Sundays in November aren't just for NFL football! After most of those games are finished we get a nice little five-game NBA DFS slate that tips off at 7:00 PM EST. Just as most of the late games are wrapping up, the NBA games are starting up and you can either use those NFL winnings on NBA or chase those losses - either way, we are playing some NBA DFS today!
The big injury news today is that Damien Lillard is OUT for Portland, Chicago center Nikola Vucevic is OUT, and Phoenix center Deandre Ayton is doubtful to return from his week-long absence. That should open up some value on Phoenix and Portland and allow us to fit a few superstars like Stephen Curry or Nikola Jokic into some lineups as a result.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 11/14/21. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. Remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before lineups lock.
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DraftKings Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Stephen Curry - PG, GSW at CHA ($11,400)
Everything lines up here for Curry to smash tonight, and I am going to make him one of two priority plays on a small slate. The Warriors are facing the Hornets in the game with the highest (227) total on the slate. A year ago, we wouldn't have batted an eye at a 227 total but the scoring in the NBA is way down and we are seeing totals dropping across the board to where a 214-215 total is much more common on a nightly basis.
I know my buddy Kyle Ringstad is going to have Curry at the top of his K-rate for positional matchups because he had Kemba there Friday night and Walker went off against these Hornets. Curry has had a few absolute monster games this season and while it isn't always easy to get them right, this certainly feels like one of those spots where he could go nuclear in a fast-paced matchup with LaMelo and company.
C.J. McCollum - PG/SG, POR at DEN ($7,600)
I know he's chalky, but this is good chalk. CJ is about as cheap as we've seen him since week one and now he's the main guy with Dame out of the lineup. This has been an autoplay scenario for several years now and CJ gets a huge bump in usage and PPM anytime Dame sits. Many folks will want to fire up Anfernee Simons at 3500, too, which is fine as he will likely be some good chalk, too. Getting CJ and/or Simons into builds today is another priority for me on this slate.
Bones Hyland - PG/SG, DEN vs. POR ($3,400)
Instead of telling you to play Simons (which I already did) let's look at a sneaky value play instead. Hyland was a preseason darling for those of us who played on a nightly basis. It's taken some injuries to get his minutes up into the twenties, but he's played 21 and 22 minutes the last two games and has responded in a big way with 23 and 30 DK points. The kid can get buckets and Denver knows that they need more offense with Michael Porter Jr. out. Someone has to help Jokic, right?
Others to consider: (CHALK) Anfernee Simons ($3,500), Kelly Oubre Jr. ($4,300)
DraftKings Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Draymond Green - SF, GSW at CHA ($6,200)
I have been playing wings and stretch-four types against Charlotte this season with some success...that was until Julius Randle laid an egg on Friday. Still, the numbers suggest this is a great spot for Draymond and he's now about as cheap as we've seen him this season. In a great game environment, I want a lot of exposure to GSW and some Charlotte pieces, too, especially in GPP formats. Speaking of Charlotte guys...
Miles Bridges - PF, CHA vs. GSW ($7,800)
Bridges is the frontrunner for the NBA Most-Improved Player award this season. He's been one of the biggest reasons why Charlotte is making some noise in the Eastern conference and he took it to Julius Randle on Friday night in a big win for the Hornets. In their first meeting, Bridges went off for 32-9-2 with 4 steals/blocks and this type of up-tempo game where he's going to play a lot of small-ball center and fire up a bunch of threes is the kind of game where he can go off. He's averaging over 41 DK points per game this season and we have enough sample size of him being this productive for me to think the breakout is real and we should get used to seeing him at 8k this season.
Derrick Jones Jr. - PF, CHI at LAC ($3,000)
This is my cheap punt of the day and I don't think many people will be on him. We saw Tony Bradley become the min-priced chalk when Vucevic was ruled out (for no real good reason as the Bulls had not played a game without him yet and we were all guessing how the minutes would play out in the frontcourt). Well, Bradley started but played only 13 minutes while Derrick Jones and Alize Johnson both played 20 minutes as the Bulls went small.
That may have had a lot to do with the Warriors playing small, but guess what? The Clippers play small pretty often, too. Zubac is their only center and he plays 20-25 minutes a night. Chicago's coach even said before the game that they might play DJJ a lot as a small-ball center and after he was productive (9 points, 6 boards) on Friday night, I could see him going back to him here again tonight.
Others to consider: Andrew Wiggins ($6,300), Jae Crowder($4,800)
DraftKings Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Nikola Jokic - C, DEN vs. POR ($11,600)
It's a Joker night. But I mean, every night is a Joker night pretty much this season right? The Denver big man has been carrying this team on his back all season and I expect him to keep putting up 60 point outings all year long if he continues his high usage and his elite rebounding and assist rates.
This game has the lowest total on the slate, which is perfect for Jokic as he really thrives in the half-court style of play that Denver has been playing. He and Curry are the guys who have the best chance of being the top raw points guys on the slate and I might try to shoehorn them both in the same lineup.
LaMarcus Aldridge - C, BKN at OKC ($4,300)
This game feels like it could get ugly in a hurry. I am going to pass on paying for Harden or KD, but I do have some interest in a cheap Net like LMA in a great spot against a young, inexperienced Thunder team. He's settled into his high-usage bench role this season and is playing 22-24 minutes a night. He's a good bet for 20-25 DK points and has even exceeded 30 DK points twice in his last three games.
Others to consider: Ivica Zubac ($5,000), Alize Johnson ($3,300)