NBA Pistons vs Mavericks Draftstars DFS Captain Contest Preview and Projections for November 2, 2025
Last updated: Nov 2, 2025, 1:57AM | Published: Nov 1, 2025, 11:58PM
Draftstars Australia's NBA Pistons vs Mavericks DFS Captain Contest starts at 1:10pm AEDT on November 2, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has looked at the data for each player in the game to help you build winning line-ups.
An accurate Draftstars cheat sheet is crucial for NBA fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you build your fantasy teams for Draftstars' NBA contests and improve your season-long fantasy line-ups on November 2 and beyond.
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, uses the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to produce some of the strongest DFS projections in the world.
With the best NBA fantasy insights and DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you're set to win in more NBA fantasy contests.
Cheat Sheet and Projections
We have reviewed players from each team to help you make the best choices on Sunday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Cade Cunningham (DET) | $19,680 | 54.9 | 2.8 |
| Stud | Jalen Duren (DET) | $13,250 | 36.2 | 2.7 |
| Value | Ausar Thompson (DET) | $12,810 | 35.7 | 2.8 |
| Value | Cade Cunningham (DET) | $19,680 | 54.9 | 2.8 |
| Fade | Cooper Flagg (DAL) | $13,750 | 28.3 | 2.1 |
| Cheapie | Isaiah Stewart (DET) | $7,940 | 21.4 | 2.7 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "studs" are the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks provide the most "bang for your buck," meaning they are expected to perform well relative to their salary.
Conversely, a "fade" is a player considered to offer lower value for money, based on their expected score relative to their salary. For those needing to stay under the salary cap, "cheapie" options highlight the best value players at lower price points not already mentioned.
In fantasy sports, understanding value—assessing a player's potential output against their salary—is crucial, as players scoring high relative to their cost are key in crafting the optimal line-up.
The "Pts/$1K" metric shows the predicted points for every $1,000 of a player's salary. A higher number indicates better value, making it easier to spot players who could outperform their cost.
Captain Contest Tips
Sunday's NBA Pistons vs Mavericks contest is a Captain Contest, in which you generally pick one captain and five other players. The captain scores 1.5x the usual number of Draftstars points, but they also cost 1.5x their usual salary.
You may want to consider players with a high ceiling, like Cade Cunningham and Jalen Duren, who can score big points and make the most of that 1.5x multiplier. They may be expensive, but if they go big, you go big too.
Alternatively, if you want to spread your funds around your line-up, you could select player who you think is good value, with our model liking Ausar Thompson as a potential value option. Choosing a value pick as captain gives you more points per dollar spent, which could help you use the rest of your budget more wisely.
For more help selecting your captain, check out Draftstars' Captain Contest explainer, as well as the Fantasy Insider cruncher on Draftstars, which is free to access when logged into your account.
Conclusion
As highlighted above, there is extra thought that goes into a captain contest, with either a stud or value pick the best option, depending on how you want to fill out the rest of your NBA Pistons vs Mavericks lineup today.
Ready to go? Draftstars' NBA Pistons vs Mavericks slate closes at 1:10pm AEDT on Sunday. ENTER NOW!
As with all NBA DFS contests, whether you start with our studs or build around our value picks, leveraging Fantasy Insider's data-driven NBA fantasy news and strategies, combined with your own research, can enhance your chances of winning in the NBA Pistons vs Mavericks slate. The unique insights here can give you an edge when you make your NBA DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised NBA Pistons vs Mavericks line-ups, check out the Fantasy Insider Cruncher on Draftstars! It's free to use when you're logged in.
Please note that if you use our DFS tips for betting purposes, ensure you gamble responsibly and keep track of your money. For free and confidential support, call 1800 858 858 or visit gamblinghelponline.org.au.
