Fanduel NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball GPP Breakdown: Thursday, 11/8

Hello NBA DFS players and welcome back to the Thursday edition of the FanDuel NBA GPP Breakdown. I’m “Thunder Dan” and I love FanDuel NBA DFS more than my wife loves Broadway musicals (this is a test to see if she reads my articles).

All kidding aside, my goal every day is to give you my top targets every night for GPP contests for FanDuel NBA.  When making these picks I always take into account salary, ownership, and match-up and I always do my best to give you a clear rationale for why I believe each player makes an elite GPP target.

We have a classic 4-game Thursday slate tonight with some really awesome matchups that should make for really entertaining games to watch and high-scoring DFS contests. Each night I try to give 2-3 options at each position and some cheaper “value” options to consider as well.

Finally, I always include my “Game Stack of Night” which is my favorite game to target with multiple players from both teams.

Remember, this is a first look article that is intended to get you pointed in the right direction with your research. We already have some injury news but there are a few situations we will need to monitor throughout the day as well. Now, without any further ado, let’s get into the picks!

FanDuel NBA GPP Breakdown: Point Guards

Steph Curry (10700)

Steph is my top choice at the position tonight and as long as there’s enough value to fit him and Giannis both in my lineups, I’ll likely have him in almost every lineup I build. The price has gone up on him considerably over the last week but on this small slate, I’m willing to pay for him and try to lock in the two highest raw scores on the slate.

Draymond Green has already been ruled out for tonight’s game and in 16 career games without Dray in the lineup, Steph Curry has averaged 29 points per game, 5 more points above his career average with Dray in the lineup.

No Draymond means more rebounds up for grabs and likely more assist opportunities for Steph as well.  Eric Bledsoe‘s defense is no match for Chef Curry and I think he cooks his way to 60+ FD points tonight in a competitive, high scoring game with the Bucks.

Chris Paul (8300)

If you’re looking for a pivot off Curry, or even off James Harden, then look no further than Chris Paul. CP3 has had his price reduced drastically now that Harden is back for the Rockets and is cheap enough where he can look to invest in some shares tonight.

CP3 has averaged 39.4 FD points in 5 contests against the Thunder since joining the Rockets last season and could see Dennis Schroeder “defense” if Russell Westbrook is out again tonight.

Even if Westy plays, I love Paul in that matchup as Russ turns the ball over like crazy and Paul is one of the best thieves in NBA history with 2.25 steals per game. Don’t buy into the Harden “revenge narrative,” he’s overpriced for his production. I’ll gladly take some Paul shares instead.

Value: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (4000)

FanDuel NBA GPP Breakdown: Shooting Guards

Khris Middleton (7500)

Middleton often gets overlooked with Giannis doing otherworldly things in Milwaukee, but he’s arguably just as important to the Bucks success as “the Freak.”  This price is fair for a talented wing player like Middleton who’s quietly averaging 19-5-4 this season.

I’m in love with this GSW-Milwaukee game tonight and I think it could turn into the kind of track meet that would be the perfect style of play for Middleton to excel. He’s a great pivot off Giannis or a solid compliment to stack with him in your Bucks stacks.

Lou Williams (6200)

No Avery Bradley tonight means more minutes and opportunities for the rookie combo guard Alexander and the veteran Lou-Will. I’ve been playing a lot of Lou while his price was in the low 5k range and he’s finally seeing his price move up, but it’s arguably still too low for the type of ceiling he brings on a nightly basis.

I like him a lot in this matchup as I don’t see anyone on the Portland second unit who can check him and I think he’ll end up finish the game with the starters in the fourth quarter in what should be a competitive contest from start to finish.

Value: Malcolm Brogdon (4500), Andre Iguodala (3800)

FanDuel NBA GPP Breakdown: Small Forwards

Giannis Antetokuonmpo (12500)

I may have suggested fading Giannis on a small slate on Tuesday but there’s no way I’m considering a fade tonight even at this price. “The Alphabet’s” game is so perfectly suited for how the Warrior play that his ceiling in this matchup is…well, I don’t know, like 80+ FanDuel points?

You simply can’t ignore his ridiculous 34% usage, 20% rebounding rate, and 31% assist rate (all career highs) and I think he’s a lock for a triple-double.

Toss in a few blocks and steals and we are well on our way to the stat line that could break the slate. No Draymond Green defense to slow him down just makes me even higher on him tonight and I think he’s the top play on the entire slate.

Kevin Durant (10800)

It’s a tough call between Curry and Durant with them being priced within 100 dollars of each other tonight. I lean towards using Steph, but I think it would be prudent to have some Durant shares, too.

As we already established, Draymond is out tonight which should mean a few more boards for KD and he’s absolutely as capable as Steph as dropping a 60-burger in this fast-paced, likely high-scoring affair.

Value: Alfonzo McKinnie (3800)

FanDuel NBA GPP Breakdown: Power Forwards

Montrezl Harrell (5800)

Harrell continues to be priced under 6k, likely because his minutes are so erratic, but anytime he gets 25-30 minutes he’s a good bet to be an easy 6x value with his elite per-minute production. In the last two games with Marcin Gortat out of the rotation, Harrell has played 25 and 30 minutes, so I think he has a ton of upside at this price tonight if we see that trend continue.

Jerami Grant (5600)

Grant has been one of the best-kept secrets in NBA DFS this season, scoring 19 or more FD points in every game this season.  He’s not a high usage player, but he’s earning more and more minutes for the Thunder with his efficient scoring, solid rebounding, and excellent defense.

He’s played between 27 and 34 minutes over his last three games and I think OKC will likely want him on the floor tonight in some small lineups as this game has the potential to get up and down the court.

Value: Gary Clark (4400), Kevon Looney (3900), Jonas Jerebko (4000)

FanDuel NBA GPP Breakdown: Centers

DeAndre Ayton (7500)

The Suns-Celtics game is my least favorite of the night as both teams are playing at a really slow pace this season.  There are only a few guys that even interest me from that game and the Suns’ rookie center is one of them.

I like attacking Boston with opposing centers due to the fact that Al Horford is an undersized interior defender and has seen his rebounding rate plummet all the way to 9.5% this year. Meanwhile, Ayton has a solid 20% usage, 19% rebounding rate, and a solid 19% assist rate this season and the slow pace of this game should favor him.

Boban Marjanovic (5400)

Boban was limited to only 17 minutes in his last outing due to some early foul trouble and then didn’t see much action late in the game, but that didn’t stop him from racking up 28.8 FanDuel points and hitting 5.5x value.

Tonight he squares off with another big European center in Jusuf Nurkic in what should be an epic clash on the Titans. I love Nurk, but even he will be overmatched by Boban’s size and I think he’s got a great shot to hit than 40 FanDuel point mark for the first time this season.

His season high is 22 minutes, so we know he’s capable of playing half the game and hopefully, the Clippers will want him on the floor to combat the size of Nurkic.

His per-minute production is too good to ignore and I really don’t care one bit if he’s chalk tonight. Lock him in and be different elsewhere.

Value: Brook Lopez (4900)

FanDuel NBA GPP Breakdown: Game Stack of the Night

I absolutely love the Warriors-Bucks game tonight and I think it should be the highest scoring game of the four on the slate.  The primary plays I’m looking to build around are Steph Curry and Giannis Antetokuonmpo, but I also want a little exposure to Kevin Durant and Khris Middleton as well.

It’s really not possible to fit Steph, KD, and Giannis into one lineup and it’s likely not going to be an optimal build with the lack of salary cap that you would be left with. Running either Steph or KD for GSW and then using Giannis on the Milwaukee side is likely the approach I am going to take.

When building this stack, there’s a number of really solid value options you can use for the Warriors with Andre Iguodala being an excellent option as backup point guard Shaun Livingston is out.

That means some “point-Iggy” with the second unit and maybe a few extra minutes for the former All-Star if the Dubs want to use him to defend Giannis. Alfonzo McKinnie has quietly become a key piece for the Warriors, playing 26 and 29 minutes in their last two games. He’s a solid punt at the SF position at only 3800.

Kevon Looney and Jonas Jerebko are the other two big men that are likely to eat up Draymond’s minutes and both are well suited to space the floor in small-ball lineups that we’re likely to see the Warriors employ. On the Milwaukee side, I’m only really considering Malcolm Brogdon and Brook Lopez as value options to complement the primary options of Giannis and Middleton.

FanDuel NBA GPP Breakdown: Slate Overview and Sample Lineup

I’ve had a lot of success on these small slates this season on FanDuel using a stars-and-scrubs type roster build. There seems to be plenty of value at nearly every position so I think it’s a great night to build a bunch of lineups around 2-3 stars and fill in with cheaper plays where you need to. Here’s one build that I really like right now.

PG: Chris Paul (8300)

PG: Steph Curry (10700)

SG: Lou Williams (6200)

SG: Malcolm Brogdon (4500)

SF: Alfonzo McKinnie (3700)

SF: Giannis Antetokuonmpo (12500)

PF: Gary Clark (4400)

PF: Jonas Jerebko (4000)

C: Boban Marjanovic (5400)

(200 salary left over)

There you have it, peeps! I hope you enjoyed my comprehensive slate breakdown and I appreciate you taking the time to read my article. Be sure to share it with friends and fellow DFS players, leave comments or hit me with other feedback or questions on Twitter