The 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament continues on Friday and with 11 games on the NBA schedule, so how should daily Fantasy basketball players attack their NBA DFS strategy on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings? Joel Embiid had 39 points, 12 rebounds and six assists on Tuesday in an in-season tournament game, and now is he worth spending up for when making NBA DFS picks as the 76ers play the Hawks on Friday? Embiid (hip) is questionable but hasn’t missed a game this season. Other top options in the NBA DFS player pool include Nikola Jokic, Jayson Tatum and LaMelo Ball.
Kings shooting guard/small forward Kevin Huerter is averaging 25.3 points, five rebounds and 3.7 assists over his last three games, so is he a cheaper option worthy of using in NBA DFS lineups to potentially outperform his price tag against the Spurs when forming an NBA DFS strategy on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings? Before making your NBA DFS picks, be sure to check out the NBA DFS advice, player rankings, stacks and top daily Fantasy basketball picks from SportsLine’s Mike McClure.
McClure is a DFS professional with more than $2 million in career winnings. He’s also a predictive data engineer at SportsLine who uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every minute of every game 10,000 times, taking factors like matchups, statistical trends and injuries into account.
This allows him to find the best NBA DFS values and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They’re a must-see for any NBA DFS player.
On Thursday, McClure highlighted Nets center Nicolas Claxton as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Claxton had 16 points, six rebounds, two assists, three blocks and a steal, returning 34 points on DraftKings and 37.2 points on FanDuel. Anybody who included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
McClure has turned his attention to NBA action on Friday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks for Friday, November 17
For Friday, one of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks is Magic forward Paolo Banchero, who is listed at $7,700 on DraftKings and $7,900 on FanDuel. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft is averaging 18.7 points, seven rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game over the first 11 contests of the season. Banchero is averaging 22.3 points and eight rebounds over seven games in November after a slow first few games after averaging 20 points per game en route to winning NBA Rookie of the Year last season.
The Magic play at the Bulls for the second time in three days and Banchero is coming off a heroic conclusion. The 21-year-old hit the winning basket with 1.4 seconds left to break a tie at 94 in the Magic’s 96-94 victory. It wasn’t his most efficient shooting night of the season, making 4 of 12 shots, but he made the most important one of the evening and could carry that momentum into Friday night. Banchero didn’t let a poor shooting start deter him from taking the final shot and that confidence will bode him well against the Bulls again on Friday.
Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Trail Blazers guard Skylar Mays ($6,700 on DraftKings and $6,900 on FanDuel). Portland has one of the most beat-up backcourts in the NBA and Mays has maximized his opportunity at extended minutes due to it. The Trail Blazers remain without Scoot Henderson (ankle), Malcolm Brogdon (hamstring) and Anfernee Simons (thumb). Over the last four games, Mays is averaging 13 points and 9.3 assists per game while playing at least 31 minutes per contest.
The Blazers host the Lakers on Friday and the Lakers are allowing 121 points per game on the road this season. The Lakers surrendered 125 points to the Kings in their final of a three-game homestand on Wednesday and Sacramento point guard De’Aaron Fox had 28 points. Mays doesn’t come with a huge price tag for daily Fantasy basketball players and with the Lakers’ road defensive woes this season combined with Mays’ increased minutes, he’s a good value for NBA DFS lineups on Friday. See McClure’s other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Friday, November 17
McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Friday because of a dream matchup. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
Who is DFS pro Mike McClure putting in his optimal NBA DFS lineups for Friday? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NBA DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a professional DFS player who has over $2 million in career winnings, and find out.