NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Friday (2/23)

That first day back from the break was exciting, and it’s weird to be at the end of the week already. In any case, we had a rare Thursday card with 12 games and got another 10 games here. Having so many teams in back-to-back nights is rare, which will cause mayhem from a fantasy perspective. We have a good idea of who to fade in B2Bs, but be sure to follow the injury reports and see who’s missing.

View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet

NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer:

Schedule and Odds

• TOR at ATL (ATL -6.5) O/U: 244.5
• CLE at PHI (CLE -3.5) O/U: 229
• MIA at NOP (NOP -3) O/U: 223
• PHX at HOU (PHX -3.5) O/U: 228
• WAS at OKC (OKC -14.5) O/U: 241.5
• LAC at MEM (LAC -9.5) O/U: 224.5
• CHA at GSW (GSW -13.5) O/U: 228
• MIL at MIN (MIN -4.5) O/U: 224
• DEN at POR (DEN -8.5) O/U: 218.5
• SAS at LAL (LAL -10) O/U: NA

Check out our consensus game odds and the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros.

Injury Report

• Clint Capela (adductor) Probable
• Onyeka Okongwu (toe) Questionable
• Joel Embiid (knee) OUT
• Tobias Harris (hip) Questionable
• De’Anthony Melton (back) OUT
• Terry Rozier (ankle) OUT
• Bradley Beal (hamstring) Questionable
• Fred VanVleet (adductor) Questionable
• Ja Morant (shoulder) OUT
• Marcus Smart (hand) OUT
• Desmond Bane (ankle) OUT
• LaMelo Ball (ankle) OUT
• Mark Williams (shoulder) OUT
• Gordon Hayward (calf) is Questionable
• Chris Paul (hand) Questionable
• Khris Middleton (ankle) Questionable
• Jamal Murray (B2B) Questionable
• Malcolm Brogdon (elbow) OUT
• Shaedon Sharpe (core) OUT

Core Plays

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG/SG – OKC): $10,900 DraftKings, $11,400 FanDuel
We considered recommending SGA as a revenge game against the Clippers yesterday, but this matchup is much better. Let’s start there because the Wizards rank 27th in defensive efficiency and 29th in points allowed while surrendering the second-most fantasy points to opposing guards. That’s scary against an MVP candidate like Gilgeous, posting a 54-point average while establishing a 39-point floor. When he played the Wiz a month ago, SGA had 32 points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals on 11-of-17 shooting!

Stephen Curry (PG/SG – GSW): $9,700 DraftKings, $9,500 FanDuel
Chef Curry looks motivated to get the Warriors out of their hole. The sharpshooter has at least 54 DraftKings points in four of his last five fixtures while showcasing an 80-point upside just two weeks ago. The greatest shooter of all time in a hot streak is a scary sight for the rest of the NBA, particularly a Hornets team with the worst defensive rating in the league. In their last two matchups, Curry has 56 and 58 fantasy points!

Tre Mann (PG/SG – CHA): $5,600 DraftKings, $6,300 FanDuel
We had Mann in our article yesterday, and we have to go right back to the well. Charlotte clearly had a motive when they traded for him, sticking him into the starting point guard gig in the absence of LaMelo Ball. That’s led to Mann scoring at least 31 DK points in all three starts while displaying a 45-point upside in the final game before the break. A matchup with the Warriors is wonderful, too, ranked 22nd in total defense.

Cash Game Considerations

Nikola Jokic (C – DEN): $11,500 DraftKings, $12,000 FanDuel
The Joker has one of the highest ceilings of any player in NBA history. The two-time MVP has scored at least 40 DraftKings points in all but a handful of games over the last four years. He’s also averaged over 60 DK points in all those and should be on his way to a third MVP. We don’t care who he faces, but Joker has been averaging over 70 DK points per game against Portland over the last two years.

Anthony Davis (PF/C – LAL): $10,400 DraftKings, $11,200 FanDuel
AD has been playing some of the best basketball of his career over the last two months. The Brow has scored at least 47 DraftKings points in 30 of his last 35 games, posting a 59-point average in that span. That’s a Top 5 total in the league during that stretch, and it should continue against the Spurs. San Antonio sits 23rd in defensive efficiency and 25th in points allowed while surrendering the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing big men. That’s on full display when you see that AD has at least 58 fantasy points in five of his last six matchups with the Spurs.

Trae Young (PG – ATL): $9,400 DraftKings, $9,300 FanDuel
The Hawks have been a disappointment this season, but it’s no fault of Young. The Atlanta point guard has scored at least 40 DraftKings points in 28 of the last 29 games he’s finished, averaging 50 DK points per game in that stretch. It’s hard to overlook a guy averaging 27 points and 11 assists in a two-month stretch, especially since he faces a Toronto team that ranks 26th in total defense over the last month. Trae is averaging 62 DraftKings points per game in their three matchups this season.

GPP Targets

Michael Porter Jr. (SF – DEN): $6,500 DraftKings, $6,400 FanDuel
Recommending volatile shooters is typical in the GPP section because these are boom-or-bust players. The good news is that MPJ has found some consistency recently, scoring at least 27 DK points in six of his last seven outings. He’s also got a 31-point average across his last 15 fixtures and should have success against a 25th-ranked Portland defense. He’s got at least 28 fantasy points in four of their five matchups since the start of last season!

Klay Thompson (SG/SF – GSW): $6,000 DraftKings, $5,700 FanDuel
We saw Thompson come off the bench in the Warriors final game before the break but scored 49 DraftKings points in that masterclass performance. He also had 38 fantasy points two games before that, and we saw Thompson average nearly 40 DK points per game in the final two months of last season. This elite shooter getting hot would be far from surprising, and he should be able to do that against the worst defense in the NBA.

Marvin Bagley (C – WAS): $5,500 DraftKings, $6,100 FanDuel
Bagley is another carryover from yesterday and will remain in this article until he sees a price bump. The big man has taken over as the starting center after the Daniel Gafford trade, guaranteeing him 30 minutes a night. That’s all he needs to be successful, scoring at least 35 DraftKings points in four of his last five starts. A matchup with OKC is concerning, but they can’t take Bagley off the floor with how thin this frontcourt is.

Value Plays

Jalen Johnson (SF/PF – ATL): $7,300 DraftKings, $8,100 FanDuel
The Hawks lost two centers last week, and JJ is the only big man remaining. He was already amid a breakout year before those absences, averaging 35 DraftKings points per game. That could be his floor with Capela and Okongwu both nicked up. We didn’t even mention that Johnson has at least 39 DK points in four of his last five fixtures, dropping 45 fantasy points in his previous matchup with Toronto.

Jakob Poeltl (C – TOR): $6,200 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel
This Toronto team looks terrible, but the Pascal Siakam trade has guaranteed Poeltl more time at center. That’s led to the big man scoring at least 31 DK points in five of his last seven outings while showcasing a 44-point gem in his final game before the break. His biggest asset is this matchup with Atlanta because they rank 29th in defensive efficiency and last in points allowed. Both of their centers are also injured, which should enable Poeltl to feast on the boards, scoring 30 and 47 DK points in their two matchups.

Tre Jones (PG – SAS): $5,200 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel
The Spurs were desperate for a true point guard, and moving Jones into the starting lineup was the best thing they could’ve done. Tre has scored at least 26 DraftKings points in 17 of 21 games since taking over this gig, averaging 31 DK points per game in that span. That’s all you can ask for from such an affordable player, and we don’t mind that LA allows the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards. In his final three starts against them last year, Jones averaged nearly 40 fantasy points per game!

Advantageous Pricing

• Naz Reid (PF/C – MIN): $4,500 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel
• Vasilije Micic (PG – CHA): $3,800 DraftKings, $4,900 FanDuel
• Victor Wembanyama (PF/C – SAS): $9,200 DraftKings, $10,400 FanDuel
• Kelly Olynyk (PF/C – TOR): $4,700 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel
• GG Jackson (SG/SF – MEM): $5,200 DraftKings, $6,300 FanDuel
• Tyus Jones (PG – WAS): $6,100 DraftKings, $7,200 FanDuel
• Herbert Jones (SF – NOP): $4,800 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel
• Fred VanVleet (PG – HOU): $6,700 DraftKings, $7,900 FanDuel
• Amen Thompson (PG/SG – HOU): $6,600 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel

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