NBA
DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Friday 2/7/20
Serge Ibaka should continue to see an increased role with Marc Gasol sidelined. Who else is worth using on Friday?

With five games to choose from on tonight's NBA slate, let's take a look at how to utilize the DFS possibilities.

Here are some of the top plays and sleepers on DraftKings. As always, good luck.

Point Guard

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($7,200) -- Gilgeous-Alexander put up monster numbers versus Cleveland Cavaliers last time out, recording 49.5 fantasy points on 23 points and 10 rebounds. Good news for him -- his opponent today, the Detroit Pistons, just traded away their best rebounder. Andre Drummond was shipped to Cleveland, and Gilgeous-Alexander is on double-double alert tonight because of that. The Pistons allow the ninth-most rebounds per game to point guards (6.58) and the fourth-most assists (8.65). numberFire's projections peg him at 19.1 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 2.9 assists versus the Pistons, and he's got upside for more in his matchup.

Dennis Schroder ($6,800) -- Make it eight-straight games scoring 20-plus real-world points for Schroder. He notched 30 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists versus the Cavaliers, putting up his second-best fantasy night (48.75) over his last six games (highest was 49.25). Schroder is averaging 1.31 fantasy points per minute over his last five -- way ahead of his 0.97 clip for the full season. His usage rating has risen by 9.5 percentage points in that span, and I don't believe Detroit will have the depth to stop Gilgeous-Alexander, Schroder, and Chris Paul ($7,100) in this one.

Shooting Guard

Jalen Brunson ($5,600) -- Brunson is averaging 25.85 fantasy points per game over his last five games, 52.19% more than his regular season average (16.99). Without Luka Doncic and Jose Juan Barea in the last game, he notched 32 fantasy points on 20 points, 6 assists, and 2 rebounds. Their opponent tonight is the Washington Wizards, who allow the most fantasy points per game to shooting guards (46.51) and the seventh-most to point guards (49.47). Expect this to be a run-and-gun game with both teams averaging at least 115.7 points per game.

Bradley Beal ($10,100) -- Beal has recorded at least 50 fantasy points in each of his last seven games, and he's netted 30 or more points in all of them. He's one of the league's best scorers, and he's averaging 58.30 fantasy points in his last five. He's up to 1.56 fantasy points per minute, the third-best average among active players tonight. numberFire projects Beal to be the second-highest real-world scorer today with 28.0 points to go along with 6.2 assists, and 4.4 rebounds. Beal is averaging 46.9 fantasy points per game on the season.

Small Forward

Jayson Tatum ($8,100) -- Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown are ruled out for the Boston Celtics, leaving Kemba Walker and Tatum to carry the load. Tatum is projected to record 22.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3 assists versus the Hawks, per our models, but those numbers haven't yet factored in Brown and Hayward sitting out. So, yeah, Tatum has big-time upside tonight. He recorded 28 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists to total 45.25 fantasy points in Atlanta on Monday. This game will be in Boston, and Tatum is averaging 40.2 fantasy points at home. The Hawks allow the most fantasy points per game to small forwards (47.30). Tatum is going to be a chalk play, but he's hard to pass on here.

Robert Covington ($5,700) -- Covington welcomed himself into the Houston Rockets' rotation with 38.5 fantasy points on 14 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in a win at the Staples Center last night. Covington is projected to record 27.8 fantasy points in his second game with the Rockets, this time on the road at the Phoenix Suns. On back-to-backs, Covington is averaging 12.3 points and 5.7 rebounds for the year, and without Russell Westbrook, he should see a fair amount of touches. He's averaging 1.01 fantasy points per minute over his last five games, and numberFire has him at 29.06 minutes tonight.

Power Forward

Christian Wood ($6,000) -- Everyone, including myself, is talking about the hole Drummond leaves in Detroit, but none of us are talking about who is going to fill it. Wood is an immediate role player who comes to mind and could see a major uptick in value after two straight games of 32 fantasy points in 32-plus minutes. Wood is averaging 27.40 fantasy points across his last five games, and he is projected to record 36.3 DK points in this one, according to numberFire's model. It's next man up in Detroit, and without Derrick Rose tonight, someone else has to step up.

Kristaps Porzingis ($8,800) -- Porzingis is questionable tonight, but if he's a go, then you have to love the spot. He's averaging 45.25 fantasy points over the last five games, and he's among the league-leaders on tonight's slate in fantasy points per minute, ranking right behind Beal at 1.56 per game. The Wizards allow the ninth-most actual points per game to power forwards (23.10) as well as the 11th-most fantasy points per night (48.50). KP has scored 32 or more real-world points in three-straight games, shooting 50% or better in all three. It would be a sight to see with KP and Beal battling it out today, but if the Zinger can't go, Kelly Oubre ($6,700) or Brandon Clarke ($4,900) make a lot of sense.

Center

Serge Ibaka ($6,300) -- Somehow Ibaka's salary stays pretty low despite his recent play. Marc Gasol and Norman Powell remain out for Toronto, so Ibaka continues to make a difference for the Toronto Raptors. He scored 30 points and grabbed 7 rebounds for 44.75 fantasy points versus Indiana on Wednesday, and they play them tonight in the second of a home-and-home series. Ibaka is averaging 1.27 fantasy points per minute and 29.4 minutes over his last five games. He holds a 39.33 ceiling factor for this matchup, per our model, and the Pacers allow the most points to centers (25.10) and the fourth-most fantasy points per game (56.66) to the position.

Bam Adebayo ($8,200) -- Adebayo might have one of the most favorable matchups of any player tonight. He's averaging 1.27 fantasy points per minute over his last five games and 45.45 fantasy points per game during that stretch. Tonight, he faces a Sacramento Kings team that's lost in the frontcourt. Dewayne Dedmon ($4,700) was traded, Richaun Holmes ($5,400) is questionable after being out for a month, and Harry Giles is back and playing limited minutes. I expect Adebayo to impose his will tonight, and numberFire's model predicts a double-double with 16.0 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 5.2 assists.


Vaughn Dalzell is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Vaughn also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username vdalzell. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.

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