FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Tuesday 10/24/23

Since NBA DFS is easier to predict than baseball or football, it would likely get plenty of votes as the best sport to play on FanDuel. Basketball players usually stick to the same minutes and produce at roughly the same rate. Sounds simple, right? Trust me -- it's not!

As a result, NBA daily fantasy is highly reliant on a player's opportunity, so you'll need to ensure that you're up to date with key injuries. numberFire's projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news. numberFire also has player news updates, and the FanDuel Scout app will send push notifications for pressing updates regarding your players.

In addition to daily projections, numberFire also offers a matchup heat map and a lineup optimizer to help give you an edge.

Here at FanDuel Research, we'll also come at you each day with this NBA DFS primer, which breaks down a few of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's dive into today's main slate on FanDuel.

The Slate and Key Injuries

I wish I could tell you that Opening Night is bringing a clean, injury-free slate, but the preseason hasn't quite worked out that way.

It does appear the reigning champion Denver Nuggets are at full strength, but the Los Angeles Lakers could be down a rotation piece. Jarred Vanderbilt appears closer to doubtful with a heel issue.

The new-look Phoenix Suns also have some issues. Bradley Beal (back) is unlikely to play tonight, per The Athletic's Shams Charania. Devin Booker (toe) is also "50-50" to go, per Charania. We'll see what impact the new requirement in place for games played to be eligible for certain awards has on Booker's status tonight.

Phoenix is battling the Golden State Warriors in the nightcap. The Dubs have missed Draymond Green (ankle) for the entire preseason, and he will officially miss Tuesday's opener, as well.

Guards

Top Plays

• Stephen Curry ($10,000)
  • Curry's floor situation looks much different with Chris Paul now in the mix and expected to start, but this salary is a fair estimate even if he's just a superior version of what Devin Booker was next to CP3 in Phoenix.
  • The former MVP averaged 49.0 FanDuel points per 36 minutes with Jordan Poole off the floor last season, and numberFire's model has Steph projected for 46.2 FanDuel points on Tuesday.
• Klay Thompson ($6,500)
  • One reason to avoid Steph? The scoring overlap with numberFire's top-projected point-per-dollar guard: Thompson. Klay's role is up in the air, but he's a full-time player at this mid-range salary.
  • Draymond will sit, yet (surprisingly) Thompson saw a downtick of -0.3 rebounds per 36 minutes last year without him. I would not expect that to be the case long-term.
• D'Angelo Russell ($6,200)
  • Russell's postseason role was finicky, but he averaged 30.9 minutes per game with the Lakers last regular season. Even with Gabe Vincent in the fold, I'd still expect a full-time role for their best perimeter defender.
  • D'Lo posted 35.9 FanDuel points per 36 last year in nearly the exact same floor situation.

Others to Consider

• Devin Booker ($9,600)
  • In the same salary range as a year ago, you'd have to expect solid production from Book now with Beal out. We just aren't sure he'll play, leading to an injury-related sweat before lock. Yep, we didn't even make it one day into the season without one.
• Jamal Murray ($8,800)
  • If you're a believer last year's title run was a real leap for Murray in ability, he posted 41.7 FanDuel points per 36 in the playoffs. This salary is fair for a two-game slate if that production level sticks.
• Eric Gordon ($4,000)
  • Gordon found ways to not merit even this salary in a full role with the Los Angeles Clippers (26.3 FanDuel points per 36), but he's the obvious candidate for ballhandling duties if Beal and Booker are both out. There's minimal risk at this salary.

Wings

Top Plays

• LeBron James ($10,300)
  • I can't believe I'm still writing up LeBron at a five-digit salary just six days shy of the 20th anniversary of his NBA debut, but we can probably expect a similar role this season to his 31.8% usage rate and 47.9 FanDuel points per 36 minutes from last year after the trade deadline.
  • I have more confidence James' role sticks than Kevin Durant's, but Durant slides up the pecking order if both of the Suns' star guards sit.
• Michael Porter Jr. ($6,000)
  • How does Denver improve this season? It's probably a consistency upgrade from MPJ, who commanded a minimal 16.3% usage rate in the playoffs despite eclipsing 25 points scored in eight different regular-season games.
  • With minimal concerns about Jokic and Murray in the long run, I could see Porter getting additional usage today to build his confidence.
• Josh Okogie ($4,300)
  • At least for now, Okogie appears to be the projected fifth starter behind Phoenix's star trio and center Jusuf Nurkic. He played nearly identical minutes to the starters in the Suns' preseason opener.
  • If there's a player with a sub-$5,000 salary we can count on to log 30 minutes, Okogie looks like the guy.

Others to Consider

• Kevin Durant ($10,800)
  • With Booker and Paul off the floor last year, Durant averaged 59.0 FanDuel points per 36 minutes. I thought this salary was cross-off levels of high before the Beal and Booker news. If they both sit, he's actually a priority. What a world.
• Andrew Wiggins ($6,800)
  • Without Green, Wiggins is an immediate threat for a double-double with boards. Without "true" value options on the small slate, it doesn't hurt to settle for 30-plus minutes in the mid-range.
• Rui Hachimura ($4,800) and Taurean Prince ($4,200)
  • Vanderbilt's potential replacement likely lies with one of these two; I'd guess it will be Prince since Rui's scoring punch in the playoffs proved to be valuable.
  • This could be a muddy power forward spot for the Lakers all season, but there will be enough minutes to target both of them should Vando sit on Tuesday.
• .Jonathan Kuminga ($4,600)
  • Golden State's arsenal of bigs dries up quickly without Draymond; expect Kuminga to help fill the minutes without Kevon Looney on the floor Tuesday.

Bigs

Top Plays

• Nikola Jokic ($11,500)
  • You can't fault anyone for plugging and playing the world's best player on ring night. He put up 25 points, 14 rebounds, and 8 assists in just three quarters during a final preseason game against the Clippers; he's ready to keep chugging.
  • He may be less popular than he should be with the slate's best value play at center (Looney).
• Aaron Gordon ($5,700)
  • The big-man spots are -- by far -- in the worst shape on the slate. Gordon is one of two players with a value score above 5.00 in numberFire's projections.
  • Avoiding overlap between he and Jokic on the glass could be a reason to dodge the former MVP in tournaments.
• Kevon Looney ($5,400)
  • This salary was reduced expecting a bench role behind Draymond, but Looney should start and play a relatively full night with Green out.
  • He posted 37.7 FanDuel points per 36 minutes without Draymond on the floor last year; he's comfortably the best value option on the slate.

Others to Consider

• Anthony Davis ($11,200)
  • You won't find a much more optimistic person on the planet about Davis this season than me, but his prohibitive salary has the same concerns as Jokic with a much lower floor. He's definitely a tournament pivot -- and could be a fruitful one. He can also be used with Looney.
• Jusuf Nurkic ($7,500)
  • A lot will be asked of Nurkic in Phoenix with minimal quality depth behind him. He's always been a productive guy (42.0 FanDuel points per 36 last year) who's battled issues with playing time and injuries.
  • Fully healthy to begin the year, there's a valid argument for him over Jokic at salary -- especially with minimal value on the slate -- if you are fading Looney. He'll get a bump in shots if the backcourt fully sits, too.
• Dario Saric ($3,700)
  • With Green out, numberFire's model has Saric projected at 22.7 minutes and 20.9 FanDuel points. I concur, and he's known to have upside from three-point range (39.1 3P% each of the past two years).

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.