one of Harden Stein, Caruso, maybe even AJ Mitchell throwing them in there might make a little bit of sense.

Like the overall combinatorial ownership is going to be really low on those three guys. So just exiting it out entirely might make a little bit of sense. And yeah, Cason Wallace coming off of the preseason or the offseason signing, got the five year, one hundred thirty nine million million rookie scale contract with Dort now in Atlanta. I think Wallace is a pretty clear runway to a starting job in the back or alongside SGA. We should expect them to start. Really not a great matchup.

And Wallace didn't have that impressive of a role in the preseason. So you can make the case to get away from a guy that's gonna be fairly chalkyChalkChalk is the most popular, highly owned play on a slate. The term comes from sports betting, where the favorite is called the chalk.Don't label chalk good or bad. Ask whether each popular play deserves its ownership, then decide which chalk you'll eat and which you'll fade.Read the full definition of Chalk tonight. But starting role at four point $6,000 shooting guard small four generally pretty weak positions on slates. I'm more so fine eating that chalk, even if the matchup and the role doesn't look that great for Wallace. He's just a really, really good player. I think we could take some shots on McCain. The usage was really good for him.

He gets on the court, he gets hot, could pay off the price in a really big way, really, really quickly. So fine with McCain at four point $3,000. I think that covers everything for OKC, unless you have anything else to add there. Did you mention any AJ Mitchell? I mean, he's priced right around Pritchard, Harper, OG, all these guys. But dude's a hooper, also another guy that can come in, can get hot.

I mean, they trusted him in the playoffs in the Western Conference Finals. If he gets hot or he does... He's playing well. I could totally see him closing this game even. He's a guy in Polish on, and the price is almost too high relative to the slate, but that almost makes him more appealing when we're finding ways to get different.

Yeah, you kind of get double the leverageLeverageLeverage is the edge you gain by rostering a play the field is underweight on, compared with how often it ends up in winning lineups. When that play outscores the popular option most lineups chose instead, you gain ground on those lineups, though the rest of your roster still decides where you finish.Look for leverage on players connected to the chalk, like the other side of a popular game or a teammate who can steal the popular player's touches.Read the full definition of Leverage playing a guy like AJ Mitchell because I don't think that you should be pairing him with Harnstein after everything that you said with the kind of fluctuation in minutes for Harnstein that likely comes at the expense of AJ Mitchell. And then also, I mean, you could hypothetically play AJ with Pritchard and Dylan Harper. Yeah.

But I think the best way to play him would be away from one of those guys and just hope that he outscores them straight up. I'd have to look how those lineups even look with all three of them, but... To me, theoretically, just game three-wise, that makes a little bit of sense to get A.J. Away from one of those three. I don't know if you got that. We could do that on the hand builder and see how those lineups look.

Yeah, let me go over quick and do that. I was doing that on my own. Let me share a quick – yeah, the other – Jared McCain was the only other, like you mentioned. I'm totally in agreement. Instead of playing A.J. Mitchell – or not A.J. Mitchell.

Instead of playing Isaiah Joe or any of those guys, like give me a guy that I know that could come in, Will Chuck, and has opportunity to extend minutes due to – which Isaiah Joe, I guess, can too. He can make threes. But I feel better about Jared McCain. So let's – if you just optimize quick, Harper, Thompson – OG, so three guys right in that same price range. We're going to go Pritchard. We're going to go Harper. And we're going to go Mitchell.

Yeah, thanks. So, two-seventy-eight. What was the – I forget what projectionProjectionsDFS projections estimate a player's fantasy points for an upcoming slate using expected opportunities, performance and the contest's scoring rules. They describe an expected result, not a guaranteed score.Check the projection's update time and assumed role before using it. If news is already included, adjusting again for that same news can double-count its effect.Read the full definition of Projections the top one is. I could pull it up right now. It didn't – Oh, so it's right here. Two seventy eight because let's see. Mitchell, Harper and Pritchard. That's what I have to do. I have to hit the lock button. So we already gave up a decent bit. I think the best way, like you said, is probably to.

And again, I wouldn't necessarily make the rule, but I think the appeal to AJ Mitchell is mainly to hope he outscores one of these guys. But more than likely, it's probably let's save the three hundred and get a little different that way from Pritchard. Harder to go right from Harper to Mitchell and give up seven seven points. But I mean, you can't you can for sure do it in flagship large field stuff on a three game slateSlate SizeSlate size is the number of games or matchups included in a DFS contest's schedule. In sports built around one event, it can instead describe the number of eligible competitors; it does not mean the number of contest entries.Before building, count the credible alternatives at each position. A slate with plenty of games can still leave you with very few appealing choices at one position.Read the full definition of Slate Size. It's just NBA projection means more.

Obviously, like we said, from the top end, NFL, due to more possessions, Caesar to predict usage and all of that stuff, where a lot of touchdown dependency on DraftKings and stuff. Yeah, anything you wanted to mention to close any of this out? That was all three games. Again, FanDuel only has two games. We haven't done the Spurs side yet. There we go, my bad. Let's hop back over to SaberSim and swap over to these pretty chalkyChalkChalk is the most popular, highly owned play on a slate. The term comes from sports betting, where the favorite is called the chalk.Don't label chalk good or bad. Ask whether each popular play deserves its ownership, then decide which chalk you'll eat and which you'll fade.Read the full definition of Chalk Spurs. Yeah, take it away.

Yeah, so for Wemby, I don't think it really matters too much who they put on him because he's been great against both of Hardside and Chet in the head-to-head matchups. I had to double-check, but I think he was around like, thirty-four to thirty-six points per seventy-five against each of those two guys.

The downside for Wemby is if they're going to ease him in minutes-wise like they did last year, He didn't top twenty eight minutes in any of the five regular season games against the Thunder last year and was held below forty eight points in every game. Preseason was obviously a much different story, but there was a couple of games where he's in the upper thirties, top fifty five points in four out of seven, but then held below forty two points in the other three.

I think they probably go like close to full here, like maybe thirty to thirty three is what I would say for one. Do you have any any take on the minutes for one beat? Yeah, I think you're probably right. Right around there. I would be surprised to see thirty six, thirty seven plus even opening night. I think you're you're pretty accurate in your statement. Yeah, this game does. I guess Boston has a closer spread.

Uh but no this is no the sabersims got it very bullish on the okc this is a straight minus one twelve minus one oh eight this is the closest on the slate oh okay so yeah I mean if pretty much yeah if it's a situation where this is the game that goes over time which has the highest likelihood based off the spread then five extra minutes from wemby is huge because it's a guy that can get around two DK points per minuteFantasy Points Per Minute (FPPM)Fantasy points per minute (FPPM) measures a player's fantasy production per minute played. Calculate it by dividing total fantasy points by total minutes over the same games, using one site's scoring system.Separate competitive rotation minutes from minutes played after a game is effectively decided. A rate built against reserves may not represent the matchup and role you expect tonight.Read the full definition of Fantasy Points Per Minute at times so Yeah, I know maybe he's best played in a game stackGame StackIn the NBA, a game stack is the main form of stacking: several players from both teams in a close, fast-paced game.Target games where the spread is close as well as the total high. A high total with a lopsided spread can turn into a blowout where only one side keeps scoring.Read the full definition of Game Stack.

I don't know if I want to force that, but it does hypothetically make some sense. More than just playing him as a one-offOne-OffA one-off in DFS is a player you roster individually rather than as part of a stack, a group selected for connected scoring upside. Usually, you roster no teammates alongside that player.Before adding a one-off, compare him with an affordable teammate of your existing stack. Decide whether his individual upside is worth passing up that extra scoring connection.Read the full definition of One-Off, but... Yeah, I mean, we're going to see him above XIK at some point this season, probably close to like XIIK, I'd imagine. Again, FanDuel way more, even though he's XI-III, he's the nut on FanDuel in terms of scoring and pretty easy to fit. So you'll see a lot higher ownershipOwnershipOwnership is the percentage of lineups in a contest that include a given player. Projected ownership is an estimate made before lock; actual ownership is posted once the contest locks.Ownership isn't something to avoid; it's something to build around. The goal is understanding how the field is likely to build, then finding your edge relative to that.Read the full definition of Ownership on FanDuel than you will DraftKings.

And then the addition to one less game on only a three-game slateSlate SizeSlate size is the number of games or matchups included in a DFS contest's schedule. In sports built around one event, it can instead describe the number of eligible competitors; it does not mean the number of contest entries.Before building, count the credible alternatives at each position. A slate with plenty of games can still leave you with very few appealing choices at one position.Read the full definition of Slate Size to two games, it obviously makes a lot of sense that way. Yeah. Castle, his outlook is kind of similar to Carl Anthony Towns in the sense that his matchup, his defensive assignment is going to bring a ton of foul risk. We know the SGA really good at drawing fouls.

He was really good from a scoring perspective against OKC last year, averaged just under twenty points per game on fifty five percent from the field, forty three percent from three point line, a lot worse in the playoffs. I think he shot like twenty percent from a three point line. But overall, it looks like he's improving in that category. I think there's definitely a little bit more downside for him here than some of his teammates like Fox and Harper who are cheaper.

But overall, I do think that he's got the best upside out of Wemby on the Spurs, and that's not really too much of a hot take. The ceiling that we have on him, I believe, is higher if I can double-check on the stone. Yeah, he's only three points better than Fox and five better than Harper, but... Regardless, the point remains, he's definitely a guy that can fill the stat sheet there.

So I'm probably underweight Castle, just don't really think that the likelihood of him paying off the price tag is very high tonight.

I'd much rather get down to mean I don't really love fox here either because I think that he's the guy that could take a pretty big step back from a usage standpoint if I had to guess um probably look in a situation where you know come clutch time he's going to be a guy that they're leaning on but for three and a half quarters I'd expect it to be a lot of wimby harper and castle and the preseason usage kind of says that as well just fifteen percent in the preseason for fox so not a guy I'm super excited about uh and then harper at five point $1,000 I mean him starting and it also looks like he got much better from as a jump shooter

He shot fifty seven percent from three in the pre the preseason which was kind of his you know MAIN downside of as a player even though he's great everywhere else was he's not a great three-point shooter if you figure that out and he becomes like a thirty seven thirty eight percent uh three-point shooter then I mean the sky's the limit for him there's a guy that is kind of regarded as like a potential mvp-like candidate down the line I mean they he's just an absolute stud and you're not going to get, you're not going to seek that by anybody.

But for me, like this is a potential a hundred percent in my portfolio type of place. And I just really think that he's that good of a play at five point $1,000 I'd expect him to be assuming everything goes well with those three guards starting. I'd assume he's in like the mid sixes to like low $7,000 range at some point this season, like he's just that good of a talent.

So I, I feel pretty confident about him as a play tonight. As for, like, the secondary options, Vassell, Kelton, Champagny, all guys that could be considered. I think Vassell is way too overpriced. We talk about guys that have been underpriced in the slate. He's a guy that is overpriced. He's just not going to – I don't think he's going to add enough.

You really need him to score, like, to thirty real points because I just don't think that the rebounding assist numbers would really be there for him. So not a bet I'm willing to make here. But Kelton and Champagny at their prices are fine. I'd probably lean Champagny because I think they does match up much better here. We saw him have some really big games against OKC last year in the postseason. So I'm probably be a guy that I'm mixing in the handful.

But like I said, I want to want to kind of make sure my portfolio is just kind of mostly guys are going to be playing thirty plus minutes. And I think it's pretty easy to jam them in. Yeah, I agree. I mean, Harper's by far the best play on the slate. For me, that would be Wemby on the Spurs side, showing below twenty percents, and then it would be Castle, is how I see it. Are you playing one unique tonight?

On a three-game slateSlate SizeSlate size is the number of games or matchups included in a DFS contest's schedule. In sports built around one event, it can instead describe the number of eligible competitors; it does not mean the number of contest entries.Before building, count the credible alternatives at each position. A slate with plenty of games can still leave you with very few appealing choices at one position.Read the full definition of Slate Size, I would recommend probably playing one unique. Assuming you're one-fifteen, the lower, the less teams you play, twenty teams you can probably get away with two, to diversify a little more. Someone wanted a Us, like, to make our picks, who's going to win each game? I'm going Boston with my man Rio. I'm going to go Philly against Rio, though, and then I'm going to go the Spurs to round it out tonight. What do you got?

I'll go the same, but I'm going to go Knicks over Philly. Sounds good. I don't got too much more to add. Now we're talking this three-game slate. Again, late swapLate SwapLate swap lets you change unlocked players in an entered DFS lineup after the contest starts. Both the players you remove and their replacements must remain eligible for editing under the contest's lock rules.Before the first games lock, identify affordable backup combinations for your later players. Check that each combination fits the open positions, then confirm your saved changes in every affected entry.Read the full definition of Late Swap definitely very important with staggered start times. The more information that is known in terms of ownershipOwnershipOwnership is the percentage of lineups in a contest that include a given player. Projected ownership is an estimate made before lock; actual ownership is posted once the contest locks.Ownership isn't something to avoid; it's something to build around. The goal is understanding how the field is likely to build, then finding your edge relative to that.Read the full definition of Ownership and projectionProjectionsDFS projections estimate a player's fantasy points for an upcoming slate using expected opportunities, performance and the contest's scoring rules. They describe an expected result, not a guaranteed score.Check the projection's update time and assumed role before using it. If news is already included, adjusting again for that same news can double-count its effect.Read the full definition of Projections, obviously you should use to your benefits. Again, over at Shippenation.com. So many sports going on right now. NFL is going on, college, NBA, PGA still is, MLB playoffs, World Series, MMA, NASCAR, NHL.

You literally cannot get a better time in the sports world. No better time to join. Our prices don't go up even because... All of our sports are going on. Five days for nineteen dollars. If you want to give us a try, definitely a great time to do so. Otherwise, monthly and then annual. The longer you're with us, the lower the price gets. You can see what you get from core to starter, which is a lot.

You get four hundred more lineups to build, be the late swap like I just talked about. Portfolio diversification, which Rio just mentioned. Then, yeah, projections and ownership from Sabresim to get a second set to average it out. Ultimate, if you're playing thousands of dollars, I do think the contest sims is something you should highly consider. You get a DFS Mastermind for free with any of those as well. Content only, if you just want projections, you can see that as well.

Single sport NBA, less than a dollar a day. We would love to have you and definitely do join the Discord if you join any of those packages with us. A big piece of our product over here at Chippin Nation. An NBA with a lot of moving parts. Being in the Discord is very big. Rio, any final thoughts before we get on out of here? No, not really. You got any predictions for the season? Any predictions for the season?

Let's pull up the futures market because I don't want to just say like, I mean, it's always a number that we're betting here. Let me pull it up. I will say one of the sharpest, I was telling you this, one of the sharpest individuals in the poker room when it comes to sports betting is hammering the Utah Jazz over wins this year.

And I know when we talked, you thought, and again, Rio's not biased, so I won't say take it with a grain of salt. I know it is his Utah team, but.

I mean they're deep they got a lot of young talents uh I don't mind that one one bits for the over wins there uh any anything for you all I pull up some of these futures so I can I can get a better uh idea for the number yeah um yeah I definitely agree with your I don't know if he's like you know personally but the guy that's betting the the Utah over that I I do think that they're going to be a lot more competitive this year um and I I think they're on the slate tomorrow we'll talk about them but a little bit of a different outlook for them

Just in terms of how they're going to be playing the games but yeah I like that I was much more bullish when I said top six in the West I think top seven is probably the high end for them after looking through things uh but yeah my I guess it's like I don't know if it's really a dark horse prediction but I'm gonna go with the Timberwolves to win the championship this year and I got the Pacers coming out of the East That is – oh, Pacers coming out of the East.

Okay. East is loaded this year. Absolutely loaded. Yeah, it is. My team that I was going – same odds as you at plus-$2,500. I'm going the Raptors. And I know it's been – So you said the Raptors have overachieved and you haven't liked them almost every year these past couple. But yeah, the addition to Kawhi Leonard and what he did in the preseason, his efficiency that so we can stay healthy. Scotty Barnes, Kawhi, RJ, and there's some long, long bodies to play against there.

So, yeah, I like them. And then, yeah, that's the that's the MAIN one that really stands out. Same one as the Timberwolves plus $2,500. Don't mind that either. Yeah, that's all I got, though. Any any other final thoughts? No, I think we're good. Yeah. NBA, they got the relegation zone now.

So we're going to see it's going to be different than every year we've ever seen for like in terms of like once we get to the March range of games, it's going to be a lot different. Good. That's what I like to hear. Do us a favor, hit that like button, hit that subscribe button on the way out. We will be doing NBA shows during the NFL season, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, opposite of Monday and Thursday night football, and then go to five days a week.

When football is over, but all written content, Slay Station, you will see up seven days a week with cores, with projectionsProjectionsDFS projections estimate a player's fantasy points for an upcoming slate using expected opportunities, performance and the contest's scoring rules. They describe an expected result, not a guaranteed score.Check the projection's update time and assumed role before using it. If news is already included, adjusting again for that same news can double-count its effect.Read the full definition of Projections, ownershipOwnershipOwnership is the percentage of lineups in a contest that include a given player. Projected ownership is an estimate made before lock; actual ownership is posted once the contest locks.Ownership isn't something to avoid; it's something to build around. The goal is understanding how the field is likely to build, then finding your edge relative to that.Read the full definition of Ownership, showdownShowdown (Captain and MVP)Showdown is a single-game DFS format where you build a lineup under a salary cap. In Captain or MVP formats, you assign one player to a special roster slot that multiplies their fantasy points and can increase their salary.Compare complete lineups with different players in the multiplier slot. Leaving salary unused can reduce duplication, but do not sacrifice meaningful scoring potential just to make your lineup unusual.Read the full definition of Showdown Monday through Friday, everything you know. And I've come to expect over here at Chippin Nation for a very affordable price. Again, do get in the Discord if you do join. We appreciate everyone hanging out for opening night. Good luck in your contest. For real, I'm Titletown. Good luck. Be safe. Peace.