NBA - October 28th Starting Five
The time has come. The NBA is BACK! We have a very long season ahead of us with plenty of storylines and rookies to follow. Will any of the freshman make an impact this year given the narrative behind this draft? Will the Celtics steam roll again? I can’t wait to find out.
There are six key things I look for in a player to have the highest probability of being optimal!
Price
Ownership
Optimal Rate/Leverage Score
Opponent Pace and Defensive Efficiency
Minutes
Usage
These six statistics paired together are the best suitors to find a gem. Almost everyone I mention below hits on atleast 2 of these if not all of them! Hopefully this will help you be more successful while building lineups and give you a higher chance of winning the big bucks!
I would also like to note that I write these articles early in the day. It is always beneficial to check @Underdog__NBA for lineup changes. Those changes could have a direct effect on some of my "favorite plays" in the sense that if a cheap guy that was one of my favorites doesn't start, then they might no longer be a favorite play or even a play at all. Check out my Twitter @HeatingUpDFS or join the Discord for any updates on favorite play changes!
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PG: Luka Doncic ($11,300)
I know he might be pricey, but I really think you have to find the salary to get to him tonight. This matchup is picture perfect against a Utah team that is 3rd in pace so far this season and on the other end of the spectrum have the 3rd worst defensive efficiency. With Dallas boasting a massive 122.5 point implied team total, you will want to get a piece of this team and the easiest way to do so is with Luka. Kyrie seems to be having a slow start with Klay taking a lot of his offensive usage away and his price hasn’t adjusted for it yet. Luka on the other hand remains the clear 1st option in this offense and will pick up peripherals as well to get him to an elite DK score.
Honorable Mentions:
Trae Young ($9,800)
Coby White ($7,200)
Jamal Murray ($7,100)
Keyonte George ($5,800)
Scotty Pippen Jr. ($5,200)** Even if Morant is IN or OUT
SG: Bilal Coulibaly ($4,900)
He has been a really bright spot for the Wizards so far this season with 25+ DK points in each of the first 3 games and has seen his minutes increase in each game all the way up to 35 minutes last game. His price did finally take a jump, but there is room for him to have just an average night and still hit value. He got a whopping 16 shot attempts last game which is the 2nd highest amount for his career so far. That is really promising and going forward if he will continue to get that type of shooting usage then his price won’t stay in the $4,000 or even $5,000 range for long. This matchup against Atlanta might be a slower one, but they are thing across the board and have a below average defense. He is a great value option that hopefully can continue his strong run of form.
Honorable Mentions:
Desmond Bane ($7,600)
Tyler Herro ($7,000)
Miles McBride ($4,300)
Stephon Castle ($4,000)
SF: Zach Lavine ($7,400)
Oddly enough, the Bulls are actually 1st in pace this season and they get to face the team that is 2nd in pace in the Grizzlies. Lavine has had a really solid start to the year with 37+ DK points in each of the first 3 games and is coming off of a season high 42 DK points where he also had 7 turnovers. I think there is plenty of room for him to have that ceiling game tonight with Vuc having to deal with the twin towers down low (Edey and JJJ). The icing on the cake for me is that he has 40+ DK points against Memphis in 8 of the last 9 meetings against them. Some guys just show up in certain spots and Lavine is primed and ready to do so tonight.
Honorable Mentions:
Jayson Tatum ($9,700)
Michael Porter Jr. ($5,800)
Ochai Agbaji ($4,800)
Christian Braun ($4,700)
Zaccharie Risacher ($4,200)** If Hunter and Bogdanovic are both OUT
PF: Jeremy Sochan ($5,600)
I just KNOW that the rug is going to get pulled tonight on us, but I am going right back down the well on Sochan. 27 and 40 DK points in the two games this season with 37 minutes last game is tough to look past, especially considering his preseason was great as well. He is finally finding himself with the Spurs this year and they need his strong run of form to continue if they stand a chance at winning games this year. This team just doesn’t have much going for them outside of Wemby, so again they need him to play a big part of this offense. There are some strong spend up PF options, but if you want to fit in Luka you will need some decent mid range value. I think Sochan provides you that and some tonight.
Honorable Mentions:
Paolo Banchero ($8,800)
Jalen Johnson ($7,800)
Tobias Harris ($6,100)
Josh Hart ($6,100)
Nikola Jovic ($4,400)
C: Walker Kessler ($5,500)
I am going to give this another try. He really let me down last game in an absolute blowout. In the one game that was close, he scored 40 DK points in 30 minutes of action. I just can’t see them getting blown out by 40 points again so he should get his normal run and be a big factor. They play Dallas who has some young Cs as well and he has the block upside to really break a slate. The price is cheap and he is easy to slot in so hopefully we can get a bounce back game from Kessler and help us win some money.
Honorable Mentions:
Nikola Jokic ($11,100)
Karl-Anthony Towns ($8,400)
Myles Turner ($6,600)
Wendell Carter Jr. ($5,500)
Dereck Lively ($5,100)
