FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks and Helper: Saturday 11/4/23

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 easy, 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.

NBA DFS Picks

Guards

Top Plays

LaMelo Ball ($8,300) -- This barely counts as injury news, but it is a greater call to action. LaMelo Ball has been on some sort of ambiguous minutes limit all season, but with 33 minutes logged against the Houston Rockets on Wednesday, it might be coming to an end. Ball has struggled to produce amidst the odd playing time thus far, but he averaged 49.6 FanDuel points per 36 minutes last season. This salary is criminally low if that guy returns tonight in a game with the slate's highest projected total (238.5), per the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Malik Monk ($5,000) -- The Sacramento Kings will continue to turn to defensive-minded guard Davion Mitchell in their starting lineup as De'Aaron Fox remains out with an ankle injury, but Malik Monk continues to be the offensive force. Monk cashed in 25.6 FanDuel points in 25 minutes on Wednesday, and he averaged 42.8 per 36 minutes last year when Fox was off the floor. This value salary comes with significant upside if he draws a larger workload on Saturday.

Coby White ($4,600) -- An illness of Ayo Dosunmu actually provided enormous clarity in the Chicago Bulls' backcourt. Coby White logged 35 minutes on Friday and, honestly, hit the low end of his FanDuel expectations with 25.6 points. He had just one stock (steals plus blocks) and two assists. That full-time work has him a top choice of numberFire's projections as they visit the Denver Nuggets tonight. The 23-year-old likely sees blowout run, lessening the concern of the eight-point spread.

Others to Consider

C.J. McCollum ($8,100) -- It's possible Brandon Ingram returns from his knee issue, and in that event, Ingram's lower salary with Trae Young ($8,900) in the backcourt makes plenty of sense in lineups. There's a 234.5-point projected total between the Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Pelicans, so we want pieces of this game, and C.J. McCollum has topped 40 FanDuel points in consecutive games without B.I. should the forward remain out.

Jrue Holiday ($6,700) -- Due to the birth of his second child, Derrick White will sit for the Boston Celtics tonight, and that will leave Jrue Holiday free to roam in Boston's backcourt. He's averaged 36.7 FanDuel points per 36 with White off the floor so far, and the C's have lower salaries than they should due to a 51-point blowout in their last game on Wednesday, so most are now projecting well in White's absence. Don't fade key pieces of the NBA's best team.

Wings

Top Plays

Jaylen Brown ($7,600) -- It's pretty clear Jaylen Brown saw your memes about his dribble and took that personally. Brown has posted 48.5 FanDuel points per 36 minutes since Boston's opener, and this salary bump didn't end up doing the trick with White now sitting. Brown's 33.1% usage rate with the guard off the floor is the highest on the team with nowhere close to its highest salary. I wouldn't get cute without him in this spot.

Bruce Brown Jr. ($5,200) -- The best game of the day is the Indiana Pacers' clash with the Charlotte Hornets, and there just aren't that many reliable pieces we can pluck from Indiana. Bruce Brown Jr., logging 37 minutes yesterday, is one of those as only he and Tyrese Haliburton have eclipsed a 30-minute average in games decided by fewer than 10 points. The hefty workload also came with 28.4 FanDuel points -- more than enough for this salary.

Harrison Barnes ($5,100) -- As we take swings at who may pick up the scoring load for Sacramento in Fox's stead, Harrison Barnes would likely be an "other recieving votes". After all, he did splash 33 points in their season opener, but that's been followed by just 32 points total in three games. Topping 30 minutes in all four mentioned contests, it's only a matter of time before he returns to the scoring column with authority.

Others to Consider

Michael Porter Jr. ($5,900) -- Tournament plays don't get much more obvious than Michael Porter Jr. this season. He's cleared 32 FanDuel points in three of his six games while falling below 20 in a pair. It's even hard to nail down his projected usage by game. Coming off his best scoring game of the season (24 points) without a salary increase, it's still within his range of outcomes to drop 30 himself when the shot is on.

Cam Reddish ($4,400) -- One of Wednesday's surprise injuries was Taurean Prince suffered a knee flare-up in pregame warmups, but it led to better results for both Cam Reddish and the Los Angeles Lakers. Reddish posted 30.8 FanDuel points in 32 regulation minutes in Wednesday's win. Expect the same if Prince is out, but he might have overtaken the struggling wing even if Taurean can play.

Bigs

Top Plays

Domantas Sabonis ($9,900) -- The Houston Rockets boast the fifth-worst defensive rating in the NBA (115.6), and the Kings have one of the larger impacts from injury on the slate, so there's a reason we're targeting them in DFS at all levels. Domantas Sabonis can demolish the boards in this one when Houston's 66.3% defensive rebounding rate is the worst mark in the NBA. I prefer him to Jayson Tatum among five-digit studs with injury impacts.

Kristaps Porzingis ($7,900) -- I'd rather turn to Boston's big man, Kristaps Porzingis, than J.T. in this one. Brooklyn's rim-protector Nicolas Claxton still remains out, and they've allowed the seventh-most points in the paint per game this season (52.4) as a result. Zinger has topped 40 FanDuel points in both games with at least 30 minutes played this year, so if White's absence allows the Nets to keep pace, a solid night at the office is likely had by K.P.

Moritz Wagner ($5,500) -- We got surprising news out of the Orlando Magic when they announced Wendell Carter Jr. will miss plenty of time with a broken hand; Moritz Wagner should become a DFS darling in his place. In limited bench spurts, Wagner has averaged 37.6 FanDuel points per 36 minutes this year, and he's in line to start and approach that workload. Orlando's rotation of bigs has been significantly more consolidated in 2023 to this point.

Others to Consider

Karl-Anthony Towns ($8,200) -- If not for the two stackable games with totals above 230, the 225.0-point total between the Utah Jazz and Minnesota Timberwolves would get more attention. Utah has been chewed up for the fourth-most points in the paint per game (54.0) and has used Walker Kessler significantly less in his sophomore campaign. numberFire is projecting a nice night (39.9 FanDuel points) for Karl-Anthony Towns as a result.

PJ Washington ($6,300) -- The 238.5-point total in Indiana has plenty of the game's options hovering near the top of nF's projections, but PJ Washington isn't one of them. Frankly, he should be. Charlotte has shown an unwillingness to use Mark Williams ($6,100) in an extended role, but Washington has topped 31 minutes in each of their competitive games. He averaged 32.6 FanDuel points per 36 a year ago, and this up-tempo matchup should help him return closer to that mark.

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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.