The first Friday night of the 2023-24 NBA season takes place tonight, and there’s no surprise the league is putting some of the most exciting players in the NBA DFS player pool against one another to continue its opening week. Trae Young vs. Jalen Brunson, Jayson Tatum vs. Jimmy Butler and even Kyrie Irving playing against the Brooklyn Nets for the first time since requesting a trade last season. Should daily Fantasy basketball players include any of these options in NBA DFS picks on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings?
Tatum had 34 points and 11 rebounds in a 108-104 opening victory over the Knicks on Wednesday, so is he worth fitting into NBA DFS lineups against Miami with historically one of the toughest defenses in the NBA? Tatum averaged 25.3 points per game against Miami in the Eastern Conference Finals last season. How should Boston players like Tatum, Jaylen Brown and Derrick White factor into an NBA DFS strategy against the team that ended their season? Before making your NBA DFS picks for Friday, 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 Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Antetokounmpo had 23 points, 13 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks, returning 49.75 points on DraftKings and 48.1 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 the beginning of the 2023-24 NBA season 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, October 27
For Friday, one of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks is Warriors guard Chris Paul, who is listed at $6,600 on DraftKings and $8,100 on FanDuel. The 19-year veteran had 14 points, six rebounds and nine assists in his debut with the Warriors after being traded to Golden State from Washington after Paul was included in the deal to bring Bradley Beal to the Suns. The 12-time All-Star is at the stage in his career when he plays his best when able to rely on other great players and shooters like he has in Steph Curry and Klay Thompson.
Paul averaged 13.9 points and 8.9 assists over 59 games with the Suns last season. The Warriors played at the fastest pace in the NBA last season, and for a change in his career, Paul doesn’t need to be the one setting the pace on every possession. He’ll have more opportunities to create for himself without the ball in his hands but also find elite shooters to help his assists total as Golden State takes on Sacramento tonight. The Kings had the 12th-fastest pace in the NBA last season, and after playing in a slower offense last year with the Suns ranking in the bottom-third in pace, additional possessions translate to more opportunities for DFS points for Paul.
Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes Cavaliers forward/center Evan Mobley ($7,300 on DraftKings and $7,600 on FanDuel). Mobley averaged 16.2 points and nine rebounds a game last season, and he had 10 points, six rebounds and two blocks over 34 minutes in the season-opener against the Nets.
Clevland will be without center Jarrett Allen (ankle) again on Friday, which means the Cavaliers will need Mobley’s 6-foot-11 frame on the floor often to provide size. He’ll have additional rebounding opportunities without Allen in the middle as well. Mobley will likely match up against the Thunders’ 7-foot-1 center Chet Holmgren often, and as the tallest player on the Cleveland roster, he should see a significant amount of minutes on Friday, leading to the opportunity to outperform his DFS price. See McClure’s other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Friday, October 27
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.