This article will focus on some of the standout NBA DFS plays from SuperDraft’s exclusive multiplier game mode for Thursday’s slate. By eliminating the traditional salary cap. structure and providing a points multiplier for every player on the slate, there is almost limitless flexibility when building lineups on SuperDraft. You can load up on all the studs, but their point multipliers will be low. You can balance those plays out with some long shots that could score up to 2x their fantasy points to vault you to the top of the leaderboards.
With five games to comb through, let’s get into some of the top plays on SuperDraft.
Guard
Russell Westbrook, Los Angeles Lakers (1.1x score multiplier)
The Lakers continue their lengthy homestand against the visiting Thunder. After a slow start to the season Westbrook hasn’t quite caught up to the production that we had gotten so used to over the past few seasons, but the returns from the past five games are encouraging. The former MVP has 20 or more shot attempts in four of the past five games and has played no less than 34 minutes in each. Even in a matchup against the lowly Thunder, it’s hard for me to see the Lakers being up by enough against any team at this point of the season for Westbrook to lose minutes to a blowout. For what it’s worth, even though I expect him to play, LeBron James is listed questionable and if he were to sit it would make Westbrook (and likely Anthony Davis) must-roster type plays for me on this slate.
Kevin Porter Jr., Houston Rockets (1.45x)
Houston competed well out in Los Angeles in their last two games but couldn’t quite come away with a win in either contest. The Rockets are playing their young up-and-coming players a ton of minutes to start the season, and Porter has been soaking them up at the point guard spot. He played 36 and 40 minutes in those two games against the Lakers, neither of which went to overtime. He’s shot the ball poorly over the first two weeks of the season, but I expect him to improve as the schedule progresses. It’s not the best matchup tonight heading into Phoenix for a date with Chris Paul’s defense, but the minutes are just too good for me to pass up here at this elevated multiplier. As long as he avoids foul trouble or a freak injury, we should see 36-plus minutes from the Rockets young point guard, and that’s upside I want shares of especially if I’m running multiple lineups.
Seth Curry, Philadelphia 76ers (1.75x)
With Tobias Harris in the health and safety protocols, the lesser-known Curry brother is flourishing from a fantasy standpoint. Over the last two games, he’s posted his highest usage rates on the season, and he’s now scored 22 or more real points in half of Philadelphia’s eight games. Curry’s peripheral stats have also taken a noticeable jump with Harris sidelined. He is averaging five and a half rebounds and four assists over the last two games. A matchup with lowly Detroit seems like a recipe for more elevated production from the sharpshooting guard. Plus, at this multiplier, he makes for an intriguing play on SuperDraft in all formats.
Forward
Jimmy Butler, Miami Heat (1.1x)
I’m not so sure about the validity of “Heat Culture,” but Miami sure has things rolling to start the season. The biggest factor behind their smoldering 6-1 start is Butler, who has been doing a little bit of everything. Thursday, they’ll host the visiting Celtics, who have been an absolute sieve on defense in the first two weeks of the regular season. They have managed to give up the second-most points per game over this stretch. Miami is currently a six-point favorite and with this game projected to stay competitive, I like going back to Butler even with his multiplier shrinking from recent slates. Note, his rebound and assist rates are slightly down from what we’ve seen in his previous Miami seasons. This indicates to me that he still has some room for improvement on the great output we’ve already gotten from him. I’m also not opposed to rostering Butler’s teammate Bam Adebayo at 1.2x. He carries a nice upside as well. If you so choose, you could play them both together if you want to stack the stars from this game. But if I’m forced to choose between the two, I’ll take Butler.
Christian Wood, Houston Rockets (1.2x)
The Rockets have once again listed Daniel Theis as questionable. When he sat out in Houston’s last game it resulted in a season-high 37 minutes for Wood. Coming off his massive 26-point 16-rebound performance, Wood will face a Phoenix frontcourt that could be without DeAndre Ayton. I’m okay if you roster Wood if both Ayton and Theis play for their respective teams, but if those two end up missing another game here, it’s near impossible for me (barring other unforeseen inactive) to not roster Wood if I’m only running one lineup. 35-plus minutes against JaVale McGee and Frank Kaminsky? Sign me up.
Center
Joel Embiid, Philadelphia 76ers (1x)
While the 76ers big man didn’t quite get to the top of the fantasy point leaderboards last night against the Bulls, there were a lot of encouraging signs that should make you want to go back to him here. First of all, Embiid had a massive usage rate of 36.5%. This is a number that I think we could see hover around the 40% mark as long as Tobias Harris and Ben Simmons remain out. Secondly, his 34 minutes were a season-high. This is an encouraging sign given that Andre Drummond has stifled the minutes upside for Embiid thus far. 18 points was a bit of a letdown as he shot well below his averages. However, Embiid did flirt with a triple-double with nine rebounds and seven assists. As long as he is active, we should consider him a priority play on this slate. As an extra cookie, Embiid has forward eligibility on SuperDraft giving you extra flexibility when building your lineups. I wish the Pistons frontcourt the best of luck trying to stop Embiid tonight (hint: they won’t).
Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets (1.95x)
This is purely a tournament value play we can look to if Daniel Theis is out for Houston. The rookie from Turkey has been great from a per-minute standpoint for daily fantasy players. Unfortunately, the minutes load isn’t to a place yet where we can roster him frequently on SuperDraft. He got the start in place of Theis last game and played into the upper 20s in minutes. If he were to start again, I like getting some shares of Sengun if I’m running multiple lineups, especially in places where you fade his frontcourt mate Christian Wood. Rostering a guy like Sengun also gives you the chance to roster Embiid at forward, as mentioned above.
This article expresses the personal views of the writer and does not reflect the view(s) of SuperDraft in any way.
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