A three-game NBA schedule on Thursday, Oct. 29, offers limited options for daily fantasy sports players. Key matchups include Donovan Mitchell and the Cleveland Cavaliers facing C.J. McCollum and the Atlanta Hawks in an Eastern Conference game.
Other notable players available for DFS lineups include James Harden, Darius Acuff Jr., Damian Lillard, Ja Morant, Ty Jerome, Dyson Daniels, Jrue Holiday, Evan Mobley, Zion Williamson, and Jarrett Allen. Jerome is listed as the most expensive player on both DraftKings and FanDuel for the Grizzlies vs. Trail Blazers game.
DFS professional Mike McClure, who has accumulated more than $2 million in career winnings and works as a predictive data engineer, uses a model that simulates every minute of each game 10,000 times to identify optimal lineups. He has released his top picks for Thursday.
One of McClure's top selections is Sacramento Kings guard Zach LaVine, priced at $6,600 on DraftKings and $6,300 on FanDuel. The former No. 13 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft has been in strong form, scoring 37 points with five assists and two rebounds in a 123-112 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. Through four games this season, LaVine averages 27.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists, and one steal.
McClure pairs LaVine with Kings guard Darius Acuff Jr., priced at $7,100 on DraftKings and $6,500 on FanDuel. The No. 7 overall pick in the 2026 NBA Draft scored 33 points with four assists and two rebounds in a 128-120 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday. In four games this season, Acuff Jr. averages 21.5 points, 4.8 assists, and 2.8 rebounds.
McClure also highlights a player with an optimal matchup who could produce massive numbers, which he says could be the difference between winning and losing in tournaments and cash games.
