Wednesday has a robust slate with the major tournaments locking 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 Nikola Jokic, Russell Westbrook, Jayson Tatum, and potential discount dandies Neemias Queta and Peyton Watson.
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NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Wednesday, Nov. 6
The NBA Lineup Generator is an intuitive and effective tool designed to simplify your DFS lineup creation process. Just select your DFS platform and slate, set your desired ownership level (chalky, contrarian, balanced, or all) and lock in any specific players. Once you’ve configured your preferences, the Lineup Generator will generate high-ROI lineups and offer insights to help guide your decisions.
Check out the screenshot for an example of a relatively chalky lineup we created for today’s DraftKings main slate — here we locked in Russell Westbrook — and read our NBA Lineup Generator guide for more details!
NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks
Nikola Jokic: Nuggets vs. Thunder
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 63.89 | FanDuel: 61.29
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 30.1% | FanDuel: 7.3%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $11,700 | FanDuel: $12,000
Jamal Murray (concussion) is missing a third consecutive game, and Aaron Gordon will join him on the sidelines with a calf strain. Murray is expected back this week, though Gordon will probably miss a month.
Denver has won two straight to get back to .500, but the Nuggets are 7.5-point home dogs to the undefeated Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC has the best defensive efficiency rating in the league, allowing 90.8 points per 100 possessions. Nikola Jokic is matchup-proof as the reigning and three-time NBA MVP. He is going to need to do everything in the paint while also facilitating the offense, making him a clear threat for a triple-double. The FanDuel salary, along with other options at center, has him projecting for single-digit popularity, which, of course, is having the savvy gamers eyeing him as a core tournament target.
Russell Westbrook has moved into the starting lineup, and while he is wildly inefficient, volume is his superpower. Plus he still has a palatable salary on the main DFS sites. In his two starts, he is averaging 32.7 minutes, 10.5 field goal attempts, 13.0 points, 4.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 3.5 combined blocks and steals. It will not be pretty, but 30 fantasy points is a relatively assured baseline, with a chance for a trip to the 40-fantasy point plateau if his shot is falling.
Peyton Watson is the punt du jour on DraftKings ($3,400) and FanDuel ($3,700) assuming he draws the start for Gordon. He entered the game at the four-minute mark in the first quarter on Monday when Gordon was injured and ended up logging 30.6 minutes, 16 points, three rebounds, an assist, two blocks and two steals. He also led the team with a +9 point differential and looks on the verge of putting everything together. This is going to be an interesting tryout for the 30th overall selection in the 2022 NBA Draft.
Michael Porter Jr. is right around double-digit popularity on both DraftKings and FanDuel, with Christian Braun right next to him on the blue site. It is harder to be excited about the Thunder players on the other side since they have appropriate salaries. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is always in the mix for tournaments, and Jalen Williams comes into prominence for the evening sub-slate.
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Neemias Queta: Celtics vs. Warriors
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 23.35 | FanDuel: 23.56
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 41.2% | FanDuel: 23.4%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $3,200 | FanDuel: $3,800
In an interesting twist, it was Neemias Queta who got the spot start on Monday, where conventional thought had projected Luke Kornet or Sam Hauser to be the main beneficiary of minutes in the absence of Jaylen Brown. Yes, everyone plays “different” positions, but Boston has one of the most malleable rosters in the league.
Queta played the first 4:40 then was replaced by Xavier Tillman (3:17), who gave way to Kornet (6:22). Kornet started the second quarter but ceded his spot to Queta, who played the rest of the half (9:37) and then most of the third quarter (8:52), while Kornet and Tillman split the fourth quarter mop-up duty. If Queta starts again, it does seem like he should have a path to 20 to 24 minutes, pending foul trouble.
Jayson Tatum will be the engine of the Celtics offense in a matchup against his summer league Olympic team coach Steve Kerr. If you remember back a few months, Kerr benched Tatum as he was juggling a crowded rotation. It will be fun to see if that was perceived as a bit of a slight or if it was really no big deal since it was future Hall of Famers and all-timers who were on the court ahead of him.
This is a good matchup for Tatum, as the Warriors do not have anyone capable of slowing him down. Golden State has been solid overall, allowing only 104.3 points per game, which is the second fewest in the league.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Pick
Harrison Barnes has already proven his usefulness with his new team, and the Spurs will be counting on him tonight since Jeremy Sochan is likely to miss the next two months with a thumb injury and Devin Vassell (foot) is not quite ready to make his season debut.
Tonight the under on Barnes’ 12.5 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 BetMGM has posted a -110 line that is well below 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 Barnes projected for 31.8 minutes and 12.16 points. That is a tick below the line and, of course, below the 13 points needed for this under to lose.
In his five most recent games, Barnes tallied 4, 14, 8, 18, and 2 points and only twice did he take more than six field goal attempts. He is a do-everything wing at this point in his career, and scoring has never really been his calling card. This will be the third time already this season that San Antonio has played Houston, and Barnes totaled 13 points on nine field goal attempts in these games.
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.
