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FanDuel NBA: Best Buys For Oct. 30

By Michael Yaffe

Oct 7, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) looks on during the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 7, 2015; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) looks on during the first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports /
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Jun 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut (12) grabs a rebound over Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov (20) during the first quarter in game one of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 4, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; Golden State Warriors center Andrew Bogut (12) grabs a rebound over Cleveland Cavaliers center Timofey Mozgov (20) during the first quarter in game one of the NBA Finals at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /

Injury Notes

The Golden State Warriors’ Andrew Bogut sustained a concussion in the team’s romp over the New Orleans Pelicans on opening night. It’s unlikely he would have cleared the NBA’s protocol by the time his team faces the Houston Rockets, which is bad news for the defending champs, as opposing center Dwight Howard should return to the court following his one-game suspension (kind of an odd punishment for a fourth postseason flagrant foul – did the NBA bring in Roger Goodell to rule on it?).

Festus Ezeli could see an uptick in minutes as a result; however the team could decide to go small-ball (as they did in the Finals) with Draymond Green in the middle, or perhaps newcomer Jason Thomson could slide over from PF as well. The Rockets should still be without Donatas Motiejunas, so Golden State should have the opportunity to mix and match depending on the game flow.

Orlando Magic PG Elfrid Payton (hamstring) played well in the team’s one-point loss to the Washington Wizards, contributing 11 points, 10 boards and eight assists in the squeaker, which is a typical day at the office for him. Having to face Russell Westbrook after contending with John Wall in the opener is a brutal way to start the season, though.

The Detroit Pistons’ Jodie Meeks sustained a Jones fracture in his right foot in the team’s victory over the Utah Jazz. Promising rookie Stanley Johnson and preseason surprise Reggie Bullock are expected to absorb the minutes off the bench. For now, the team’s logjam at swingman seems to be mollified.

Elite Options ($10,001+)

Given the preferred games listed, the choice of building block comes down to either DeMarcus Cousins ($10,900) or Russell Westbrook ($10,800). I can’t argue against using either of them but I can tell you that it’s inadvisable to use both in the same FanDuel lineup. Once you deduct their cost from the initial $60k you are left with $38,300 to fill seven positions, or just under $5,500 per player.

With 24 teams in action it’s not outside the realm of possibility that seven players in that price range will score 30-35 points for you, but you are taking a huge risk in believing that you can find which seven players that will be, given the number of lower scoring games Vegas is proposing.

Both players have solid matchups but I decided to go with Cousins. His opener against the Clippers scared a lot of people off, but Boogie came through with 46.1 points so hopefully that’s his floor against an inferior Lakers team that is struggling to find its identity early on.

Westbrook could just as easily go berserk on the Orlando Magic, as he seems to have continued playing at the level he exhibited when OKC was reduced to a skeleton crew last season, but in the end I was more comfortable with the next tier of point guards (to be discussed shortly) as opposed to the steep drop between Boogie and everyone else at the 5 based on their respective costs and who they are facing.

Next: Solid Buys