The first Sunday of the NBA season is upon us and it features just four games, with the Warriors visiting Denver in the marquee matchup of the night. But there's potential for some high scores elsewhere too, including a Hawks/Cavaliers game that could feature very little defense.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 10/21/18. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on FanDuel. You can also check out today's DraftKings lineup picks and our Premium DFS Cheat Sheet elsewhere on the site.
You can also check out today's DraftKings lineup picks and our Premium DFS Cheat Sheet. And don't forget to check out our brand new NBA DFS Matchup Ratings tool with daily player projections. As always, don't set your lineups to early and check player statuses prior to opening tip.
FanDuel DFS Guards
Stephen Curry - PG, at DEN ($9,800)
Curry's expensive, but if you're looking for one big name to anchor today's lineups, he's a great option. The Nuggets have the league's best defensive rating through two games, but we also have a longer record of them being a subpar defensive squad, and last night they did a good job shutting down the Suns frontcourt but allowed Suns point guard Isaiah Canaan to score 15 points. This should be a high-scoring affair and I expect Curry to meet little resistance in this one.
Jordan Clarkson - SG, vs ATL ($4,500)
Clarkson is off to a strong start for Cleveland, averaging 17 points per game through two contests. He isn't a starter for Cleveland, but the Cavaliers have shown so far that they're comfortable giving fairly equal playing time to all of their guards. The Hawks defense, meanwhile, has been near the bottom of the league -- they have given up 126 points to the Knicks and 131 to Memphis, they let Garrett Temple put up 30 on them, let Allonzo Trier and Mario Hezonja both score 15 -- targeting the Hawks backcourt is looking like a smart idea.
FanDuel DFS Forwards
Danilo Gallinari - SF, vs HOU ($6,500)
The Rockets defense without Trevor Ariza and Luc Mbah a Moute has been...not great. They've especially been susceptible to forwards. E'Twaun Moore put up 21 points against them. LeBron James had a good one against them, though that's not a huge shock since he's LeBron James. Gallinari is a good, medium-cost small forward option tonight who's averaging 21 points and 6.5 rebounds per game so far this season.
Kevin Love - PF, vs ATL ($8,100)
I mean...he isn't quite the Minnesota version of himself now that's he become Cleveland's top option, but Love did put up 25 points, 19 rebounds, and seven assists against Minnesota on Friday night, reminding us what he's capable of when he's the focal point of an NBA team. Love's going to put up a lot of big raw numbers this season for a team that's already, just two games in, looked like a team that won't be much of a playoff contender. The Hawks defense, as I said above, has been bad this season, so expect Love to put in some good work against them.
FanDuel DFS Centers
Willie Cauley-Stein - C, @ OKC ($7,600)
Nikola Jokic is a great, great option tonight, but if you're reading this then you know that. Cauley-Stein, meanwhile, is $2,000 cheaper and is averaging 21.5 points and seven rebounds per game right now. That run won't last forever, but until Harry Giles starts to look like someone worthy of starting, expect a good dose of WCS from the Kings. On a pretty rough team, he's one of their best scoring options -- this is a team that's been starting Yogi Ferrell and Nemanja Bjelica, after all. If you want to save money here and not grab Jokic, Cauley-Stein is a good option.