NBA DFS: Best DraftKings, FanDuel daily Fantasy basketball picks for NBA Opening Night include LeBron James

The New York Knicks were one win away from an Eastern Conference Finals matchup with the Boston Celtics last season, but that New York vs. Boston rivalry to determine who competes in the NBA Finals never occurred after the Knicks lost to the Pacers. The storied franchises will go head-to-head on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET as part of 2024 NBA Opening Night with the Celtics coming off their 18th NBA title in franchise history. Celtics like Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been popular options from the NBA DFS player pool for NBA DFS picks for years but many questioned if they’d ever win a title together. Now, the question shifts to, ‘Can they win multiple times?’

But before that, daily Fantasy basketball players need to decide if they want to spend up on them for Tuesday NBA DFS picks. The Lakers play the Timberwolves in the first Western Conference game of the season at 10 p.m. ET on Tuesday and how should Julius Randle playing in his first game in Minnesota impact your NBA DFS strategy? With other stars like LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Anthony Edwards in the NBA DFS player pool from this contest, how should you budget your NBA DFS lineups? Before making any 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. James, entering his 22nd season, averaged 25.7 points per game last season as he has averaged at least 25 ppg every year after his rookie campaign. He also averaged 7.3 rebounds and 8.3 assists per game, ranking fifth in the NBA in assists. The Lakers return a nearly identical lineup from last season, so even at 39-years-old, the Lakers will rely heavily on James to create offense, both for himself and others.

James is averaging 28.7 points per game over his last three opening contests, which all came on NBA Opening Night. He remains the marquee name in the sport and now that he’s playing alongside his son, Bronny James, we could see a rejuvenated LeBron, especially early in the season when his body is most fresh. James had 29 points, eight rebounds and nine assists in his most recent game against the Timberwolves and McClure expects a massive performance from James for Opening Night NBA DFS lineups. 

Another part of McClure’s optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Timberwolves power forward/center Naz Reid ($4,900 on DraftKings and $5,000 on FanDuel). The 25-year-old averaged career highs in points (13.5 points per game) and rebounds (5.2 rebounds per game) last season. Although the Timberwolves acquired Julius Randle when trading Karl-Anthony Towns to the Knicks, Reid could see expanded minutes and scoring and rebounding opportunities without the 7-footer in the middle. Reid averaged 17.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists in 19 games without Towns last season.

The Lakers ranked 22nd in points allowed (116.7 ppg) last season and they return a similar lineup from last year. Reid averaged 25.7 points and seven rebounds over his final three games against the Lakers last season. He shot better than 70% from the floor in two of those contests as his recent success against Los Angeles paired with his cheaper price makes him a strong option for McClure in NBA DFS lineups. 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.