Saturday has a three-game NBA slate with a 7:30 p.m. ET tipoff 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 Jalen Johnson, James Harden and some Hawks value.
After nailing your DFS picks, it’s time to step up with top-tier expert picks! Explore Tails By OddsShopper for sharp betting insights straight from industry pros.
NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Saturday, Nov. 9
NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks
Jalen Johnson: Hawks vs. Bulls
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 44.96 | FanDuel: 44.01
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 53.5% | FanDuel: 56.7%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $8,400 | FanDuel: $8,800
This is a back-to-back for Atlanta, as well as being the fifth game in the last seven days. Fortunately the Hawks do not expend a lot of effort on defense, otherwise they might be tuckered out. Last night the team clawed back from a 40-23 first quarter in Detroit, ultimately to lose the game 122-121 when Cade Cunningham sealed the deal with eight seconds to go.
Jalen Johnson played 37 minutes, with Trae Young (41) and Dyson Daniels (38) getting even more. The team is running thin with Bogdan Bogdanovic going down in the opener and De’Andre Hunter being lost in the second game of the season. Vit Krejci lasted four games and Kobe Buffkin is still recovering from an injury sustained last year. Plus Onyeka Okongwu has been sitting out on back-to-backs, so after playing Friday, it seems like he will be off tonight.
Johnson was selected with the 20th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft and while this is his fourth season in the league, he doesn’t turn 23 until next month. The former Duke Blue Devil had a solid season last year, when healthy and he has made additional strides already this year. His scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks are all above last year and there should be more improvement on his 44.4% success rate from the field, since he is a 49.8% career shooter. Four of his last seven games have seen him top 50 fantasy points and while he may be a little lead-legged, he looks like the most popular fantasy option on Saturday’s short-slate.
Dyson Daniels got out of New Orleans, where there was a log jam in the backcourt. He has been playing both guard positions as well as getting some run at small forward this season, which has enabled the 21-year-old to average 31.6 minutes per game. The eighth overall selection in the 2022 NBA Draft is also leading the league with three steals per game, while contributing across the box score.
Larry Nance Jr. has played in only five games this season, but in the two where Okongwu sat, he averaged 24 minutes and nearly 28 fantasy points. He has not played on back-to-backs, and the 31-yeaer-old has a long injury history. However, with Hunter out, he likely will play tonight, before going back into mothballs next week. There is some risk with this play, so be sure to tune into Stokastic NBA Live Before Lock Show at 6:30 p.m. ET for additional analysis.
David Roddy is another depth piece who has been pushed into action and he is a possible punt, if Okongwu is ruled out. Clint Capela seems locked into 20-to-22 minutes and it is worth noting that when Okongwu was out, he played 24 and 20.5 minutes, with his role hardly changing. He has yet to crack 31 fantasy points this season and can be left for others to play with little upside.
Garrison Mathews and Zaccharie Risacher are fine to sprinkle across lineups and to be clear, Young is a strong play as well, with Chicago having a bottom-10 defense.
Chicago will be the key to the slate, with Zach LaVine news pending. Soon the former high-flyer will cross over into his 30s and with all his injuries, he has played more than 63 games only twice since the 2015-2016 season. When healthy he can pop off for a solid fantasy performance at any time, but the consistency and ceiling are lacking. If he is out, then it continues to leave offensive opportunities available for the rest of the Bulls, though their salaries have normalized with LaVine missing the last three games.
Want our DFS Sims for FREE? Sign up with one of our partners and unlock the best DFS tools! Here’s how:
- Pick a partner and register through our sign-up offer.
- Make a deposit and place a bet or build a pick’em entry.
- Screenshot your welcome email and your first settled play.
- Email the screenshots to [email protected] and let us know which Sims sport you want.
That’s it — you’ll get a free month of Core DFS!
James Harden: Clippers vs. Raptors
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 51.99 | FanDuel: 49.78
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 49.4% | FanDuel: 37.1%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $9,500 | FanDuel: $9,600
James Harden continues to chug along, getting the opportunity to dominate the ball and play his isolation game with Paul George now in Philadelphia and Kawhi Leonard dealing with chronic injuries. The Beard is second on the team with 20.9 points per game and he is averaging 7.7 rebounds and 9.2 assists, with 2.9 combined blocks and steals. He still is not a lot of fun to watch, but the fantasy production is there.
Norman Powell is leading the team with 25.7 points per game and while he is not going to continue making nearly half of his 8.6 3-point attempts per game, do not dismiss this increased production. This is his age-31 season and while his best days are behind him, he has finished fourth in the Sixth Man of the Year voting each of the last two seasons. The volume left behind by George and Leonard has to go somewhere, and Powell is making the most of his opportunities.
Ivica Zubac continues chugging along and he should be able to find success against Jakob Poeltl. Poeltl is also an option, since the Clippers play Zubac a lot and it gives the Toronto pivot a more traditional matchup.
RJ Barrett has helped fill the chasm left behind with Scottie Barnes being injured and the former Dukie is finally not playing like dookie. Currently he is averaging 25.7 points, seven rebounds and one steal, which represent personal-highs for the six-year veteran. He stands out more on FanDuel ($8,200) than DraftKings ($8,800), though on the short-slate he can be played on any site.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Pick
While he is not really a sexy DFS play, we can ride with Clint Capela in the sports wagering world tonght
Tonight the over on Capela’s 7.5 rebounds 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 Caesars, BetMGM and ESPN Bet have posted a -115 line that is above the rest of the major operators. Odds 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 odds at any point in the day.
Stokastic’s Advanced NBA Statistical Projections have Capela projected for 23.7 minutes and 7.82 rebounds. That is a tick below eight needed for this over to be successful, but with a 54% win rate, this is still a wager that works out to a 3.2% expected ROI. Capela has more than eight rebounds in just three of his 10 games, but he did reach seven in two others. Last night he had a season high 12 in just 18.7 minutes of action and he he has held his own against Vucevic in the past.
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 6:30 p.m. ET on YouTube, breaking down all of the key elements for today’s slate.
