NBA DFS Picks: Alperen Sengun, Rudy Gobert Loom Large (February 24)

Friday’s NBA action wraps up the work week with an eight-game featured slate tipping off at 7:00 p.m. ET on both DraftKings and FanDuel. There are several options in the player pool worth analyzing to find the top NBA DFS building blocks and NBA DFS picks for DraftKings and FanDuel lineups, including Alperen Sengun and Rudy Gobert.

NBA DFS Picks Today: Friday, Feb. 24

Core Play of the Day — Rudy Gobert: Minnesota Timberwolves-Charlotte Hornets

Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 41.55 | FanDuel: 40.93
Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 35.7% | FanDuel: 19.9%
DFS Salary: DraftKings: $7,200 | FanDuel: $7,900

It has been some time since Rudy Gobert has appeared in this article; however, everything is aligning for him to be a priority option tonight. Finally he is not on the injury report, and considering he played a solid 36 minutes eight days ago, he can be reasonably projected for 32 to 33 tonight, with a couple more within reach.

The matchup is definitely a tasty one, as the Hornets are one of the worst rebounding teams in the league and they are now starting rookie Mark Williams in the pivot. In his last two games with former Jazz teammate Mike Conley running the show, Gobert has attempted 15 and nine field goals, which are two of his three best totals in his last 11 games. Tonight anything less than a 15-point, 15-rebound double-double with a couple of blocks is going to be disappointing to say the least.

This game is teeming with fantasy goodness, and Anthony Edwards, Kyle Anderson and Jaden McDaniels join Conley as solid tournament options from the Timberwolves. On the Charlotte side, LaMelo Ball has one of the five highest median fantasy point projections in the player pool, but keep in mind that Kelly Oubre Jr. is expected to return after missing nearly two months with a hand injury.

Houston Rockets-Golden State Warriors

Kevin Porter Jr. (foot) remains out for the Rockets, and he is going to be joined on the sidelines by Jalen Green (groin) through the weekend. That opens up both minutes and opportunities, making the ambulatory Houston players the discount dandies du jour.

Josh Christopher is the best point-per-dollar option from the team, while Alperen Sengun is the most likely to record 40 or more fantasy points. Tari Eason is just $3,900 on DraftKings, and with eligibility at both forward positions, he projects to be on about a quarter of all rosters. Jabari Smith and Jae’Sean Tate slide ahead of Eason on FanDuel, and TyTy Washington Jr. is an extreme punt for the late slate or in single-game contests.

Golden State lost in Los Angeles to the Lakers 124-111 last night. Stephen Curry (shoulder) still does not have a return date, and Andrew Wiggins is away from the team attending to a personal matter. None of the starters played in the fourth quarter aside from Jordan Poole (29), and he was the only player to see more than 27 minutes. This makes it likely that Klay Thompson and Draymond Green each suit up tonight since they are just one game removed from the All-Star Break and Thompson did play on consecutive nights heading into the midseason layoff.

Kevon Looney is yet another center option, but there are plenty to choose from tonight. Ty Jerome and Jonathan Kuminga lucked into mop-up duty last night, but that is in play again today, with the Warriors double-digit home favorites.

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Additional NBA DFS Building Blocks Pick – Sports Betting Opportunities

Josh Okogie is someone to consider in the betting market tonight, with his 5.5 over/under rebound prop. Though he is averaging just 3.2 rebounds per game on the season, he has a healthy 7.7 rebounds per 36 minutes. In his last three games since moving into the starting lineup, he is averaging 38.6 minutes and 5.7 rebounds. Over the last 15 games, Oklahoma City is in the bottom third of the league from a rebounding perspective, and this is a back-to-back for the Thunder, who lost 120-119 in overtime to the Jazz in Salt Lake City.

NBA Bet Pro has Okogie projected for 6.2 rebounds, and while this wager is likely going down to the wire, with a 56% likelihood that he surpasses the over, BetMGM currently has this wager available at -108, giving it a decent 4% expected ROI. This would also make for a strong leg in a same-game parlay for increased upside payout potential.

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Sacramento Kings-Los Angeles Clippers

Last night the Kings took care of a shorthanded Trail Blazers squad 133-116 in Sacramento. Tonight they are travelling to Los Angeles to battle the new-look Clippers. Domantas Sabonis was sublime, authoring his seventh triple-double of the season, with 18 points, 18 rebounds and 10 assists. He played only 31.5 minutes and likely could have taken a seat for the entire final frame, but the team let him play five minutes to finish off his triple-double.

De’Aaron Fox played only 25.7 minutes in this laugher yet still tallied a team-high 31 points. Tonight will be a far tougher matchup, but the Sacramento All-Star duo should be relatively fresh. It is tricky recommending anyone outside of Sabonis and Fox on the main slate, but the starters, along with key reserves Malik Monk, Terence Davis and Trey Lyles, are tournament options on the two-game late slate.

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It will be interesting to see how Russell Westbrook fits in with the Clippers; there are some rumblings that he will be the starting point guard, and while that seems like a stretch, it may just come to fruition. That would push Terance Mann to the bench; however, with Reggie Jackson and John Wall no longer with the team, it seems like Westbrook and Mann will be the primary point guards.

Paul George is a tempting option on both DraftKings ($8,200) and FanDuel ($8,600), though Kawhi Leonard is less so with the addition of Westbrook. Currently Leonard is at a lofty salary on FanDuel ($10,000), sitting at the five-figure mark, and there is not too dramatic of a discount on DraftKings ($9,200). The Stokastic NBA DFS projections have both players earmarked for just over 40 fantasy points, and while either could flirt with the 50-fantasy-point plateau, the extra salary for Leonard is likely to return more fantasy profit when invested with another player.

Ivica Zubac (calf) is out, so Mason Plumlee should slot into the starting five,as the Clippers will need his size to harass Sabonis. Marcus Morris Sr. is worthy of a look on DraftKings ($3,800), though he only has late-slate appeal on FanDuel ($4,600). The remaining Clippers are neutral options at best on the late slate and afterthoughts on the full slate unless someone else is out.

Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks Building Blocks Today

Four teams are on a back-to-back, and several more are still working in newly acquired players. Be sure to get all the latest analysis and information by tuning in to the Stokastic Live Deeper Dive and Before Lock shows at 5:00 p.m. ET on YouTube, courtesy of No House Advantage.

Author

Eric MacPherson

Eric "EMac" MacPherson won the 2007 Fantasy Baseball grand prize (trip for two to the MLB All-Star game) in the Roto format on ESPN. He won again in 2008, this time in the H2H format. As one of the early adopters of daily fantasy sports, EMac has been providing content for baseball and basketball as well as both professional and college football since 2012 for a variety of websites including DraftKings Playbook, FanVice, RotoWorld, Daily Fantasy Bootcamp, and RotoGrinders. He is well into his third decade of fantasy sports and has a wealth of knowledge and experience. Follow him on Twitter @EMacDFS or contact EMac by emailing [email protected].