FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks and Helper: Tuesday 11/14/23

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

Dejounte Murray ($8,600) -- There's a possibility that Trae Young misses tonight's game due to personal reasons, and that would open the door for Dejounte Murray as the lead man for the first time this season. Murray has a 29.0% usage rate (up 4.0 percentage points) and averages 41.6 FanDuel points per 36 minutes with Young off the floor, and both of those should rise by getting more floor time with the Atlanta Hawks' other top players in that situation.

Klay Thompson ($5,400) -- A whopper of an injury on this slate could be Stephen Curry. The former MVP is questionable with a knee issue, and that would result in a new world for the Golden State Warriors without him. While Chris Paul ($6,100) likely would be tasked to handle the ball, Klay Thompson should see a rise in shots. He's seen his usage rate rise 2.1 percentage points with Steph off the floor this season and is already -- before any key news -- projected for 29.3 FanDuel points by numberFire in a repeat matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Keyonte George ($4,600) -- While not impacted by injury, Keyonte George just got an old-fashioned role increase on Friday. George was slotted into the starting lineup last game and posted 28.1 FanDuel points in 29 minutes, dropping Talen Horton-Tucker and Collin Sexton to 18 minutes each. The impressive rookie appears to be firmly in the Utah Jazz's plans, and he's solid punt-level value already as we await other potential absences.

Others to Consider

Kyrie Irving ($8,600) -- Death, taxes, and a Dallas Mavericks total in the 240-point range. Kyrie Irving has finally started to improve his production, and he's at 45.3 FanDuel points per 36 minutes in a vacuum already. In a positive matchup against a New Orleans Pelicans team allowing the third-most FanDuel points per game to two guards (47.2), it makes sense why "Uncle Drew" is expected by numberFire to post 43.2 FanDuel points.

Skylar Mays ($6,800) -- The Portland Trail Blazers' injury woes at guard have led to the former tank commander, Skylar Mays, into a key role already. He's topped 32 minutes and 36 FanDuel points in both games since Scoot Henderson and Malcolm Brogdon were lost to injuries. This salary feels a bit like buying high on a not-so-talented player, but there is no arguing about his role in a game with a healthy 231.5-point total, per the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Wings

Top Plays

Jimmy Butler ($8,100) -- Thankfully, the Miami Heat's hideous offense got a bit less hideous with Jimmy Butler's return on Sunday. He contributed just 19 points and 4 assists, and the passive spurts from Butler in the regular season are a concern, but he still should smash this salary in most games without Tyler Herro. Butler's usage climbs 3.0 percentage points with Herro off the floor, and this is a giant pace-up spot. Miami is 21st in overall pace; the Charlotte Hornets are 3rd in the entire NBA.

Cameron Johnson ($5,300) -- Cameron Johnson's role is exactly what you'd have guessed to start the season, averaging 30.0 minutes since returning from injury. The problem is he's held just a 45.4 true-shooting percentage (TS%), and that's kept points and production out of the box score. There are role concerns for a different day when the Brooklyn Nets' breakout scorer, Cameron Thomas, returns from injury, but Johnson should lead the Nets' gaggle of wings until that point.

Andrew Wiggins ($4,400) -- What would the context had to have been to convince you to roster Andrew Wiggins at this salary before the season? While the former impact player on Golden State's title team has certainly seen his playing time dip (26.0 minutes per game), the production dip behind a 44.7 TS% is the real culprit as to why Wiggins has been a perpetual disappointment on FanDuel. Per numberFire, he's projected for 27.5 minutes and 24.1 FanDuel points before any Steph news; Steph's absence would likely give him more room to figure things out offensively.

Others to Consider

Brandon Ingram ($8,000) -- I'm happy to return to Brandon Ingram in this marquee game against Dallas. Quietly, Ingram played three straight top-10 teams in defensive rating into Sunday's blowout. His team-best increases in usage rate (2.6 percentage points) and FanDuel points per 36 minutes (3.4) with C.J. McCollum off the floor should pay dividends soon.

Bruce Brown Jr. ($5,000) -- Nothing's really changed on Bruce Brown Jr. -- including his salary. Brown has only failed to eclipse 24 FanDuel points in one game this year decided by fewer than 15 points, and he's routinely in shootouts on an Indiana Pacers team playing at the fastest pace in the league. Brown is by far the lowest-salaried piece on Indiana averaging at least 30 minutes per game (30.7), so he's an obvious stacking partner for anyone with an appropriate affinity toward Joel Embiid ($12,300) or Tyrese Maxey ($10,100).

Bigs

Top Plays

Nikola Jokic ($12,800) -- There isn't a better matchup in the league for Nikola Jokic, so I'd still prioritize him at this absurd salary. Jokic posted 61.6 FanDuel points per 36 against the Los Angeles Clippers last year, and this year's version is both smaller and, at the moment, more dysfunctional. L.A.'s 68.2% defensive rebounding rate is fifth-worst in the NBA, so there's good reason numberFire is expecting 62.8 FanDuel points from "Joker" tonight. Anecdotally, that's one of the highest median projections I've ever seen from the model.

Zion Williamson ($8,000) -- Zion Williamson's odd recent quotes might reduce his popularity in this spot, but if Zion is locked in at all, he should be able to have success in this repeat matchup with Dallas. The Mavs are allowing the most points per game to opposing power forwards (27.1), and Williamson has a meaty 30.7% usage rate with McCollum off the floor for the Pels. I'm hoping Sunday's blowout, in general, reduces popularity for what I'd peg the best game on Tuesday's slate.

Jerami Grant ($6,800) -- When Portland's top-three point guards are out of the fold, Jerami Grant takes over. Behind a team-best 29.2% usage rate, Grant has posted 40.3 FanDuel points per 36 minutes with what is Portland's current starting lineup. He's also eclipsed 40 minutes in consecutive games. As we saw against the Los Angeles Lakers as he struggled through 8-for-17 shooting, that'll also help his floor entering a positive matchup with the Jazz.

Others to Consider

John Collins ($6,100) -- Portland is the league's best matchup for centers, but Utah's ugly platoon of Walker Kessler and Kelly Olynyk isn't doing any favors to DFS players on a full slate. Instead, I'll try to access it through Collins, who is Utah's small-ball five and is averaging 31.7 minutes per game. Collins is projected for 29.3 FanDuel points in 31.5 minutes by numberFire; I'd take the over on both in a game where we've got several players projecting well.

P.J. Washington ($6,000) -- Charlotte's floor condition hasn't changed, but this is right around the mark I always look to buy their stretch five. After all, Washington topped 25 FanDuel points in each of his first eight games while averaging 32.7 minutes per game overall. The matchup against the Heat isn't ideal, but I'll be looking for a stacking partner with Butler, and Washington -- coming off his first dud of the season due to foul trouble -- stood out immediately.

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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.