Welcome to Bales’ Stacks and Hidden Gems for today’s NBA DFS slate for DraftKings! Below, I will discuss my favorite NBA DFS plays for tonight’s slate!
Easy Breezy: Chalk Stack
Detroit Pistons
The Detroit Pistons and Memphis Grizzlies rank 24th and third in the NBA in pace, respectively. Detroit only ranks 18th in the league in offensive rating, while Memphis ranks 20th in defensive rating. The Pistons are +9 point underdogs in this game, but still own an implied team total of 108.3 points.
Reggie Jackson
Derrick Rose is questionable tonight, but looks as if he could miss this game. That will force Reggie Jackson into a larger role tonight. The latter is averaging 17.2 points, 2.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.0 steal (29.3 DK points) in only 26.2 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has played 30+ minutes in each of his last 2 games, while scoring 30+ DK points in 2 of his last 3 games. Jackson is expected to see 30+ minutes in this game, and he makes an elite option, as he needed only 23.1 minutes to score 30.75 DK points against Memphis in their only matchup this season.
Bruce Brown
If Rose is out, Bruce Brown is another player that will be forced into bigger minutes. Over the last 10 days, he’s averaging 10.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 4.8 assists (25.4 DK points) in 27.1 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He saw 38 minutes in his last game because of the injury to Rose, scoring 46.5 DK points. Brown is a player that comes with quiet triple-double potential, and he’s expected to see around 30 minutes tonight. If that’s the case, he’s a near must start on this slate.
Sekou Doumbouya
Sekou Doumbouya drew the start in his last game, scoring 23.25 DK points in 35 minutes. He drew the start because of the injury to Markieff Morris, who is currently questionable for tonight. Doumbouya has been far from an elite fantasy option this season, but he boasts tremendous upside, and recently scored 30+ DK points in a pair of games. He’s an athletic big that could benefit from the pace of this game, as well. If Doumbouya is starting, he’s a must in this stack for his price tag. If he isn’t starting, Andre Drummond is a player that can be considered in this stack.
Important Odds: Vegas Stack
Memphis Grizzlies
The Memphis Grizzlies and Detroit Pistons currently rank third and 24th in the NBA in pace, as mentioned above. Memphis ranks 19th in the league in offensive rating, while Detroit ranks 22nd in defensive rating. The Grizzlies are +9 point underdogs in a game set at 225.5 points, and they boast one of the highest implied team totals on the slate at 108.3 points.
Ja Morant
Ja Morant is averaging 14.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 1.2 steals (31.8 DK points) in 28.6 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Those numbers don’t tell the whole story, though, as he has scored 35+ DK points in 4 of his last 5 games, while flashing 45+ DK point upside. Morant is expected to see 30+ minutes tonight, and he makes an outstanding option on this slate.
Jaren Jackson Jr.
Jaren Jackson Jr. will return from his one game suspension tonight. He’s averaging 16.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.2 blocks (29.8 DK points) in 28.0 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Jackson hasn’t been overly consistent, but comes with tremendous upside. In his only game against Detroit this season, he posted 44.5 DK points in 30.5 minutes. Jackson is expected to see around 30 minutes tonight, and he could find tremendous success in minutes against Doumbouya.
Jonas Valanciunas
Jonas Valanciunas comes with tremendous upside. He’s averaging 14.8 points, 10.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.2 steals (35.8 DK points) in 28.1 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has played 27+ minutes in each of his last 3 games, scoring 37+ DK points in each of those games. Valanciunas is expected to find similar minutes tonight, and he comes with 50+ DK point upside. He’s a bit cheap on this slate.
Wildcard GPP: Low Owned Stack
Sacramento Kings
The Sacramento Kings rank 25th in the NBA in pace, while the Minnesota Wolves rank seventh in the league in the same category. Sacramento also ranks only 21st in the NBA in offensive rating, while Minnesota ranks 16th in defensive rating. The Kings are currently -1.5 point favorites in a game set at 226 points, and they possess an implied team total of 113.8 points tonight.
De’Aaron Fox
De’Aaron Fox has caught fire. He’s averaging 23.2 points, 4.3 rebounds, 6.0 assists, and 2.2 steals (42.3 DK points) in 31.2 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Fox has scored 36+ DK points in 8 of his last 10 games, including a pair of games with 60+ DK points. He comes with triple-double potential, but could come with some ownership on this slate. Still, he’s a must start in a Sacramento stack.
Buddy Hield
Over the last 10 days, Buddy Hield is averaging 21.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.3 assists (35.3 DK points) in 28.1 minutes per game. He has quietly posted 30+ DK points in 8 of his last 10 games, including a 56.25 DK point performance against this Minnesota team. Hield is an elite tournament option on this slate.
Nemanja Bjelica
Nemanja Bjelica has cooled off quite a bit recently. He’s averaging 10.8 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 4.2 assists (27.8 DK points) in 30.5 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Bjelica has scored fewer than 21 DK points in each of his last 3 games, but he posted 54.25 DK points in the game prior to that. Bjelica has also found plenty of success against Minnesota this season. He isn’t a safe option, but makes a great GPP play tonight.
Hidden Gem: Value Guard
Brad Wanamaker
Brad Wanamaker has seen mixed results in limited minutes this season. He is averaging 6.5 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.8 assists (12.8 DK points) in only 16.6 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Wanamaker did see 26 minutes in his last game because of injuries. He scored 25.75 DK points in that game, as well.
Wanamaker gets a great matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, who rank fourth in the NBA in pace and 28th in defensive rating. Kemba Walker has been ruled out tonight, while Marcus Smart is unlikely to play. Wanamaker is likely to see minutes in the mid-20s once again, and he is cheap enough to be used in all leagues tonight.
Hidden Gem: Value Big
Mikal Bridges
Mikal Bridges has been a consistent option recently. He’s averaging 7.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 1.0 block, and 1.7 steals (22.4 DK points) in 31.4 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Bridges has scored 20+ DK points in 5 of his last 6 games. He also recently flashed 40+ DK point upside against the Boston Celtics.
Bridges gets a matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. They rank 10th in the NBA in pace and 14th in defensive rating. Bridges has been locked into 30+ minutes on a nightly basis, and he’s expected to find minutes in the mid-30s tonight. He isn’t overly cheap anymore, but has been playing well enough to be considered in all leagues on this slate.
Follow Justin Bales on Twitter (@BalesSJustin)
DFS Karma is partnered with DraftKings. We are also avid fans and users. As such, we may sometimes play on our personal accounts in the games that we offer advice on. Although we have expressed our personal view on games and strategies, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings. We may deploy different players and strategies than what we recommended in this article. We are not employees of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
