Happy Halloween everyone! We have a spook-tacular four-game slate on tap tonight that should be full of a lot of treats! We have Russell Westbrook facing off against the Greek Freak, a battle of young, up-and-comers as Phoenix heads to Brooklyn to take on the Nets, and we have a nightcap of Detroit at the L.A. Lakers. Vegas is projecting all of these games to stay pretty competitive, so hopefully we don't get tricked into any bad plays.

Giannis Antetokounmpo, PG/SF, Milwaukee Bucks

Projected Minutes

Team Total

DvP

FPPG Allowed

Usage Rate

DK Projection

FD Projection

37 105.25 2 33.2 34.07 52.63 53.60

DK Salary: $12,500 / FD Salary: $12,600

In keeping with the Halloween theme, we are going to call Giannis the Boogie-Man because he is giving every NBA coach nightmares this season, as he is off to a scorching hot start, averaging 34.7 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 5.5 assists in 39 minutes. He has attempted over 20 shots in every game this season and he is fifth in usage rate at 34.4 percent. Giannis is attempting 59 percent of his shots at the rim this season, ranking him in the 100th percentile among forwards, which presents us with my reasoning for having Giannis as a GPP and not a cash game option tonight. The Oklahoma City Thunder rank fifth in the NBA in defending shots at the rim, allowing opponents to shoot only 57.7 percent, meaning Giannis could be in for a long night of getting denied at the basket. The Portland Trail Blazers profile similar to the Thunder in defending the basket, and Giannis was able to put up 65.5 DraftKings points against them, so it is obvious that he can overcome any matchup. Westbrook is significantly cheaper on both DraftKings and FanDuel and could cause Giannis to go overlooked tonight.

Victor Oladipo, PG/SG, Indiana Pacers

Projected Minutes

Team Total

DvP

FPPG Allowed

Usage Rate

DK Projection

FD Projection

34

108

16

39.8

31.99

32.73

32.15

DK Salary: $7,700 / FD Salary: $7,900

Much like The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Victor Oladipo has shown a new side to himself, perhaps even a dark side, as he is exacting revenge on all those that doubted him because of last season. Victor is averaging 25.5 points this season while shooting 50 percent from the floor and 46.9 percent from three-point range, which is a stark contrast from where he was last year when he averaged 15.9 points per game while shooting 44.2 percent from the floor and 36.1 percent from three. Oladipo is eating up 31.4 percent of Indiana's usage this season. The Kings are allowing 105 points per game this season while allowing opponents to shoot 45.8 percent from the floor. The Kings struggle to defend in transition, allowing opponents to shoot 55 percent on transition plays, and Oladipo has been one of the Pacers' most effective scorers in transition as he is scoring 1.22 points per possession in their transition offense. This should be a high-scoring affair, as the Pacers are also terrible on defense, and Oladipo is in a prime spot to put up a big game. With players like Devin Booker priced in the same range, I expect Oladipo to go under-owned.

Lonzo Ball, PG, Los Angeles Lakers

Projected Minutes

Team Total

DvP

FPPG Allowed

Usage Rate

DK Projection

FD Projection

33

102

21

44

19.13

33.37

32.51

DK Salary: $7,000 / FD Salary: $7,200

LaVar Ball created his own version of Edward Scissorhands with his son Lonzo, and that creation has been carving up defenses since being unleashed on the league. Okay, maybe that was a slight exaggeration, but it fit my narrative so I am going to stick with it. Ball is coming off two down games, against good defenses, and he faces another one tonight in Detroit, which is why I have him as a GPP only play. Ball has flashed upside this season, scoring 59.75 DraftKings points against Phoenix 10 days ago, so we know he can put up huge games at times. As I mentioned above, this is a tough matchup for Ball tonight, but the Pistons are allowing 20 points and 8.71 assists per game to opposing point guards. There isn't a lot to love when digging into the numbers for Ball in this spot but on a four-game slate we will have to make some uncomfortable decisions to separate ourselves from the crowd. There is one thing about Lonzo's game that gives me a little optimism and that comes from Ball's shot selection. Ball is attempting 33 percent of his shots at the rim, although he is only shooting 38 percent on those shots, and the Pistons are allowing opponents to shoot 63.5 percent in the restricted area. Lonzo is going to be overlooked by just about everyone in this spot, putting those who use him in GPPs in an excellent spot should he put up a big game.

Thaddeus Young, SF/PF, Indiana Pacers

Projected Minutes

Team Total

DvP

FPPG Allowed

Usage Rate

DK Projection

FD Projection

36

108

7

41.3

17.31

31.26

31.78

DK Salary: $5,200 / FD Salary: $5,800

If Thaddeus Young was a character from a Halloween-themed movie, he would most definitely be Uncle Fester from the Addams Family. Fester, much like Young, is often times overlooked and no one likes to talk about him, but he plays a valuable role on this Pacers squad and is in an excellent spot tonight where he could go overlooked. With Domantas Sabonis currently listed as questionable, and Myles Turner already ruled out, Young could be in line for a ton of minutes tonight playing both the power forward and center positions. The Kings are mediocre on defense, as I outlined above, allowing 105 points per game to opponents while allowing them to pull down 46.5 rebounds per game. Young is even more effective in transition than his aforementioned counterpart, Victor Oladipo, as he is averaging 1.38 points per possession in transition. If the Pacers are able to get out and run, Young will be in line for a good game. Monitor the status of Sabonis throughout the day, as his absence will cause ownership to move towards Young.

Tyson Chandler, C, Phoenix Suns

Projected Minutes

Team Total

DvP

FPPG Allowed

Usage Rate

DK Projection

FD Projection

28

113.25

24

53.8

12.35

27.59

27.52

DK Salary: $4,100 / FD Salary: $4,600

Jay Triano has his very own version of Frankenstein's monster with Tyson Chandler, and despite just wanting to be loved, Chandler is likely to unleash his inner fury on the Brooklyn Nets tonight. Despite the Suns new coaching staff and their youth movement, Chandler continues to soak up minutes for this squad and is doing a decent job producing. Chandler has eclipsed 20 DraftKings points in four of his six games this season and has pulled down double-digit rebounds in three of those contests. Chandler's opponent tonight, the Brooklyn Nets, is the only team in the NBA allowing more points per game to opponents, 118.3, and have allowed opponents to pull down 46.7 rebounds per game this season. The Nets have allowed opponents to score 49.7 points in the paint, the sixth most in the NBA, and have allowed the third most second-chance points per game at 16.1. All signs are pointing towards Chandler having a good game here, assuming Triano allows him to play his normal allotment of minutes.



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