
Welcome to the NBA DFS Triple Threat here at Paydirt! This is going to be a daily article aimed at giving thoughts on three important aspects of the NBA DFS slate. We will talk through the most popular players on the slate, popular roster construction, and potential pivots and leverage spots. This article is best used with the projections models here at Paydirt (Found here), but it will still be valuable even as a one off piece of content. While the focus is on Draftkings, the content is applicable to Fanduel as well. Costs, Projections, and finishing percentiles format will be Draftkings/Fanduel.
Main Points:
- The highest-owned players tonight are projected to be Spencer Dinwiddie, Jrue Holiday, Dennis Schroder, Royce O'Neale, and Cam Thomas. Dinwiddie and Holiday are capitalizing from their respective new team dynamics. Likewise, Schroder should also see enhanced opportunities due to a potentially thin Raptors' roster.
- Considering the pricing and anticipated ownership of certain players from the data, the popular roster configuration for tonight is expected to be one player priced above $8k, three mid-range players ranging between $5k to $7k, and four value picks priced below $5k. For GPP tournaments, one could employ this lineup structure and integrate lower-owned pivots, or opt for higher-priced players with significant upside for a unique lineup.
- There's a notable set of under-the-radar players in the stud tier that offer a blend of lower ownership and considerable upside: LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jaren Jackson Jr. However, monitor Lakers news as they are on a B2B and played overtime minutes last night. Additionally, players like Brandon Ingram and Zach LaVine both have vast ceilings and are projected to have ownership below 20% tonight.
Depending on the size of the slate, there may be multiple situations, value plays, and popular options that you need to consider. Join the Paydirt discord with this link for more updates and game theory on all the slates details: https://discord.gg/mQ6u5dfawF
NBA DFS Cash Game Core:
This core of players will help you build a strong foundation in cash games. While it is best to use all these players, it's not a requirement
Spencer Dinwiddie
Jrue Holiday
Onyeka Okongwu
Royce O'Neal
Jalen Johnson

NBA DFS GPP Core:
This core of players will help you build in differentiation in your lineups. These players are meant to be mixed in with some of the stronger chalk options. How many of these players you put in is dependent on the size of the field and personal risk tolerance.
D'Angelo Russell (Midrange)
CJ McCollum (Midrange)
Alec Burks (Value)
Naz Reid (Midrange)
LeBron or Anthony Davis – monitor potential rest (Stud)

NBA DFS Final Thoughts
The value options in Royce O'Neale and Onyeka Okongwu look to be more volatile. This indicates that this might be an area to differentiate your lineups tonight. Based on the Pivot Finder, Alec Burks looks like a strong option in GPPs. Additionally, Saddiq Bey and Bogdan provide direct leverage off of Okongwu. Furthermore, the midrange also has viable alternatives, especially if you wish to stick with the popular roster format. Jamal Murray, Kyle Kuzma, Scottie Barnes, and Jerami Grant are a few players who emerge as potential pivots. Good luck and let's bake some bread!
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