NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings + FanDuel Expert Data Analysis & Strategy

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.

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.

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NBA DFS Deep Dive: DraftKings + FanDuel Picks | Feb. 19

Denver Nuggets at Cleveland Cavaliers (+8.5): 226

Denver Nuggets

Gary Harris, PJ Dozier and Paul Millsap are out. Will Barton is questionable. JaMychal Green is probable. Assuming he plays, Green should start again in place of Millsap. Monte Morris will most likely start in place or Harris if Barton is out, but it could also be Facundo Campazzo.

Nikola Jokic is always the top option from the Nuggets as he leads the team in every fantasy relevant offensive category this season. He has also averaged 36.3 minutes per game over the last month. As always, there is massive opportunity cost at center, but Jokic is one of the top projected players on the slate.

After Jokic, there isn’t much that stands out as a top option but there are still high-upside tournament options. Jamal Murray and Michael Porter are the second and third options offensively behind Jokic. Murray has averaged about 34 minutes per game over the last month while Porter gets a bump in playing time as a member of the starting lineup.

Green is underpriced on FanDuel at only $4,200. He is much less productive when he plays alongside Jokic than when he plays without him, but he has averaged 29.2 minutes per game in his two starts without Millsap.

Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Nikola Jokic ($11,000)

Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Nikola Jokic ($10,600), Michael Porter, Jr. ($5,500), JaMychal Green ($4,200)

Cleveland Cavaliers

Andre Drummond, Larry Nance Jr. and Taurean Prince are out tonight. Kevin Love remains out as well.

The Cavaliers may be the underdogs in this game, but they are more favorably priced than Denver. Jarrett Allen has only played 28 and 29 minutes in the two games since Drummond was removed from the rotation, but he has lost minutes to garbage time in both games. The Cavaliers could certainly get blown out again tonight, but Allen is only priced to play 28 to 30 minutes right now so, if the game remains close, he is significantly underpriced. He has averaged 1.20 DraftKings points per minute without Drummond on the floor since joining Cleveland.

Collin Sexton and Darius Garland both see an uptick in fantasy production with Drummond on the sidelines as well- which makes sense since Allen is a lower usage player than Drummond by a wide margin. Sexton has averaged 1.03 DraftKings points per minute with a 29.2 percent usage rate and 25 percent assist rate in 370 minutes without Drummond on the floor this season while Garland has averaged 0.95 DraftKings points per minute with a 25.3 percent usage rate and 32.1 percent assist rate. Cleveland has been staggering their minutes as well, so they each will get time as the clear No. 1 option.

Cedi Osman started and played 33.1 minutes with Prince out last game. He also lost a few minutes to garbage time, so he has the potential to play even more minutes tonight if this game is competitive. He has averaged 0.84 DraftKings points per minute in 147 minutes alongside Garland without Drummond on the floor this season. His salary has increased since his last start, but he still projects as a reasonable value option assuming that he remains in the starting lineup.

Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Jarrett Allen ($6,800), Collin Sexton ($7,300), Darius Garland ($5,400)

Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Jarrett Allen ($7,400), Collin Sexton ($6,900), Darius Garland ($5,400), Cedi Osman ($4,200)

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Golden State Warriors at Orlando Magic (+4): 223.5

Golden State Warriors

Draymond Green is questionable after being a late scratch last game. James Wiseman and Kevon Looney remain out. I’m assuming that Green plays for now, but Eric Paschall played about 27 minutes off the bench in his absence last game.

Stephen Curry has been excellent in nine games with Wiseman sidelined. He has averaged 1.57 DraftKings points per minute with a 32.9 percent usage rate, 8.0 percent rebounding rate and 30.8 percent assist rate in 35.1 minutes per game. I don’t really buy into the increased per-minute production, however, because in games with Wiseman active he has a 32.1 percent usage rate, 8.3 percent rebounding rate and 31.7 percent assist rate. He has shot about 5 percent better from three in the games without Wiseman compared to the games with him. Still, Curry is playing 34-plus minutes in competitive games and is always one of the highest-upside players on a slate since he is capable of scoring 50-plus actual points at any time.

Green has been the biggest beneficiary of Wiseman’s absence and I do believe in the increased production. He has a 12.8 percent usage rate, 12.2 percent rebounding rate and 41.5 percent assist rate in 33.6 minutes per game in the eight games that he has played without Wiseman compared to a 12.9 percent usage rate, 9.0 percent rebounding rate and 31.5 percent assist rate in 26.6 minutes per game in 16 games played alongside Wiseman. Green should continue to get increased playing time and more rebounds with Wiseman on the bench.

Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre are secondary options from the Warriors as they have relatively high ceilings for mid-range forward options but they don’t stand out overall on the slate. Wiggins has averaged 0.87 DraftKings points per minute and 34 minutes per game without Wiseman while Oubre has averaged 1.03 DraftKings points per minute and 33.2 minutes per game without Wiseman. One positive note on Wiggins, depending how you want to look at it, is that he has been shooting horribly so his salary is a little bit lower than he would be if he had been shooting at his normal clip.

Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Stephen Curry ($10,100), Draymond Green ($6,600)

Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Stephen Curry ($10,000)

Orlando Magic

Cole Anthony is still out for Orlando. James Ennis is questionable. Evan Fournier is probable after returning last game.

Nikola Vucevic has been a fantasy star this season, averaging 1.39 DraftKings points per minute. He has averaged 35.3 minutes per game over the last month and played 37.6 minutes against the Knicks in Orlando’s last game. In 235 minutes alongside Fournier without Gordon on the floor this season, Vucevic has averaged 1.42 DraftKings points per minute with a 29.2 percent usage rate, 21.1 percent assist rate and 23.1 percent rebounding rate. He should benefit from the pace-up spot against Golden State and the matchup will look even better if Green is sidelined.

Michael Carter-Williams and Fournier should have plenty of opportunities tonight as well. Fournier has averaged 1.06 DraftKings points per minute with a 26.3 percent usage rate and 22.2 percent assist rate in 235 minutes alongside Vucevic without Gordon on the floor this season. That will be the case for most, if not all, of his minutes tonight and he played 31.4 minutes in his first game back from injury. Carter-Williams would be more appealing if Fournier were out, but there are still opportunities for him in this offense. He has averaged 0.97 DraftKings points per minute overall this season with a 20.2 percent usage rate and 23.8 percent assist rate. We should expect those rates to decrease as a higher rate of his minutes are played alongside Vucevic and Fournier, but it is offset by increased playing time. He is especially affordable on FanDuel tonight.

Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Nikola Vucevic ($9,900), Evan Fournier ($5,800), Michael Carter-Williams ($5,100)

Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Nikola Vucevic ($9,700), Michael Carter-Williams ($4,500)

Atlanta Hawks at Boston Celtics (-4): 225.5

Atlanta Hawks

De’Andre Hunter, Kris Dunn, Bogdan Bogdanovic and Rajon Rondo are all out again tonight.

Trae Young has averaged 36.6 minutes per game over the last month as he is back to playing huge minutes after seeing his playing time somewhat limited (by his standards) early in the season. He has averaged 1.34 DraftKings points per minute this season with a team-leading 32.7 percent usage rate and 41.9 percent assist rate. He doesn’t stand out in this matchup compared to some other top-end options on the slate, but he does offer GPP-winning upside if he is available at relatively low ownership in tournaments.

Clint Capela exceeded 30 minutes again last game. Prior to his last two games, Capela hadn’t reached 30 minutes in five straight games. The playing time is the only concern with Capela, as his fantasy production this season has been excellent. He has produced at rates similar to his time with Houston whenever Russell Westbrook wasn’t on the floor. He has averaged 1.31 DraftKings points per minute with a 25.0 percent rebounding rate and 3.5 blocks per 100 possessions.

John Collins dealt with some foul trouble last game and only played 27.9 minutes. The good news is that he was once again the back-up center for most of the minutes that Capela wasn’t on the floor. Collins has been much more productive without Capela than alongside him this season, so it is important than Bruno Fernando and Onyeka Okongwu have mostly been phased out of the rotation recently. Collins has averaged 34 minutes per game over the last month and has a high ceiling for his salary. Consider setting a rule that prevents you from rostering him with Capela because, while they will play minutes alongside each other, Collins’ ceiling is most likely to come in games where Capela plays fewer minutes than usual.

Kevin Huerter has averaged 35.3 minutes per game and 0.82 DraftKings points per minute in 10 games without Hunter. Cam Reddish played about 34 minutes again last game, but he has only averaged 0.65 DraftKings points per minute in nine starts without Hunter. Danilo Gallinari seems to be locked into a consistent 24 to 26 minutes in most games. He has averaged 0.86 DraftKings points per minute this season. All three players are reasonably priced and there is a pretty good chance that one of them outproduces their salary tonight, but none of them stand out individually.

Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Trae Young ($9,500), Clint Capela ($7,200), John Collins ($6,800)

Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Trae Young ($9,200), John Collins ($6,800)

Boston Celtics

Jaylen Brown is questionable and Marcus Smart is still out. I’m assuming for now that Brown plays, but his absence would mean more usage for Jayson Tatum and Kemba Walker.

With the Celtics returning almost to full strength for this game, the main three are where most of my interest lies. Walker, Tatum and have played seven games together this season. Brown has averaged 1.15 DraftKings points per minute with a 30.3 percent usage rate and 21.2 percent assist rate. Tatum has averaged 1.13 DraftKings points per minute with a 29.0 percent usage rate and 23.4 percent assist rate. Walker has averaged 0.95 DraftKings points per minute with a 26.3 percent usage rate and 20.7 percent assist rate. All three players look like strong options on this slate. Based on their salaries, Brown gets the slight edge for me on DraftKings and Walker gets the edge on FanDuel.

Daniel Theis isn’t on the injury report, so he should be back in the lineup. He has averaged 0.91 DraftKings points per minute without Tristan Thompson on the floor this season compared to 0.80 DraftKings points per minute alongside Thompson. The Celtics could certainly start the two together against Atlanta’s frontcourt but, if Theis starts and Thompson comes off the bench, Theis looks like a decent value option at power forward.

Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Jaylen Brown ($7,900), Jayson Tatum ($8,800), Kemba Walker ($6,500)

Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Kemba Walker ($6,200), Jaylen Brown ($8,400), Jayson Tatum ($9,400)

Chicago Bulls at Philadelphia 76ers (-8): 228.5

Chicago Bulls

Lauri Markkanen and Otto Porter are out again tonight.

Zach LaVine has been a star for the Bulls this season and it has translated into a great DFS season as well. LaVine has averaged 35.7 minutes per game over the last month and 1.29 DraftKings points per minute this season. In 13 games played without Markkanen, LaVine has averaged 1.38 DraftKings points per minute and 36.6 minutes per game. His 33.7 percent usage rate in those games is about 3 points higher than his season average. Of players with at least a 30 percent usage rate this season, LaVine has the fourth-highest true shooting rate at 64.9 percent. He only trails Joel Embiid, Curry and Kevin Durant. His matchup against the 76ers tonight is difficult, but it really can’t be overstated how great LaVine has been this season.

Other than LaVine, I don’t see much to be interested in from the Bulls. I want to get on board with Wendell Carter before his salary increases since he played 26.7 minutes last game and his salary still assumes he will be limited in his return from injury, but a matchup with Joel Embiid isn’t the spot I’m looking to start rostering Carter.

Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Zach LaVine ($9,300)

Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Zach LaVine ($9,500)

Philadelphia 76ers

Ben Simmons is probable after missing last game while Shake Milton is doubtful.

Embiid has a nice matchup against Carter and the Bulls’ frontcourt. Embiid has been one of the best players in the league this season. He’s averaged 33.6 minutes per game over the last month and 1.55 DraftKings points per minute this season. He’s expensive and the opportunity cost is high, but you should feel good with any amount of Embiid that you’re able to get into your lineups.

Seth Curry stands out as a value option on FanDuel if Milton misses tonight’s game. Curry has seen an uptick in playing time without Milton, averaging 35.8 minutes per game in four games without him compared to 28.4 minutes per game over the last month.

Ben Simmons and Tobias Harris are always in play in tournaments, but neither of them are at particularly appealing price points since Simmons’ salary increased a bit from his game without Embiid a couple games ago and Harris’s salary increased due to a game without Embiid and then a game without Simmons.

Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Joel Embiid ($10,700)

Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Joel Embiid ($10,300), Seth Curry ($4,000)

Detroit Pistons at Memphis Grizzlies (-4.5): 219.5

Detroit Pistons

Blake Griffin is no longer a part of the rotation. Sekou Doumbouya is questionable tonight.

Jerami Grant and Delon Wright stand out as the top options from Detroit. Grant has averaged 36.3 minutes per game over the last month and he has averaged 1.13 DraftKings points per minute with a 28.6 percent usage rate and 15.1 percent assist rate in 387 minutes without either of Griffin or Derrick Rose on the floor this season. Wright has averaged 1 DraftKings point per minute with an 18.4 percent usage rate and 28.4 percent assist rate in 322 minutes without either of them on the floor. He has also averaged 34.1 minutes per game without Rose.

Mason Plumlee is difficult to prioritize at center, but we can’t overlook that he sees a bump in production with the Pistons short-handed. Plumlee has averaged 1.04 DraftKings points per minute with a 17.3 percent usage rate, 24.6 percent assist rate and 17.9 percent rebounding rate in 268 minutes without Griffin or Rose on the floor this season. By comparison, he has averaged 0.99 DraftKings points per minute with a 16.6 percent usage rate, 14.9 percent assist rate and 16.6 percent rebounding rate in 418 minutes alongside Griffin. Plumlee has also averaged 34.8 minutes per game in five games without either of Griffin or Jahlil Okafor this season. He played 33.1 minutes against the Bulls on Wednesday.

Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Jerami Grant ($7,500), Delon Wright ($6,100)

Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Delon Wright ($6,600), Jerami Grant ($7,600)

Memphis Grizzlies

Desmond Bane is no longer on the injury report. De’Anthony Melton and Dillon Brooks are listed as questionable. If Brooks is out, we could see Brandon Clarke rejoin the starting lineup or Bane start in his place. It would also open up more usage for the other starters.

Ja Morant and Valanciunas remain underpriced for their upside again tonight. Morant played 34.7 minutes last game against Oklahoma City while Valanciunas played 28.1 minutes despite dealing with some foul trouble. It appears that we can trust Memphis to run normal rotations for now, and that makes both of these guys too cheap. Morant has averaged 1.19 DraftKings points per minute and is a clear value if he is going to play 33 to 35 minutes tonight. Valanciunas appears locked into 28-plus minutes and has averaged 1.32 DraftKings points per minute in the 11 games that he has played with Morant this season.

Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Ja Morant ($7,400), Jonas Valanciunas ($7,100)

Phoenix Suns at New Orleans Pelicans (+3.5): 231

Phoenix Suns

The Suns are at full strength, which makes them very difficult to trust despite a great matchup against the Pelicans.

Chris Paul played 35.5 minutes against the Nets last game and it’s nice to see that amount of playing time is still in his range of outcomes with Devin Booker healthy. Paul has averaged 32 minutes per game and 1.15 DraftKings points per minute in 22 games played with Booker this season compared to 34.7 minutes per game and 1.36 DraftKings points per minute in four games without Booker. He has a high ceiling for a mid-range player in tournaments, but his salary is still elevated a little bit due to his time without Booker for him to project as a top play on average.

Similarly, Booker is much better from a DFS standpoint without Paul. He has averaged 1.24 DraftKings points per minute in 279 minutes without Paul on the floor this season, but only 1.03 DraftKings points per minute in 22 games played with Paul active. The Suns typically stagger their minutes, which helps Booker, and the matchup is great. Still, there are options that project better at his price point and position.

Deandre Ayton is an interesting option tonight with Steven Adams doubtful. Adams has the ability to make life difficult to Ayton, but I don’t expect that to be the case against Guillermo Hernangomez and/or Jaxson Hayes. Ayton has averaged 33.3 minutes per game over the last month and 1.06 DraftKings points per minute in 22 games with both of Paul and Booker active this season. He is my favorite play from the Suns based on salary, but it becomes more difficult to roster him since we have fewer roster spots to do so.

Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Deandre Ayton ($6,700), Chis Paul ($7,700), Devin Booker ($8,100)

Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Deandre Ayton ($6,600), Devin Booker ($7,700), Chris Paul ($7,800)

New Orleans Pelicans

Adams is doubtful. Hayes started the last game that Adams was out but he only played 11.3 minutes while Willy Hernangomez played 28.6 minutes off the bench. Hernangomez has been ahead of Hayes in the rotation ever since.

Based on recent rotations, I assume that Hernangomez will get the start tonight. He has been a strong fantasy producer throughout his career and this season has been no different as he has averaged 1.06 DraftKings points per minute. His per-minute production will probably decrease as he plays more minutes alongside both of Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson, but he is currently priced to play about 18 minutes as Adams’ back-up so a move to the starting lineup would make him one of the better value options on the slate. If you want to get creative in large field tournaments, Hayes is the natural leverage play against an extremely popular Hernangomez since every minute that he plays is a minute that Hernangomez isn’t playing.

Ingram and Williamson both have high ceilings for tournaments, but they don’t stand out as particularly strong plays on this slate. Williamson’s rebounding rate is about the same in his minutes without Adams as alongside him, so I’m not expecting much of an uptick for him with Adams sidelined.

Josh Hart is far from a priority, but he does interest me in tournaments. He has a higher rebounding rate than every player on the team except for Adams, Hernangomez and Hayes. He could benefit from Adams’ absence and he can get 32-plus minutes in games that he plays well.

Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Guillermo Hernangomez ($3,900)

Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Guillermo Hernangomez ($4,400)

Oklahoma City Thunder at Milwaukee Bucks (-10.5): 231.5

Oklahoma City Thunder

George Hill, Aleksej Pokusevski, Ty Jerome, Josh Hall, Moses Brown and Trevor Ariza are the only players out tonight, so this is the healthiest version of the Thunder that we have seen in a long time.

I have virtually no interest in this team. They have a tough matchup as big underdogs against the Bucks and everyone is priced for an eight- to nine-man rotation since that’s all that has been available to Oklahoma City for so long. They used a 10-man rotation last game, however, and now Horford is active as well. If you really want to roster someone from Oklahoma City for some reason, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander looks like the top option as he is the clear No. 1 option offensively and we know that the offense will still run through him with almost everyone healthy. Still, there are plenty of guards that I can pay up for at relatively low ownership on this slate, so I don’t anticipate rostering much Gilgeous-Alexander.

Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($8,200) if I have to name one

Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($8,300)

Milwaukee Bucks

We don’t have an injury report for Milwaukee yet. I’m assuming they will have the same players as last night until I hear otherwise.

The Bucks are coming off another loss to the Raptors and I think they come out and take care of business in a big way tonight against the Thunder. There is a lot of blowout risk here, but also a lot of DFS potential if the Thunder do manage to hang in this game.

Giannis Antetokounmpo has averaged 35.4 minutes per game over the last month as the Bucks continue to play him more minutes from last season and they also struggle to put teams away early. He has averaged 1.63 DraftKings points per minute this season and, if he gets fewer minutes than normal tonight, it will most likely be because Milwaukee put this game away early and he produced at a higher rate than normal.

Khris Middleton has to be happy to get away from the Raptors, who made him look bad two games in a row. He’s been disappointing in his games without Holiday, but he is still second on the team in potential assists in the games without Holiday and he has averaged 36.6 minutes per game. He has averaged 1.15 DraftKings points per minute this season, which makes him a decent value even if we don’t expect an increase in production with Holiday out.

Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Giannis Antetokounmpo ($10,800)

Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,300)

Toronto Raptors at Minnesota Timberwolves (+3.5): 225.5

Toronto Raptors

Kyle Lowry was originally doubtful for tonight’s game but he has been upgraded to questionable. If he plays and isn’t on a minutes limit, he looks like an excellent value on DraftKings at only $6,700. If he sits, we will probably get another start from DeAndre’ Bembry who played about 36 minutes last night and is close to minimum salary. He has only averaged 0.60 DraftKings points per minute in 151 minutes alongside Siakam this season so we should keep our expectations in check, but that’s still a lot of opportunity for a minimum salary player.

Pascal Siakam started at center again last night and that seems to be Nick Nurse’s new lineup. Karl-Anthony Towns has been playing well defensively for the Timberwolves, but Siakam has averaged 1.24 DraftKings points per minute at center this season compared to 1.13 DraftKings points per minute overall. Fred VanVleet has averaged 1.14 DraftKings points per minute in 15 games played alongside Siakam without Lowry since last season compared to 1.03 DraftKings points per minute with both players active. His production in general is up this season, but we should still expect an increase if Lowry is sidelined.

Norman Powell has averaged 33.3 minutes per game over the last month and seems to have earned a place in the starting lineup even with Lowry and O.G. Anunoby are both active. The matchup against Minnesota is a good one and Powell is especially affordable on FanDuel. There will be more usage available for Powell if Bembry starts than if Lowry starts.

Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Kyle Lowry ($6,700)/Fred VanVleet ($7,800), Pascal Siakam ($7,700)

Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Fred VanVleet ($8,000), Pascal Siakam ($8,700), Norman Powell ($5,800)

Minnesota Timberwolves

D’Angelo Russell and Jarrett Culver are still out for Minnesota.

Towns has now averaged 1.28 DraftKings points per minute and 33.2 minutes per game in five games since returning from COVID. The per-minute production is relatively disappointing, but it should improve as he gets back into basketball shape and gets more familiarity with his teammates since he has barely played this season. Since the start of last season, Towns has averaged 1.53 DraftKings points per minute with a 29.3 percent usage rate and 20.5 percent assist rate. He doesn’t project as the best center option, but there is no doubt he has a massive ceiling for his salary.

Malik Beasley came off the bench on Wednesday for disciplinary reasons. He should be back in the starting lineup tonight and he has averaged 34.6 minutes per game in nine games played without Russell this season. Since joining Minnesota last season, Beasley has averaged 1.03 DraftKings points per minute with a 25.6 percent usage rate in 197 minutes alongside Towns without Russell on the floor. He is a little more expensive than I would like in this matchup, but he sits alongside Towns as the most likely players to have big games for Minnesota.

Anthony Edwards has averaged 0.92 DraftKings points per minute and 34.4 minutes per game with a 23.4 percent usage rate in five games without Russell and with Towns this season. Like Beasley, he is more expensive than I would like for this matchup but he projects as a secondary option in tournaments.

Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: Karl-Anthony Towns ($9,200)

Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: Karl-Anthony Towns ($9,300)

Utah Jazz at Los Angeles Clippers (+5): 224.5

Utah Jazz

Mike Conley is questionable. Joe Ingles will most likely remain in the starting lineup if Conley is out.

If Conley plays, I don’t have much interest in Utah. He takes minutes away from Jordan Clarkson and fantasy production away from Donovan Mitchell, who are both priced for Conley to be out. Rudy Gobert would be the most appealing option as his production and minutes aren’t affected much by Conley. The issue with Gobert is that he can only be counted on to play 30 or 31 minutes in most games.

If Conley is out, Mitchell and Clarkson remain high upside options. Mitchell has averaged 1.36 DraftKings points per minute and 35.2 minutes per game in six games without Conley while Clarkson has averaged 1.10 DraftKings points per minute and 30 minutes per game.

Los Angeles Clippers

This team has the most important injury news on the slate and it’s unlikely we get it before the main slate locks. Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, Luke Kennard and Nicolas Batum are all questionable. Fortunately, the matchup against Utah is terrible so I don’t think we need to worry too much about leaving roster spots open to wait for injury news here.

If you do happen to have open roster spots so that you can late swap when this news breaks, here is a quick guide:

If everyone is active, nobody looks like a great option.
If George is out and Leonard is in, Leonard looks good.
If Leonard is out and George is in, George looks good if he isn’t going to be limited.
If Leonard and George are both out, Lou Williams looks good and Patrick Beverley gets a bump.
If everyone is out, Reggie Jackson, Marcus Morris and Terance Mann will need to play a lot of minutes again.

Top DraftKings NBA DFS Picks: See chart above

Top FanDuel NBA DFS Picks: See chart above

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Author

Adam Scherer

Adam "ShipMyMoney" Scherer has been playing and analyzing DFS full-time since quitting law school in 2016. He has qualified for the 2016 FanDuel MLB Playboy Championship, the 2016 DraftKings Fantasy Baseball World Championship (3x) and the 2019 DraftKings Fantasy Basketball World Championship. You can find him on Twitter at @ShipMyMoneyDFS or by emailing [email protected].