FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks and Helper: Thursday 11/9/23

Since NBA DFS is easier to predict than baseball or football, it would likely get plenty of votes as the best sport to play on FanDuel. Basketball players usually stick to the same minutes and produce at roughly the same rate. Sounds easy, right? Trust me -- it's not!

As a result, NBA daily fantasy is highly reliant on a player's opportunity, so you'll need to ensure that you're up to date with key injuries. numberFire's projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news. numberFire also has player news updates, and the FanDuel Scout app will send push notifications for pressing updates regarding your players.

In addition to daily projections, numberFire also offers a matchup heat map and a lineup optimizer to help give you an edge.

Here at FanDuel Research, we'll also come at you each day with this NBA DFS primer, which breaks down a few of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's dive into today's main slate on FanDuel.

NBA DFS Picks

Guards

Top Plays

Damian Lillard ($8,600) -- The Milwaukee Bucks' hierarchy is going to be frustrating a majority of the year, but Damian Lillard's floor is rock solid at this mark for a two. He's topped 40 FanDuel points in four of Milwaukee's five competitive, down-to-the-wire contests with the Bucks' second-best usage rate (28.9%) by a good margin.

Anthony Black ($4,600) -- A marquee injury spot on this short slate is the Orlando Magic's backcourt. If Markelle Fultz (knee) is able to return from a four-game absence, salaries here are pretty inflated and undesirable across the board. I'd be open to Cole Anthony ($6,300) or Jalen Suggs ($5,800) should he remained sidelined, but the real steal as a punt-level value plug is Anthony Black. The 2023 lotto pick has logged 30-plus minutes in back-to-back contests but has yet to pop within them.

Others to Consider

Tyrese Haliburton ($10,000) -- The Indiana Pacers are in the ideal game to stack with a 243.0-point total and tight spread, according to the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. Tyrese Haliburton is the one piece on the Pacers who doesn't fight any role concerns, and blowouts have masked his tremendous rate of 53.6 FanDuel points per 36 minutes so far.

Trae Young ($9,000) -- Trae Young still comfortably leads the Atlanta Hawks in usage rate this season (29.8%), but he's struggled to a 50.5 true-shooting percentage (TS%) to this point in the season. This salary is low enough to forecast a nice ceiling if the shots fall, and his floor concerns are a bit lessened on a two-game slate with minimal value.

Wings

Top Plays

Franz Wagner ($7,200) -- I know the Magic drafted Paolo Banchero to be the face of the franchise, but Franz Wagner has taken the lead role by a smidge (25.6% usage) to begin the year. He's posted 36.9 FanDuel points per 36 minutes with the extra shot volume. The mid-range is the place to be on this short slate, and Wagner's topped 35 FanDuel points in four of Orlando's six competitive games this season.

De'Andre Hunter ($5,100) -- Atlanta's entire offensive hierarchy has undergone a makeover thanks to Jalen Johnson's breakout, but De'Andre Hunter (31.7 minutes per game this month) is still on the floor often for his defense. He's not the most exciting play, but there won't be a lower-salaried player on the slate projected to top 30 minutes if Fultz plays for Orlando tonight.

Others to Consider

Jalen Johnson ($6,400) -- Johnson has dipped below 30 minutes in four of seven games this year, so I still don't comfortably trust he'll play ahead of Saddiq Bey ($5,100) tonight. I also don't love to buy high on double-digit boards in three straight with Atlanta's prolific duo of centers underperforming in that area. He'll be popular as a talent if nothing else, but there are red flags.

Bruce Brown ($5,000) -- Rick Carlisle's rotations can be the wild, wild west, but I've got more confidence that Bruce Brown Jr. tops 30 minutes tonight of any Pacer not named Haliburton or Myles Turner. He's only failed to do so in games decided by at least 23 points. Per numberFire, he's projected for 28.3 FanDuel points in the better game of the two on the slate.

Bigs

Top Plays

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($10,600) -- Maybe I'm falling for the sticker surprise here. Giannis Antetokounmpo has underwhelmed at just 50.8 FanDuel points per 36 thus far, and this could be the exact matchup to unlock his godly ceiling once more. Indiana is allowing the second-most FanDuel points per game to power forwards (50.6), and I can't help but anecdotally remember the guy who regularly topped 60 FanDuel points last season even with other scorers contributing as much as Lillard.

Moritz Wagner ($5,400) -- I'm pretty shocked that the Magic have turned to Goga Bitadze ($5,000) as the starting center instead of freeing Moritz Wagner, who averaged 39.1 FanDuel points per 36 minutes before Wendell Carter Jr.'s hand injury. Wagner has still topped 26 FanDuel points in limited minutes in both games without Carter; the results could be explosive if he's given the pivot spot down the stretch.

Others to Consider

Brook Lopez ($5,500) -- At the very least, Brook Lopez has shown a ceiling to put up monstrous scoring efforts in games with Giannis over the past two seasons, so it's hard to write off a guy in the $5,000 area who has that upside on a two-game slate. Even at a median, he's averaged a suitable 33.5 FanDuel points per minute in a 25-minute role as is even if Lopez's usage rate (17.2%) is well behind last year's.

Obi Toppin ($4,400) -- If Fultz returns, the sub-$5,000 area is a ghost town, and that's where you can get a little creative. In a phenomenal fantasy environment, Obi Toppin hasn't latched onto a desirable role as the starting four man yet for Indiana, but if he explodes with a 15-point first quarter, things could quickly change. Those types of small risks in single-entry tournaments are usually what separates the winners of them.

Interested in playing NBA daily fantasy? FanDuel has plenty of contest options to make every moment more. Be sure to check out the NBA betting options, as well.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.