NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Thursday (2/1)

We had a wild Wednesday card with almost every team in action, but this Thursday card is a letdown. We only have four games to discuss, but there are some interesting teams to talk about. What makes them particularly fascinating is that all of these teams have serious injury question marks. That should open up some value, so let’s start with the schedule and odds!

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

• LAL at BOS (BOS -10.5) O/U: 240
• IND at NYK (NYK -3) O/U: 241
• CLE at MEM (CLE -5.5) O/U: 219
• PHI at UTA (UTA -4) O/U: 233

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

Injury Report

• LeBron James (old) Questionable
• Anthony Davis (Achilles) Questionable
• Darius Garland (B2B) Questionable
• Evan Mobley (B2B) Questionable
• Ja Morant (shoulder) OUT
• Desmond Bane (ankle) OUT
• Marcus Smart (hand) OUT
• Joel Embiid (knee) OUT
• Tyrese Haliburton (hamstring) Questionable
• Julius Randle (shoulder) OUT
• Tyrese Maxey (ankle) Questionable
• Luke Kennard (knee) Doubtful
• OG Anunoby (elbow) Questionable
• De’Anthony Melton (back) Questionable
• John Konchar (ankle) Questionable
• Nicolas Batum (hammy) questionable
• Bennedict Mathurin (toe) Questionable

Core Plays

Donovan Mitchell (PG/SG – CLE): $9,900 DraftKings, $10,300 FanDuel
We had Mitchell as one of our highlight players yesterday, and he rewarded us with one of his best games of the year. The All-Star finished that masterpiece with 73 DraftKings points, scoring at least 55 DK points in four of his last five fixtures. This being a back-to-back only adds to his value because we anticipate Darius Garland and Evan Mobley sitting since they just returned from injury. Mitchell is the best play on the slate if that’s the case.

Jalen Brunson (PG – NYK): $9,600 DraftKings, $9,900 FanDuel
Brunson is about to make his first All-Star team, and he’s only getting better with Julius Randle sidelined. That’s skyrocketing his already high usage rate, scoring at least 49 DraftKings points in three consecutive outings. He’s also flirting with a 50-point average over the last month and shouldn’t be overlooked in this matchup. Not only does Indiana play at the fastest pace, but they also rank 26th in defensive efficiency and 28th in points allowed.

Tobias Harris (SF/PF – PHI): $7,000 DraftKings, $7,700 FanDuel
It’s sad that Embiid continues to miss so many games, but it’s made Toby the focal point of this Philly offense. His usage rate is approaching 30 percent with the MVP off the floor, averaging over 40 DK points per game when Embiid has been out the last two years. That makes him about $1,000 too cheap, especially since Utah allows the second-most fantasy points to opposing forwards.

Cash Game Considerations

Anthony Davis (PF/C – LAL): $10,000 DraftKings, $11,200 FanDuel
It looks like Davis will return here after a one-game absence, playing some of the best basketball of his career right now. AD He’s scored at least 45 DraftKings points in 26 of his last 31 games, generating a 59-point average in that span. That’s the stud we used to love in New Orleans, and he should be motivated in this premier matchup with Boston. In their one matchup, Davis dropped 66 fantasy points in one of his best games of the year.

Josh Hart (SF/PF – NYK): $6,300 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel
We’ve had Hart in here twice this week already, and he was terrific in this expanded role. He’s being asked to start in the absence of Randle, playing 40 minutes a night in this newfound role. He also recorded a triple-double in his most recent game, and he’s always been capable of that type of stat-stuffing when given a full workload. That ability to fill the stat sheet should be even easier against the fastest-paced team in the league.

Paul Reed (C – PHI): $6,000 DraftKings, $6,200 FanDuel
Reed is going to be used by everyone, with Embiid missing another game. This guy has always been a per-minute stud throughout his career, and he will likely start at center with the MVP missing. In his last two starts for Embiid, Reed registered 29 and 54 DraftKings points. That’s absurd from a $6K player, and you better believe he’ll be in everyone’s lineup with that sort of ability. Not to mention, Utah ranks 23rd in points allowed and 24th in defensive efficiency.

GPP Targets

Myles Turner (C – IND): $6,100 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel
Turner is in a slump right now, but that makes him a great GPP option. We’ve seen this guy showcase a 50-point upside numerous times this year, and he can return to that form any night behind his 33-point average. The price drop is what makes him enticing, though, because he’s usually near $7K on DraftKings. In his last matchup with NY, Turner tallied 44 fantasy points!

Xavier Tillman (PF/C – MEM): $5,300 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel
This Memphis team is a goldmine for DFS right now. They had to sign someone even to have eight eligible players in the most recent game, missing almost every key player of their rotation. That should leave Tillman with a 35-minute role as a starter, averaging 27 DK points per game in his 13 starts this year. He’s also scored at least 34 fantasy points in four of those and is an excellent value with so many Memphis players out.

Walker Kessler (C – UTA): $4,200 DraftKings, $6,000 FanDuel
It’s been a nightmarish season for Kessler, but this $4,200 price tag is crazy. He’s been relegated to a 20-minute role off the bench, but all he needs is 25 fantasy points to be a great value at $4K. He averaged 40 DK points per game in the final months of last year and still has at least 20 DK points in seven of his previous eight outings. This kid should be inserted into the starting lineup any day, too, and now’s the time with Utah struggling right now.

Value Plays

Vince Williams (SF – MEM): $6,400 DraftKings, $6,900 FanDuel
We just talked about how Memphis is missing half of their roster, and it’s turned this kid into their second-best player. We didn’t even know who this was three weeks ago, but he comes into this matchup with at least 26 DraftKings points in 10 of his last 11 games. He’s also got a 32-point average in that span and needs a price bump in this playmaking role.

Isaiah Hartenstein (C – NYK): $6,500 DraftKings, $7,500 FanDuel
Hartenstein has been limited because of a minute’s restriction, but there’s word that he’s ready to reach 30 minutes. This guy was a stud before getting injured, averaging 40 DraftKings points per game once Mitchell Robinson went down. This restriction has limited his upside recently, but it lowered his price enough that we want to hop back on the train with the minutes on the rise. Not to mention, he had 30 fantasy points against Indiana earlier in the year despite making just one shot!

Jarred Vanderbilt (SF/PF – LAL): $4,600 DraftKings, $5,300 FanDuel
This is risky since there’s not much usage to go around in LA, but JV has been feeling it recently. The defensive stud has at least 25 DraftKings points in four of his last five fixtures, scoring at least 31 fantasy points in three of those. A matchup with the Celtics is concerning, but don’t be surprised to see Vanderbilt get some extra minutes to cover all of these studs on the Celtics.

Advantageous Pricing

• Walker Kessler (C – UTA): $4,200 DraftKings, $6,000 FanDuel
• Isaiah Hartenstein (C – NYK): $6,500 DraftKings, $7,500 FanDuel
• Christian Wood (C – LAL): $4,000 DraftKings, $5,100 FanDuel
• Taurean Prince (SF – LAL): $3,800 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel
• Evan Mobley (PF/C – CLE): $6,500 DraftKings, $7,600 FanDuel
• Jordan Clarkson (PG/SG – UTA): $5,700 DraftKings, $6,700 FanDuel

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