NBA FanDuel DFS Targets: Tuesday October 23

 Welcome to this edition of NBA FanDuel Targets from FantasyCPR.com. Here you will find players to target for tonight’s action, geared for cash games and tournament plays on FanDuel.

Welcome to today’s edition of my NBA FanDuel Targets for NBA DFS. For those of you familiar with my PGA targets piece I do weekly here for FantasyCPR, this will be very similarly structured. First, I will go over players to target at each position for tonight’s three-game slate starting at 7:00 ET. I will give two targets at each the guard and forward positions, and one center. Following the picks, will be the ever popular “sample lineup” we like to do here at FantasyCPR.  Some plays will be geared toward cash games, and some for GPP. Some of course will also technically qualify as both. As we break each play down, I will be sure to specify which type of contests I am targeting that player in.

With NBA however, really take these sample lineups with a grain of salt. There is so much info that will drop in the course of the day for NBA, and you never truly know what to expect. Anything from late scratches for rest after lock, and leaky roofs forcing cancellations, NBA DFS is truly not for the faint of heart at times. Because of my commitments around lock every night, I could never go hard at NBA DFS. If you want to be a consistent winner for NBA, lock starts at 6PM ET on most week nights. Plan on being ready to tinker those lineups last second, accounting for all of that fabulous NBA news that nobody was expecting five minutes before whenever lock time might be. It happens all of the time, so if you set your lineup now and forget it, it’s probably not going to work out for you in the long run.

As I get settled in and hope to get into a rhythm of writing this piece daily, I will use this spot to talk a little bit about how yesterdays picks turned out. As a daily fantasy sports writer, when I follow columns like this, I always appreciate when the writer can be transparent about making the wrong choices, because obviously, nobody gets them all right. And on top of that, I am firm believer in going over what went wrong, and what I could have done differently.

***Note: On a slate smaller than four games, I will never personally recommend playing cash games. Today’s sample lineup will be GPP oriented, and as a reminder, if you decide to play cash games today, play light and good luck!***

NBA FanDuel Targets Recap: 10/22/18

At the time of writing the recap, the games are actually still in progress, but it’s safe to say the first day was ugly! There is still plenty of game left so I don’t know how it will end up, but my thoughts of playing the sample lineup regardless of late news is likely going to just end after today. Kris Dunn returned for the Bulls, so Antonio Blakeney was not a viable option yesterday. Jayson Tatum was also a disappointment, as he only mustered up 25 FDP, getting nowhere near hitting value at $7,000. The only bright spot to this point was the DeAndre Jordan over Enes Kanter call. While Jordan was $800 more, he did outscore the chalk Kanter by around 8 FDP.

Again it’s still early on the west coast, but top play Stephen Curry is off to good start, while teammate Kevin Durant is having a slow start, with just 8 FDP in the middle of the 2nd quarter. Josh Hart and Evan Turner are off to a decent start, so there is still time to salvage this lineup. All in all though, remember to use these sample lineups as research and suggestions only! Instead of me staying up all night let’s call it an opening day “L” and move on to today’s targets.

NBA FanDuel: Point Guards:

De’Aaron Fox – Sacramento Kings – $8,000 – (GPP)

The sophomore guard is off to quite the start for the Kings this season, averaging nearly 40 FDP per game in the first three games. He is averaging close to 20 points and eight assists, while also playing pretty much as many minutes as he can handle. This will be a tough match-up up and down for the Kings, as they travel into Denver, where the Nuggets were just able to hold off the mighty Golden State Warriors and win by two. The Nuggets will still be without Isaiah Thomas and Will Barton, and Jamal Murray is also questionable in this one. The salary is a bit too much in my opinion, but that may hopefully lower ownership on him in GPP’s.

TJ McConnell – Philadelphia 76ers – $4,000 – (Cash/GPP)

This one will be dependent on whether or not Ben Simmons will be able to go. He is questionable at this point, and is considered a game-time decision. If he sits, McConnell becomes likely chalk, as 30 minutes could be in order if he plays well. Simmons did not practice yesterday, and the plan is to see how he feels in the morning, and likely wait until game time to announce anything. When Simmons left early with the back injury against the Magic, McConnell saw 25 minutes of action, scoring eight points, while dishing out four assists and grabbing four rebounds.

***Also Consider: Elfrid Payton $7,000 (Cash/GPP)***

 NBA FanDuel: Shooting Guards:

Jrue Holiday – New Orleans Pelicans – $7,800 – (Cash)

The Pelicans have a ton of scoring options, as they boast a starting five with nothing but scorers. If they keep scoring like they did the other night at home against the Kings when they put up 149 points, there will be plenty to go around. While defenses try to figure out how to stop Anthony Davis underneath, Nikola Mirotic has blossomed into an offensive machine to start this season. Holiday can be a streaky shooter, but if he gets hot he can break a slate. This should be another quick paced, high scoring game in New Orleans tonight against the Clippers, and on a short slate with limited options, the Pelicans are easily my favorite stack of the night.

Iman Shumpert – Sacramento Kings – $4,300 – (GPP)

It will be tough to find definitive value today, until we get some injury news on guys like Andre Drummond, Ben Simmons, and Jamal Murray. If you want to pay up for Davis today, or are just looking for a punt risk, Shumpert actually finds himself in a spot for some personal success, which he hasn’t had for quite some time. His minutes have steadily increased throughout the first three games, and he jumped from 20 to 30 minutes in the last one, as he caught fire against the Thunder. Shumpert amassed 48.6 FDP, but I wouldn’t expect that to happen again. If he can play well and see 25 minutes, 25-30 FDP would be just fine.

***Also Consider: Gary Harris $7,200 – (Cash), J.J. Redick $5,300 – (Cash/GPP), Reggie Bullock $4,400 – (GPP)***

NBA FanDuel: Small Forwards:

Nikola Mirotic – New Orleans Pelicans – $7,400 – (GPP)

I mentioned it briefly before with Holiday, but these Pelicans and especially Mirotic are off to a fantastic start shooting the ball in the early goings. In the season opener, Mirotic scored 30 points, and grabbed 10 rebounds in Houston. In game two, he dropped 36 points on 14-21 shooting from the field, and added nine boards. Considering he is averaging 47.7 FDP per game through two, I have to think he is slightly underpriced here.

Nemanja Bjelica – Sacramento Kings – $5,400 – (Cash/GPP)

It’s been hit or miss with Belly this year, but in two out of the three games for his new team, he played good minutes, and matched it with good numbers. The Kings are still experimenting with different lineup combinations, as they are known to do often, but Bjelica is coming off of a 30 minute performance at Oklahoma City against the Thunder, in which he was able to put up 35 FDP with just 12 points. Known mostly as a three-point shooter, Bjelica will also grab some rebounds, and his awareness on defense allows him an occasional steal and block. At a fairly thin SF position today on this short slate, Belly might be my favorite player here today.

***Also Consider: Danilo Gallinari $6,600 – (Cash), E’Twaun Moore $4,800 – (GPP)***

NBA FanDuel: Power Forwards:

Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets – $10,600 – (GPP)

On these small slates, with one clear top superstar available, it is always smart to consider the fade, and look elsewhere. Of course today with Anthony Davis $13K, it’s tough to make a decent lineup with him. I see quite a bit of depth here at this position, and two guys who could also easily have 50+ FDP games for much cheaper, starting here with Jokic. Saving $2400 in salary could be huge on a slate like this, and I would argue with Denver’s injuries, they may look for Jokic to score even more. He had the huge 79.7 FDP, triple-double against the Suns on Friday, and followed that with 43.2 FDP in the home win against the Warriors. This should be another good match-up against the Kings, and this Nuggets/Kings game could make for a nice GPP game stack.

Blake Griffin – Detroit Pistons – $8,800 – (Cash) 

Again, you save on Davis today and roster Jokic and Griffin instead, you still have enough salary to make a good team. I am not finding that to be true with AD and his $13K salary at all here. With AD overpriced, and Jokic and Griffin slightly underpriced, I think this combo at PF could easily combine to get you 110-120 FDP tonight. Teammate Andre Drummond is a game-time decision tonight with the flu, and he did not practice yesterday. If he sits, Griffin will be called upon to be more aggressive on the boards, which should help his bottom line. He is coming off a monster 57.9 FDP game against the Bulls in which he scored 33 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, while Drummond played just 23 minutes. It will be a battle inside with Joel Embiid and Dario Saric, but Griffin’s 40-45 FDP or so floor makes him a good cash play if you decide to play them today.

***Also Consider: Anthony Davis $13,000 – (Cash), Trey Lyles $4,600 – (GPP Punt)***

NBA FanDuel: Center Targets:

Joel Embiid – Philadelphia 76ers – $10,700 – (Cash/GPP)

With Drummond not 100%, Embiid is looking like a clear-cut lock tonight at the center position. With the status of Ben Simmons in doubt, Embiid could see an uptick in usage in this one. The Sixers will be on the road, looking for their third win, and looking to hand the Pistons their first loss of the season. Embiid is coming off of back-to-back 30 point, 10 rebound games, and is averaging over 50 FDP through his first three games. This price also feels too cheap here, and with how thin Center is now that Jokic has been moved to PF, I think you have to lock Embiid in.

More from FanSided

• Shohei Ohtani Rumors: The best trade package from every NL East team
• Cardinals Rumors: Surprise extension, Dylan Carlson-Yankees link, Rays trade idea
• USWNT vs. Vietnam: Key takeaways before they take on the Dutch
• NFL rumors: 49ers trending toward contract drama with defensive star
• Steelers avoid any camp drama with latest roster move

***Also Consider: Zaza Pachulia $4,100 – (If Drummond is OUT!) ***

NBA FanDuel: Sample Cash Lineup 10/22/18:

The line-up below is meant to be illustrative only to further back-up the logic laid out in previous slides. It is not an optimal line-up. It is in fact, just a “Sample Lineup.”

PG – Elfrid Payton – New Orleans Pelicans – $7,000
PG – T.J. McConnell – Philadelphia 76ers – $4,000
SG – Iman Shumpert – Sacramento Kings – $4,300
SG – Reggie Bullock – Detroit Pistons – $4,400
SF – Nemanja Bjelica – Sacramento Kings – $5,400
SF – E’Twaun Moore – New Orleans Pelicans – $4,800
PF – Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets – $10,600
PF – Blake Griffin – Detroit Pistons – $8,800
C – Joel Embiid – Philadelphia 76ers – $10,700

Thank you for finding this, and I hope you come back again! You can find me on Twitter with the link at the top of the page. We have TONS of FREE content here from many incredibly talented writers at FantasyCPR, and new stuff to check out constantly. Stick around and come back often as have articles posted all throughout the day!