Opening Night of the 2024-25 NBA season has arrived with the 2024-25 NBA season tipping off with New York Knicks vs. Boston Celtics at 7:30 p.m. ET and Los Angeles Lakers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves at 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday. The Opening Night NBA DFS player pool includes stars like LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Anthony Edwards, Jayson Tatum and Jalen Brunson, so who should daily Fantasy basketball players include in NBA DFS picks? None of the veterans should have issues playing expanded minutes and with them performing in front of a national audience, how should that affect your NBA DFS strategy?
The Lakers are the only of these four teams who played on Opening Night last season and James had 21 points, eight rebounds and five assists and Davis added 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists, so should you include either of them in NBA DFS picks? This will be James' first game with his son, Bronny James, so could that serve as a motivator for James to put on an elite performance for 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 on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel and create optimal lineups that he shares only over at SportsLine. They're a must-see for any NBA DFS player.
McClure has turned his attention to NBA action on Tuesday for the 2024 NBA Opening Night and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks for NBA Opening Night on Tuesday, Oct. 22
For Tuesday, one of McClure's top NBA DFS picks is rostering Lakers forward LeBron James, who is listed at $8,900 on DraftKings and $9,900 on FanDuel. Regardless of where you rank him, James is undeniably one of the best players in NBA history, and as he enters his 22nd season, the 39-year-old has yet another motivator to continue to play at the highest level.
James had a decrease in scoring and rebounding last year from the season before, but he's still posting statistics better than nearly everyone else in the league. He averaged 25.7 points and 7.3 rebounds while increasing his assists to 8.3 per game. James is often a player who raises his game in front of a national audience and with him fully rested coming off the offseason, McClure expects James to show the world he is still one of the game's best entering his 22nd NBA season.
Another part of McClure's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Knicks forward Josh Hart ($5,600 on DraftKings and $5,900 on FanDuel). Hart played a significant role for the Knicks at the end of last season, especially in the postseason, averaging 14.5 points, 11.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in the playoffs. Hart averaged a career-high 8.3 rebounds per game during the regular season and McClure expects him to be aggressive on the glass again and provide value for NBA DFS lineups.
The Knicks made some high-profile acquisitions this offseason, trading for Karl-Anthony Towns and Mikal Bridges. But Hart is still expected to play a key role and these additions have dropped his NBA DFS price as Hart likely becomes the fourth or fifth scoring option. The 29-year-old has proven the ability to generate NBA DFS points in ways beyond putting the ball in the basket and that's why McClure sees him as a strong addition to NBA DFS picks. See McClure's other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for NBA Opening Night
McClure is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Tuesday 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 NBA Opening Night? 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.
