NBA DFS Playbook: November 20

LaMelo, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways. Best game environment on the slate (226 total). LaMelo coming off a 60-burger last night. Trae Young ranks 95th out of 96 in defensive rating among players with 30+ minutes per night. DK's salary makes you think about it, but what are you doing FanDuel? Just play him there. 

Salary seem egregious, but not when you consider six straight games with at least 44 fantasy points and at least 50 in four of last six. Usage has been over 30% in four of six games as well. 

For all the same reasons we love LaMelo we can love Trae Young as well. LaMelo ranked 81st out of 91 point guards in defensive plus-minus last year. 

Strictly a GPP play tonight considering the loaded point guard position. The best thing about Fox tonight is the salary, which is his lowest all season on DK and FD. Slumped last game but had at least 36 fantasy points in four of five previous games.

When SGA is the fifth PG to mention, you know it's a loaded slate. He has settled in as a guaranteed 40 fantasy points every night and the salary has stabilized in the mid-$8,000s. Boston plays point guards tough, but SGA is at 27% usage almost every night. 

Playing huge minutes right now and scored in double digit actual points in eight straight games. He hasn't had a usage rate game below 20% since October and the Thunder allow 21 points, eight assists and 3.6 three-pointers to point guards per game. 

If Devonte' Graham is out once again, Sato is in play. He disappointed with the opportunity last night, but he played 25 minutes and his salary fell by $100 on DK and $200 on FD. 

This game has the second-highest implied total tonight and the Jazz are in a HUGE pace-up spot against the Kings. Sacramento is three fantasy points worse against shooting guards than any other team in the league. 

You can set your watch by him the past two weeks. Five straight games of 30+ minutes and fantasy points between 35-39. Oh yeah, and the Grizzlies have the worst defensive rating in the league this season. 

This should be a slow-paced slog with both team in bottom half of the league for Pace and 76ers ranking dead last. But Philadelphia allows top-five numbers in points, rebounds and three pointers to shooting guards. Exactly the environment McCollum needs. 

At least 20 fantasy points in seven straight games with a ceiling of 40 in that span. Salary shot up on FanDuel but is stable on DK and Yahoo. 

This is just a straight misprice by DK and Yahoo. At least five assists in seven straight games and multiple steals five of his last six. So what if he sometimes doesn't score much? OKC is bottom-12 against shooting guards. 

Copy and paste from Marcus Smart, just on the other side of the court. Minutes are always above 30 these days and his usage is above 20% in nine of last 11 games. 

Another Pelicans player who didn't do their managers any favors last night. But we saw two games this week with a usage rate over 30% leading to more than 30 fantasy points. Salary much easier to swallow on DK and Yahoo. If Graham is out, he is a safe play. 

Bane all of a sudden is a great value shooting guard with Desmond Melton out and Dillon Brooks unlikely to play. Minnesota allows the fourth-most fantasy points to the position and Bane should approach 30 minutes in this one. 

The salary is rising along with the production. In his last three healthy games, he produced more than 50 fantasy points in each one. Very low total in this game, but Butler should have no problems going toe-to-toe with Bradley Beal. I'm not trusting Butler in cash games. 

For significantly less salary, Ingram is a safer cash game choice, especially on FanDuel. The Pacers are a bottom-10 team against small forwards and Ingram rewarded his managers last night with 40 fantasy points on 29% usage in a tougher matchup. 

See: Russell, D'Angelo. The Grizzlies also can't guard small forwards (29th in the league) and are bottom-five in points, rebounds, three-pointers and steals allowed. Ant-Man has scored less than 33 fantasy points once this month. 

Shows no signs of rust from missing six games. At least 30 minutes, 21% usage and 32 fantasy points in his two games back and continues to show he can be an elite fantasy producer even when Giannis is on top of his game. 

Massive fantasy game last night and played in the late game so his salary on DK somehow went down. The price is right everywhere, however, considering he averages 37 minutes and 38 fantasy points in his last three games. I would go right back to the well and play him next to Ingram again if Graham sits. 

Welcome back to the starting lineup and a place on our DFS rosters. DeAndre Hunter's injury means good things for the Red Rifle which he showed us in his last game. Huerter scored 32.75 fantasy points in 32 minutes on just 13% usage. At $3,800 on DK and $1 off of min-salary on Yahoo, he is a hear lock for me in cash games considering the game environment. 

Only things not to love are the salary and the blowout risk. The Bucks were huge favorites last night and we saw how that turned out. At least 50 fantasy points in seven of nine games including an incredible 67 fantasy points in a game the Bucks only scored 96 points yesterday.

What's to like: Pelicans are 29th in defensive rating this year. They allow the eighth-most fantasy points to power forwards. What's not to like: Both teams are bottom-10 in pace. Sabonis averaging 23 points in his last two games. It all adds up to a boom or bust spot for Sabonis which makes him a perfect cheaper pivot off of Tatum in tournaments. 

Playing at Giannis levels his past three games but enters the slate $2,000 cheaper. The Thunder are absolutely wretched against power forwards, allowing almost 51 points per game to the position. Tatum is over 33% usage his last four games and looks like one of the stone locks of the slate. 

Continues to rank top-five in minutes this year and top-20 in offensive rating among all players. At least 35 points in five of six games and should feast in this up and down, Formula One-paced game. 

Collins is doing his best Miles Bridges impression lately, playing 31+ minutes in five straight and posting at least 39 fantasy points in four of five games. At some point we have to start thinking about how many ways we can stack this game. Make sure Collins is part of your exposure. 

Similar to Bane, Anderson looks to eat up a lot of minutes left behind by Brooks and Melton. Anderson has only seen minutes in the high teens or low 20's this season, but that's likely to change against the team with the 10th-fastest pace in the league.

A lot of things to like for McDaniels who is min-priced on Yahoo and DK. At least 30 minutes in three of four games. At least three rebounds in four straight. Has shown upper-20's ceiling in two of past four games against tough Spurs and Clippers teams. Perfect last piece for cash if you need the savings. 

Grizzlies are LOL against centers this year, allowing 26 points, 13 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 2.8 blocks per night. Overall, the Grizzlies have the worst defensive rating in the league and play at the 13th-fastest pace. That's a lethal DFS combination and Towns should go to…town. 

In a surprisingly lite night for elite centers, Towns and J-Val are your clear top spend-up options. While everyone was playing Ingram and Hart last night, Valanciunas went off for 50 fantasy points. Now he gets an Indiana team ranked just 14th in defensive rebound rate and allows the sixth-most points in the paint this season. He is close to a lock on FD with that salary.

Gobert is the very definition of a high-upside tournament pivot tonight against a team hemorrhaging points to centers. I'm not sure what Richaun Holmes or Chimezie Metu are supposed to do to contain Gobert tonight, but the last times these two teams played, The Stifle Tower put up 49 fantasy points in 32 minutes. Gobert is a guaranteed double-double tonight, it's just do you think he will be at 12-12 or 18-20. I'm thinking it might be closer to the latter. 

DFS sites are now raising Capela's salary in proportion to his production these days. Capela has a double-double in eight of his past 11 games and Charlotte allows almost 24 points and 20 rebounds (!!) to the center position this year. Matched up against Mason Plumlee? Yeah, I'm interested.

Bamba is playing the best, most consistent basketball of his career right now, with at least 31 fantasy points in six straight games. His salary makes him a better play on DK, but don't discount the steals + blocks which are worth more on Yahoo and FD. He has four stocks per game over his last six. 

They will need his size against Collins and Capela tonight, but hopefully he contribute on the offensive side of the ball as well. His production has been very up and down the last few games, but he has shown he can regularly log 30 fantasy points this season. Won't make my cash games or primary game stacks, but he is worth a dart considering the relatively low number of cheap center options.