NBA Daily Fantasy Picks & Playbook: November 1st, 2026
James Grande | @The_Real_Grande | DraftKings and FanDuel main slate
We have a four-game NBA DFS main slate on DraftKings today but just three games on FanDuel. The slate kicks off at 3:30 pm ET on DK and 5 pm on FD as FD cut off the Celtics and Magic game. Luka Doncic, Scottie Barnes, Pascal Siakam are just some of the stars on both slates.
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
Slate Snapshot & Injury Updates
Last updated: 11:10 a.m. ET
- Brooklyn & Indiana is the only game with at least 230 implied points
- Stephen Curry & Draymond Green are out and that makes the Warriors possibly the most appealing team of the day
NOTABLE INJURY UPDATES
| Player | Status | Who Benefits |
|---|---|---|
| Paolo Banchero (ORL, ankle) | Out | |
| Tyrese Haliburton (IND, hamstring) | Out | |
| Stephen Curry (GSW, rest) | Out | De'Anthony Melton, Brandon Williams |
| Kawhi Leonard (TOR, knee) | Out | Ja'Kobe Walter |
| Ivica Zubac (IND, ankle) | Out | Jay Huff, Larry Nance |
| Jalen Suggs (ORL, knee) | Out | |
| Draymond Green (GSW, rest) | Out | — |
| Egor Demin (BKN, leg) | Out | — |
| Kristaps Porzingis (GSW, illness) | Out | — |
| T.J. McConnell (IND, hamstring) | Out | — |
| Mikel Brown (BKN, rest) | Out | — |
| Mitchell Robinson (BOS, rest) | Out | — |
| Gui Santos (GSW, knee) | PROB | |
| Obi Toppin (IND, back) | Questionable | Jarace Walker |
| Aaron Nesmith (IND, hamstring) | PROB | Jarace Walker |
| Ziaire Williams (LAL, foot) | Questionable | Matisse Thybulle, Jake LaRavia, Quentin Grimes |
Game Environments
| Team | Opp | Tip (ET) | Total | Spread | Implied | Pace Rank | Off Rank | Def Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BKN | @ IND | 5:00 p.m. | 231.5 | +3.5 | 114 | 3rd | 29th | 21st |
| IND | vs BKN | -3.5 | 117.5 | 11th | 12th | 26th | ||
| TOR | @ LAL | 9:00 p.m. | 225.5 | +2.5 | 111.5 | 12th | 10th | 2nd |
| LAL | vs TOR | -2.5 | 114 | 23rd | 4th | 19th | ||
| LAC | @ GSW | 8:30 p.m. | 222.5 | +2.5 | 110 | 19th | 28th | 16th |
| GSW | vs LAC | -2.5 | 112.5 | 24th | 6th | 22nd | ||
| BOS | @ ORL | 3:30 p.m. | 220.5 | -6.5 | 113.5 | 10th | 5th | 9th |
| ORL | vs BOS | +6.5 | 107 | 15th | 23rd | 23rd |
Each game shows the away team first. BKN @ IND carries the slate's top total. BKN @ IND has the best pace matchup on the 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
- Chaney Johnson is the 26th highest priced SF on DraftKings but 10th on FanDuel, so the better positional value is on DraftKings ($3,800 DK, $4,100 FD).
- Allen Graves is the 29th highest priced SF on DraftKings but 15th on FanDuel, so the better positional value is on DraftKings ($3,600 DK, $3,900 FD).
- Braden Smith is the 28th highest priced PG on DraftKings but 15th on FanDuel, so the better positional value is on DraftKings ($3,100 DK, $3,500 FD).
| Player | Pos | DK Salary | DK Pos Rank | FD Salary | FD Pos Rank | Rank Gap | Better Positional Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chaney Johnson BKN | SF | $3,800 | 26th | $4,100 | 10th | 16 | DraftKings |
| Allen Graves TOR | SF | $3,600 | 29th | $3,900 | 15th | 14 | DraftKings |
| Braden Smith IND | PG | $3,100 | 28th | $3,500 | 15th | 13 | DraftKings |
| Derrick Jones LAC | SF | $4,600 | 17th | $4,700 | 6th | 11 | DraftKings |
| Aaron Nesmith IND | SF | $4,400 | 19th | $4,400 | 8th | 11 | DraftKings |
| Nolan Traore BKN | PG | $4,300 | 21st | $4,100 | 10th | 11 | DraftKings |
| Quenton Jackson IND | SG | $3,800 | 24th | $4,000 | 13th | 11 | DraftKings |
| Jamal Shead TOR | PG | $4,300 | 22nd | $4,100 | 12th | 10 | DraftKings |
| Keon Ellis BKN | SG | $4,000 | 22nd | $4,000 | 12th | 10 | DraftKings |
| Jake LaRavia LAL | SF | $4,200 | 23rd | $4,000 | 13th | 10 | DraftKings |
| Charles Bassey GSW | C | $3,200 | 25th | $3,600 | 15th | 10 | DraftKings |
| Kris Dunn LAC | PG | $4,900 | 16th | $5,000 | 7th | 9 | DraftKings |
| Brandon Williams GSW | PG | $4,400 | 20th | $4,100 | 11th | 9 | DraftKings |
| Matisse Thybulle LAL | SF | $4,400 | 20th | $4,100 | 11th | 9 | DraftKings |
| Ziaire Williams LAL | SF | $4,200 | 21st | $4,100 | 12th | 9 | DraftKings |
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
Luka Doncic - PG · LAL
It's really hard to beat a 41% USG and 1.7 FP/min. Nobody on this slate will come close to be honest. He's a fantastic roster against any and all teams. Sign me up for Doncic in any and all formats.
Jayson Tatum - SF/PF · BOS
The spot is much better than anticipated considering Orlando ranks 25th in DRtg. It's no surprise without Jalen Suggs that they're suffering on that end of the floor. Tatum has a 33.4% USG and 1.4 FP/min and has nearly 40 minute upside.
Scottie Barnes - SF/PF · TOR
The sample is getting bigger and Scottie Barnes is getting better. He's coming off a career-high 42 actual points and has had a couple of monster games so far this year. Without Kawhi Leonard this year, Barnes has posted a 29.2% USG and is averaging 1.4 FP/min on both DK and FD. The Lakers are 19th in DRtg this year.
Mid-Tier Core Plays
Pascal Siakam & Andrew Nembhard - PF & PG · IND
Over the last two games, Nembhard has 20 potential assists and has 23 actual assists over that span. He's coming off two straight double-doubles and again, without Tyrese Haliburton, he's an elite fantasy producer. The 7.1K is not nearly enough for the production he's putting up. Brooklyn's 21st in DRtg and 8th in pace. Siakam leads in USG and is nearly at 1.5 FP/min on DK.
Yaxel Lendeborg & Brandin Podziemski - SF/PF & PG/SG · GSW
Despite having an awful showing last time out, Lendeborg is still averaging 1.3 FP/min and is now playing without Stephen Curry and Draymond Green. Without Curry on the floor this year, it gets up to 1.35 and has a 30.2% USG to boot. Podziemski averages 1.23 FP/min without Stephen Curry this year.
Julius Randle & Michael Porter - PF & SF · BKN
The Nets best two fantasy players are Randle and Porter Jr. without a doubt. Without Mikel Brown, Randle has a 26.3% USG and averages 1.18 FP/min and MPJ has a 25% USG and 1.16 FP/min. They should have a fantastic game in this spot as it's the best game environment on the board.
Paul George - SG/SF · BOS
Paul George's time as a Celtic couldn't be going any better at this point. He has a 29.1% USG and is averaging 1.3 FP/min on the team. Like I mentioned with Tatum above, the Magic are 25th in DRtg on the year.
Immanuel Quickley - PG · TOR
Quickley's really been awesome this year and actually leads the team in FP/min over on DK. He only trails Barnes on FD at 1.34, but is over 1.4 on DK. Quickley's up at 28.1% USG to boot without Kawhi Leonard this year. His minutes were FINALLY on display as he played a season-high 37 last time out.
Value Tier Core Plays
De'Anthony Melton & Brandon Williams - PG/SG & PG · GSW
Melton's role has been much better than Williams, but Williams should get some solid ownership considering his price and elevated usage rate. Both guys are getting a solid amount of ownership and I like both a lot.
Ja'Kobe Walter & Collin Murray-Boyles - SG/SF & PF/C · TOR
Walter played another 32 minutes last game and we kind of saw Collin Murray Boyles stay out of foul trouble last game..in the second half. He was in foul trouble in the first half, but played 16 minutes after the break and closed the game. He got up to 23 minutes so progress is being made.
Isaiah Jackson - C · LAC
Jackson was pacing for nearly 28 minutes in their last game and lost out on six minutes due to a blowout. In a close game, he has a big-time ceiling because he's an elite fantasy player. Jackson's averaging 1.2 FP/min this year, he just needs to stay out of foul trouble.
Nolan Traore & Moritz Wagner - PF/SG & C · BKN
The Nets are down two of their top guards in Egor Demin and Mikel Brown and we'll likely see Nolan Traore draw another start here. He's actually posted a 25% USG up to this point in the year and is over 1 FP/min to boot. Wagner has been a 22.9% USG and is averaging over 1.1 FP/min
Neemias Queta & Luka Garza - C · BOS
The Celtics are without Mitchell Robinson in this one and one would assume Queta and Garza are going to absorb most of the 48 minutes at center tonight. Queta is the likely candidate to get a start and we saw him be a mighty productive player as a starter a year ago. Garza, dating back to last year, is a .9 FP/min player as a Celtic. Queta is safer & Garza is the GPP play.
Late-News Core Plays
Players we are considering core plays based on late-breaking news and research
Core Lineup
Cash Core: Andrew Nembhard - Nolan Traore - Luka Doncic - Neemias Queta
GPP Leverage: Luka Doncic - Andrew Nembhard - Yaxel Lendeborg - De'Anthony Melton
Player Pool
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