Sunday features a relatively small five-game slate starting at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Let’s dive into some of the top plays on the slate using the FantasyLabs tools and metrics.
Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 150 lineups, or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.
Note: Projections and Leverages Scores/Ratings may change throughout the day after this article is posted. The NBA DFS landscape changes quickly.
Consult the NBA Player Models directly for any updates as we get closer to lock. Use our FanDuel promo to get three months of free NBA League Pass.
NBA DFS Point Guard Picks
Stud
Leading the slate with the highest ceiling projection on DraftKings is reigning Finals MVP Stephen Curry. Through the first two games, Curry has picked up right where he left off, averaging 33.5 points per game with a 33.7% usage rate. Curry has back-to-back games shooting exactly 10-for-22 from the field and 9-for-9 from the charity stripe. With a 5.8% projected ownership, Curry is one of the best leverage players to target Sunday.
The Warriors have the highest implied total on the slate at 120.25 points, as they are nearly double digit home favorites against the Kings. They have put up 123 points in back-to-back games and have led the league in pace thus far. The pace of this game should remain high, as the Kings ranked in the top 10 last season. Prioritize Curry on DraftKings with the 3-point bonus. He led the league last year with 4.5 made 3-pointers per game.
Value
Timberwolves backup point guard Jaylen Nowell has looked awesome in limited minutes this season. Playing only 19 minutes per game thus far, Nowell is averaging 15.5 points per game with a 26.5% usage rate. Expect Nowell’s minutes to slowly rise, as he is one of the best Timberwolves bench players. With Malik Beasley and Patrick Beverley gone, this could be a breakout year for the fourth-year point guard leading the second unit.
Looking at this matchup, the Timberwolves are eight-point road favorites against the Thunder, who should be one of the worst teams in the league this season. With a 227 game total, there should be many opportunities for Nowell on Sunday. Kyle Anderson is also out for the Timberwolves, which will help the usage rate for Nowell in the second unit. He may not be an obvious value, but Nowell is a great salary saver.
Fast Break
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has the highest projected ceiling on FanDuel, as the Oklahoma City Thunder have been very competitive in their first two games despite suffering two losses. Gilgeous-Alexander leads the Thunder averaging 30 points, six assists, two steals, and a 33.8% usage rate. The Thunder host the Timberwolves, who they played in their season opener when Gilgeous-Alexander had 32 points and 59.7 FanDuel points.
Looking at the Timberwolves starting point guard now, D’Angelo Russell is also another point guard who looks better on FanDuel, where he leads the slate with the highest projected Plus/Minus. Russell leads the Timberwolves in scoring through two games and is playing 37 minutes per game. The point guards in this matchup obviously look incredible, as three of them are mentioned in this article already.
NBA DFS Shooting Guard Picks
Stud
With Darius Garland out again with an injury, the Cavaliers offense will be led by Donovan Mitchell. Garland was out last night and Mitchell exploded for a near triple-double with 32 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. We know Mitchell can score the ball, as he is averaging 31.5 points per game so far this season, but getting those type of peripherals will set him apart from the rest of the shooting guard options on this slate.
The Cavaliers are 6.5-point favorites at home against the Wizards. This game has the lowest implied total Sunday at 216.5 points, but that doesn’t make Mitchell a bad play. The Wizards ranked 25th in Defensive Rating at 113.6 last season, and they returned nearly everyone this season. As long as Garland is out, Mitchell is going to look incredible. He has the highest ceiling on both sites and still has a very reasonable salary.
Value
Jordan Poole has had a little bit of a disappointing start to the season thus far. Maybe getting punched by Draymond Green wasn’t the best thing for the young Warriors sharp-shooter. He is averaging less than 10 points per game while shooting 30% from the field and 18.2% from behind the arc. We know Poole can get hot in a hurry, which is what makes him so intriguing. It is only a matter of time until the shots fall.
Curry’s ownership keeps him a strong play, but if that were to come up, Poole is a fantastic leverage play. He has the highest projected Plus/Minus on DraftKings for shooting guards at a very cheap $5,900. Playing the Kings is just such a great spot for these Warriors guards. Poole is also not only a shooter anymore, as he has averaged seven assists in back-to-back games. He may be risky, but the potential for a big game is there.
Fast Break
Outside of Mitchell, Devin Booker is the next clear-cut shooting-guard option on this five-game slate. He has the highest FanDuel Plus/Minus at the guard position. Booker has played an absurd 41 and 44 minutes in the first two games, averaging a team-high 30.5 points per game. Playing the Clippers is a very tough spot, but Booker’s minutes and usage rate make up for the difficult matchup and keeps him as a great option.
Anthony Edwards is another Timberwolves guard who can explode at any given moment. Known for his inconsistency, Edwards remains cheap enough where he is worth getting exposure to Sunday. He had 11 points on 4-for-17 shooting in game one and 30 points on 12-for-23 last game. Which Edwards shows up is anyone’s guess, but we know the volume will be there regardless, which makes him a strong tournament play.
NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
Paul George is only shooting-guard eligible on DraftKings, but he has dual eligibility on FanDuel and deserves his own stud section. The status of Kawhi Leonard is a big news situation that we need to monitor. He sat out last night on the first night of a back-to-back, and George went nuclear with 40 points and an absurd 31 field-goal attempts. Even if Leonard is playing, George is a strong play against the Suns with his upside.
George has increased his points per game and field-goal attempts in each of his four seasons with the Clippers. Not only has his scoring increased, but so have his peripherals. Getting to a shooting guard or small forward who rebounds and captures assists is such a big advantage on the rest of the field, and George can do just that. Being that this is the first Clippers home game against a great opponent, expect George to show up.
Value
Cavaliers forward Caris LeVert is another player who gets a bump with Garland not in the lineup. LeVert has averaged 7.5 assists per game through the first two games, which is way better than his career average. Having the ball in the hands of LeVert and Mitchell with Garland out benefits both players in a huge way. He has the second-highest projected Plus/Minus on Sunday on both sites and is way too cheap across the industry.
Through two games, the Cavaliers have the fourth-highest Offensive Rating and the fifth-highest assist percentage in the league. Having centers Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen being such strong paint threats, this team has incredible balance inside and out. LeVert is a cheap way to get exposure to the Cavaliers offense in a great matchup against the Wizards. He can be played with Mitchell in the same lineup as well.
Fast Break
Suns forward Cameron Johnson has the highest projected Plus/Minus for small forwards on both DraftKings and FanDuel. The only problem is Johnson is questionable to play Sunday with a hip injury, which is why he is not in the value section. This is another injury situation to monitor, but Johnson provides great value if he plays. Being in the starting lineup, Johnson has seen increased minutes that aren’t implied in his salary quite yet.
After a great NBA Finals appearance and a new contract extension before the season started, Andrew Wiggins has stepped up with two strong back-to-back games. He has the second-highest ceiling among small forwards on DraftKings, as he has averaged 21.5 points and seven rebounds per game. With his minutes no longer an issue, Wiggins is poised for another great game and will benefit if Poole and Klay Thompson continue to struggle.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
Having Karl-Anthony Towns as power forward and center eligible is both a blessing and a curse. The dual eligibility provides such a large upside for your lineups, but the negative is that his numbers are considerably down since the addition of Rudy Gobert. The rebounding is the biggest concern, as Gobert is literally gobbling up every rebound it seems, averaging a league-high 19.5 this season. Towns is only averaging seven per game this year.
Looking at the positives, Towns had 25 field-goal attempts last game, so the volume offensively is still incredibly high. He has the highest ceiling at power forward on both sites Sunday in a matchup against the Thunder that he can easily exploit. Like Edwards, Towns can explode for a ceiling game in any given game. Picking which game is the most difficult part, but getting exposure to Towns over his projected ownership is wise on any slate the Timberwolves are on.
Value
Draymond Green is popping as one of the best power forward values Sunday. The problem with the Warriors is they have so many pieces that can deliver, picking which one is tough. However, with Green you know his advantage is filling up the stat sheet across the board. Last game Green had 13 points, nine assists, three rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. We’ll take that again Sunday at a reasonable salary.
Last season, the Kings allowed the sixth-most steals and above-average blocks, making this a great spot to target the versatile Green. He is a great player on both sites, as steals and blocks count for more on FanDuel, and he has the potential for a double-double and even triple-double on DraftKings. The upside is there for each site, and Green is starting to look like one of the better value plays on the slate.
Fast Break
Our first mention of the Pelicans is with power forward Zion Williamson. The tough part with this team is they seem low-key loaded offensively with so many weapons. They have FOUR players averaging over 20 points per game through two games. Williamson is last on that list with a 20.5 per-game average, but he has above a 30% usage rate playing over 30 minutes a game. With no restrictions, Williamson is a strong ceiling option Sunday.
On the flip side of the Pelicans and Jazz game, Lauri Markkanen has been incredible for the Jazz. It is shocking to see the Jazz at 2-0 when they were supposed to be tanking this season. Markkanen had 23 field-goal attempts last game, as he finished with a huge 24-point, 13-rebound double-double. A tougher spot Sunday, but Markkanen’s upside deserves consideration where there isn’t a clear-cut power forward option.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
Domantas Sabonis has had a relatively slow start to the season for his standards. He has averaged a double-double the past four seasons and has even put together 18 triple-doubles in his career. We know the upside is there, but so far it has been the De’Aaron Fox show for the Kings, averaging 34.5 points per game. However the last two seasons, Sabonis is averaging a double-double with 21.5 points and 12.8 rebounds against the Warriors.
Outside of Towns, Sabonis has the highest ceiling at the center position on DraftKings and the second-highest behind Gobert on FanDuel. Prioritize Sabonis on FanDuel, where he has an 87% Bargain Rating at a cheap $7,700 salary. The Warriors prefer to play a small-ball lineup, and Sabonis fits right into that type of game. He also leads the Kings so far with 1.5 steals and 1.5 blocks per game, which also benefits Sabonis on FanDuel.
Value
Ivica Zubac was one of the strongest value plays on the slate last night, but he didn’t quite pan out. We’re going right back to the well again Sunday, especially on DraftKings where he has a 98% Bargain Rating at $5,700. In his first game, Zubac had a strong double-double with 14 points and 17 rebounds against the Lakers. He still had 10 points and eight rebounds last night, as Zubac is a threat to double-double every time he takes the floor.
Zubac is averaging 20.5 rebound chances per game, which leads the Clippers by over five rebounds. The Suns rank in the middle of the pack in rebounding percentage to start the season, and the Clippers will need Zubac to play quite a bit with the Suns rolling out Deandre Ayton for nearly 35 minutes a game. Flush his game last night and move on. Zubac is a great value again Sunday with a matchup against the Suns.
Fast Break
Speaking of Deandre Ayton, he has the highest projected Plus/Minus on the entire slate according to our model. He has averaged 22 points per game while shooting 60.6% from the field. After averaging a double-double in all four years to start his career, it is only a matter of time until his eight rebounds per game this year climbs to double digits. In a matchup against Zubac, Ayton should have no trouble in the paint Sunday.
Evan Mobley has had a slow start to his season, but with Garland out, it is only a matter of time until he also gets it going offensively. Mobley averaged 15 points and 8.3 rebounds per game last year while shooting over 50% from the field. Not bad for a rookie. The Cavaliers have had some tough matchups, but with the Wizards coming into town, I’m banking on the Cavaliers having a great game in their home opener.
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