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
Golden State Warriors
The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers rank 14th and sixth in the NBA in pace, respectively. Golden State ranks only 30th in the league in offensive rating, while Los Angeles ranks seventh in defensive rating. The Warriors are +13.5 point underdogs in a game set at 221 points, and they possess an implied team total of only 103.8 points tonight.
Draymond Green
Along with pre-existing injuries, D’Angelo Russell has been ruled out for the game tonight. Draymond Green, who has struggled a bit recently, will be a featured ball-handler in this game. He’s averaging 4.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.0 steal (26.2 DK points) in 28.2 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Green saw 30+ minutes in 2 of those 4 games, scoring 31.5 and 41.5 DK points in those games. He’s expected to find minutes in the high-20s or low-30s tonight. Green boasts triple-double potential, and he’s far too cheap for a full role on this slate.
Damion Lee
Damion Lee could be the biggest beneficiary of the injury to Russell. His recent struggles have kept his price low. Over the last 10 days, Lee is averaging 13.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.2 steals (26.1 DK points) in 32.1 minutes per game. Lee recently flashed elite upside, scoring 54.25 DK points against the Houston Rockets. Even with recently struggled, he has scored 28+ DK points in 8 of his last 10 games. Lee is a safe option for his current price tag, who also comes with tremendous upside.
Willie Cauley-Stein
Willie Cauley-Stein is the final part of this stack. He isn’t generally seen as a cash game option, but he’s far too cheap tonight. Cauley-Stein has played 20+ minutes in each of his last 2 games, scoring 25.25 and 32.75 DK points in those games. On the season, he’s averaging 0.99 DK points per minute. Cauley-Stein will see minutes in the low- to mid-20s in this game. He gets an interesting matchup against Los Angeles tonight, as well. There isn’t one “Chalk” stack on the slate at this moment, and this is a bit riskier of a route in cash games tonight.
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Important Odds: Vegas Stack
Atlanta Hawks
The Atlanta Hawks and Washington Wizards currently rank eighth and fourth in the NBA in pace through 75 total games. Atlanta only ranks 29th in the league in offensive rating, while Washington ranks last in defensive rating. The Hawks are +1 point underdogs in a game set at 238.5 points, but they still boast one of the highest implied team totals on the slate at 118.8 points.
Trae Young
Trae Young is far and away the top option for Atlanta tonight. He’s averaging 35.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 10.0 assists (61.3 DK points) in 37.6 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He’s coming off of an 80.25 DK point performance, while scoring 50+ DK points in 9 of his last 10 games. Young gets an elite matchup against Washington, and he’s a must start in an Atlanta stack tonight.
Kevin Huerter
Kevin Huerter is another player that will be locked into big minutes. Over the last 10 days, he’s averaging 19.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.8 assists, and 1.4 steals (37.4 DK points) in 36.4 minutes per game. Huerter has scored 38+ DK points in 4 of his last 5 games. He’s an efficient scorer, who will benefit from the pace of this game. Similarly to Young, Huerter will see minutes in the high-30s tonight, making him an elite option on this slate.
Alex Len
Alex Len isn’t going to be locked into big minutes, but he has looked elite on a per minute basis. On the season, he’s averaging 1.10 DK points per minute. Len is also averaging 12.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, and 1.2 blocks (28.4 DK points) in 23.4 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has recently flashed 50 DK point upside, as well. Washington is dealing with plenty of injuries to their big men, and they have struggled against talented centers. This is a stack that can be considered in cash games, as well as tournaments.
Wildcard GPP: Low Owned Stack
New Orleans Pelicans
The New Orleans Pelicans rank seventh in the NBA in pace, while the New York Knicks rank 20th in the same category. New Orleans also ranks 18th in the league in offensive rating, while New York ranks 26th in defensive rating. The Pelicans are currently -4.5 point favorites in a game set at 227 points giving them an implied team total of 115.8 points tonight.
Lonzo Ball
Lonzo Ball has been playing at an elite level recently. He’s averaging 19.8 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists, and 1.3 steals (41.3 DK points) in 35.1 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He recently scored 65 DK points in a triple-double against the Houston Rockets. Ball is controlling the offense more with Jrue Holiday injuried, and he’s an elite option on this slate.
Brandon Ingram
Brandon Ingram is no longer cheap, but he’s averaging 25.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.3 assists, and 1.0 steal (46.0 DK points) in 35.5 minutes per game over the last 10 days. He has scored 61.5 and 56.5 DK points in his last 2 games. Ingram will continue to make an elite option with Holiday out of the lineup.
Derrick Favors
Derrick Favors is another high upside option in the New Orleans rotation. He’s averaging 12.3 points, 11.3 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 2.3 blocks (33.2 DK points) in 28.5 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Favors is coming off of a tough game, but he has scored 30+ DK points in 7 of his last 8 games. He also flashed 40+ DK point upside over that span. Favors isn’t the safest option on this slate, but he’s an elite tournament option.
Hidden Gem: Value Guard
Reggie Bullock
Reggie Bullock has struggled through 5 games this season. He’s averaging 9.0 points, 1.6 rebounds, 1.0 assist, and 1.4 steals (16.0 DK points) in 21.6 minutes per game. Bullock has yet to truly catch fire as a shooter, though. He has also played 24+ minutes in each of his last 3 games. He comes with upside that he has yet to flash early through his 2019 season.
Bullock gets an elite matchup against the New Orleans Pelicans tonight. They rank seventh in the NBA in pace and 25th in defensive rating. This game should feature plenty of scoring, giving Bullock added upside that he hasn’t seen in his last few matchups. He’s expected to play minutes in the mid-20s once again, and he’s still a bit too cheap for this slate.
Hidden Gem: Value Big
Meyers Leonard
Meyers Leonard has been playing well recently. He’s averaging 8.0 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 1.4 assists (19.8 DK points) in 25.0 minutes per game over the last 10 days. Leonard has also scored 20+ DK points in 6 of his last 9 games. He boasts 30 DK point upside, and scored 21 DK points in only 18.5 minutes in his only matchup against the Brooklyn Nets this season.
This is a plus matchup for Leonard. Brooklyn ranks 10th in the NBA in pace and 14th in defensive rating. They have also struggled a bit against bigs in 2019. Meyers is expected to see minutes in the mid- to high-20s tonight. He’s cheap enough to be used in all leagues on this slate.
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