There’s a chance that you’ve heard of Underdog Fantasy. Whether it’s their infamous best ball fantasy drafts or their pick’em prop challenges, Underdog has something for everyone. This article will focus on the second part of that, uncovering some of the best Underdog Fantasy NBA Picks for Thursday, October 28.
If you haven’t played on Underdog Fantasy yet, then fear not! Getting started is very simple:
- Create an account on Underdog Fantasy.
- Use the promo code PROPS to claim an extra $10 on your first deposit.
- Go to the Pick’em Games.
- Make two or more selections to receive a correlated payout of 3x, 6x, 10x, 20x.
It’s pretty fun, and Underdog Fantasy is available in most states except for the following: Arizona, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Louisiana, Montana, Washington, Delaware, and Iowa.
With that, let’s take a look at some Underdog Fantasy NBA picks to get you started for Thursday, October 28.
Bradley Beal OVER 25.5 Points
Beal averaged a remarkable 31.3 points per contest last year. However, his scoring prowess hasn’t spilled into the 2021-22 campaign, as the Washington superstar is averaging 19.7 points per game across three outings. Looking within that, he hasn’t topped this 25.5 point mark in any of those matchups.
However, there’s room for optimism with Beal. Let me break it down for you:
- Beal actually holds a higher usage rate (36.5) so far this season than his 34.1 mark last year.
- His field goal attempts (22 per game) are virtually the same as his 2020-21 scoring spree.
- Beal is only shooting 33% from the field and 16% from three this season. Both of those numbers will make their way back up to his career average of 46% and 38% respectively. It’s only a matter of time.
Add it all up, and this could be the spot for a breakout game from Beal. Some people see a slumping superstar, but I can help but notice a buy-low opportunity for one of the best pure scorers in the game.
Ja Morant UNDER 38.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists
Ja Morant against Stephen Curry is going to be a lot of fun to watch tonight. There’s a chance this game turns into a back-and-forth classic with both point guards leading the charge. However, I’m taking a slightly skeptical approach, especially when it comes to Morant.
Is Morant capable of passing this total in three quarters? Yes. However, the Memphis PG definitely has a boom-or-bust quality to him. He has topped this “PRA” mark in two of four games this season, and his overs have smashed with video game numbers.
Ja Morant’s 1st week highlights looks like an end of the year mixtape 🥷
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) October 25, 2021
I can’t help but think of how much has to go right for Morant to sail over this number. Zooming out, he has achieved this milestone in just 11 of his last 43 games. That’s just 31.6% for those of you who don’t want to pull out the calculator app on your phone.
The SportsCenter highlights are great, but I’m pumping the breaks with Morant’s expectations. This is a heavy number that would require excellence in all three categories. I’m betting for Morant to have an average game (by his two-year standard), which would put him firmly under this total.
Kevin Porter Jr. UNDER 15.5 Points
There’s no shade intended here, but we love picking Kevin Porter Jr. under his point total. That has been a winning recipe through the first week and a half of the season, as “KPJ” has sailed over 15.5 points just once in four tries.
Sure, Porter became the youngest player to score 50+ points in a game last season. I get it! He has scoring upside in his back pocket. However, the Rockets were a much different team at that point in time last season. Porter is more of a facilitator now with Jalen Green and Christian Wood demanding the ball alongside him.
Finally, playing a solid defense like Utah gives me confidence that Porter will fall short of his point total. There’s also the risk of a blowout, which would curb Porter’s minutes and opportunities to put the ball in the hoop.
Christian Wood UNDER 31.5 Points + Rebounds + Assists
Let’s stick with the same game while taking many of the same elements from Porter Jr.’s write-up.
First off, facing Rudy Gobert, who is the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, isn’t a great matchup for Wood. You probably didn’t need me to state the obvious, but we like to take a “no stone unturned” approach to our analysis.
The blowout risk is real. Houston is not a good team this season, and there’s a chance the Jazz build up a 15-20 point lead at halftime. If that’s the case, both teams will likely preserve their starters down the stretch, and Wood should succumb to fewer minutes.
There are so many things that could go wrong for Wood tonight. A terrible matchup with blowout risk is just the tip of the iceberg. Foul trouble is a legitimate concern with Wood serving as one of the only rim protectors on his squad.
Derrick White UNDER 16.5 Points
Let’s wrap this article up with our fourth straight under. Perhaps I woke up on the skeptical side of the bed this morning?
White isn’t known for his scoring upside. He’s seeing a ton of minutes with DeMar DeRozan out of town, but that hasn’t led to a huge uptick in the points column. In fact, White has failed to top 16.5 points in all four games this season.
The Spurs enact a balanced scoring approach that preaches unselfish play and finding the open man. White makes for a nice cog in that machine, as he can knock down open looks without necessarily creating his own shot. Having said that, I’m not sure he’ll see enough shooting volume to score in the high teens.
White doesn’t usually take the ball to the rim. That leads to fewer free throw opportunities and easy looks. In other words, he’ll have to knock down a high percentage of long jumpers in order to surpass this point threshold. I’m willing to bet against that against a Dallas team that ranks fifth in defensive efficiency to opposing backcourts.