NBA Daily Fantasy Picks & Playbook: November 4, 2026

Keith Eyster | @eys819dfs | DraftKings and FanDuel main slate

On Wednesday, we have an eleven-game slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. Players such as Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Cade Cunningham, and Tyrese Maxey take the floor. No team is on a back-to-back, and Jalen Johnson is the biggest name listed as questionable on the injury report.

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: 2:11 p.m. ET

11 games on DK, 8 games on FD | Lock: 7:00 p.m. ET

• Jalen Johnson and Trey Murphy are questionable, so confirm status before tip and plan the late swap.
• CHI @ NYK is the game to attack: the highest total on the slate.

Full Injury Report

Every player in today's games with an injury designation: 62 out, 4 doubtful, 33 questionable, 1 probable. Who Benefits is listed for the players whose absence moves the slate.

Game Environments

Each game shows the away team first. CHI @ NYK carries the slate's top total. CHI @ NYK and MIL @ BOS carry blowout risk. UTA @ NOP has the best pace matchup on the slate. 3 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

• Kyshawn George is the 28th highest priced SG on DraftKings but 14th on FanDuel, so the better positional value is on DraftKings ($5,500 DK, $5,700 FD).
• Jalen Smith is the 28th highest priced C on DraftKings but 15th on FanDuel, so the better positional value is on DraftKings ($5,200 DK, $5,300 FD).
• Ausar Thompson is the 22nd highest priced SF on DraftKings but 10th on FanDuel, so the better positional value is on DraftKings ($6,000 DK, $6,000 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

Nikola Jokic - C · DEN (DraftKings) 

Plenty of legitimate cheap value plays on this slate, yet no one wants to spend up on Jokic? He generally comes in higher owned than the industry projects in these situations, but the starting point is currently sub-2%. There aren't many opportunities to play this high of a ceiling at that type of ownership.  

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - PG · OKC

SGA just went off for 43 points and 8 assists against this Cleveland team on Monday. Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams remain out, which means Shai will dominate the ball even more than usual. His massive offensive workload gives him an excellent combination of scoring upside, assist potential, and one of the best floor/ceiling combos on the slate. 

Cade Cunningham - PG · DET

Cunningham will be one of the more popular spend-up options on the slate. He is averaging 23.7 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists through seven games this season. He is coming off a massive game, scoring 33 points with 5 rebounds and 7 assists against Charlotte. He also had an excellent outing in his first meeting with Philadelphia this season, finishing with 26 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists in 33 minutes. 

Scottie Barnes - SF/PF · TOR (DraftKings)

Barnes has been a fantasy point-scoring machine with Kawhi out, going for 50+ DK points in three of his last four games. Most recently, he recorded 22 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists against the Clippers, showcasing his massive upside. Denver currently ranks 23rd in defensive efficiency, which more than makes up for their lack of pace. 

Karl-Anthony Towns - PF/C · NYK

Towns is averaging 20.3 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 3.4 assists per game while shooting 55.1% from the field. He has recorded a double-double in all seven games this season, showing tremendous consistency on the glass. His matchup against Chicago is particularly appealing, as the Bulls have struggled defensively and play at the fastest pace in basketball. Towns dominated Chicago in their last meeting, posting 19 points, 13 rebounds, and 5 assists. 

Mid-Tier Core Plays

Paul George - SG/SF · BOS

With Tatum ruled out, George should be in line for a massive role. Tatum hasn't missed a game this season, yet George is still averaging 20.7 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists through six games. Pritchard is also listed as questionable, which could put even more of the offensive load on PG if he sits. Milwaukee has been one of the best fantasy matchups to start the season, ranking 2nd in pace and 26th in DRtg. 

OG Anunoby - PF · NYK

Hart's absence should give Anunoby more opportunities to contribute on the boards and take on a larger offensive role. Anunoby is averaging 16.4 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists through seven games this season while playing 34.2 minutes per contest. He is coming off a solid performance against Brooklyn, recording 18 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and a block in 38 minutes. Anunoby has already put up a solid performance against Chicago this season, with 23 points and 6 rebounds. He could see his production grow with Hart out.  

Donovan Clingan - C · POR (DraftKings)

Clingan is averaging 10.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 2.3 blocks per game through six appearances this season, but he just flashed his massive upside last game. He is coming off his best performance of the season against Denver, recording 17 points, 18 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 blocks in 32 minutes. If he sees anything near 32 minutes again, he is a steal at these price tags. The matchup against Phoenix 

Kyshawn George - SG & AJ Dybantsa - SF · WAS

Washington gets an up-tempo matchup against Atlanta, and Sarr and Coulibaly are listed as questionable. These young Washington wings should be in line for big performances. George is averaging 16.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.6 assists through seven games while playing 32.3 minutes per contest. Through his first three NBA appearances, Dybantsa is averaging 19.0 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 30 minutes per game. Both have considerable upside, especially if they get a slight bump in playing time due to the absences of Sarr or Coulibaly. 

Caleb Wilson - SF/PF · CHI

Looking for a tournament option with huge upside? Bulls standout rookie Caleb Wilson fits that description perfectly. The youngster has exploded for three straight 40+ fantasy-point outings, all against top-11 defensive units, and he flashed 60-FP upside earlier this season against Washington. It's a difficult matchup against New York, but Wilson went for 20-6-4 against them in their first meeting. 

Value Tier Core Plays

Meleek Thomas - SG & Mario Hezonja - SF/PF · CLE

Both of these Cavs value plays put up big performances last game with Tyson and Watson out, and they get the same situation again tonight. In that game against OKC, Thomas posted 17 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist in 26 minutes, while Hezonja put up 12 points, 8 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals in 27 minutes. Those are incredibly solid roles, especially given their sub-$4K price tags on both sites. 

Brayden Burries - PG/SG · MIL

Burries is an intriguing value against the Celtics, especially after earning his first NBA start against Minnesota. The rookie is averaging 8.9 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.3 assists through seven games this season while playing 17.3 minutes per contest, but his role appears to be trending up. He has shown encouraging upside recently, recording 14 points against Cleveland, 10 points and 6 rebounds against Houston, and most recently 9 points and 9 rebounds against Minnesota in 26 minutes. If his starting role sticks, he could be a rare value play that starts and also gets blowout run in the event of a lopsided score. 

Alex Caruso - SF/PF · OKC

Caruso has been cleared to return after missing the previous three games with an ankle sprain, but keep an eye out for any minutes restrictions. Through four appearances this season, he is averaging 9.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.8 assists in 18.9 minutes per game. He showed solid upside before his injury, recording 12 points, 7 rebounds, 6 assists, 2 steals, and a block against the Clippers in just 22 minutes. His ability to contribute across the stat sheet makes him valuable beyond his scoring production. With OKC missing three starters, Caruso should see an increased role if health allows. 

Karlo Matkovic - C · NOP 

Matkovic went off in his third start for the injured Missi, recording 25 points and 6 rebounds in 29 minutes. Missi remains out, and Murphy is now questionable, which could improve Matkovic's role even further. On top of the increased opportunity, Matkovic also draws an elite matchup against Utah, who plays at a top-12 pace and ranks 24th in DRtg.  

Late-News Core Plays

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

• If Jalen Johnson is ruled out, Atlanta becomes a much bigger priority. 
• If Trey Murphy is ruled out, New Orleans becomes a much bigger priority. 

Core Lineup

Cash Core (DK): Paul George, Karl-Anthony Towns, Meleek Thomas, Brayden Burries. 

GPP Leverage (DK):  Nikola Jokic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Deni Avdija, Caleb Wilson, Alex Caruso.

Cash Core (FD): Paul George, Karl-Anthony Towns, Meleek Thomas, Karlo Matkovic.  

GPP Leverage (FD): Tyrese Maxey, Joel Embiid, Caleb Wilson, Alex Caruso. 

Player Pool

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Stacks

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