NBA DFS: Top DraftKings, FanDuel daily Fantasy basketball picks on Thursday, October 31 include Ja Morant

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Halloween night can bring about some frights for those roaming around the streets, but try finding yourself in a 1-on-1 trying to stop an elite handler like Luka Doncic, James Harden or Kyrie Irving, and you'll really find yourself in a scary situation. These three will look to dish out treats to their teammates on Thursday as three of the top options in the NBA DFS player pool with four games on the Thursday NBA slate. Should daily Fantasy basketball players spend up to include any of these options in NBA DFS lineups on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings?

Harden is second in the NBA in assists (11.3 per game) as the lingering injury to Kawhi Leonard (knee) has put more offensive pressure on the 35-year-old guard. Thursday is the second half of a back-to-back for the Clippers, so you'll need to consider the possibility of fatigue with Harden on Halloween when forming an NBA DFS strategy. 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 Jimmie Kaylor.

Kaylor is a DFS and betting expert for SportsLine, who won a DraftKings Millionaire Maker contest in 2022. He uses a combination of his background as a former college and professional athlete and his keen eye for statistical trends when making his picks and locking in his DFS lineups. Kaylor enters the 2024 calendar year with multiple five-figure tournament cashes on his DFS resume.

Kaylor's approach allows him to find the best NBA DFS values on sites like DraftKings and FanDuel and create optimal lineups that he only shares on SportsLine. They're a must-see for any NBA DFS player.

Kaylor has turned his attention to NBA action on Thursday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.

Top NBA DFS picks for Thursday, October 31

For Thursday, one of Kaylor's top NBA DFS picks is Grizzlies point guard Ja Morant ($9,000 on DraftKings and $8,600 on FanDuel). The 25-year-old had 14 points, eight rebounds and 11 assists in a 119-106 loss to the Nets yesterday. He played a season-high 29 minutes as Morant is being ramped up following a season-ending shoulder injury last season, but Morant has looked strong in averaging 19 points and 8.3 assists over 26.5 minutes per game.

Morant only played nine games last season, but he averaged 25.1 points and 8.1 assists per game before the injury. The season before, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft averaged 26.2 points and 8.1 assists per game. The Grizzlies play the Bucks in a matchup with the highest over/under (232.5 points) on Thursday. Memphis is playing at the third-fastest pace with the Bucks at the seventh-fastest pace to begin the season, and Morant thrives in up-and-down contests.

Another part of Kaylor's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes rostering Spurs power forward/center Victor Wembanyama ($10,400 on DraftKings and $11,000 on FanDuel). The No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft only played 27 minutes in a 12-point loss to the Thunder on Wednesday, so he shouldn't be too fatigued for the second half of a back-to-back. 

Talk about a scary sight on Halloween night, the 7-foot-3 Wembanyama can shoot, dribble and make plays on the court as someone with his size shouldn't be able to do. He can score NBA DFS points in virtually any way you can think of as he averaged 21.4 points, 10.6 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 3.6 blocks and 1.2 steals last year as a rookie. The Spurs (1-3) play the Jazz (0-4) in an early-season game that can give San Antonio some confidence with a strong showing, and the Jazz are allowing 119 points per game. Wembanyama averaged 18.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, five blocks and four assists in three games against Utah last season. See Kaylor's other NBA DFS picks right here.

How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Thursday, October 31

Kaylor is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Thursday 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 Jimmie Kaylor putting in his optimal NBA DFS lineups for Thursday? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NBA DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a professional DFS player who a DraftKings Millionaire Maker contest, and find out.