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 Coby White, Walker Kessler, Devin Vassell, DeMar DeRozan, and Keyonte George. Notably, Tobias Harris was a mid-day downgrade and just got ruled OUT which opens up Sixers value. Additionally, Chicago chalk is largely stemming from a great matchup versus ATL.
- A popular roster construction tonight will likely include 2 value players complemented by 5 mid-range players and 1 star. Ownership on the high end is concentrated on Luka,[massive price gap], Kyrie, Wembanyama, and Miles Bridges. Based on this, spending up on Jokic, Giannis, or the guard quarter of Trae/Mitchell/Curry/Brunson seems like a strong option on the high end.
- Players such as Tyus Jones, Myles Turner, and John Collins are intriguing GPP plays. Additionally, value plays such as Tre Mann, Corey Kispert, and Scottie Pippen Jr. 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
Devin Vassell
Coby White
Deni Avdija
Draymond Green
Walker Kessler

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.
Scottie Pippen Jr. (Value)
Corey Kispert (Value)
Jakob Poeltl (Midrange)
Andre Drummond (Midrange)
Nikola Jokic (Premium)

NBA DFS Final Thoughts
The popular build tonight is going to be focused on a core of Coby White/Walker Kessler paired with a Wizards player and one of Kyrie/Luka. Thankfully, this makes it easy to get different tonight. There are leverage spots by playing teammates such as Tyus Jones, Andre Drummond, or John Collins. Furthermore, you can focus on the lower-owned spend-ups such as Nikola Jokic and Giannis. The Paydirt models are heavy on CHI/GSW/WAS as spots to target with secondary exposure to CLE/IND. Good luck and let’s bake some bread!
Powerful tools for every sport

One site, one affordable price
Join Free by signing up below for 3 days of full access!
- Make decisions using a players full range of outcomes, not just their median projection.
- Use actionable metrics based on leverage that help you identify mistakes the field is making and leverage them for your own success.
- Have access to experts in the field along with coaching opportunities to build your process.
- Jump in the Paydirt community discord and join conversations around your favorites sports all day, every day, for free.

