NBA Slate Swells to 12 Games, Shifting DFS Focus to Ball and McCollum

The National Basketball Association’s schedule expands to 12 games on Wednesday, Oct. 28, tripling the number of matchups available to daily fantasy sports participants compared to Tuesday’s four-game slate. This increase in volume forces players to make more difficult choices when constructing lineups for DraftKings and FanDuel, as the pool of eligible athletes grows substantially.

Several high-profile stars are expected to suit up, including Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Nikola Jokic. Top rookies Caleb Wilson and Yaxel Lendeborg are also active in the player pool. However, the absence of Anthony Edwards and Kawhi Leonard due to knee injuries creates gaps that may force teams to rely on lower-priced alternatives to meet salary cap requirements.

Mike McClure, a professional daily fantasy sports player with over $2 million in career winnings, provides analysis for the slate. McClure also serves as a predictive data engineer at SportsLine, where he utilizes a model that simulates every minute of every game 10,000 times. The model factors in specific matchups, statistical trends, and injury reports to project player performance.

One of McClure’s primary targets is Minnesota Timberwolves point guard LaMelo Ball, who is priced at $7,700 on DraftKings and $7,900 on FanDuel. Ball has averaged 14.8 points, 6.3 assists, and 2.0 rebounds in his first season in Minnesota. With Edwards expected to miss a few months, Ball is positioned as the team’s main scorer and playmaker. His opponent, the Golden State Warriors, has allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing point guards on both platforms this season.

McClure also suggests a play around Atlanta Hawks guard CJ McCollum, who costs $5,300 on both DraftKings and FanDuel. McCollum scored 20 points on Monday and is shooting 53% from the field and 44% from three-point range. He faces the Miami Heat on Wednesday, a team against which he has scored more than 20 points in each of his last four meetings. During that stretch, he has also averaged 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists.

The statistical context favors McCollum, as the Heat are currently allowing 121.8 points per game, the seventh-highest total in the league. McClure notes that the Heat’s defense in previous matchups against McCollum was stronger than the current unit. Additional picks and full lineup rankings are available exclusively through SportsLine.