RADIO
The NBA's third "Opening Night" unfolds Thursday with the Heat, Mavericks, Hawks and Clippers all taking the floor for the first time, while the Bucks and Warriors look to build on their season-opening wins from Tuesday.
As would be expected this early in the season, we have a relatively healthy player pool to work with respect to short-term injuries, although the Bucks' Jrue Holiday is already dealing with a heel issue that he's expected to play through. Otherwise, with just three games on the docket, we are working with a narrow selection of candidates overall, making it particularly important to be selective when paying up and prudent when opting for savings as well.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 10/21/21. I’ll be providing multiple player suggestions for players at guard, forward and center on FanDuel, aiming to highlight one option apiece at the high, middle and lower end of the salary scale. You can also check out DraftKings lineup picks and injury news before lineups lock. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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FanDuel DFS Guards
Luka Doncic, PG – at ATL ($11,000)
Doncic and my next recommendation are the sort that certainly don't need much justification for inclusion, but it bears mentioning Luka was very effective against the Hawks last season, averaging 27.5 points, 12.0 assists, 9.5 rebounds, 1.5 blocks and 1.5 steals across three games versus Atlanta. There was talk again this preseason of Doncic relying more on his teammates this coming season, but it's common knowledge he'll still sport sky-high usage irrespective of circumstances and certainly has the capacity to offer a worthwhile return even on this high of a salary. Atlanta also finished last season ranked just in the bottom half of the league in offensive efficiency allowed to PGs (26.3 percent), and Doncic delivered at least 5x return on his current hefty salary on 28 occasions last season.
Stephen Curry, PG – vs. LAC ($10,000)
Curry endured a very ragged shooting night Tuesday in a matchup against Russell Westbrook that's traditionally given him trouble, but the prolific guard still finished with 53 FD points in the upset win over the Lakers. The path to a smoother performance from the floor is a bit easier Thursday, even if Curry ends up seeing some Paul George defense on occasion. Curry shot 39.3 percent from three-point range against the Clippers last season over three games on his way to averages of 21.7 points, 6.3 assists, 3.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals. L.A. also allowed the sixth-highest offensive efficiency (28.3 percent) to point guards last season/postseason, and Curry offered over 5x return on his salary on 31 occasions, including a haul of 63.9 FD points against the Clippers at home last January 8.
Tyler Herro, SG – vs. MIL ($4,900)
Herro is slated to once again come off the bench to start the season, but the minutes and usage should certainly be there for a strong return on his very reasonable salary. The young sharpshooter had an impressive preseason that he closed out with a 29-point effort, and he posted career highs in points, rebounds and assists last season despite seeing a slight drop-off in three-point shooting percentage. Herro did have a tough time in Miami's postseason series with Milwaukee last May, but he delivered 39.1 and 41.0 FD points on back-to-back nights against the Bucks in late December and delivered over 5x return on his current salary on 33 occasions overall.
Also consider: Trae Young ($9,600); ; Jrue Holiday ($7,700); Kyle Lowry ($7,200)
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FanDuel DFS Forwards
Paul George, SF- at GS ($9,900)
George is naturally expected to carry the load for the Clippers while Kawhi Leonard (knee) remains sidelined. George averaged 53.0 FD points over the final eight games of Los Angeles' postseason run last summer when Leonard was sidelined, and he posted a 35.1 percent usage rate per 36 minutes with his teammate off the floor overall, including the regular season. PG-13 also shot an outstanding 52.6 percent from distance in three games versus Golden State last season, and he should encounter less defensive resistance this season with Kelly Oubre now in Charlotte and the Jordan Poole/Andrew Wiggins combo likely seeing plenty of time on him Thursday.
Khris Middleton, SF – at MIA ($7,800)
Middleton got the new season off to a strong start with a solid haul of 37.3 FD points versus the Nets on Tuesday night, and he'll be in position for another strong return Thursday. The Heat surrendered an average of 34.2 FD points to Middleton in the first-round playoff series last season, and he shot 52.5 percent, including 38.5 percent from three-point range, in three regular-season games against the Heat as well. In what should be a competitive matchup against a Miami team commemorating their opener at home with some new additions, Middleton should be heavily involved and therefore justify his salary.
De'Andre Hunter, SF – vs. DAL ($4,400)
Hunter could go a bit under the radar Thursday, but the young wing should be ready to roll in his starting small forward role and looking forward to putting in a full season after seeing a knee injury derail him from late January onward in the 2020-21 campaign. The third-year pro did show plenty of improvement last season when he was on the floor, posting new career highs in points, rebounds and assists while seeing his shooting percentage jump up 7.4 percent to 48.4. Dallas was a tough defensive team across the board last season, but Hunter's salary, which he delivered over 5x return on in 15 of the 23 games he did manage to suit up for, is one that he should be able to pay handsome dividends on Thursday if he logs a normal workload.
Also consider: Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,300); Bogdan Bogdanovic ($6,200)
FanDuel DFS Centers
Kristaps Porzingis – at ATL ($7,000)
The two most expensive centers on the slate, Bam Adebayo and Clint Capela, concern me from a matchup/salary standpoint, and Capela also brings the added health concern with his troublesome Achilles. That leads me to Porzingis, who was solid this preseason with averages of 13.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.7 blocks and 1.3 steals across 19.3 minutes. The big man disappointed at times last postseason with some single-digit scoring tallies, but he still enjoyed a strong season overall and shot a career-best 47.6 percent to boot. Porzingis also provided 42.2 FD points in the one game against Atlanta that he logged a normal workload, posting an impressive 22.8 over just 19 minutes in the other meeting with the Hawks. Given that he's healthy and should therefore see a normal allotment of minutes, Porzingis should have a strong chance of offering a 5x or greater return on a reasonable salary.
Ivica Zubac – at GS ($4,200)
Zubac sports a very appealing salary in his own right for a player that averaged 20.8 FD points last season and finished off the last three games of his postseason stint with tallies of 29.2, 44.7 and 31.3 FD points. He offered over 5x return on his current salary on 44 occasions overall including the postseason, and with a significant height advantage on Kevon Looney down low Thursday, Zubac should be able to have his way frequently, especially when also considering Golden State ranked in the bottom half of the league last season in offensive efficiency allowed to centers (32.6 percent) and in the paint (58.2 percent).
Also consider: Dwight Powell ($3,700)
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