NBA DFS Picks: Anthony Davis & Kyle Kuzma Are Key Plays (February 28)

Tuesday’s NBA action takes the form of a massive 10-game main slate locking at 7:30 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 Anthony Davis and Kyle Kuzma, who will be assuming larger roles filling in for injured teammates.

NBA DFS Picks Today: Tuesday, Feb. 28

Core Play of the Day — Anthony Davis: Los Angeles Lakers-Memphis Grizzlies

Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 54.06 | FanDuel: 54.29
Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 20.4% | FanDuel: 20.2%
DFS Salary: DraftKings: $10,300 | FanDuel: $11,000

LeBron James is out for an undetermined length of time with a foot injury, and D’Angelo Russell is doubtful after missing the last game with a sprained ankle. That means Anthony Davis should get all the offensive opportunities he desires. Of course, Davis is also dealing with a sore foot, and we know he tends to miss a fair amount of time himself. Hopefully tonight he is motivated and ready to show out in a terrific matchup against Memphis.

The Grizzlies have struggled against opposing frontcourts, and in the last 13 games without Steven Adams, they have the fourth-worst rebounding rate and are in the bottom third of the league for fantasy points allowed to power forwards and centers. The Lakers are 9-point road dogs in this matchup, but as long as the whole house of cards does not fall apart, Davis is a strong option.

Jarred Vanderbilt, Malik Beasley and Rui Hachimura should all receive additional opportunities filling in for James and Russell. Austin Reaves is a punt option, but he does have the ability to earn more minutes as long as he is productive.

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Kyle Kuzma: Washington Wizards-Atlanta Hawks

Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 42.75 | FanDuel: 39.8
Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 27.6% | FanDuel: 40.0%
DFS Salary: DraftKings: $7,800 | FanDuel: $7,500

Kristaps Porzingis is doubtful with a sore knee, and Bradley Beal is still working his way back into form after missing significant time this season with various injuries. Kyle Kuzma has shown time and again that he can fill in wherever the Wizards have a need, be that as a scorer, rebounder or even as a non-traditional facilitator.

Atlanta has been substandard on defense this season, even with Dejounte Murray and Clint Capela both being outstanding defenders. Kuzma is posting the best fantasy numbers of his career, and he should be able to reach the 40-fantasy-point plateau with ease in this matchup.

Monte Morris (back) is out, which will deliver additional minutes to Delon Wright and Deni Avdija. Jordan Goodwin should also see a boost; however, there are a plethora of value options today who are better positioned, even with Washington recently converting Goodwin’s two-way contract to a full-time deal with the parent club.

Additional NBA DFS Building Blocks Pick – Sports Betting Opportunities

Matisse Thybulle stands out in the sports wagering market with his 1.5 over/under steals prop. The former University of Washington stalwart has found a nice role since joining Portland as one of the key defenders in the starting lineup. In his four games with the Trail Blazers, he is averaging 29.8 minutes and 2.3 steals. For his career, he has 2.7 steals per 36 minutes, and this game environment should lend itself to additional opportunities for Thybulle to wreak havoc in the passing lanes.

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NBA Bet Pro has Thybulle projected for 2.5 steals, which works out to a 59% likelihood he surpasses tonight’s milestone. BetMGM currently has this wager available at +105, giving it a solid 11% expected ROI.

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San Antonio Spurs-Utah Jazz

Tonight the DFS world will be tuning into this game that has a ridiculous number of discount dandies provided by the two teams. Devin Vassell, Romeo Langford and Isaiah Roby all remain out for the Spurs, and Tre Jones is questionable and at risk of missing a fifth consecutive game with a foot injury.

The Jazz have allowed 116.7 points per 100 possessions since the trade deadline, and they continue to play up-tempo ball. San Antonio has slightly worse defense during this stretch while also playing a tick faster, which has this game projecting for 237.5 points.

If Jones remains out, rookie Malaki Branham is a strong option. In his last six starts, the 19-year-old is averaging 33.1 minutes with 15.0 field goal attempts and a 50.0% conversion rate. This has resulted in 19.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.1 combined blocks and steals in this stretch. If Jones returns, Branham loses main slate relevancy.

Keldon Johnson, Zach Collins and rookie Jeremy Sochan should continue to bring above-average fantasy returns, though keep in mind that coach Gregg Popovic has been content to keep his key players right around 30 minutes in most games. Charles Bassey is an interesting late-slate option, though his upside is entirely predicated at the expense of Collins.

Kris Dunn is on a 10-day contract with Utah, yet he is also likely to be the most popular player in all formats tonight, despite this being only his third game of the season. Collin Sexton is likely to miss the next two weeks while recovering from a hamstring issue, and Jordan Clarkson is out until at least this weekend with a sprained thumb on his shooting hand. Injuries have limited Dunn to just 247 games since he was the fifth overall selection in the 2016 NBA Draft. Talen Horton-Tucker should also see extra opportunities running the offense when Dunn is off the court, as well as providing scoring from the guard position.

Lauri Markkanen, Kelly Olynyk and Walker Kessler stand out as secondary options on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Ochai Agbaji is also in the mix as a punt play, though his fantasy production is heavily predicated on his ability to score and he has yet to surpass the 25-fantasy-point threshold.

Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks Building Blocks Today

Tonight should be a fun one, and the later-than-normal start time means that six games are tipping off in the first half hour. Be sure to get all the latest analysis and information by tuning in to the Stokastic Deeper Dive and Live Before Lock shows at 5:15 p.m. ET on YouTube, including a bonus 30 minutes post-lock, brought to you by Thrive.

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].