NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Wednesday (2/7)

This is one of the strangest schedules I’ve seen all year. While we have seven games, five are starting between 7ET and 730ET. The last two games begin at 10ET, which is strange since the first five will be over by then. It’s hard to understand why the NBA did that, but seven games are the perfect amount for DFS! With that in mind, let’s look at that bizarre schedule!

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

• CLE at WAS (CLE -10.5) O/U: 236
• TOR at CHA (TOR -6.5) O/U: 225
• ATL at BOS (BOS -11.5) O/U: 244.5
• SAS at MIA (MIA -7.5) O/U: 224
• GSW at PHI (GSW -1) O/U: 236.5
• NOP at LAC (LAC -6) O/U: 234
• DET at SAC (SAC -11.5) O/U: 244.5

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

Injury Report

• LaMelo Ball (ankle) OUT
• Mark Williams (shoulder) OUT
• Gordon Hayward (calf) Questionable
• Clint Capela (adductor) OUT
• Joel Embiid (knee) OUT
• De’Anthony Melton (back) OUT
• Cade Cunningham (knee) Questionable
• Zion Williamson (B2B) Questionable
• Draymond Green (knee) Questionable
• Bojan Bogdanovic (ankle) Questionable
• Jrue Holiday (elbow) Questionable
• Chris Paul (hand) OUT
• Isaiah Stewart (ankle) OUT
• Andrew Wiggins (ankle) Questionable
• Nicolas Batum (hamstring) OUT
• Marvin Bagley (back) OUT

Core Plays

Domantas Sabonis (PF/C – SAC): $10,100 DraftKings, $10,500 FanDuel
Most people find this difficult to believe, but Sabonis is second in the NBA with 13 triple-doubles. The big man has recorded most of those over the last month, averaging 20.3 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 8.9 assists across his last 31 games. He’s actually got all 13 triple-doubles in that span, scoring nearly 60 DraftKings points per game. We obviously don’t want to fade him against Detroit’s disastrous defense, ranked 29th in defensive efficiency. When they played a month ago, Sabonis scored nearly 80 DK points!

Donovan Mitchell (PG/SG – CLE): $9,900 DraftKings, $10,400 FanDuel
Mitchell has been one of the best players in the NBA over the last month, averaging 52 DK points per game across his last 27 outings. He’s also got at least 51 fantasy points in 16 of those, which could be his floor against Washington’s woeful defense. The Wizards rank 28th in defensive efficiency while allowing the most points in the league. They’re also surrendering the most fantasy points to opposing guards as well!

Jayson Tatum (SF/PF – BOS): $9,600 DraftKings, $10,200 FanDuel
Tatum has established one of the highest floors in fantasy, scoring at least 30 DraftKings points in all but one game this year. He also comes into this matchup scoring at least 56 DraftKings points in three of his last four fixtures, posting a 51-point average for the year. Atlanta is an amazing matchup, too, allowing the third-most fantasy points to opposing forwards while ranked 29th in points allowed. In their last two matchups, JT is averaging 61 fantasy points per game!

Cash Game Considerations

Kawhi Leonard (SF/PF – LAC): $8,900 DraftKings, $9,500 FanDuel
The Claw won’t win MVP, but he’s been one of the most valuable players in the league over the last two months. Leonard has scored at least 34 DraftKings points in 30 straight games, generating a 48-point average in that span. That’s the superstar we know and love, making him an easy option against the Pels, averaging 44 fantasy points per game against them in their last three matchups.

Tyrese Maxey (PG/SG – PHI): $9,400 DraftKings, $9,700 FanDuel
The Sixers were horrid in their game on Monday, but Maxey must take over with Embiid out. He’s already done that multiple times this season, flirting with a 40 percent usage rate when the big man is out. Maxey is also averaging 1.4 DK points per minute with Embiid off the floor and could be a $10K player if he plays 40 minutes in this expanded role. The Warriors are a wonderful matchup, too, ranked 20th in defensive efficiency and 22nd in points allowed.

Jimmy Butler (SF/PF – MIA): $7,600 DraftKings, $8,400 FanDuel
It hasn’t been the best year for Jimmy Buckets, but the All-Star is starting to turn things around. Butler has scored at least 35 DraftKings points in five consecutive outings, scoring at least 41 fantasy points in four of those. He knows this Miami team needs him to go off with how much they’re struggling, and we don’t want to avoid him in this sensational matchup with the Spurs. San Antonio sits 24th in defensive efficiency and 26th in points allowed.

GPP Targets

Immanuel Quickley (PG/SG – TOR): $7,000 DraftKings, $7,400 FanDuel
The Raptors look rough right now, but it’s no fault of Quickley. The acquisition has done a great job since taking over as the starting point guard, scoring at least 31 DraftKings points in 12 of 15 games since the trade. He’s also scored at least 37 fantasy points in eight of those and needs to take over with how poor this Raptors roster is right now. Facing the Hornets is the best part of this, though, with Charlotte sitting 25th in points allowed while posting the worst defensive rating in the NBA.

Evan Mobley (PF/C – CLE): $7,100 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel
Mobley is still limited with a minute’s restriction, but we’re close to it being lifted. The big man was bumped to 28 minutes on Monday and has scored 47 and 48 DraftKings points in his two most recent outings. This is simply one of the best players in the league, and he will be above $8K on both sites once he’s back to 35 minutes a night. We love that against Washington, totaling a 25th OPRK against opposing power forwards.

Onyeka Okongwu (C – ATL): $5,700 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel
We had Big O in this section on Monday, and we will use him every day until Clint Capela returns. All we need is Okongwu to play 30 minutes to be a good value, and that’s a guarantee now that Capela is out. When OO plays 30-35 minutes, he averages over 30 DraftKings points per game and needs to be above $7,000 on both sites. The Celtics are a concerning matchup, but he played 27 minutes against them earlier in the year despite coming off the bench.

Value Plays

Tobias Harris (SF/PF – PHI): $7,700 DraftKings, $8,300 FanDuel
We already mentioned Maxey in an expanded role, but Harris benefits for all the same reasons. With Embiid off the floor, Toby is averaging 1.2 DK points per minute. He’s also scored at least 40 DraftKings points in three straight games since the injury, dropping 47 DK points in two of those! This guy regularly scores 40 fantasy points when Embiid is sidelined, making him too cheap.

Jakob Poeltl (C – TOR): $5,900 DraftKings, $6,100 FanDuel
We finally saw Poeltl return from an ankle injury this week, but the pricing hasn’t crept back to where it should be. The big man has scored 31 and 43 DraftKings points in his two most recent outings, playing over 30 minutes a night. That’s the role we’ve been waiting to see, with Poeltl scoring at least 28 DraftKings points in seven consecutive games before getting injured. He also provided a 36-point average in that span and could be asked to do more since this Toronto team is so terrible in the absence of Pascal Siakam.

Josh Richardson (SG/SF – MIA): $4,100 DraftKings, $4,900 FanDuel
Miami has been trying to figure out things with their secondary players, and it appears they want to give J-Rich a more significant workload. This guy was a stud in Miami a few years ago and has at least 25 DK points in three of his last four fixtures. More importantly, he started and played 33 minutes in his most recent game, making him a heck of a value since we also saw a 40-point upside just a few days ago.

Advantageous Pricing

• Onyeka Okongwu (C – ATL): $5,700 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel
• PJ Washington (PF/C – CHA): $5,700 DraftKings, $6,700 FanDuel
• Daniel Gafford (C – WAS): $5,800 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel
• Victor Wembanyama (PF/C – SAS): $8,800 DraftKings, $10,300 FanDuel
• Terry Rozier (PG/SG – MIA): $6,000 DraftKings, $7,000 FanDuel
• Zach Collins (PF/C – SAS): $4,900 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel
• De’Aaron Fox (PG – SAC): $8,100 DraftKings, $9,200 FanDuel
• Jaden Ivey (PG/SG – DET): $6,400 DraftKings, $7,500 FanDuel

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