Happy Thursday! It’s been a wild week in the NBA world, with a full 15-game slate on Monday and a 13-game slate on Wednesday. For the most part, the league will be catching its breath this evening — just four teams are on the NBA DFS slate that’s scheduled to tip off between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. ET. That gives us even more time to pay attention to the games and makes playing in a DraftKings contest even more fun!
Today we will assemble a DraftKings NBA Classic squad from the player pool of the eight teams playing on Thursday night. It’s simple: draft eight players with assigned salaries — one for each position, one guard flex, one forward flex, and one utility — and keep the team under the $50,000 salary cap.
DFS provides us with some money-making opportunities without having to worry about moneylines, point spreads, or over/unders. All we care about is the players we draft to our squad putting up numbers!
Let’s get right into our Thursday night DraftKings NBA lineup and briefly discuss each of our picks.
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Today’s Best NBA DFS Lineup: DraftKings strategy, sleepers for Monday
PG: Terry Rozier, Hornets at Heat ($8,600)
Scary Terry has been loving life without the rehabbing LaMelo Ball (ankle) on the floor to start the season. The veteran guard is averaging over 40 fantasy points on the season and 42.5 on the road. He’s putting up 24 points, six rebounds, six assists, and one block in away games, and faces a Heat squad tonight that will struggle to keep up with his tenacity. The elder Kyle Lowry and the offensive-minded Tyler Herro stand no chance of slowing Rozier down.
Undrafted from St Louis University, Jordan Goodwin looked great against MEM, and then went for 17 pts, 7-7 FG, 5 ast, 4 rbs, & 2 blk in 21 min last night
Smooth floats, in-control/creative playmaking, & shot creation. Seizing his opportunity on a guard-lite Wiz—love to see it!! pic.twitter.com/I4n7rc6T40
— NBA University (@NBA_University) November 8, 2022
SG: Jordan Goodwin, Wizards vs. Mavericks ($4,700)
Sleeper alert! The rookie Goodwin has been crushing it with Bradley Beal in COVID protocols and Delon Wright battling a hamstring injury. Goodwin has tremendous confidence and instincts that make him look wise beyond his years. He has put up 33-plus fantasy points in each of Washington’s past two games, and now faces a Mavericks squad not particularly known for its backcourt defense.
Josh Hart this season:
— 9.1 PPG | 8.6 RPG | 5.0 APG
— Leading guards in RPG
— Game winnerCareer highs in RPG and APG. pic.twitter.com/bnXJeQrISM
— StatMuse (@statmuse) November 9, 2022
SF: Josh Hart, Blazers at Pelicans ($6,500)
Hart is one of the more underrated all-around wings in the NBA, and his Blazers teammates have embraced his strengths like no other team in his career. As a strong shooter, rebounder, passer, and perimeter defender, he has basically established a fantasy floor in the mid-20s. For $6,500, you can’t do better than Hart tonight.
PF: Tobias Harris, 76ers at Hawks ($7,100)
Sure, this might be shaping up to be one of the more boring DraftKings lineups ever. But, guess what? Boring lineups are often the ones that win you money. Like Hart, Harris has been a steady contributor in multiple categories this season. He’s shooting 59 percent over Philly’s past five games and averaging 44.6 fantasy points over the past two. And with James Harden out for multiple weeks, his usage should remain relatively high for the foreseeable future. Atlanta has allowed the 11th-most fantasy points to forwards this season, so don’t hesitate firing up Toby for this NBA TV matchup.
C: Bam Adebayo, Heat vs. Hornets ($7,900)
We finally grab a more expensive player! Adebayo has been quiet to start the season, but this could be the kind of game that gets the All-Star big man moving in the right direction. Charlotte’s Achilles heel continues to be the center position, with Mason Plumlee and Nick Richards currently plugging the lane until rookie Mark Williams is ready for primetime. Until then, expect the Hornets to continue to allow the most fantasy points in the NBA to centers. Go eat, Bam!
🆙 Dennis Smith Jr. climbs the ladder for the putback.
The @hornets lead in Q3 on the NBA App
📲 https://t.co/1pomR04bRi pic.twitter.com/Ez3Rlkd62l— NBA (@NBA) November 10, 2022
G: Dennis Smith Jr., Hornets at Heat ($6,100)
We’re basically monopolizing the Hornets’ backcourt, and why not? Rozier and DSJ have both been killing it without LaMelo Ball, and the Heat guards do not inspire us in the least defensively. Smith hoisted up 10-12 shots in each of Charlotte’s past two games, and he scored 29-plus fantasy points in both even though he went 1-11 against Washington. Smith Jr. is a dream in points formats and an occasional nine-cat nightmare — so in a points-based DFS contest, grab him and enjoy the ride!
F: Georges Niang, 76ers at Hawks ($4,300)
Niang is a great bargain-bin DFS buy, as he can shoot and rebound moderately well in plus-matchups. And considering Atlanta allows the fourth-most fantasy points to stretch-fours this season, we’re considering this a plus-matchup. Niang hit seven three-pointers for a season-high 21 points against Phoenix his last time out, so ride the hot hand in a game that sportsbooks project to reach 222.5 points.
Util: Herbert Jones, Pelicans vs. Blazers ($4,800)
Herb for under $5,000!? DraftKings is sleeping. Sure, he battled some injuries early this season, and then started a bit slow. But he’s cooking now, averaging over 32 fantasy points across the Pelicans’ past three games. Jones is an efficient shooter, he’s fantastic from the free-throw line, and he has a baseline in the low-to-mid teens in points. He also swipes steals as well as anyone in the game and can rebound and dish the rock. We couldn’t think of a better utility guy at $4,800 to round out our solid, unexciting (but high-upside) lineup.
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