This is our primary in-depth NBA DFS article, and it will be free this season. The goal of this article isn’t just to give you a few plays to plug into your lineup, but to dig a little bit deeper into why projections may (or may not) like certain players. Hopefully, after reading this article, you’ll have a better feel for the slate as a whole. Combining the context from this article with the raw data that is available in our Boom/Bust tool, Projections and Ownership Projections should allow you to build strong lineups and make optimal NBA DFS picks for any type of contest on DraftKings and FanDuel.
I plan to update this article with notes at the top until about 5 p.m. EST each day. After that, be sure to check out the Deeper Dive show with Loughy and I from 5 to 6 every weekday and Live Before Lock in the hour leading up until lock each day on the Awesemo YouTube channel.
Also make sure you check out the NBA Strategy Show, live first thing every morning at 10 a.m. EST.
If you have any questions after reading the article, always feel free to DM me in Slack.
Note: This article takes a very long time to write, especially on slates with a lot of games. In order to get information out earlier in the day, I will post the first few games and then update with the remaining games as I write them on bigger slates. Be sure to check back for updates throughout the afternoon.
NBA DFS Deep Dive: DraftKings + FanDuel Picks | Feb. 16
Denver Nuggets at Boston Celtics (-2.5): 220.5
Denver Nuggets
Will Barton, PJ Dozier, Gary Harris and Paul Millsap are out tonight. Monte Morris is questionable. Morris started in place of Barton on Sunday and, if he is able to play, I expect him to start again. JaMychal Green is the most likely candidate to start in place of Millsap. R.J. Hampton is my best guess at Morris’s replacement if he is unavailable, but it could also be Facundo Campazzo.
Nikola Jokic is always one of the top projected players, but it can be difficult to get him into lineups since the center position has less roster spots available than any other position. Jokic is close to matchup-proof as he leads the Nuggets in every DFS-relevant offensive category this season. He has averaged 1.60 DraftKings points per minute this season with a 30.7 percent usage rate, 38.4 percent assist rate and 18.8 percent rebounding rate. He also leads the team with 36.5 minutes per game over the last month.
Jamal Murray is second on the team with 34.4 minutes per game over the last month, but his fantasy production is down from last season as a result of Jokic playing more minutes. Barton’s absence could benefit Murray, however, because whoever replaces Barton will be a lower usage player than Barton. Murray has averaged 1.01 DraftKings points per minute with a 26.4 percent usage rate in 187 minutes alongside Jokic without Barton compared to 0.96 DraftKings points per minute with a 24.2 percent usage rate in 512 minutes alongside both of Jokic and Barton. The increase in production isn’t substantial, but it is worth noting as it causes Murray to project slightly better.
Michael Porter Jr. has averaged 1.05 DraftKings points per minute and 29.6 minutes per game in nine starts this season. Barton and Millsap being sidelined opens up more playing time for Porter. He played 30 minutes on Sunday but lost about 3 minutes to garbage time at the end of the game. There is a good chance that we get 32-plus minutes from Porter tonight and his salary has been decreasing.
Green is a strong value option. He has essentially been splitting time with Millsap this season when both are healthy. Green started the second half in place of Millsap on Sunday, but quickly returned to the bench because of foul trouble. He hasn’t played a game without Millsap yet this season, but he did start one game alongside Millsap. He played 28.4 minutes in that game and I expect at least 28 minutes from Green tonight with room for more. Green has averaged 0.74 DraftKings points per minute in 209 minutes alongside Jokic this season. Overall, he has averaged 1.01 DraftKings points per minute, so we should expect a significant reduction in his fantasy rates. The increased playing time should offset the reduced rates, however, which is why he still projects as a strong value option. Zeke Nnaji will most likely take Green’s place as the backup four off the bench. He also played alongside Green in the second half on Sunday, after Millsap was ruled out. The Nuggets didn’t use Isaiah Hartenstein as their backup center, electing instead to play Nnaji and Green together. If that is the case again tonight, I expect at least 18-20 minutes from Nnaji with upside for more if he plays well. The first-round pick has averaged 0.81 DraftKings points per minute in 72 minutes played this season.
We can also look to Barton’s replacement for value. Morris played 30.3 minutes on Sunday and would probably play another 30-plus minutes tonight if he is able to suit up. He has averaged 0.79 DraftKings points per minute alongside Jokic this season. Hampton played every minute that Morris wasn’t on the floor against the Lakers while Campazzo played 25.8 minutes off the bench. Hampton has averaged 0.75 DraftKings points per minute and Campazzo has averaged 0.76 DraftKings points per minute this season. Either one would project as a good point-per-dollar value if they start in place of Morris.
Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Nikola Jokic ($10,700), Michael Porter Jr. ($5,800), JaMychal Green ($4,300), Zeke Nnaji ($3,100)
Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Nikola Jokic ($10,600), Michael Porter Jr. ($5,500), JaMychal Green ($4,400), Monte Morris ($4,100)
Boston Celtics
Marcus Smart and Daniel Theis are out tonight.
Kemba Walker, Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum are all expected to play and, when that is the case, I’m usually not interested in much else from the Celtics. The trio has played six games together this season. Walker has averaged 0.98 DraftKings points per minute with a 26.6 percent usage rate and 20.8 percent assist rate. We can expect 30 to 32 minutes from Walker if tonight’s game is competitive. He remains slightly more favorably priced on FanDuel than DraftKings.
Brown has averaged 1.17 DraftKings points per minute and 34.1 minutes per game in the six games that all three players have been active. He has a 30.0 percent usage rate and 20.3 percent assist rate as Brad Stevens staggers his minutes with Tatum’s minutes so Brown is still the top scoring option for parts of the game. Tatum has averaged 1.12 DraftKings points per minute with a 28.3 percent usage rate and 20.8 percent assist rate in 34.9 minutes per game with Walker and Brown active. Overall this season, he has averaged 1.27 DraftKings points per minute with a 30.5 percent usage rate. His true shooting rate in the six games referenced is only 52.2 percent compared to his season average of 55.8 percent, so I expect his per-minute production to increase as the sample gets bigger. He also typically gets to play with the second unit while Walker and Brown are on the bench, which makes me think his production increases as they play more games together as well.
Aside from the main trio, we can look to the frontcourt for low-floor value options. Semi Ojeleye has been starting with Smart out and has averaged 27.8 minutes per game and 0.73 DraftKings points per minute in four starts this season. Overall, he has averaged 0.61 DraftKings points per minute this season. He has shot 45.8 percent from 3 in those four starts, which is not going to continue. We should expect him to produce closer to his season average going forward, but there is still a little bit of value in anyone that can play 30-plus minutes at minimum salary.
Tristan Thompson will most likely start at center with Theis ruled out. The Celtics could try and use Ojeleye to defend Jokic and give more minutes to their wings, but I expect Thompson will get the first shot at slowing down Jokic. He has averaged 0.86 DraftKings points per minute and projects as a strong value as long as he gets 26-plus minutes. Robert Williams could see an uptick in playing time with Theis out as well. He has averaged 1.17 DraftKings points per minute so he offers a lot of upside if he does get 18 to 20 minutes. The problem is that he could still only play 10-12 minutes because the Celtics could elect to go small against the Nuggets’ second unit. He has a low floor, but there is a lot of volatility here which is appealing in large field tournaments.
Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Jayson Tatum ($8,700), Jaylen Brown ($7,800), Tristan Thompson ($3,900)
Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Jayson Tatum ($9,400), Jaylen Brown ($8,400), Kemba Walker ($6,200)
Los Angeles Lakers at Minnesota Timberwolves (+6.5): 222.5
Los Angeles Lakers
Anthony Davis is out tonight. LeBron James and Alex Caruso are probable. Kyle Kuzma started the last game that Davis was out and also started the second half in his place on Sunday, so I assume he will start tonight.
James has seen a slight uptick in production in games without Davis since the start of last season. He has averaged 1.58 DraftKings points per minute with a 33.6 percent usage rate, 46.5 percent assist rate and 12.4 percent rebounding rate in 13 games without Davis. He has averaged 1.54 DraftKings points per minute with a 31.4 percent usage rate, 46.0 percent assist rate and 12.6 percent rebounding rate in 82 games played alongside Davis. While James may not increase his production as much as expected with Davis sidelined, he still has a great matchup against the Timberwolves and Davis’s absence makes it less likely that the game is a blowout.
Montrezl Harrell has averaged 26.9 minutes per game in five games with James active and Davis inactive compared to 24.4 minutes per game in 23 games with both players active. He has averaged 1 DraftKings point per minute this season and he projects slightly higher with Davis out thanks to the increased playing time. Dennis Schroder has averaged 0.84 DraftKings points per minute in games with James and Davis both active compared to 0.92 DraftKings points per minute in games without Davis. He is more favorably priced on FanDuel but has tournament appeal on either site. The same can be said for Kuzma, who has averaged 32.7 minutes per game and 1.07 DraftKings points per minute in his three starts with James active and Davis inactive this season. He is much less expensive on FanDuel than DraftKings.
Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: LeBron James ($10,100), Montrezl Harrell ($6,200)
Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: LeBron James ($10,500), Montrezl Harrell ($5,900), Dennis Schroder ($5,700), Kyle Kuzma ($5,800)
Minnesota Timberwolves
Jarrett Culver and D’Angelo Russell are out for the Timberwolves tonight.
Karl-Anthony Towns played 33.4 minutes against the Raptors on Sunday and appears to be back to his normal workload. He has only played 227 minutes this season, but he has averaged 1.43 DraftKings points per minute. In 139 minutes alongside Malik Beasley without Russell or Andrew Wiggins on the floor since the start of last season, Towns has averaged 1.47 DraftKings points per minute with a 26.3 percent usage rate, 17.3 percent assist rate and 17.5 percent rebounding rate. The Lakers are a tough matchup, but the absence of Davis makes the frontcourt less formidable. Beasley has been very productive in the 139 minutes that he has played alongside Towns without Russell as well. He has a 25.4 percent usage rate and has averaged 1.21 DraftKings points per minute. His true shooting rate is higher than normal over that sample so I expect the per-minute production to decrease going forward, but he still sees a usage bump without Russell. He is expensive, however, so my interest in Beasley is limited to tournaments.
Ricky Rubio started in place of Russell on Sunday and played 29.7 minutes while Jordan McLaughlin backed him up and played 18.8 minutes. Rubio has averaged 0.89 DraftKings points per minute and 26.7 minutes per game in seven games without Russell this season while McLaughlin has averaged 0.92 DraftKings points per minute and 21.7 minutes per game in those games.
Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Karl-Anthony Towns ($9,300)
Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Karl-Anthony Towns ($9,500)
New Orleans Pelicans at Memphis Grizzlies (+1): 231.5
New Orleans Pelicans
Josh Hart is listed as available. Nobody else from the Pelicans’ rotation is on the injury report.
The Pelicans are a difficult team to prioritize when they’re fully healthy. They have a lot of players who produce at a good rate but none who really produce at an elite rate and the team as a whole is typically priced efficiently. Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are the closest thing to DFS studs from the Pelicans, but their per-minute production falls a little bit short of some of the other similarly priced options. Ingram has averaged 1.17 DraftKings points per minute this season while Williamson has averaged 1.21 DraftKings points per minute. They lead the team in playing time over the last month as well, averaging 35 minutes and 33.1 minutes, respectively. Either player is a viable option in tournaments given their relatively high ceilings, but there are other options that project slightly better at their positions and/or salaries on this slate.
Lonzo Ball and Eric Bledsoe have averaged 29.1 and 29.6 minutes per game over the last month. Ball has averaged 0.98 DraftKings points per minute this season while Bledsoe has averaged 0.85 DraftKings points per minute. Steven Adams has produced at a similar rate with 0.87 DraftKings points per minute this season, and he has averaged 27.5 minutes per game over the last month.
Willy Hernangomez is always an interesting value option in tournaments because of his volatility. He has replaced Jaxson Hayes as Adams’ backup and has averaged 1.01 DraftKings points per minute this season. He is too expensive for his typical 16.7 minutes per game, but he will end up being underpriced in any games where Adams gets in foul trouble, deals with an in-game injury or Hernangomez finds some other way to steal minutes.
Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Zion Williamson ($8,200)
Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Zion Williamson ($8,300)
Memphis Grizzlies
Desmond Bane and De’Anthony Melton are still out for Memphis.
The Grizzlies’ rotation has been difficult to trust for most of this season as they typically play their starters fewer minutes than most teams. Their playing time has been a bit more consistent recently, however, with a couple of their rotation players sidelined in Bane and Melton. Brandon Clarke is back, but came off the bench last game with Grayson Allen remaining in the starting lineup. We’ll have to keep an eye out for the starting lineup because it wouldn’t be surprising to see Clarke move back into the starting lineup against a relatively big Pelicans’ frontcourt.
Ja Morant stands out as a strong mid-range option. He has only averaged 30.5 minutes per game over the last month, but he was limited after Memphis’s COVID-related break. He hasn’t played less than 31 minutes in any of his last four games and I expect 32 to 34 minutes as long as this game is competitive. Morant has averaged 1.15 DraftKings points per minute with a 28.5 percent usage rate and 38.1 percent assist rate this season. His salary is slightly depressed as a result of his limited playing time recently, so I will be looking to roster him before it increases.
Jonas Valanciunas is a high-upside center option on a slate that isn’t quite as deep as normal at the position. He has played at least 26 minutes in four straight games and has averaged 27.6 minutes per game in the six games he has played within the last month. Valanciunas has a 24.8 percent usage rate and 21.8 percent rebounding rate this season, averaging 1.31 DraftKings points per minute.
Dillon Brooks is always difficult to trust, but I think this sets up as a spot he could do well. He has the second-highest usage rate on the team at 26.1 percent and he has averaged 0.93 DraftKings points per minute this season. He is typically scoring dependent, but the Pelicans have allowed the third-most 3-point attempts per game over the last month. Brooks is second to Allen in 3-point attempts per game over that time with 5.5. He is cheap enough that I think the potential reward outweighs the risk in tournaments.
Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Ja Morant ($7,500), Jonas Valanciunas ($7,600)
Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Ja Morant ($7,100), Jonas Valanciunas ($7,800), Dillon Brooks ($5,300)
Portland Trail Blazers at Oklahoma City Thunder (+5.5): 225.5
Portland Trail Blazers
C.J. McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic, Rodney Hood and Harry Giles are out tonight for Portland.
Damian Lillard has now played 12 games without McCollum or Nurkic this season. He has averaged 1.44 DraftKings points per minute with a 34.5 percent usage rate and 38.4 percent assist rate. For comparison, he has averaged 1.29 DraftKings points per minute with a 29.7 percent usage rate and 31.2 percent assist rate in 12 games with both players active. While we haven’t seen the massive games that we saw with McCollum sidelined last season, there is no doubt that Lillard has taken on a bigger role and produced at a higher rate with the duo sidelined. The increased usage rate and assist rate suggests that his ceiling is higher along with his average production increasing. Since his salary is still relatively inexpensive, he grades out as a top option again tonight in a favorable matchup against the Thunder.
Enes Kanter has averaged 29.4 minutes per game and 1.13 DraftKings points per minute in his 12 games without McCollum or Nurkic and with Lillard active. Kanter’s backup, Harry Giles, is also out tonight so we could see Kanter play a couple more minutes than usual.
Robert Covington is expensive enough that I don’t consider him a top play, but I do have interest in him in tournaments. Giles’ absence increases the chances that Covington will get minutes without Kanter on the floor. I expected Carmelo Anthony to be the biggest beneficiary but the numbers in a limited sample this season suggest that Covington’s rebounding numbers will benefit. He has a 13.7 percent rebounding rate in 82 minutes without Kanter, Nurkic or Giles on the floor this season compared to 6.9 percent for Anthony. For comparison, Covington’s rebounding rate overall this season is 10.7 percent. He played 38.6 minutes against the Mavericks on Sunday and I think there is a good chance we get 34-plus minutes out of him tonight.
Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Damian Lillard ($9,700), Enes Kanter ($7,000)
Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Damian Lillard ($9,500), Enes Kanter ($6,600)
Oklahoma City Thunder
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Theo Maledon, George Hill, Aleksej Pokusevski, Ty Jerome, Josh Hall, Moses Brown and Trevor Ariza are out tonight. This leaves the Thunder with nine players once again tonight in a favorable matchup against the Blazers.
Hamidou Diallo was replaced in the starting lineup by Justin Jackson last game. Diallo proceeded to play 26 minutes off the bench while Jackson played 33.9 minutes and was in the closing lineup. The Thunder beat the Bucks in that game, so my assumption is they will stick with the same lineup. If that’s the case, Diallo becomes a much riskier option, despite averaging 1.01 DraftKings points per minute with a 22.9 percent usage rate and 20.8 percent assist rate in four games without Gilgeous-Alexander, Hill or Maledon. Jackson has averaged 29.8 minutes per game in those four games and 0.88 DraftKings points per minute with an 18.4 percent usage rate and 17.9 percent assist rate. DraftKings and FanDuel have both priced him up quickly, however, so he looks like a secondary option even if he does remain in the starting lineup.
Kenrich Williams played 34 minutes against the Bucks and he should have increased assist opportunities with Diallo coming off the bench. He has averaged 0.80 DraftKings points per minute and 36.6 minutes per game in the four games without Gilgeous-Alexander, Hill and Maledon. He only has a 14.9 percent usage rate but he has a 17.6 percent assist rate and 9.3 percent rebounding rate. Williams has only played 75 minutes without any of the three guards previously mentioned or Diallo on the floor, but he has a 16.9 percent usage rate and 20.0 percent assist rate so we could see his per-minute production increase if Diallo comes off the bench again.
Al Horford is my main target from the Thunder. He has only averaged 30.4 minutes per game in his four games without the three guards and one of those games included overtime. While we can’t expect more than 29 or 30 minutes from Horford, he has averaged 1.54 DraftKings points per minute in those games with a 27.2 percent usage rate and 42.7 percent assist rate. He has played a total of 138 minutes without Gilgeous-Alexander, Hill or Maledon on the floor this season and he has averaged 1.50 DraftKings points per minute with a 27.5 percent usage rate and 34.5 percent assist rate. He looks like a strong combination of point-per-dollar projection and upside at his current price point.
Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Al Horford ($7,000)
Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Al Horford ($6,900)
Toronto Raptors at Milwaukee Bucks (-5.5): 235.5
Toronto Raptors
O.G. Anunoby and Yuta Watanabe are both doubtful.
Kyle Lowry is still the most favorably priced of the main three Raptors on DraftKings while Fred VanVleet is $100 less expensive on FanDuel. Lowry has averaged 33.9 minutes per game over the last month and VanVleet has averaged 36.7 minutes per game over that time. For the season, Lowry has averaged 1.05 DraftKings points per minute and VanVleet has averaged 1.12 DraftKings points per minute. Pascal Siakam rounds out the trio. He has averaged 35.4 minutes per game over the last month and 1.11 DraftKings points per minute over the course of the season.
Aron Baynes is an interesting value option. The playing time at the center position has been inconsistent this season with Chris Boucher sometimes stealing minutes. This strikes me as a matchup where Toronto would want to play Baynes more as they could use his presence in the paint against Giannis Antetokounmpo. In their first meeting this season, Baynes played 22.9 before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Boucher only played 13.2 minutes. There is no guarantee that Baynes sees the bulk of the minutes, but I think that the matchup makes Baynes worth a look in tournament on two-center sites.
Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Kyle Lowry ($7,400)
Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Fred VanVleet ($7,500), Kyle Lowry ($7,600)
Milwaukee Bucks
Jrue Holiday remains out for the Bucks. Bryn Forbes started in his place again on Sunday and played 32.9 minutes.
Khris Middleton has now played four games with Holiday out and Antetokounmpo active this season. He has only averaged 1.15 DraftKings points per minute but he has a 27.4 percent usage rate and 29.9 percent assist rate. In eight games last season without Bledsoe and with Antetokounmpo, Middleton averaged 1.29 DraftKings points per minute with a similar 27.2 percent usage rate and 24.7 percent assist rate. One difference this season is that Middleton has only shot 31.8 percent from three in his four games without Holiday compared to about 39 percent without Bledsoe last season and 44.4 percent overall this season. Milwaukee continues to stagger Middleton’s minutes with Antetokounmpo’s and I am still bullish on Middleton’s DFS value while Holiday is out.
Antetokounmpo has averaged 1.75 DraftKings points per minute in the four games without Holiday, but his usage, assist and rebounding rates are similar to the games that he has played with Holiday active. I think that Giannis will maintain a slight bump in production while Holiday is out, but it’s likely to be close to the 1.63 DraftKings points per minute that he has averaged overall this season. Still, Antetokounmpo has averaged 35.4 minutes per game over the last month so he projects as a top option even if he sees no bump at all without Holiday, which I don’t expect to be the case.
Forbes has averaged 27.1 minutes per game in the four games without Holiday, which is appealing for a player who is close to minimum salary. The problem is that he has only averaged 0.60 DraftKings points per minute. He has a respectable (for his salary) 17.9 percent usage rate but he has only contributed a 1.3 percent assist rate. He only has a 3.3 percent assist rate for the season and has averaged 1.5 potential assists per game since Holiday’s injury, so I expect him to continue to be a scoring dependent player that has a low usage rate.
Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Khris Middleton ($8,000), Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,000)
Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Khris Middleton ($7,500), Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,200)
Brooklyn Nets at Phoenix Suns (-7): 229
Brooklyn Nets
Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving are both out so tonight should be the James Harden show. DeAndre Jordan came off the bench last night against a small starter in Marvin Bagley and a traditional backup in Hassan Whiteside. My expectation is that he returns to the starting lineup tonight against Deandre Ayton, but we’ll need to wait for confirmation.
Harden has played 162 minutes without either of Durant or Irving on the floor since joining the Nets. He has averaged 1.63 DraftKings points per minute with 31.5 percent usage rate, 58.2 percent assist rate and 13.6 percent rebounding rate. In his final two seasons in Houston, he played a total of 60 games without Russell Westbrook or Chris Paul. He averaged 1.70 DraftKings points per minute with a 37.1 percent usage rate, 46.1 percent assist rate and 11.0 percent rebounding rate. I expect similar production tonight against the Suns and Harden stands out as the top play on the slate.
In the only game that the Nets have played with Harden active and both of Irving and Durant inactive since they acquired Harden, the rest of the starting lineup was Joe Harris, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Jeff Green and Jordan. I think that Bruce Brown will remain in the starting lineup tonight in place of Luwawu-Cabarrot, but I am expecting the rest of the lineup to be the same. It’s difficult to guess Brooklyn’s rotation since Steve Nash has been inconsistent with his backups this season, but Tyler Johnson played 22.8 minutes last night. He has averaged 0.64 DraftKings points per minute in limited playing time this season, but he’ll project as a good point-per-dollar value if he plays 26-plus minutes at near minimum salary against his former team. Brown and Luwawu-Cabarrot both are worth a look in GPPs as well since they are likely to play more minutes with Irving and Durant both out.
Jordan played 27.1 minutes off the bench last night and he played 26.6 minutes in the game that Durant and Irving both missed before, despite not playing in the fourth quarter of a blowout. He is only $4,500 and is likely to outperform his salary if the Nets allow him to play similar minutes to Ayton on the other side.
Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: James Harden ($10,800), DeAndre Jordan ($4,500)
Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: James Harden ($11,000), DeAndre Jordan ($5,400)
Phoenix Suns
The Suns get one of the most favorable matchups in DFS, but they are at full strength which will make them a little bit less appealing — or at least a little more difficult to trust.
Paul and Devin Booker should both be able to take advantage of the great matchup against the Nets. They are each hurt by the other’s presence, however, so they project as tournament options more so than cash plays. Paul has averaged 1.14 DraftKings points per minute and 31.8 minutes per game in 21 games with Booker active this season while Booker has averaged 1.04 DraftKings points per minute in 35.2 minutes per game. Ayton has averaged 1.07 DraftKings points per minute and 31.4 minutes per game in games that both Paul and Booker have been active. He has a high ceiling given the pace that the Nets play at, but it’s worth noting that Brooklyn has allowed the second-fewest total rebounds per game over the last month despite being one of the fastest teams in the league.
The forward rotation is a mess for the Suns right now. Frank Kaminsky has still been starting, but he only played 19.4 minutes against the Magic last game. The return of Jae Crowder, combined with the presence of Cameron Johnson and Mikal Bridges, makes it difficult to trust the playing time for any of the group since there are essentially 96 minutes available for the four players to split. Bridges’ minutes are typically the safest, but he is the most expensive of the group.
Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Chris Paul ($7,800), Devin Booker ($8,300), Deandre Ayton ($7,100)
Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Chris Paul ($7,800), Devin Booker ($8,300), Deandre Ayton ($7,000)
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