NBA DFS Picks: Sunday 11/3/24

If you're looking to have some fun this basketball season, NBA DFS on FanDuel has you covered.

With NBA DFS, you can put your hoops knowledge to the test and ride with players you think will go off in a given night.

To help you along the way, we've got a bunch of tools here at FanDuel Research. Specifically, our NBA DFS projections, powered by numberFire, update throughout the day to reflect current news.

On top of all that, here at FanDuel Research, we'll come at you each day with this NBA DFS primer, which breaks down some of the day's top plays at each position.

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

Betting lines via the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. Projections and betting odds may change after this article is published. All injury news comes from the official NBA injury report unless otherwise noted.

NBA DFS Picks for Today

Guards

Top Priorities

Trae Young ($9,800)

This two-game main slate has a clear top game to target in the form of a 230.0-point total between the Atlanta Hawks and New Orleans Pelicans, and there isn't much mystery who Atlanta's leading scorer will be.

Trae Young has done that in five of six games this season behind a team-best 31.7% usage rate. Also averaging 10.8 assists per 36 minutes, the guard has become a lethal double-double threat while Dejounte Murray (broken hand) recovers.

Our NBA DFS projections expect 48.0 FanDuel points (FDP) from Young tonight. In the better environment, he's the clear place to spend salary at guard compared to guessing which Dallas Mavericks star might emerge against a stingy Orlando Magic defense.

Jose Alvarado ($6,100)

The major salary bump for Jose Alvarado has shifted him from a no-brainer to just desirable.

Alvarado has always been a high-impact player in terms of FDP per minute, and he's delivered with at least 35 FDP and 32 minutes played in each of New Orleans' first two contests without C.J. McCollum (adductor) and Herbert Jones (hand).

Atlanta allows the fourth-most FDP per game to point guards, so this matchup checks out for Grand Theft Alvarado to keep it rolling. He's our projections' top play per dollar of salary at either guard spot today.

Others to Consider

Brandon Boston ($3,900)

Jordan Hawkins ($5,600) has played at least 36 minutes in the Pels' backcourt in each of the last two contests, but he's popped up as questionable with a back injury for tonight. If he can't go, Brandon Boston Jr. could continue to make an impact -- perhaps even as a starter. He dropped 14 real-life points in 22 minutes on Friday.

Wings

Top Priorities

Franz Wagner ($7,500)

Life without Paolo Banchero for the Magic likely will mean plenty of Franz Wagner in crucial spots.

Wagner's 28.1% usage rate is already higher than 2023-24's (26.0%), but it increases 0.6 percentage points with Banchero off the floor the season. He's also shown the ability to contribute without scoring, per 9.1 assists and 6.3 rebounds per 36 minutes with Paolo out of the lineup.

The forward battled 42.9% shooting in the Magic's first game without Banchero on Friday, opening the door for 28 points from Jalen Suggs. I would favor Wagner to lead the team in scoring behind his superior usage rate on most nights.

Zaccharie Risacher ($4,800)

The Hawks' wings are a bit of a nightmare to forecast on a game-by-game basis, but Zaccharie Risacher should have a leg up in the current rotation.

Risacher had a typical down game for a new player on Friday. He was benched after 19 minutes when it became clear his 1-for-9 shooting struggles weren't going to reverse course, but that came on the heels of three consecutive games of starting with at least 20 FDP and 25 minutes.

Assuming no changes to the lineup, expect a quicker start against this ragtag Pels group. New Orleans allows the fourth-most threes made per game to small forwards (3.7), which is where the Frenchman has shown to contribute with 4.5 attempts per game.

Others to Consider

Brandon Ingram ($8,000)

Our projections could be sleeping on Brandon Ingram today. Ingram posted a season-high seven assists in New Orleans' last game without McCollum, and I'd anticipate his playmaking duties to increase with this group on the floor. Atlanta is also a bottom-two team at limiting points and threes to small forwards, so B.I. could drop plenty of buckets in this one, too.

Bigs

Top Priorities

Zion Williamson ($9,000)

Zion Williamson's scoring role is a whopper right now.

With McCollum and Murray off the floor, Williamson has a 35.1% usage rate this season. He used it to drop 34 points and 10 assists on Friday. Not many teams are comfortable funneling this much offense through their big man, but NOLA seems to have no issue.

Williamson and Young are a relatively affordable mini-stack on Sunday's better environment. I'll take the over on our projections' 42.3-point FDP projection for him.

Moritz Wagner ($5,200)

Orlando has Wendell Carter Jr. (knee) listed questionable to missed a second consecutive contest, which could mean Moritz Wagner is left relatively unopposed in the Magic's center spot. Goga Bitadze (foot) also hasn't played in four games.

Wagner averaged 39.3 FDP per 36 minutes in bench action last year, but he underwhelmed with just 24.0 FDP in 27 minutes on Friday. The Magic's injury news isn't also fresh, which adds to the argument than Franz's brother might go under the radar.

Our projections still have Carter Jr. in the fold, but if he's ruled out, expect the big man -- eligible at both forward and center -- to leap to the top of the value list.

Others to Consider

Yves Missi ($4,200)

New Orleans is down plenty of reinforcements, but one could argue Yves Missi is just undersalaried. He's topped 19 FDP in five of his six games but has just been capped to a maximum of 26 minutes thus far. Could that expand when projected to start against Atlanta's tandem of Clint Capela and Onyeka Okongwu? This is a low salary -- with an excellent floor -- to find out.

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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.