FanDuel & DraftKings NBA Cheat Sheet 2/12/20

Welcome to the wild world of NBA DFS. The final hour to lock can be a tiring with the injury news, but we hope to have you prepared with fill-in options and what to do when scenarios occur. The cheat sheet will fill you in on the top games to target, values, tournament picks, cash game options, and much more. Prices are set for DraftKings and FanDuel, and the focus will be on whatever the main slate is listed as for each site. Pricing is listed (FD/DK). Players with no designated listing are playable in cash and tournaments. Players with designated game styles are for those only. Keep up to date with the latest projected & Confirmed NBA starting lineups in real-time at @nbastartlineups. Also, check out our latest fantasy projections, salaries, and projected minutes on our DFS page.

Vegas Numbers

Highest Implied Team Totals

• Grizzlies (119)
• Hawks (118)
• Timberwolves (117)
• Mavericks (117)
• Suns (116)
• Cavaliers (116)
• Trail Blazers (115)
• Knicks (115)

Lowest Implied Team Totals

• Pistons (99)
• Heat (106)
• Magi (107)

Potential Blowouts

• None

Injury Report

• Luke Doncic – Questionable (Did Say He Would Play)
• Kyrie Irving – Out
• Mike Conley – Questionable
• Deandre Ayton – Questionable
• Kevin Love – Quetionable
• Serge Ibaka – Questionable
• Will Barton – Out
• Richaun Holmes – Out
• Marvin Bagley – Out
• Michael Porter – Out
• Marc Gasol – Out

Point Guards

• Trae Young
• Damian Lillard
• De’Aaron Fox – GPP
• Kyle Lowry
• Elfrid Payton
• Jamal Murray – GPP
• Eric Bledsoe
• Ja Morant – GPP
• Terry Rozier – GPP
• Ish Smith
• Darius Garland

Analysis: Trae Young can really go off tonight against the Cavaliers 30th ranked defense against point guards. He is also averaging over 50 fantasy points per game in the last ten games. Damian Lillard is next in line with Memphis on the slate, who rank 20th against point guards. There are strong mid range options with Lowry/Payton/Bledsoe all averaging over 30 fantasy points per game in the last ten games. Morant is also in the mix against Portland who have not been great defensively. Payton and Lowry also face bottom five defenses against point guards. If you drop down to Ish Smith and Darius Garland, they are in great matchups and extremely cheap.

Shooting Guards

• Bradley Beal
• Devin Booker – GPP
• Khris Middleton
• Devonte Graham – GPP
• Caris LeVert – GPP
• Buddy Hield
• Dillion Brooks
• Malik Beasley
• Kevin Huerter
• Bruce Brown
• Gary Trent – GPP

Analysis: Bradley Beal and Khris Middleton check in as the top options at shooting guard tonight. Middleton and Bledsoe both see that bump in usage and FPPM with Giannis out. Beal is averaging 48 fantasy points per game over the last ten games and has a 36% usage rate. Middleton is averaging 44 fantasy points per game in the last ten games. The names around them should be a bit lower owned, and Graham/Booker/LeVert all have tremendous upside still. Graham and Booker are the better matchups for most of the top guards tonight. If you are looking cheaper, Brooks and Hield offer up solid production. I still like Beasley/Huerter/Brown as cheap options too. They all hover around a 25 fantasy point projection tonight, and have 30+ upside.

Small Forwards

• LeBron James
• Pascal Siakam
• Andrew Wiggins – GPP
• Kelly Oubre
• Miles Bridges
• Jae Crowder
• Carmelo Anthony – GPP
• Mikal Bridges
• OG Anunoby

Analysis: Kinda of like Davis, LeBron has been kinda meh for the price tag of  late. Still like his potential, yet not a must play either given there are several players a bit cheaper with similar upside tonight. Pascal Siakam is one of them, who has a 29% usage rate in the last ten games, and is averaging 41 fantasy points per game. He gets Brooklyn tonight, which is a matchup he can thrive in. Both small forwards in the Phoenix game are worth playing. Both are averaging 35 fantasy points per game over the last ten games. Although Wiggins has done that with two separate teams. Miles Bridges is still on the cheaper side, and the Hornets find themselves in a good matchup against the Minnesota defense. Mikal Bridges for Phoenix is also in a good spot and averaging 27.6 fantasy points per game over the last ten games.

Power Forwards

• Anthony Davis
• Julius Randle
• Kristaps Porzingis – GPP
• Domantas Sabonis
• John Collins
• Christian Wood – GPP
• Jaren Jackson
• Aaron Gordon
• Davis Bertans – GPP
• Rui Hachimura
• Larry Nance
• Ersan Ilyasova

Analysis: Anthony Davis has averaged just 47 fantasy points per game over the last ten games, which isn’t great for the price he has been at. Obviously he is still a strong play, but Denver also ranks 10th against opposing PF. Julius Randle looks to be a better points per dollar play for a bit cheaper, and has actually had a higher usage rate over the last ten games. Randle is also averaging 41 fantasy points per game in that span. The range of Domantas Sabonis and John Collins are also strong plays tonight, and have both had a 36 fantasy point floor over the last ten games. Portland has struggled against opposing power forwards this season, and Jaren Jackson is a strong play for his price tag. Rui Hachimura is a strong value again, going up against New York who rank 21st against opposing PF.

Centers

• Karl-Anthony Towns
• Nikola Jokic
• Andre Drummond – GPP
• Nikola Vucevic
• Marquese Chriss
• Jonas Valanciunas – GPP
• Dewayne Dedmon
• Thon Maker – GPP

Analysis: Nikola Jokic has been on a tear, and is worth a look tonight against the Lakers. He is averaging over 55 fantasy points per game in the last ten games, and has a 29% usage in that span. Jokic is on the more expensive side alongside a few other strong centers tonight. KAT is in a great spot against the Hornets, who struggle against opposing bigs, and the same goes for Andre Drummond against the Hawks. I like Towns/Jokic a bit more here, and then paying down for a Nikola Vucevic slightly, who is playing well of late. Vuc doesn’t quite have the same upside as the other names however. Marquese Chriss gets a little revenge game, but has been playing well of late. Phoenix will be short staffed in the front court with no true big. Jonas Valanciunas has over a 45 fantasy point ceiling int he last ten games. Dwayne Dedmon will start again with Capela out, and is the value center of choice. I trust him more than Maker, who I would reserve for just GPPs on DK.