LeBron James and the Top Daily Fantasy Basketball Preseason Picks For Tuesday, 10/18

The 2016-17 NBA regular season is approaching quickly, with a three-game regular season slate coming at us next Tuesday.

Before that rolls around, we still have a few days of NBA DFS preseason, however, with the action officially coming to an end just before the weekend.

Tuesday night has things pick up slightly, as we saw three and four-game schedules on Sunday and Monday, but get a nice five-game slate tonight.

Once again we will want to stay on top of the latest lineup news, as many teams will be completely resting or limiting guys as the NBA preseason draws to a close. It’s up to you to figure out which guys are worth the risk, but we’ll do our best up until game time to point you in the right direction with our favorite NBA DFS preseason plays from each game:

Wizards @ Cavaliers

• Kyrie Irving, PG, Cavs ($7.1k)
• LeBron James, SF, Cavs ($7.8k)
• John Wall, PG, Wizards ($7.7k)
• Bradley Beal, SG, Wizards ($5.8k)
• Marcin Gortat, C, Wizards ($4.9k)

LeBron James and Kyrie Irving lead the way as fun NBA DFS picks tonight, as head coach Tyronn Lue has said both will see about 24 minutes against the Wizards.

Anything over 20 minutes for these two studs could give way to elite numbers, so fire both guys up with confidence in daily fantasy basketball preseason leagues tonight.

We haven’t caught much word on Cleveland’s other players, except J.R. Smith will make his debut and be limited to about 13 minutes or less:

#Cavs coach Ty Lue said he will play JR Smith 12-13 min at OSU tomorrow, might bring him off bench so he can get big ovation from crowd

— Marla Ridenour (@MRidenourABJ) October 17, 2016

Smith’s return and the Cleveland starters playing about 24 minutes or so is going to kill a lot of the value in this one for the Cavs. Suffice to say, you can rule out common NBA DFS preseason darlings like Kay Felder and Jordan McRae as options tonight.

The early word is the Wiz will start their usual guys in their preseason finale:

#Wizards‘ expected starting lineup: John Wall, Marcus Thornton, Kelly Oubre Jr, Markieff Morris, Marcin Gortat.

— Candace Buckner (@CandaceDBuckner) October 15, 2016

This is obviously a good test for John Wall and co. and the value he provides along with Beal and Gortat make all three very interesting plays tonight.

If you want value on Washington’s side, your best bet is Kelly Oubre.

Porter (ribs) and Smith (oblique) are out tonight vs #Cavs #WizardsTalk

— J. Michael (@JMichaelCSN) October 18, 2016

Otto Porter is again out tonight, so whether he starts or not, the impressive Oubre should get some run and have a chance at paying off as a cheap NBA DFS option.

Pelicans @ Hawks

• Langston Galloway, PG, Pelicans ($4.5k)
• Buddy Hield, SG, Pelicans ($6k)
• Dennis Schroder, PG, Hawks ($6.1k)
• Paul Millsap, PF, Hawks ($7k)
• Dwight Howard, C, Hawks ($7.2k)

The early word here is that E’Twaun Moore is out tonight:

Terrence Jones is listed as questionable (right knee contusion) for tomorrow’s game at ATL. AD (ankle), Moore (heel), & Sacre (foot) are out

— Daniel Sallerson (@dsallerson) October 17, 2016

He’s obviously joined by Jrue Holiday (personal), while Anthony Davis remains sidelined and Terrence Jones is also iffy to suit up.

That probably puts Galloway in play as a fun GPP value play and Hield should start and see a ton of shots.

The normal Hawks starters could suit up one last time tonight, and Dennis, Dwight and Paul all offer sweet value if they start and get 20+ minutes. ATL is weird with lineups, though, so make sure they’re in.

Magic @ Heat

• Elfrid Payton, PG, Magic ($5k)
• Goran Dragic, PG, Heat ($6.3k)
• Tyler Johnson, SG, Heat ($4.7k)
• Evan Fournier, SG, Magic ($6.8k)
• Serge Ibaka, PF, Magic ($6.4k)
• Nikola Vucevic, C, Magic ($6.3k)
• Derrick Williams, PF, Heat ($4.6k)

Ibaka was a monster in his last game (25 points) and as long as he starts, Orlando could give him some nice work again tonight. Aaron Gordon has already been ruled out with an injury:

Magic SF Aaron Gordon (ankle) out tonight vs MIA

— Brian K. Schmitz (@MagicInsider) October 18, 2016

Derrick Williams could be one of the top value plays of the night, as the Heat are still trying to figure out if he’s their starting power forward. Luke Babbitt has been out with an injury and the absence of Hassan Whiteside (personal) only helps his case:

Hassan Whiteside’s great-grandmother passed away. He will rejoin Heat in Charlotte.

— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) October 18, 2016

The rest of the lineups are dicey for the Magic and Heat until we hear more. There is value to be had here, while Fournier (albeit expensive) is the second best SG on this slate if he starts.

Keep an eye on the lineups and any minutes news. We’ll try to update as the games draw closer.

Nuggets @ Thunder

• Russell Westbrook, PG, Thunder ($10.1k)
• Jamal Murray, G, Nuggets ($5.5k)
• Victor Oladipo, SG, Thunder ($7.3k)
• Danilo Gallinari, SF, Nuggets ($6.4k)
• Jusuf Nurkic, C, Nuggets ($6.9k)
• Enes Kanter, C, Thunder ($6.7k)
• Steven Adams, C, Thunder ($5.4k)

Westbrook was a machine in big minutes last game, so if Billy Donovan unleashes him he’s obviously going to be one of the top guys to target.

Oladipo is a bit pricey, but he has major upside, too, while both Enes and Adams are in play. Adams was great in his last game and represents more value. Kanters wins in the upside department, of course.

Denver coach Michael Malone said he wouldn’t be resting guys anymore, but Emmanuel Mudiay has been nicked up. He sat out their last game and could sit again tonight.

Gallo and the others shouldn’t, though, so he and Nurkic should be fun to fire up in daily fantasy basketball preseason contests.

Jamal Murray is one of the better value picks tonight, as Gary Harris is still out and he’s been pretty great. Mudiay being out would cement Murray as a must-use cheap option at a weak SG spot tonight.

Clippers @ Kings

• Chris Paul, PG, Clippers ($7.9k)
• Rudy Gay, SF, Kings ($5.8k)
• Blake Griffin, PF, Clippers ($8.4k)
• DeMarcus Cousins, F/C, Kings ($9.6k)
• DeAndre Jordan, C, Clippers ($6.6k)

The Clippers and Kings figure to give their stars some run tonight, as Chris Paul sat out L.A.’s last game and is tentatively expected to suit up for this one. If he’s a go, it would make sense for Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan to be fired up, too.

J.J. Redick could also be in line for some run, but he doesn’t do anything other than score. For Lob City, it’s those three studs or a total fade.

It’s similar for the Kings, as only Boogie and Rudy Gay are appealing, provided they start. Gay offers serious value tonight, though, and Cousins can be a total monster even in limited action.

Ty Lawson and Darren Collison could provide salary cap relief and upside, depending on who starts and if we’re privy to any minutes information.

Being a late game, this will be one to avoid unless we hear concrete news one way or the other.

Remember to stay on top of injury and lineup news, per usual. For now, the Wizards/Cavaliers starters offer the most stability and that might be a good game to stack.