NBA Daily Fantasy Picks & Playbook: November 2, 2026

James Grande | @The_Real_Grande | DraftKings and FanDuel main slate

On Friday, we have an eight-game slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jayson Tatum, Cade Cunningham, and Cooper Flagg take the floor. We don't have any teams on a back-to-back abut there are plenty of injuries to run through in today's NBA DFS playbook.

Before actually diving into the meat and potatoes, welcome to the NBA DFS season. If this is your first time reading our column on NBA DFS picks, I just want to welcome you and give you a few tips and tricks on what you should be looking for each night.

• News outlets: reliable sources that give us injury news & starting lineups
• Pace of play: who's playing fast vs. who's playing slow. Which teams get a pace-up spot (more possessions) vs. pace-down (fewer possessions)
• Usage rates: is a percentage of how many plays that player is being used in
• NBA DFS Projections
• Lineup Generator
• NBA Ownership

NBA DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, November 2nd

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Slate Snapshot & Injury Updates

Last updated: 6:30 p.m. ET

11 games on DK, 12 games on FD | Lock: 7:00 p.m. ET

• Indiana has ruled out most of their top options; Pascal Siakam, Andrew Nembhard, Aaron Nesmith as well as Larry Nance
• Indiana is going to have eight active players tonight (listed in value section)
• Paul George is OUT
• Dejounte Murray has been downgraded to QUEST
• Kyrie Irving downgraded to DOUBT
• Alex Sarr downgraded to OUT
• LaMelo Ball downgraded to QUEST

Full Injury Report

Game Environments

Each game shows the away team first. CHI @ PHI carries the slate's top total. MIL @ MIN, SAC @ DAL, UTA @ SAS and BKN @ NYK carry blowout risk. MIL @ MIN has the best pace matchup on the slate. 4 games are also on the schedule but not on this DFS slate. Ranks are league-wide, 2026-27; pace rank 1 is fastest, and off and def rank 1 are best. Green marks a better DFS spot and red a worse one, so a weak defense shades green.

DraftKings vs FanDuel Price Differential

• Josh Giddey is the 12th highest priced PG on DraftKings but 23rd on FanDuel, so the better positional value is on FanDuel ($7,500 DK, $6,300 FD).
• Ayo Dosunmu is the 20th highest priced SG on DraftKings but 9th on FanDuel, so the better positional value is on DraftKings ($6,200 DK, $6,700 FD).
• Tyler Herro is the 12th highest priced SG on DraftKings but 3rd on FanDuel, so the better positional value is on DraftKings ($6,900 DK, $7,600 FD).

Each player is ranked by salary among every player in that site's file eligible at the position, including multi-position players (1 is the highest priced). Players are compared at a position they are eligible for on both sites; when they share more than one, the position with the bigger gap is shown. Rank Gap is how many spots apart the two ranks are; the greener the cell, the bigger the gap. Better Positional Value is the site where the player has the lower position rank (priced lower among players at the position), regardless of the raw salary, since the two sites use different salary scales.

Top Tier Core Plays

Victor Wembanyama - C · SAS

If you needed any reason to ever play arguably the best fantasy player going right now, how's 6% rostership? It's easy to get basically anything you want because the Pacers are projected eight players and all eight are under-5K. Three of them are near-min salary.

Jayson Tatum - SF/PF · BOS

In nearly 90 minutes without Paul George this year, Jayson Tatum has a 35.5% USG and averages over 1.4 FP/min. This isn't an easy spot and the pace of this game is ugly, but if we get 40 minutes out of Tatum, he could break the slate without PG on the floor. He's incredibly low owned.

Cooper Flagg - SF · DAL

I have no doubts the current ownership is fake. If Cooper Flagg is once again checking in under 10% I'd be floored and shocked and jump for joy because I'm getting one of the best players in the league at that ownership. Without Kyrie Irving this year, Cooper Flagg (in 63 mins) has a 32.8% and 1.49 FP/min on DK and 1.54 FDP/min.

Tyrese Maxey - PG · PHI

Independent of whether or not Joel Embiid plays or not, Tyrese Maxey is an elite GPP option in this spot. The Bulls are 28th in DRtg and play faster than everyone else in the league. Maxey leads the 76ers in minutes, USG (31.2%) & FP/min (1.25). Nobody has more implied points on today's slate.

Mid-Tier Core Plays

Anthony Davis - PF · WAS

The spot is much better than it's been in years past. The Magic are not good defensively. They currently rank 25th in DRtg and Davis has a 30% USG and 1.25 FP/min, profiling well against this Magic team. Orlando, by the way, ranks 27th in rebounding rate, which is another check in Davis' camp.

Deni Avdija - SF/PF · POR (FanDuel)

Without Ja Morant, we should see Deni Avdija continue to dominate the ball like he has up this point as he's posted a 29.3% USG and 1.4 FP/min. Denver has been a bad defense ranking 21st in DRtg and Avdija has 50+ FP upside.

Franz Wagner & Desmond Bane - SF/PF & SG/SF · DAL

It's hard not to have Franz Wagner and Desmond Bane atop my board tonight in term's of top per dollar plays of the day. They've both underpriced for the role that they could potentially have with Suggs, Banchero, and Black out tonight. In small samples this year, both their USG rates are over 32% and are playing nearly 40 minutes per game.

Darius Acuff - PG/SG · SAC

We don't know if Zach LaVine is going to play, but it hasn't truly mattered for Darius Acuff at all. Acuff Jr. has scored 34 and 38 points and 54.8+ DKP in his last two games and has shown the ability to pair volume and efficiency. He's up to a 32% USG and 1.2 FP/min.

Cameron Boozer - PF · MEM

I love Cameron Boozer today and I don't care who knows it. Boozer has a 26.1% USG and is averaging nearly 1.4 DKP/min and 1.3 FDP/min. Boozer is coming off back-to-back 42+ FP outings and he's now put up 39.8 DKP in four of his last five outings. This is a fantastic paced game as the Pelicans are third and Memphis is 10th.

Jaden McDaniels & Ayo Dosunmu - SF/PF & SG/SF · MIN

Jaden McDaniels has been incredibly good without Anthony Edwards posting a near 24% USG in each of the last two games. He's been a 22.5% USG and is a 1.06 FP/min without Edwards this year and draws a matchup against a Bucks team ranking 27th in DRtg and 2nd in pace. Dosunmu is coming off a near 50 FP contest and is also a 1.06 FP/min without Edwards. Let's not overlook LaMelo Ball's downgrade too.

Value Tier Core Plays

Pacers, Any and All of Them

From my count, the Pacers will have eight tonight as long as Obi Toppin or Larry Nance (Doubtful) are in uniform tonight. 

• Quenton Jackson
• Kobe Brown
• Jalen Slawson
• Braden Smith
• Kelly Oubre
• Jay Huff
• Obi Toppin – active but NOT playing.
• Jarace Walker

They're all under 5K and half of the time is free on both sites. I would legitimately play any and all, the only thing I would worry about is if Obi Toppin is active and doesn't start, could he be limited?

If you want to play the blowout narrative, Kelly Oubre, Obi Toppin and Jay Huff are probably the last three players I'd want to roster.

Jrue Holiday & Scoot Henderson - PG/SG & PG · POR (FanDuel)

We saw Scoot Henderson start in their first game without Ja Morant and he played 30 minutes and although I'm unsure it's going to be the same number again, it should be a good number overall. Holiday should tick up in terms of minutes and both are great price points against a bottom-10 defense.

Jalen Smith - C · CHI

There is nobody on the Bulls who averages more FP/min than Jalen Smith's 1.22. It's really all about the minutes when it comes to Smith. If he's extended anywhere near 30 he can break the slate. Will he is the forever question when it comes to Smith.

Tristan da Silva - SF/PF · ORL

The Magic are without three key rotation pieces in Paolo Banchero, Jalen Suggs, and Anthony Black tonight and with two of them out da Silva has been regularly playing 30 minutes and now he has a chance at adding another five. He's nearly been a 1 FP/min player without the three this year but it's a 50 minute sample. Without them dating back to the start of ‘25, he’s a .9 FP/min player, which is solid if he's playing 35 minutes at a sub-5K price.

Deandre Ayton - C · WAS

I'm not sure how much Deandre Ayton actually plays here, but it's possible he starts and plays into the 20s in terms of minutes with Alex Sarr ruled out.. He's been a good FP/min player his entire career and is now a 3.6K player.

Jaylin Williams - PF/C · OKC

With the Cavs running a double-big lineup, it's plausible to think the Thunder run more Jaylin Williams out there to help match size with size. Since the start of 2025, without Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams, Jaylin Williams is a 1 FP/min on DK and .98 FP/min on FD. He's really cheap, too.

Late-News Core Plays

Players we are considering core plays based on late-breaking news and research

• I think Indiana ends up having four players optimal and I'm comfortable playing FIVE in a lineup. 
• Ask yourself if you think it's a blowout, should you be playing Kelly Oubre? He's probably the last player that stays on the floor.
• Peyton Watson being OUT helps Sam Merrill, Meleek Thomas, and Mario Hezonja. Not priorities of mine.
• Dejounte Murray being ruled out gives Jeremiah Fears & Saddiq Bey the biggest bumps. Trey Murphy III & Zion Williamson GPP options.
• Jalen Johnson being ruled out makes ATL extremely intriguing because he leads the team in USG.
• Since 2025, w/o Johnson, CJ McCollum leads the team with a 31% USG while posting 1.2 FP/min. No Flemings either gives CJM a big boost.

Core Lineup

Cash Core: Quenton Jackson - Jarace Walker - Franz Wagner - Victor Wembanyama

GPP Leverage: Tyrese Maxey - Braden Smith - Kelly Oubre - Cooper Flagg

Player Pool

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Stacks

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