NBA Fantasy Picks Today: DraftKings & FanDuel Fantasy Basketball Rankings

Tonight features a seven-game NBA slate headlined by the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers game. Both teams have been brutal since the All-Star break, but there is plenty to like for value in that matchup. News has been quiet this morning, but make sure to stay up to date on Awesemo’s NBA Starting Lineups page to see who is in and out of the lineup tonight. These four players below are driven by Awesemo’s Fantasy Basketball Rankings.

DraftKings & FanDuel NBA Fantasy Basketball Rankings

*Grades are ordered DraftKings, FanDuel. The initial grade indicates a player’s strength of output, with the value grade indicating their strength as a play in relation to their salary.

PG Kevin Porter Jr. — Grades: B, B | Values: A, A

There are times in NBA DFS when two really bad teams play each other and that game creates so much fantasy goodness. That happens tonight with the Trail Blazers and Rockets, who are two of the worst teams in the league. Since the All-Star break, they have combined for a record of 5-25. This matchup has by far the highest total on the slate at 234 points. The Rockets are 3.5-point road favorites implied for a slate-high 118.75 points. The Trail Blazers have allowed an absurd 125.5 points per game over their last 13 games.

The first player from this game to get to is Kevin Porter Jr., who is popping as the best value on DraftKings in Awesemo’s Fantasy Basketball Rankings. Since the All-Star break, Porter only has four games where he scored over 40 DraftKings points, but the upside is certainly there. His playing time fluctuates so much given how many blowout games the Rockets are in. Porter ranks in the top three of both DraftKings and FanDuel in Awesemo’s ownership projections. He will be very popular, but it is deserving in this incredible matchup.

PG Kris Dunn — Grades: C, C | Values: A, A

Sticking to the same game, Kris Dunn has the highest value in Awesemo’s NBA fantasy projections on DraftKings. Assuming that Anfernee Simons and Josh Hart remain out, it will be Dunn entering the starting lineup once again. Dunn has played six games for the Trail Blazers and started one. In those six games, he is averaging 22.4 DraftKings points per game with the highest output being 31.25 DraftKings points. Dunn is projected to play 28.2 minutes and he has the highest boom percentage in Awesemo’s Boom/Bust Tool on DraftKings.

As previously mentioned, this game is great for fantasy. Both teams rank last and second-to-last in defensive rating, while the Rockets rank second in points. They have allowed a league-high 118.1 points per game. Monitor the news for this situation in Awesemo’s NBA starting lineups page to make sure Simons and Hart are out. They are currently projected out and Dunn is leading the slate on DraftKings in Awesemo’s NBA DFS ownership projections. Get as many pieces as you can in this game, but start with Porter and Dunn.

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SG Donovan Mitchell — Grades: A, A | Values: B, A

Donovan Mitchell is arguably the best play on the entire slate. His teammate Rudy Gobert is not too far behind him in this great matchup against the Hornets. Mitchell has been more consistent between the two, as he has put up over 50 DraftKings points in four of his last five games. During that time, Mitchell is averaging 33.8 points and a 38.7% usage rate per game. Mitchell ranks sixth in both usage rate and field goals attempted per game. It is no surprise he is also in the top-three on both sites in Awesemo’s ownership projections.

The Jazz have the second-highest implied point total at 116, as they are four-point road favorites. This game also features the second-highest total on the slate at 228 points. The Hornets rank 23rd in defensive rating and fourth in pace this season. They rank 29th in rebounding percentage and 28th in points allowed per game. The Hornets also allow the second-most 3-pointers made, which is great news for Mitchell, who is averaging 5.8 3-pointers made per game in his last five games. This is a great spot for Mitchell and Gobert.

C Joel Embiid — Grades: A, A | Values: B, B

Looking to spend up on this slate with all of the value in the Rockets and Trail Blazers game? Joel Embiid is your best option. Our NBA projections have Embiid scoring the most fantasy points on FanDuel and the second-most barely behind Luka Doncic, who is much more expensive on DraftKings. Embiid and Doncic are first and second in the league when it comes to usage rate. Embiid also ranks second to LeBron James in points, averaging a career-high 29.8 per game. A lot of seconds, but he comes in first tonight due to the matchup.

The Clippers have so much trouble against opposing centers. They allow 49.6 points per game in the paint, which is the sixth-highest in the league. The Clippers also rank 27th in rebounding percentage. They will simply have no answer for Embiid in the paint tonight. He will be popular simply because most of the value is coming at the guard position. Embiid ranks in the top six for both sites in Awesemo’s NBA fantasy ownership projections. He is also in the top three in boom percentage in Awesemo’s Boom/Bust Tool. Embiid is the best pay-up option.

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