NBA DFS Process | October 23, 2026 | DraftKings & FanDuel Picks, Plays & Slate Breakdown

As Michael so eloquently said, young guy, I'm not so young. I'm an old guy. So I fall asleep early and 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 starting and ending earlier is good for me. So it condenses it. Obviously it makes 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 a lot easier. So I could understand why people who love late swapping, like Hebrew and like our boy Rio and other people would, would not like this. It makes it a lot easier to play. So excited to talk it out with you nonetheless.

Yeah, should be a good one. Wardo chimes in. The NBA champs are back. He's a Knicks fan, in case you can't tell by his picture. He's always in the chat as well. But, yeah, so six games that we're going to go through. It's on the MAIN slate. Then the quote-unquote night slate on DraftKings is five games where there's a little bit of fun. You can go over to FanDuel. They do include all eleven games in their MAIN slate.

Hey, so if you're not a member over here at the nation, I got to pull it up right now for that. You can get the annual package with core one hundred for seventy nine dollars a month. Or if you just want to do NBA, we have monthly packages available as well for less than a dollar a day. You can get in over here at the nation to see we're all about twenty nine dollars for the month.

Forty nine dollars if you want to get our partner SaberSim. But yeah, head on over there now. Check us out. See my guy Hebrew Cheetah, as Matt alluded to. Or my guy Belman doing a slate plan each and every day. We've got every sport over here that we cover. All right, Matt, I'm going to go straight to the NBA. I'm going to go straight to the stone. I'm going to pull up a proprietary information on the stone.

We got the world champs leading off 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 tonight. The Knicks losers in their first contest against the seventy Sixers. Cat was balling in the second half. Andre Drummond was balling in the first half, taking on the Celtics team, who I think was like one for thirty seven from three against this Pistons team. But should be another good game. You got Jason Tatum and crew taking on Jalen Brunson and Boston's home opener. Talk to me about this one. Knicks at the Celtics.

So the funny thing about this slate is every game on this slate, I think, could and should be competitive. And this first one is no different. So with how soft pricing is to start the season on DK, I think mostly when we're talking about any teams with these two in particular, we're looking at the stars. And for me, the only guy I could say would be like, a priority if I'm playing one lineup would be Jason Tatum from either side.

I think all the Knicks guys look good, but not amazing considering the slate and their prices and who else was on the slate. I think Tatum looks like the best piece of this game. I think he'll be owned as such. He's still really affordable. I know he took a backseat to Paul George in game one and shot awfully and But I don't expect that to continue. I think the usage is there. Rio talked all about it on the opening day show when he was on with title.

This just whole season, especially early on, sets up really well for Tatum. I'm buying it. I'll go back here when the field is to an extent, but not nearly as much as they were opening night. And other than that, Like I mentioned, Townsend, Brunson look like just guys on the slate. Like I'm not prioritizing them. If I were playing one lineup, I don't think I could get to anything.

But if you told me you were stacking this game, I wouldn't say that's a bad move either because I expect it to be really competitive. All of a sudden you get an outlier over game and or OT, you're in business. I think you could make that case for pretty much every game on the slate, though, is my only issue. How do you see it? Yeah, I mean, I like Tatum, like you said, at $9,200 bucks.

Like he had thirty five DraftKings points in the first contest. And like you said, that's probably like a floor game. We had a turn back the clock game for Paul George. I did want to ask you about him. I mean, he has $6,700 and we're not expecting sixty out of him again. But like, how do you think Paul George, even at $6,700 bucks, like, do you like that? Or was that just kind of like a one hit wonder?

I think it's more of a one hit wonder than anything. I mean, who knows? Maybe that's the wrong take. And things are volatile early in the season, right? Like 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 are much more fickle because we just have a lot more unknowns. Maybe George is way too cheap. I don't think that's the case. And I think he comes back down to earth here. Yeah, me too.

I kind of think he's buns, to be honest with you, but I'd be hard-pressed to find anybody that agrees after scoring . . . Wardo says Cat's a priority. He's a walking double-double. Any interest in Cat tonight at . . . Yeah, I have an interest. I think he's the best play from the Knicks, but to call him a priority on this slate, not for me. I mean, I don't think he's a bad play, so I can understand why . . . Wardo, the monster Knicks fan, would say that.

But I think he's just another play for me, another good play, I should say. And then AFC Angelo asks, would you max one of these MAIN New York Knicks guys? I'm assuming Brunson or Towns. Or do you think you could play two in a line? I think the answer is you don't have to even have one of them, but I'll let you answer. So, yes, I agree with you. You don't have to play one.

You clearly don't have to play either of them in any lineup, but I also don't think you have to just play one if you're playing them because of the outlier game environments. Like, if you're playing one, I don't hate playing the other just because of what I just said. I'm looking for that outlier game environment.

But on his own, like Towns, The reason for me, like he's not a priority, he projects the same slightly better or worse than guys like Siakam, Brandon Miller, guys who are, you know, $1,000 six, eight hundred cheaper than him. So I like Towns. I just not for me, not a not a guy I'm locking. Good deal. Moving on to the next game, which is going to be another good game. You got the Raptors who scored a bunch of points. Obviously, Kawhi makes them a lot better.

And Matt, when I look at this starting five, goodness gracious, like, That's a pretty good start to five, in my opinion. Take it on this Wizards team. The man made of glass was getting MVP chance after the first quarter, I think. He had a pretty good game. He is up to $8,600. That is Anthony Davis. The mayor may not make it through this game tonight, but I can't wait to watch this game. You got a pretty high total.

Two hundred and thirty seven. It's going to be up and down. The rookie does not look like he's going to make his debut tonight. But talk to me about this game. The Raptors in the nation's capital taking on the Wizards. This is a game I like a lot here. I mean, the two studs, I think, are two of the best plays on the entire 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 in AD and Kawhi. We saw them at their best on opening night.

AD smashed, you know, was one of the leading scorers on the entire slate. He was owned as such and got the price increase, but it was deserved and he's still probably too cheap. And then Kawhi also looked amazing on opening night. Just didn't have to play a ton because they won that game by forty plus. I like pairing both them here. Of any like two stud pairing on the slate, this is probably my favorite. I think you get a competitive game here.

And I like guys from, I like the, the ancillary guys from, from both squads. Also from the Raptors quickly was awesome on opening night. We know RJ Barrett can get his, I like those guys. Scotty Barnes is still really affordable and, And then from Washington, it's AD, but then I don't think Trey is a bad play. Keyshawn George was really good, you know, on opening night. And I like these guys more with the Bantz to out, right?

Like when he comes back, guys like Keyshawn George are going to take a major back seat. So at $5,300 while he's out. Yeah, I like this came a lot. I mean, I guess the hardest part is like picking exactly who you want to play. How do you see it? Yeah, real quick before I get into that, is Scottie going to guard AD? How would those matchups work, in your opinion?

Yeah, I mean, I'm not going to be surprised if he spends at least some of the time on AD. I mean, obviously you worry about foul trouble in that scenario. And honestly, there's hardly a matchup for a guy as talented on offense as AD I'm worried about. So if that's the question, I'm not worried about it. Another question that I had for you, too. I know Kawhi only played twenty four minutes. I don't know if any of those guys even played in the fourth quarter.

But I mean, do you think it's something that they're going to limit his minutes early on? Like even if it's a close game, I guess he's going to top out at twenty eight or thirty or somewhere. Do you know? So I think there's like a median ground to that question. I don't think he's going to play massive minutes, but I also don't think they're like limiting his minutes.

And I think a big reason why he only played twenty four is because they won by forty. So in a competitive game, I think he plays a lot more, even if he's not leading the slate in minutes. You know what I mean? Yep. Yeah, I like Kawhi. I think, I mean, obviously, AD had a really good night. He's a stud, went healthy. You said at $8,600 is too cheap. But man, he went up a thousand dollars in one game.

I would like to try to find somebody else. I haven't started building teams yet, but I would like to try to find something else. But he may be tough to get off. He may be having obviously if he stays healthy, he's obviously in a good spot. We'll move on to the next game. The Timberwolves, Timberwolves look good. LaMelo Ball took a seven step three pointer the other night was pretty incredible.

Switched it taking on this magic team in the magic magic kingdom talk to me about this one Timberwolves taking on the magic man I hate to sound like a broken record but this is another game I think is competitive and tight throughout and you could play a lot of pieces from Minnesota man I mean They even said it themselves. Like, they're on some stuff this season, and they're going to foul you.

I don't know if you saw Jaden McDaniel celebrating Anthony Edwards hitting a corner three. Did you see that? I did not. How was he celebrating it? I don't know. On the court, he's at the top of the key, and Ant is in the corner shooting a three, and he's celebrating by, like, smoking a blunt and putting it out with his foot as it's going in. You got it. I'll send you the video after. All right. It's funny.

So I think the Timberwolves have all the vibes right now, and they look good. So it's hard not to want to get to something here. The problem is Ant is uber expensive. I know he's coming off a monster game. I just think he's going to have to, like Rio said, score a ton. And he did last game. He also got ten boards for him to get there.

I don't know if this is the spot I want to go back to him, but he's good enough to get there any time, every time. He'll be low on a small 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. So that's the case for Ant. LaMelo is a lot easier to get to. $8,100. I think he looks good here. There are other guys in his range I also like.

So he's not a must for me, but I like him here, especially if you're going hard on this game. And then from the Orlando side, they got a few guys that are in play. Paolo looked awesome on opening night.

I'm a big fan of their new coach sean sweeney I think he's just going to open up everything on their offense and it starts with paulo so he's in play for me as another loan you know to 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 type of 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 like frauds obviously cog in the machine type $7,000 really affordable small forward eligible jalen sugs looks good I think he'll be owned and I'm not in love with him but he plays big minutes And he's cheap, so I'm fine with it.

And then I know I got asked about Wendell Carter versus Suggs. I think that's a totally fine pivot. I mean, just look in their season debuts. Carter outscored him by a bunch, and Suggs will be higher on. Now Carter has the more valuable position eligibility, so that's why it's difficult. But I think that's a pivot you can make if you're playing one of them in UTIL, sure. All of Orlando is in play for me.

And the guys I want from Minnesota are expensive, but I think you could make a case for prioritizing this game. Every game 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 could and should be tight. I'll go back to that. Yeah, this one's a good one for sure. Van Carrell obviously looked good the other night. And at $9,500, he was he was obviously hoping that I think he had forty five, forty five real life points. Two guys on the T-wolves, Matt, that I have interest in.

A.O. And Jaden McDaniels. Any love for either one of those? Obviously cheaper type players? Just filler guys for me. Not guys I'd be prioritizing personally. Okay. Moving on to the next game, Bills Mafia, who's the best point guard? I mean, that's Luka, but Luka's also a level eight, too. So if you don't want to go Luka, I would say Trey Young is probably the best bang for the buck, in my opinion.

I don't know, Matt, if you've looked over there, but yeah, Luka, level eight. He's $2,000 more dollars than anybody, but he would be the best. In my opinion. All right, let's go to the next game, Matt. It's the Mavs beat down the other night, taking on the Pacers. Tyrese Halliburton made his long-awaited return. Zubac, I think you and Rio were all over Zubac the other night. Should be another interesting game.

But yeah, talking about this, not as interesting as some of those others, but Mavericks taking on the Pacers. Definitely not as interesting as some of the others, but I almost like it. I can make a case it's my favorite in tournaments because I think it's close and it's not going to be highly owned. Man, Halliburton and Siakam look like two of the best plays 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 in my opinion. Halliburton making his home debut after missing all of last year. He's only $8,000 see outcome.

$7,400 projects from, I mean, yeah, I'm in on those guys. Zubach felt like he didn't even do anything on opening night. And he still walked into forty DK points. All three of those guys. I like Obi Toppin was really good. I like this matchup too. And I kind of like the Dallas side. Cooper flag was really good in a tougher matchup in a game. They got rolled. So yeah, How good could Flag be here? And I don't think he's popular at all.

I talked about a bunch of spenders to 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, guys. He might be my favorite of the bunch. You like Flag versus Ant. Sorry to interrupt. I mean, the six hundred dollars difference. Really? Yeah. OK. Why so? I mean, I just like the positional eligibility for him more. I like the spot more, and he's cheaper. Yeah. And Ant is priced up. I thought he was already a little bit too expensive, and now he's even more expensive because of the outlier game one.

Now, I'm a huge Ant guy, so he could dominate again, but give me flag there. Okay. All right. Sorry I interrupted you. Sorry. Keep going. No, the other guy I was going to say was Obi Toppin, who was really good on opening night, and he's a nice piece for the Pacers. Shoots threes and is active defensively. So yeah. Where's my boy. Where's my boy TJ McConnell this year. I don't know. Where is he? I don't know. He's not in Indiana. It doesn't look like it.

Someone tell me where TJ McConnell is. I need to be on that Charles Barkley show. Where are they now? And I don't know. He might be hurt. Might be hurt. Yeah. Flagging Halliburton in this game for Michael. All right. I'm going to have to check this one out. If several people like it in the chat, not as sexy as some of those other ones, but Hey, you got a juicy meaty, two hundred and forty and a half point total on, on that.

All right, Matt, this is the last game that's going to tip at seven PM. Then the last one, uh, in this early or this MAIN 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 for DK will shit, uh, Start at eight p.m. But you got a pair of undefeated teams squaring off in this one. NWA cutting up the other night. Jalen Johnson, CJ McCollum, Dyson Daniels coming off the round one exit against the Knicks last year, taking on this Hornets team. Dennis Schroeder was super popular last night.

Brandon Miller about broke the rim and got a new bag. Nas Reed's in a new home. So talking about this one, Hawks in Charlotte taking on the Hornets. Man, of all the games we've talked about, this might be the best of the punch. And I said it once. I said it ten times now. I mean, every game on this slate you can make a case for stacking. This one, you've got Charlotte who's still missing. Key guys in Kobe White, Conk and Nipple.

Nas Reid looked awesome in his new role for the Hornets. Brandon Miller wasn't good. I've always been a huge Nas guy. Loved him at LSU and he's just been a really good pro. So I mean on him, I like Brandon Miller, not a priority, but certainly in play. And then Dennis and Grayson Allen.

I mean, Dennis still looks like one of, if not the best valueValueValue is the fantasy production you expect from a player relative to his salary. A value play offers more production or upside than his price suggests, whether he is cheap or expensive.Identify why the salary looks wrong: workload, matchup, scoring ability or a pricing error. Then check whether that reason still holds when you submit your lineup.Read the full definition of Value play on the entire slate at $4,900, which just shows you how good of a play he was at $3,700 last late. He was pretty mid last late and still got there. I expect a better game from him here. This game should be.

Close and competitive and then Grayson Allen the small forward eligibility just a solid cog in the machine type um this game does look the best but I also think it's really highly owned and that would be my case for getting away from it because I like all the other games um yeah that said the Atlanta side also looks good Jalen Dyson Daniels Alexander Walker starting with Jalen who Ho-hum, forty-seven DK points. I think his upside is real here. So, yeah, I like this game a lot.

It's hard not to like pieces here. So, Schroeder and Allen, I think you said Schroeder. Do you think they get the same type 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 they got the other night, even with the elevated price tag? Is it still too cheap? Nah. It's still too cheap, and I think there's two of the highest-owned players on the slate, but I don't think they're like seventy percent owned. I think they're more like forty to fifty percent owned. Yeah. Yeah.

I don't think they're like on the locks here by any means, but they're just really good plays. All right. $9,100 Jalen Johnson versus $8,900 Cooper flag. I think 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 wise, you got to say Jalen, but in tournaments, I don't mind going to flag. So I like five. I'm going to say flag. He's like my guy here. All right. Staying on the table. I'm trying to look to see if there's anybody else. Dyson Daniels. $5,900 bucks.

Any love for that? Yeah, definitely in play, especially if you're going hard on this game, even if you're not just a solid filler piece. Nice price tag for him with a lot of good defensive stat ability. If you were going to, let's say, over stack any of these first five games, which one would it be? When I say over stack, like five plus dudes, you even need five plus dudes from one of these. Could that take down a tournament? I think it could.

But I also think because I like so many spots, it's hard to it's on one hand I think each individual spot on its own I could see going off but on the other hand because all of them I could see going off it is a little bit tricky for me to just see one spot like going that much harder than the rest I think it's most likely you need pieces from a few of these spots but if I'm picking one I think the easy answer is Toronto Washington or Atlanta Charlotte and I'm gonna go with Dallas indy Dallas Indy.

Okay. All right. I like that. I'm going to take a sneak peek at that. All right. Last game on the MAIN 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 that we're going to talk to, and then we'll briefly dive into the other games on the slate. We got the pitch. Wait, real quick. Yeah. I didn't even realize this, but that game has the highest total on the slate. Dallas Indy does. Yeah. Two forty.

I just think because Dallas is what the biggest dog on the slate that people won't get there. And that makes sense. Yeah, so, I mean, I know it's early, but, I mean, one-twenty-four seems high for the Pacers, does it not? That was the first thing that I thought of when I saw that. It does, but they play fast, and Dallas is not a good defensive team. So, like, it seems high, but I buy it, you know? Okay. All right.

Next game up 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, someone was asking about the Pistons and the Heat, the Greek Freak. But where's my boy Newen's at? All Newen's wanted to talk about last year about how great the Greek freak was. The best tight end playing power forward in the NBA. Guys still can't play basketball, Matt, but he is big, tall, and fast. So how are you playing this game? Pistons taking on the Heat. I mean, I feel like this game just falls in line with all the others, don't you?

Yeah. You never really go out of your way to want to target Pistons games or Heat games, I feel like. But there's star power here, and this game should be really close and competitive. So I feel like, again, a broken record. But you told me you like Giannis a lot. I get it. He was pretty mid on opening night. Yeah.

I mean – They got rolled, and as bad of a spot it is against Detroit, it's even worse of a spot than he was in against Minnesota. So I could see going back to Giannis. I don't think he's going to be a priority for me, but that might seem foolish at this price tag because he's uber cheap for his upside. I just wasn't too inspired watching him. All he did was score. I don't love the pieces on that team.

So I don't love it, but he's the most expensive star, has the highest ceiling on the slate, and is pretty easy to roster. So that's the case for him. Honestly, I don't love this game. I think this might be my least favorite game. Least favorite game, even though it's a Duncan Robinson revenge game. That might be the kicker, huh? Uh, no. Um, yeah. You know what? Again, though, the other night he went, Hey, I'm at like eight, three, seven threes, something, six threes.

One of those. I like a SAR Thompson. Um, I wish my guy Rio was in the chat. The heat used to be very bad. Maybe a lot of money, huh? He's here. Yeah. I saw him. I saw him. I don't know if he's still listening, but the heat used to be super bad at guarding the three point line. And yeah, I don't know how, I mean, how many did Mello and what's his face hit the other night.

So I need to, I need to, I need to make some money. So, so no. So what about Cade? I mean, Cade's nine, seven hundred bucks. That seems high to me. What about you? Can't get there. If I'm playing one lineup, he's certainly not in it. Not that I'm X-ing him out if I'm playing one-fifty, but you can't prioritize Cade here at that tag. Do you think Bam and Giannis give Duren any trouble?

$7,100 seems high for Duren as well, but I'm just trying to look and see if there's anybody on the Pistons that I'm interested in. I love the Duren call on opening night, but I'm not going back there. There's guys I like more here. All right, Tim Hardaway Jr. Wow, this Heat team, man. They look pretty strong. I don't think they could ever get it together. Wait, you just said Tim Hardaway Jr.

And then looking really strong in the same sentence? Well, I mean, he's like their eighth best player, eighth or ninth best player. I think he's serviceable. Yeah, he's serviceable. Man, they don't – I feel like they just don't have a lot of guys and they don't shoot well and Giannis is older. I don't know, man. Yeah, Portis. Yeah, they look – Klay Thompson, man, oh, man. The corpse of Klay Thompson. All right, Matt, that's all six games.

Do you want to go through some of these last five games? I don't know if you want to talk about it. We're not going to go game by game, but anything that sticks out to you, let's just start there. Is there any plays, if anyone's playing the night 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, that you would kind of say, hey, yeah, you should get to this? Yeah, I mean, I feel like a lot of the best plays on the entire board are from the night slate.

I mean. There's another . Two-forty total right there. Pelicans, Jazz, who both give it up in droves. If all the games were together, there'd be a lot of guys I'd be prioritizing late. That's how I'll put it. Give us like five to play from the night's late. Darius Garland. Still too cheap. $7,500. I mean, I'm in on Garland. I've always loved his offensive game, and now he's leading the show there. Garland. Jeremy Grant. Lock. $3,700. Really? Too cheap. Oh, yeah.

I mean, he's got a real role. Nobody's got a real role, and he's so cheap. And he's a guy that can – you know, get DFS. Okay. Calling him a lock is overstating it. Cause he's not, you know, I was just about to ask you that. Like, are we lock locks? No, no lock lock. Okay. No, I went too hard there. Certainly not. But I think he's a guy at $3,700. That'll get you like twenty five, which is valuable. Two other guys.

I like a lot. Sabonis and Dejounte Murray. Go ahead. No, no. Let me just look at these guys. Murphy. And Sabonis, the Kings. Are the Kings ass or what? They're ass, but they are definitely ass. I mean, clearly, it's the Kings, and they stink. But Sabonis did look really good on opening night. I know he wasn't great in the preseason, but that's the preseason. I'm willing to overlook that, especially when he looks so good on opening night.

And then Akoff, man, you talk about rough debuts. Acuff had a rough debut, but he took a ton of shots, man. I want to buy Acuff. Acuff may struggle, man. He couldn't play defense in college. You're right, but he's going to be on the court. Unless he gets taken off for his defense. That's what I'm saying. He's going to be on the court now because he invested a first-round pick in him. Right. Maybe in the future, that's why we can't play him.

But right now, do you see how many shots he took in his debut? Yeah. This guy, that's what he does. He scores. And if his shot is on, like I watched him a lot in college, he starts getting engaged. It's like a typical young player. You know what I'm saying? Like fill it up. He's got a real upside here in my opinion, and he's not going to get played. I like this night slate way more than the actual slate. What about your boy?

Yaxel Lindenberg talking trash to Luca poking the bear. That was pretty crazy, huh? Yeah. What he said after the game. Yeah, that was nuts. All right, so what about Wimby? Does Wimby make a bounce back? He had a pretty horrible first night. He had a real bad first night, huh? Yeah, it kind of feels like a guy like that is going to bounce back. But, man, I just don't like hating guys against Houston ever. It's good to see Fred VanVleet back.

I'm glad he's back. Hopefully they have a better season than they did last year. Yeah, that'll do it for us. All right, let's talk about our favorite – Our favorite guy in the MAIN slate. Give me an expensive guy, Matt, and maybe a cheap guy. Let's go under $6,000. An expensive guy and a guy under $6,000 that you really like. I know who the under $6,000 guy is going to be. You do know who the under $6,000 guy is going to be.

Yeah, and it can't be him, so you got to pick somebody else. Okay, for me... That's interesting because I don't even know who that is. My 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 guy is going to be Cooper. Are you talking about the MAIN slate or the night slate? MAIN slate. MAIN slate. Sorry. So definitely my more than my expensive guy is going to be Cooper Flagg. Planting your flag on Cooper Flagg. Got it. The cheaper than $6,000 guy. I mean, oh, Dennis, is that? No, I saw him, but I saw.

Well, I thought you were going to say Obi Toppin. No, I mean, there's a bunch of guys I like. I like Najee Marshall a lot too. I like that game. Obi Toppin looks good, but so does Keyshawn George. A lot of good valueValueValue is the fantasy production you expect from a player relative to his salary. A value play offers more production or upside than his price suggests, whether he is cheap or expensive.Identify why the salary looks wrong: workload, matchup, scoring ability or a pricing error. Then check whether that reason still holds when you submit your lineup.Read the full definition of Value plays. I definitely think this is more of a slate to play like a lot of guys in the five to $8,000 range as opposed to spending up and spending down.

Yeah, I like, I know you don't like him and we kind of differ here. I like Ant. At $9,500. I mean, you just look at it, that roster. I mean, LaMelo is a ball hog, but outside of that, they don't really have any anybody, in my opinion, that can really fill it up like A.O. Likes to shoot it. I mean, Kaminga, I mean, they're fine, but Ant needs the ball.

I like Ant at $9,500, especially if you're telling me he's going to be low ownedLeverageLeverage 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. He'll be higher than four percent. I don't think he'll be that low owned, but give me some Ant tonight. I really like Ant on my teams. I dig it, especially at low 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. Newens, I did say hello to you, I thought. Yeah, you were good. I said you were already cussing me out. Thirty seconds into the show. Well, hello, Newens.

Fatherhood's right around the corner for our guy, Newens. Hey, that'll do it for us. All six games in the bake. Appreciate each and every one of you tuning in. My guy, Matt, and I will be here every single Friday during the NBA season. I got you covered all weekend as well with a quick hit video tomorrow and the content. And as alluded to before, if you aren't a member of the nation, head on over there now.

You can get in for NBA only for less than a dollar a day. Everybody have a good weekend. Stay out of trouble. We'll see you next Friday. Good luck tonight in those contests. Just ship it.