A daily fantasy sports OG, Notorious has been roaming the DFS streets ever since they were invented. He has racked up multiple live final seats and several six-figure tournament wins in his DFS career. So, who better to walk you through the madness of an NBA DFS slate? On weekends, Taylor Smith takes the reins. Core Plays LIVE will zoom out on the slate as a whole, zoom in on the best plays, and constantly update as news breaks. Whether you are diving into the slate 5 hours before it starts or 5 minutes before it starts, you’ve come to the right place.
Hello! It is a Sunday in October, which means it’s NFL SZN. It’s not like the NBA is taking the day off, though, as we’re looking at 9 games on the board, 7 of which appear on the main slates on DraftKings and FanDuel. The festivities tip off a bit earlier than usual at 6 PM ET, so you can get your lineups in as you’re sweating the afternoon football games. It’ll be a fun time for all involved.
Last night’s slate was a decent one marred a bit by a couple of chalky injuries, and we saw a couple of different starting lineups than expected. Remember, it’s still incredibly early in the season, so teams are still figuring out their rotations and such. Keeping up with alerts throughout the slate and late swapping accordingly can give you an edge much of the field is ignoring.
Anyway, on to the hoopage.
Editor’s Note: Looking for more places to play? Check out our Underdog promo code and PrizePicks promo code, two of the best DFS sites available today.
NBA DFS Top Picks: Core Plays LIVE for Sunday, October 26
Slate Overview
News Updates
Here’s where I’ll provide news updates throughout the afternoon.
Team Previews
Charlotte Hornets (at WAS)
The Hornets lost a tight one to Philly last night to drop to 1-1 on the young season. The news out of that game was Brandon Miller leaving early with a shoulder injury that kept him sidelined for the rest of the way. We’re calling him doubtful to suit up tonight in Washington, while Josh Green and Grant Williams remain out. We also saw Collin Sexton draw a surprise start at the 2 over Kon Knueppel, though Knueppel started the second half after Miller’s departure. Mason Plumlee also started the second half over Ryan Kalkbrenner. Lots of moving parts here, but we’re currently projecting all of Sexton, Knueppel, and Kalkbrenner to start tonight. Charlotte is listed as a 2-point underdog here, albeit with a healthy 118 total.
LaMelo Ball (35.7%) and Miles Bridges (29.6%) predictably led Charlotte in usage last season with Miller off the court. The matchup against Washington’s likely lackluster defense looks outstanding, and both players are reasonably priced around the industry. I’ll give the edge to Ball, but both of them offer significant upside. Sexton (1.26 FP/minute) is never afraid to let it fly, and he’s a fabulous value in the $5,000 range on both DK and FD.
The center situation is difficult to parse. Kalkbrenner (1.07 FP/minute) has been productive when given the opportunity, and his halftime benching didn’t affect his minutes, as he’s logged 26 in both games thus far. The rookie isn’t quite as cheap as he was on opening night, but I do like the spot against Washington. The Hornets have a lot of mouths to feed offensively even without Miller, and Knueppel is sporting just a 16% usage rate thus far. $4,000 for him is cheap on FanDuel, but the floor is awfully low.
Washington Wizards (vs. CHA)
Want to read more? Sign up for NBA Premium!
Here is an example of the DFS tables that are provided to our Premium Subscribers
This content can help you make better NBA DFS picks
- To access this content, subscribe to NBA Premium or purchase a 3-day trial.
- An NBA subscription will allow you to access this content and much more!
Buy NBA Premium!
About the Author
Taylor Smith (tcsmith031)
Based in Southern California, Taylor Smith (aka tcsmith031) has been working for RotoGrinders since 2018 in a number of different capacities. In addition to contributing written content for NBA, MLB, and NFL, Taylor is also a member of the projections/alerts team and makes regular appearances as an analyst on NBA Crunch Time. Follow Taylor on Twitter – @TayeBojangles
