NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks: Remember the Sochan! (Oct. 31)

Thursday’s NBA action is battling Halloween festivities and Thursday Night Football with a four-game featured slate, tipping off at 7:00 p.m. ET on DraftKings and FanDuel. There are several options in the player pool worth analyzing to find the top NBA DFS building blocks and NBA DFS picks. Let’s dig into the NBA DFS picks and core plays like Jeremy Sochan, Ivica Zubac, James Harden and friends.

NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Thursday, Oct. 31

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NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks

Minutes, field goal attempts, success rates, rebounds and points are at all-time highs for the Baylor Bear, with assists, steals and blocks right in line with his prior efforts. Things are likely to dial back a bit when Devin Vassell is healthy, but while he is sidelined and with Tre Jones dinged up, Sochan should thrive.

Chris Paul is providing the veteran savvy and the lobs for Wembanyama, with the future Hall of Famer picking his spots when the team needs him to look for his own shot. His current salary has him in the mix tonight with the shallow player pool. This is a back-to-back for San Antonio, and while Paul played 26.2 minutes last night, we do not know how coach Gregg Popovich is going to handle these occurrences.

Fellow veteran newcomer Harrison Barnes has had two good games, one mediocre outing and a dud, but he continues to play within himself and does have some available upside at his current price point.

Last but not least, do not be scared with Wemby’s early-season performances; it is just a matter of time before he breaks a slate. For those worried about his playing time, he saw just 27 minutes in last night’s loss to the Thunder in Oklahoma City, sitting down with seven minutes left in the game.

Turning our attention to Utah, Lauri Markkanen got the bag this offseason, so he is likely to be the cornerstone of the offense for the next few seasons. Things have been a little slow for The Finnisher, but expect him to return to being a borderline All-Star sooner rather than later. Keep an eye on his status, as the 27-year-old left the last game in the third quarter with back spasms.

Jordan Clarkson continues to be the main offensive threat off the bench, with one start through four games. Collin Sexton is going to put it all together one of these nights, and his play will demand that coach Will Hardy play him for at least 30 minutes.

Kevonte George leads the team with 31.8 minutes per game, followed by Markkanen (28.5), Walker Kessler (26.5) and Clarkson (25.3).

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Zubac is off to a strong start with a career-best 18.5 points and 13.5 rebounds, which also is the best in the league. Minutes are the main factor here, as the 27-year-old is getting a career high 35.5 minutes per game. Paul George is in Philadelphia and Kawhi Leonard is a ghost, which means the Clippers are heavily relying on Zubac to provide scoring from the post. Mo Bamba is also out, so in the near term, expect Zubac to continue to get as many minutes as his fouls and stamina allow.

James Harden stands out as well, with The Beard needing to do everything for the trimmed-down Clippers roster. In the first four games off the year, Harden is averaging 19 field goal attempts, including 9.3 from beyond the arc. Each represents his largest volume since his final full season in Houston. Expect the 11.3 dimes to slide back down by a couple, but keep in mind Harden led the league in assists in 2022.

Norman Powell, Amir Coffey and Derrick Jones Jr. would not be considered on larger slates, though they are fine to sprinkle across lineups in all formats tonight.

Kevin Durant is the “best” option for Phoenix, though with Bradley Beal healthy for the moment, things are a little crowded for this top-heavy squad. Devin Booker, Jusuf Nurkic and Tyus Jones are neutral plays from a fantasy point-per-dollar perspective, but they will be needed along with the aforementioned duo as part of every gamer’s player pool.

Today’s Top Sports Betting Pick

Jalen Green is someone to consider in the DFS world, but we can also pick against in the sports wagering markets.

Tonight the under on his 23.5 points prop is worthy of our attention. By using Portfolio EV to do the heavy lifting when researching favorable bets, we can quickly spot inefficient lines like this one, and having accounts at multiple sportsbooks allows us to pivot to the best number quickly. This pits the books against each other, which shows that the DraftKings and Fanatics lines have jumped way ahead of all the other major operators.

Lines are constantly shifting and moving, so when you find a good number, pounce on it. That is the beauty and power of Portfolio EV to find the best lines at any point in the day.

Stokastic’s Advanced NBA Statistical Projections have Siakam projected for 33.9 minutes and 22.03 points. That is just below the 23.5-point threshold, and since there are no fractional points in the NBA, it is decently below the 24 points needed for this under to fail.

Green has crushed this line in three of his four games, with 28, 29 and 36 while collecting 22 points in the lone miss. He has averaged 22 field goal attempts per appearance through four games, though with the slower pace for Dallas and improved defense, that volume is likely to dip, which means the 42.1% career field goal success rate for Green is going to need to tighten up.

Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today

Get all the latest news and updates for NBA DFS picks today on the Stokastic NBA Live Before Lock Show at 5:00 p.m. ET on YouTube, breaking down all of the key elements for today’s slate.