Russell Westbrook reportedly asked Clippers coaches to come off the bench, thinking it would be best to reverse the struggles Los Angeles has gone through since acquiring James Harden from the 76ers. The Clippers are 0-5 in their first five games despite a starting lineup filled with popular NBA DFS picks like Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Westbrook and Harden. Westbrook has started all 10 games this season, but he’s often been at his best for NBA DFS lineups when in a situation where he has complete control over an offense. Could Westbrook running with the second team actually help his value for NBA DFS lineups?
If Westbrook comes off the bench, that also leaves more opportunities for Clippers starters to score additional NBA DFS points against the Rockets, so how should that affect your NBA DFS strategy? With Friday also serving as a part of the 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament, superstars such as Joel Embiid and Nikola Jokic will be popular members of the NBA DFS player pool if you can afford either of them into NBA DFS lineups. Who are some values to consider when making NBA DFS lineups?
Before making your NBA DFS picks, be sure to check out the NBA DFS advice, player rankings, stacks and top daily Fantasy basketball picks from SportsLine’s Mike McClure.
McClure is a DFS professional with more than $2 million in career winnings. He’s also a predictive data engineer at SportsLine who uses a powerful prediction model that simulates every minute of every game 10,000 times, taking factors like matchups, statistical trends and injuries into account.
This allows him to find the best NBA DFS values and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They’re a must-see for any NBA DFS player.
On Thursday, McClure highlighted Nets center Nicolas Claxton as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Claxton had 16 points, six rebounds, two assists, three blocks and a steal, returning 34 points on DraftKings and 37.2 points on FanDuel. Anybody who included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
McClure has turned his attention to NBA action on Friday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks for Friday, November 17
For Friday, one of McClure’s top NBA DFS picks is Magic forward Paolo Banchero, who is listed at $7,700 on DraftKings and $7,900 on FanDuel. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 NBA Draft is averaging 18.7 points, seven rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.5 steals per game over the first 11 contests of the season. Banchero is averaging 22.3 points and eight rebounds over seven games in November after a slow first few games after averaging 20 points per game en route to winning NBA Rookie of the Year last season.
The Magic play at the Bulls for the second time in three days and Banchero is coming off a heroic conclusion. The 21-year-old hit the winning basket with 1.4 seconds left to break a tie at 94 in the Magic’s 96-94 victory. It wasn’t his most efficient shooting night of the season, making 4 of 12 shots, but he made the most important one of the evening and could carry that momentum into Friday night. Banchero didn’t let a poor shooting start deter him from taking the final shot and that confidence will bode him well against the Bulls again on Friday.
Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Spurs center/power forward Zach Collins ($6,500 on DraftKings and $6,400 on FanDuel). Collins is averaging 13.9 points and 6.2 rebounds through 11 games this season and is getting his first opportunity to be an everyday starter in his seventh NBA season. Collins is averaging a career-best 29.9 minutes per game after averaging 11.6 points and 6.4 rebounds over 22.9 minutes per game last season.
The Spurs are playing at the fifth-fastest pace in the NBA this season, allowing more opportunities for Collins to secure NBA DFS points on a nightly basis. The Kings are allowing 51 points per game in the paint, the 11th-most in the NBA this season. They’ve allowed at least 50 points in the paint in six straight games and Collins is shooting 68.4% from the paint this season. Collins is a useful piece at a reasonable price for NBA DFS lineups. See McClure’s other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Friday, November 17
McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Friday because of a dream matchup. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
Who is DFS pro Mike McClure putting in his optimal NBA DFS lineups for Friday? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NBA DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a professional DFS player who has over $2 million in career winnings, and find out.
