FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks and Helper: Wednesday 11/8/23

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

Tyrese Haliburton ($10,000) -- There are seven games today with an over/under of at least 227.0 points, so there are plenty of juicy fantasy environments on this slate. One of the standout matchups is the Indiana Pacers hosting the Utah Jazz in a game with a 6.5-point spread and slate-high 244.0-point total. Both teams are in the bottom five in defensive rating and in the top 10 in pace. Hello, Tyrese Haliburton. The Pacers' star guard can go off in this one. He was on his way to a huge outing last time out but was derailed by a blowout. If he gets his full minutes, Haliburton should do work.

LaMelo Ball ($8,800) -- The other elite game for DFS is the Charlotte Hornets against the Washington Wizards, a game with a 241.0-point total and 3.0-point spread. Giddy up. LaMelo Ball is projecting really well -- 47.9 FanDuel points (5.45 per $1,000), according to numberFire -- against a Wizards defense that's permitting the second-most FanDuel points per night to point guards (54.7). It doesn't hurt that Terry Rozier is out. In a small sample of 89 minutes without Rozier this year, Ball is producing 54.7 FanDuel points per 36 minutes, according to RotoGrinders' CourtIQ. It should be all systems go for Ball.

Malcolm Brogdon ($7,900) -- Malcolm Brogdon has been red-hot for the short-handed Portland Trail Blazers, amassing 44.9 and 52.4 FanDuel points over his past two games while playing 39 and 44 minutes (one OT game). Portland is expected to be sans Scoot Henderson and Anfernee Simons once again, giving Brogdon the spotlight in a sweet matchup versus a Sacramento Kings team that is just 22nd in defensive rating.

Others to Consider

Luka Doncic ($12,300) -- With so many other guards projecting well, Luka Doncic could go overlooked at his sky-high salary. While Luka has slowed some after an insane start to the campaign, he's still averaging 56.1 FanDuel points per game, and we know what kind of upside he brings to the table. If draft percentage projections around the industry have Doncic slipping through the cracks, I'll be very interested.

Jordan Hawkins ($4,300) -- Jordan Hawkins blew up for 45.9 FanDuel points on Monday, thriving in the first game of what is expected to be a somewhat lengthy absence for C.J. McCollum. That should put a lot of people on Hawkins today, and numberFire projects him to put up 25.5 FanDuel points (5.92 per $1,000) against the Minnesota Timberwolves. If you're looking for a reason to fade the Hawkins chalk, he will likely be pretty dependent on real-life scoring -- something that can come and go for a player who isn't his team's first or second option -- for his DFS production, and Minny is currently first in defensive rating.

Wings

Top Plays

LeBron James ($9,800) -- Anthony Davis exited early last game, and while AD said he'll play tonight, color me skeptical. However, even if Davis suits up, LeBron James is still a quality pick against the Houston Rockets. LeBron has pretty much been the same LeBron, playing at least 35 minutes in five of the last six games. He's averaging 48.0 FanDuel points per game for the year, and although this game has the night's lowest over/under, I'm intrigued by LeBron, especially if AD sits.

Lauri Markkanen ($8,100) -- There are a few wings in this salary range who catch my eye, including Brandon Ingram ($8,300) and Jimmy Butler ($8,400). But the dreamy game environment for Jazz-Pacers pushes me to Lauri Markkanen. Indiana has been a sublime fantasy matchup this year as the Pacers sit 26th in defensive rating and play at the second-fasted pace. The Pacers are surrendering the second-most FanDuel points per night to power forwards (52.1) and the fourth-most to small forwards (45.6).

Gordon Hayward ($6,900) -- Gordon Hayward is a modest-salaried way to get a piece of the Hornets-Wiz game, a matchup between two teams in the top five in pace. Hayward has seen a usage-rate bump of 5.3 percentage points in the small sample with Rozier off the floor this year. The Wizards are giving up the most FanDuel points per game to small forwards (49.1). Hayward has posted between 37.9 and 41.8 FanDuel points in four of his six games this season. That works at this salary, although you can argue the ceiling might not be high enough.

Others to Consider

Kyle Kuzma ($7,600) -- In what should be a fast-paced affair against Charlotte, Kyle Kuzma can excel, and he -- same for Jordan Poole ($6,700) -- makes a lot of sense as a way to game stack this contest. Kuzma's usage rate is at a career-best 31.5%, and his assist rate of 18.5% is another career-high clip. Charlotte is fourth-worst in defensive rating. This game sets up really well for Kuzma.

Harrison Barnes ($4,900) -- Harrison Barnes has projected well quite often this year only to underwhelm in most instances. His meh outputs have kept his salary low, and he's usually a safe bet for good minutes -- at least 30 in five of six games -- which makes him an appealing value play. As long as Barnes keeps seeing good run, he's bound to pop at some point, and numberFire projects him for 25.8 FanDuel points (5.27 per $1,000) on Wednesday.

Bigs

Top Plays

Nikola Jokic ($12,100) -- Nikola Jokic is ridiculous. He's ripped off outbursts of 65.3, 68.7 and 73.8 FanDuel points over his past three. The last two have come without Jamal Murray, who is on the shelf again today. Without Murray on the court this year, Jokic is averaging a laughable 66.4 FanDuel points per 36 minutes. Among the high-salary studs, Jokic is the one I'll prioritize. In what should be a competitive clash with the Golden State Warriors (227.5-point total and 3.5-point spread), numberFire has Jokic going for 61.2 FanDuel points (5.05 per $1,000).

Domantas Sabonis ($9,700) -- Domantas Sabonis looks like one of the night's best plays. The Blazers are getting smashed by opposing centers, giving up the second-most FanDuel points per night to the position (60.2). Sabonis hasn't been that great this year -- only two games with more than 47.0 FanDuel points -- but things look OK under the hood. His 21.3% usage rate is the same as his usage rate from a year ago, and his 21.8% rebound rate is actually up 1.5 percentage points from his 2022-23 mark. Pairing Sabonis and Brogdon is a high-upside stack.

PJ Washington ($6,000) -- PJ Washington is a projections darling tonight. numberFire has him pegged for 33.6 FanDuel points -- 5.61 per $1,000. Without Rozier this season, it's Washington who has seen the biggest usage-rate increase on the Hornets, logging a 27.6% usage rate in the split, a jump of 6.4 percentage points. Facing a bad Wizards defense in what profiles as a fantastic game environment for DFS, Washington can have a huge night.

Others to Consider

Zion Williamson ($8,000) -- In the first game without McCollum, Zion Williamson went off for 51.5 FanDuel points. His salary hasn't fully adjusted yet to account for McCollum's absence. Both he and the aforementioned Ingram make a lot of sense versus the T-Wolves.

Myles Turner ($7,600) -- Myles Turner is someone I find myself drawn to quite a bit. He's usually in fun DFS games thanks to the Pacers' style, he's rarely chalky and his shot-blocking prowess gives him enticing upside. Turner checks all those boxes today in a stellar matchup against the Jazz. Utah is allowing the seventh-most blocks per game to centers (2.8) along with the 11th-most made triples per night to the position (1.2). They profile as an ideal matchup for Turner and could be short-handed inside if Walker Kessler -- who is questionable -- sits. The only flaw with Turner is that using him means you can't roster Jokic.

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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.