The NBA is back with a small four-game slate on Saturday. Using Stokastic’s NBA DFS Boom/Bust tool, let’s dive into the player pool to discuss the best NBA DFS contrarian picks on DraftKings this evening, including Tyrese Haliburton and Donte DiVincenzo.
NBA DFS Contrarian Picks — Plays For Today
Contrarian Stud — Tyrese Haliburton: Boston Celtics-Indiana Pacers
Tyrese Haliburton is the top contrarian stud on DraftKings at $9,900. One of the breakout stars of the young season, Haliburton has emerged as arguably the best young guard in the NBA and is a lock to make his second straight All-Star Game. Coming into tonight’s action averaging 24.3 points, 12.8 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.7 stocks per game, Haliburton has been the key cog in leading the Pacers to a top-four seed in the east with a 20-14 record. Despite his nightly dominance, the field is struggling to prioritize Haliburton, even at his discounted $9,900 price tag.
Although he isn’t getting completely forgotten about, Haliburton is projected to be only 18.9% owned on DraftKings. In a tough spot against Boston on the second half of a back-to-back, it makes sense why the masses would be hesitant to spend up for Haliburton with a few other studs to choose from. Stokastic’s tools don’t see it this way, however, as Haliburton is projected to be optimal 24.5% of the time this slate plays out on DraftKings. While these numbers can certainly change as we get news closer to lock, make sure to watch Live Before Lock to stay updated on all relevant information.
Contrarian Mid-Tier — Donte DiVincenzo: New York Knicks-Washington Wizards
Donte DiVincenzo is DraftKings’ top contrarian mid-tier play at $5,400. Coming into tonight averaging 21 DraftKings points per game, DiVincenzo has seen his minutes and production rise recently with both Immanuel Quickley and RJ Barrett now north of the border. While he is more of a solid option than a spectacular one, DiVincenzo finds himself in a dream spot against the Wizards and, there’s a lot to like about him in tournaments at a very fair price point.
As of this writing, DiVincenzo is projected to be optimal 19.5% of the time this slate plays out. Compare that to his 12.3% projected ownership and it makes complete sense why DiVincenzo currently grades out as the top leverage play on the entire slate. It’s always nice to roster players against the Wizards at low ownership, and DiVincenzo stands out as as an elite differentiator in both large-field and small-field GPPs.
Contrarian Value — Nicolas Batum: Utah Jazz-Philadelphia 76ers
As DraftKings continues to price up players across the board, we’ve had to dumpster dive a bit for contrarian value. Such is life tonight, with veteran Nicolas Batum standing out as the top contrarian value play on DraftKings at $4,300. Rostering Batum is never exciting, but he’s playing decent minutes right now, and he should have a nice role tonight with Tobias Harris out with a left ankle injury.
Although it’s extremely unlikely that Batum puts up a score that’s needed to win tournaments, Stokastic’s tools project him to be optimal 9.7% of the time tonight on DraftKings. With only 3.9% of the field projected to roster him, it’s obvious why Batum sits behind only DiVincenzo as the second-highest graded leverage play on the slate. Batum will stand out even more if Robert Covington is out, but either way, he is a solid filler play at only $4,300.
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