NBA Fantasy Picks Today: DraftKings & FanDuel Fantasy Basketball Rankings

There are 11 games on this NBA slate that features plenty of routes to go. There are stars and scrubs lineup builds available as well as balanced builds. This article is driven by Awesemo’s Fantasy Basketball Rankings, which leads to a more of a stars and scrubs build headlined by Luka Doncic. Most of the news for this slate has already been given out, but with just under two weeks left in the season, keeping up to date on Awesemo’s NBA Starting Lineups page to see who is in and out of the lineup tonight is very important.

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 Tyus Jones — Grades: B, B | Values: A, A

Strength in numbers has been the Grizzlies’ calling card this season. They have an impressive 18-2 record without Ja Morant in the lineup. The Grizzlies blew out the Warriors 123-95 last game, which resulted in only 26 minutes for Tyus Jones. Expect this game to play much closer, as the Spurs are fighting for the last spot in the play-in game while playing at home. This game features the highest total on the slate at 233.5 points. Since the All-Star break, the Spurs and Grizzlies both rank in the top four of pace, so this game will be up-tempo.

Jones is rating out as one of the best value options in Awesemo’s Fantasy Basketball Rankings, especially on DraftKings. Rostering the same player over and over again may get old, but Jones provides upside and value at his salary across the industry. In 20 games without Morant this season, Jones is averaging 11.9 points, 6.8 assists and 28.7 DraftKings points while playing 30 minutes per game. Do not let one mediocre game where the Grizzlies won by 28 points deter you from getting exposure to Jones in this matchup against the Spurs.

PG Luka Doncic — Grades: A, A | Values: C, A

It is pretty tough not to go right back to Luka Doncic in this sneaky good spot against the Cavaliers. Doncic and the Mavericks dominated the Lakers last night as he recorded his 10th triple-double of the season with 34 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in only 30 minutes. Doncic had a 42.1% usage rate in that game and he continues to lead the league in usage rate with 37% per game. His salary shot up on DraftKings, but he still remains the best value of anyone priced above $6,700 on FanDuel according to Awesemo’s NBA daily fantasy projections.

The main reason for this matchup being sneaky good is that the Cavaliers will be playing without their twin towers Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley. Their interior defense will take a major hit, which is a big boost to Doncic, who ranks second in the league with 22 drives per game. He can get it going from a distance, but he loves getting into the lane and creating scoring opportunities. Allen and Mobley both average well over a block per game, while their replacements Kevin Love and Lauri Markkanen struggle in that department. Prioritize Doncic on FanDuel, where he is the second-most popular player in Awesemo’s ownership projections. He will threaten to triple-double again.

Doncic comes in as Josh Engleman’s No. 1 overall NBA FanDuel DFS pick today, which he broke down in his FanDuel NBA ConTENders Rankings & Projections.

PF Kevin Love — Grades: B, B | Values: B, A

As mentioned, Love will be one of the key replacements for Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley tonight. Awesemo projects Love to play 29.9 minutes and be the third-best value on FanDuel. With Allen and Mobley off the floor this season, Love has a 27.5% usage rate and has increased his DraftKings production by a very good amount. He has recorded over 30 DraftKings points in four of his last six games and is projected for over 35 tonight. He also has the third-highest boom percentage on FanDuel in Awesemo’s Boom/Bust Tool.

Doncic and Love are the only two players to consider getting exposure to in this Mavericks – Cavaliers game. The total for this game is tied for the lowest on the slate at 213 points. The Cavaliers are implied for just 105 points as they are three-point home underdogs. The Mavericks play at the slowest pace in the league, while the Cavaliers rank 25th in pace. The salary for Love on FanDuel is simply too cheap, which is why he is the highest owned player in Awesemo’s NBA DFS ownership projections. The game environment is not good, but the value is.

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SF Jae’Sean Tate — Grades: C, C | Values: A, A

Since Doncic is the preferred pay-up option, another salary saver is Jae’Sean Tate. He has seen a dip in his minutes and production, but the Rockets are reeling with injuries right now. They will be without Christian Wood, Dennis Schroder and Eric Gordon, while Alperen Sengun is listed as questionable. Tate is projected for a modest 25.4 minutes but is still coming in as a top-four value on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Tate is also top four in ownership and in boom percentage for both sites tonight.

This Rockets – Kings game features two teams that rank in the top eight of pace and bottom three in defensive rating this season. Points will be scored in this matchup where the prices for everyone are valuable. The total on this game has come down to 229.5 points, which is still quite high. There is value on both sides of this game, but Tate is standing out as one of the best options on the slate, especially if Sengun is also out. Exposure to this game will be necessary with so much value available.

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