Welcome to the NBA DFS Triple Threat here at Paydirt! This is going to be a daily article aimed at giving thoughts on three important aspects of the NBA DFS slate. We will talk through the most popular players on the slate, popular roster construction, and potential pivots and leverage spots. This article is best used with the projections models here at Paydirt (Found here), but it will still be valuable even as a one off piece of content. While the focus is on Draftkings, the content is applicable to Fanduel as well. Costs, Projections, and finishing percentiles format will be Draftkings/Fanduel.
Main Points
- The highest-owned players for tonight’s games are projected to be Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Kyle Anderson, Immanuel Quickley, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Joel Embiid. Notably, Anthony Edwards was a mid-day downgrade which is likely responsible for the projected ownership on NAW and Kyle Anderson.
- A popular roster construction tonight will likely include 3 value players complemented by 4 mid-range players and 1 star. Ownership on the high end is concentrated on Joel Embiid and Giannis. Based on this, spending up on Luka, Jayson Tatum, or Donovan Mitchell seems like a strong option on the high end.
- Players such as Coby White, Jalen Duren, and Devin Vassell are intriguing GPP plays. Additionally, value plays such as Georges Niang, Jontay Porter, and David Roddy look like potential pivot opportunities.
Depending on the size of the slate, there may be multiple situations, value plays, and popular options that you need to consider. Join the Paydirt discord with this link for more updates and game theory on all the slates details: https://discord.gg/mQ6u5dfawF
NBA DFS Cash Game Core:
This core of players will help you build a strong foundation in cash games. While it is best to use all these players, it’s not a requirement
Nickeil Alexander-Walker
Kyle Anderson
Immanuel Quickley
Jaden Ivey
Jaren Jackson Jr.

NBA DFS GPP Core:
This core of players will help you build in differentiation in your lineups. These players are meant to be mixed in with some of the stronger chalk options. How many of these players you put in is dependent on the size of the field and personal risk tolerance.
Georges Niang (Value)
Alec Burks (Midrange)
Santi Aldama (Midrange)
Nikola Vucevic (Stud)
Jayson Tatum (Premium)

NBA DFS Final Thoughts
The popular build tonight is going to be focused on T-Wolves value paired with a premium spend-up such as Embiid, Luka, and Giannis. Thankfully, with so much focus on MIN, TOR, and MEM this makes it easy to get different tonight. CLE and ORL will be low-owned with a close spread, however, the game total isn’t ideal. Conversely, BOS/DAL and CHI/PHX look like ideal game targets for GPPs. The Paydirt models are heavy on MIN/PHI as spots to target with secondary exposure to TOR and MEM. Good luck and let’s bake some bread!
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