NBA Daily Fantasy Picks & Playbook November 18
![Jimmy Butler returns to Chicago](https://d29m18w01sxjzp.cloudfront.net/thumbnails/source/fatest/Jimmy_Butler_Miami_Heat-1000x600.jpg)
Published: Nov 18, 2023
We have five games on Saturday's NBA main slate for DraftKings and FanDuel with some big names in Zion Williamson, Devin Vassell, Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart already ruled out. We also have the expected return tonight of Stephen Curry for the Warriors as they look to avenge their blowout loss to the Thunder from a few nights ago.
NBA DFS Tools to dominate tonight's NBA DFS slate!
Make sure to check out today's NBA DFS projections and NBA DFS ownership projections before finalizing your lineups today. We also have the NBA Consistency Report to help identify players that have exceeded value based off their current price tag this season and of course our NBA DFS Lineup Generator!
Notable NBA Injury Updates
Questionable
- Stephen Curry (Expected to Play)
- Derrick Rose
- Cason Wallace
- Jose Alvarado
- Gary Payton II
Out
- Zion Williamson
- Marcus Smart
- Devin Vassell
- Khris Middleton
- Draymond Green
- Xavier Tillman
- Luke Kennard
- Jae Crowder
- Marjon Beauchamp
Teams on Back-to-Backs
- Chicago Bulls
- Dallas Mavericks
- Milwaukee Bucks
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- New Orleans Pelicans
- San Antonio Spurs
Pace Up Spots
Pace definition: Pace is the total number of possessions a team uses in a game.
*key* Green is elite pace of play, Blue is decent pace of play, & Red is slow pace of play.
Green = Fast Paced team
Blue = Neutral Paced team
Red = Slow Paced team
- Dallas Mavericks 2nd vs Milwaukee Bucks 8th
- Minnesota Timberwolves 15th vs New Orleans Pelicans 22nd
- Memphis Grizzlies 29th vs San Antonio Spurs 28th
- Miami Heat 12th vs Chicago Bulls 25th
- Oklahoma City Thunder 9th vs Golden State Warriors 15th
NBA Game Totals
- Dallas Mavericks vs Milwaukee Bucks (-2) - Total: 247.5
- Oklahoma City Thunder vs Golden State Warriors (+1.5) - Total: 232.5
- Memphis Grizzlies vs San Antonio Spurs (+3) - Total: 227
Top Tier Core Plays
Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF Milwaukee Bucks
The game has a 247.5 game total with just a two-point spread. We've seen the Bucks a bit sluggish as Giannis and Damian Lillard figure out how to co-exist here but the spread and the matchup for the Bucks here against the Dallas front court which features rookie Derek Lively and Grant Williams.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG Oklahoma City Thunder
With Stephen Curry back for the Warriors here tonight we are certainly expecting a more competitive game here this evening. We got just 30 minutes from SGA the other night and he finished with 45.5 fantasy points despite the fact that he shot just 6-of-21 from the floor. On a small slate the upside of SGA at a cheaper price from Giannis in a game with a strong game total could make for a good pivot as we've seen more 60+ fantasy point games from SGA this year than we've seen from Giannis when Lillard has been active.
Victor Wembanyama, PF/C San Antonio Spurs
We've been selective on the slates that we've played Wemby this season but today feels like one of those nights. We are looking at a 227 game total and just a three-point spread. We see Wemby also coming off of a 27-point performance against the Kings last night and in a really tough spot against the Timberwolves he had a ceiling game going for close to 60 FP. The Memphis front court of Jaren Jackson Jr., Bismack Biyombo and Santi Aldama is going to have their hands full today.
Jimmy Butler, SF Miami Heat
With Tyler Herro out of the lineup we've seen Butler step his game, averaging 40 FP over the last four and three games of at least 46 FP over the last five. We also have to love his return to Chicago here where he could have some added motivation against his former team. The Bulls themselves are also really struggling with rumors of a pending fire sale looming over the team.
Desmond Bane, SG/SF Memphis Grizzlies
The Grizzlies back court is hurting with Marcus Smart now expected to miss extended time. Regardless of who ends up filling the other guar spot we know that Bane is the guy taking the shots and likely controlling the offense. Prior to the teams blowout loss to the Lakers he had taken 24 and 28 shots against the Clippers and Jazz. I'd expect similar output here today against the Spurs who are once again without Devin Vassell.
Mid-Tier Core Plays
Chet Holmgren, PF/C Oklahoma City Thunder
Good price today for Holmgren who finished with a double-double in just 27 minutes against the Warriors the other night and had 45 FP against Golden State in their first meeting this season in 32 minutes. With Draymond Green out of the lineup the defense in the Warriors front court takes a hit but Stephen Curry back should keep this game competitive, leading to more minutes for Holmgren here tonight.
Jonas Valanciunas, C New Orleans Pelicans
With Zion Williamson out tonight and the Pelicans running up against a front court consisting of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns I would expect to see 30+ minutes from Valanciunas here tonight with a chance for a ceiling shots game. A blowout is certainly a worry tonight but the price is right for him to get us 5-7x return.
Keldon Johnson, SF San Antonio Spurs
I hate that I'm getting to a lot of Spurs tonight because these two teams play at such as slow pace but with Devin Vassell out of the lineup Keldon is in another great spot as he comes off games of 50 and 47 fantasy points. At his price point tonight there is 7-8x return potential in a competitive game.
Herbert Jones, SF/PF, New Orleans Pelicans
We generally like Jones for his defense but we've seen his offensive game show up at times when the Pelicans are down multiple core starters and that is the case here today with CJ McCollum and Zion Williamson out of the lineup. Jones gave us a ceiling game of 44 fantasy points against the Mavericks a few nights ago and we got it again against the Pistons going for 45. This is not a great matchup for New Orleans given how tough the Timberwolves have been this season but it is a good price on Jones who can get to 30 FP tonight just with blocks and steals alone.
Duncan Robinson, SG/SF Miami Heat
We are seeing ceiling game after ceiling game from Robinson here with Tyler Herro out of the lineup as the Heat sharpshooter has gone for 40+ fantasy points twice over the last three games while averaging 15 shot attempts over the last four contests. Adding to his value this season is his contributions outside of scoring as he is averaging 3.8 rebounds, 3.0 assists and nearly a full block+steal per game over the last five games.
Value Tier Core Plays
New Orleans Pelicans
There is a lot of value here for the Pelicans today as they are down both Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum. Dyson Daniels and Jordan Hawkins will be popular plays for sure with Daniels going for at least 25 fantasy points in five straight games while Hawkins has shown GPP winning upside this season. We can also go back to the well with Naji Marshall who has gone for 30 and 23 FP over the last two games while playing 21 and 18 minutes. I fully expect to see him play more minutes tonight and maybe even start with Zion Williamson out of the lineup.
Alex Caruso, PG/SF Chicago Bulls
Love me some Alex Caruso. He gets on the floor and is just instant energy and yesterday he actually entered the starting lineup and almost instantly hit three three-pointers had a block and had a steal. He ended up leaving that game briefly which cost him some minutes but he still managed 30 FP in 23 minutes of play. I'd expect him to start here again today with a primary assignment of Jimmy Butler or Duncan Robinson on the defensive end of the floor but his overall activity at this price tag should make him popular.
Malik Beasley, SG Milwaukee Bucks
With Khris Middleton, Jae Crowder and Marjon Beauchamp all ruled out today the Bucks are going to be shorthanded on the wing which should help lock Beasley into 30+ minutes here today. While he is going tobe competing for shots with some pretty high usage rate players this matchup is also super appealing given the 247.5 game total.
SHEET UPDATE! The grid below is listed as our PLAYER POOLS, not our core plays. We've switched the formatting and the players written up above are the players we're using as CORE options. Everyone in the grid are options we would use too.
Player Pool
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Stacks
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