NBA

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Wednesday 2/10/21

With nine games to choose from on Wednesday's slate -- which locks at 7:00 p.m. EST -- let's look at the top options across all five positions for NBA DFS.

Be sure to check out our projections, which are updated throughout the day as news breaks, and our other DFS tools such as advanced stats and a matchup heat map.

Here are some of the top plays on today's DraftKings slate. As always, good luck.

Point Guard

James Harden ($10,400) - Rinse and repeat from Tuesday's slate. With Kevin Durant out as a result of health and safety protocols, tonight's 1-A and 1-B is Harden. He and the Brooklyn Nets are dealing with a back-to-back, but as we know Harden is used to playing big minutes even if it is on two straight nights. Plus, the Nets aren't the deepest of teams. They'll need Harden to play and produce against the Indiana Pacers. Indiana isn't a bottom-tier defense, either, but fade Harden at your own risk. Per NBA Wowy, he is averaging 1.43 DraftKings points per minute without Durant, while coming off of a double-double, 62-DK-point performance against the Detroit Pistons.

Monte Morris ($4,700) - Morris is not an exciting value play, however, he is a solid option for cash games. Not only has he operated as Jamal Murray's back in Denver, but he is playing a lot of minutes at the two alongside Murray. He logged 18 minutes with him in the last game (he tallied 17.5 DK points in 30 minutes), whereas the Nuggets' star was dealing with some rust as a result of his injury. Tonight, they draw a Cleveland team that ranks 26th in defensive rating and 24th in opponent points per game over the last five games, and NBA Finals odds has them at a 116.25 implied total as nine-point home favorites.

Shooting Guard

Devin Booker ($8,100) - The Chris Paul injury is far behind that of Durant, but it could lead to Booker being a near must-play. With CP sidelined last game he scored 36 points with 27 shots on a 29.8% usage rate. And that's low considering he posts a 33.1% usage when Paul's off the floor this season. Booker's sky-high ceiling is certainly there despite a matchup with the Milwaukee Bucks. Milwaukee has been underachieving defensively, and their top-10 will only benefit the Suns in this matchup.

E'Twaun Moore ($4,300) - For similar reasons, you should look to Moore as a stacking option alongside Booker. The latter operated as Phoenix's primary ball-handler and distributor, but Moore stepped in to start in Paul's absence. He played a team-high 40 minutes on his way to 29.25 DK points. His shot was on, and if that's the case again he could hit or exceed his salary-implied total. Monitor the Paul news, though, because if the point guard is back Moore is not a useful fantasy option.

Small Forward

Kawhi Leonard ($9,400) - Here's what you need to know: Paul George is out. When he's been off the floor this season, Kawhi has turned back into the do-it-all fantasy stud he can when he's the center of the offense. A 1.5% bump in usage rate has resulted in him averaging 1.36 DK points per minute. At this rate, he needs to play 35 minutes to exceed his implied total of 47 DK points, though his ceiling is above 50 -- a feat he has accomplished 5 times in the last 10 games. Lock him in on the road against a fantasy-friendly Minnesota defense.

Justin Holiday ($5,500) - Holiday is locked into big minutes for the Pacers, who are dealing with some injuries on the wing. He is getting the nod over Jeremy Lamb and playing more than 31 minutes a game, stretching to 32.5 over the last five alone. The veteran forward has played 34 minutes in back-to-back games, and has averaged 34.9 in the process (34.6 in the last three). A road game with the Nets isn't a bad situation, either. Brooklyn is giving up 1.8 more points per 100 possessions with Durant off the floor this season.

Power Forward

Zion Williamson ($8,100) -- It looks like Zion is now in full force in the second full month of his second season. He's putting up gaudy numbers, including 41 points on the back of a 62.2% shooting percentage in the last half-dozen contests. On Tuesday, he hit 6-of-10 shots but added 8 made free throws to get to 20 points for the third time in four matchups. His 38.25 DK points were nearly enough to satisfy value, in spite of logging a mere 21 minutes. That's encouraging for a full workload on the second night of a back-to-back against Chicago. The host Bulls are 22nd in defensive rating and have been hit up for big games by opposing bigs.

Marcus Morris ($4,500) - On the opposite end of the salary spectrum, Morris is in line for more minutes without George in the lineup. While he is unlikely to get his first start of the year, he has been averaging north of 21 DK points in his last seven games, and his 25 to 28 minutes are a near lock. With L.A. favored on the road in a pace-up spot, a 20-point scoring night from Morris is definitely in the cards.

Center

Nikola Jokic ($11,000) - Unless Harden is resting, you should not be prioritizing Jokic at a salary that's $600 higher. Granted, he is posting 6.3 more fantasy points than Harden is to this point, and he is the sole focal point of the Denver offense. The Joker is putting up an easy double-double with 11.5 rebounds a game, and his 8.5 assists are also fifth in the league. And believe it or not, he improves that to nine a game at home in Denver, where he's been a far great fantasy option, averaging 4.6 more points and nearly 10 more DK points a night. Cleveland stands no chance; you just hope this remains close throughout.

DeAndre Jordan ($4,500) - Due to the back-to-back, the veteran big was limited to 23 minutes against Detroit, but he still got enough time to tally 9 points, 8 rebounds and 21.5 DK points. It marked his third straight above 20 fantasy points, and Wednesday figures to be his fourth if his minutes are back where they should. That should especially be the case against the dual bigs of the Pacers. If you're betting on a monster Harden night, Jordan is a prime stacking candidate as his go-to lob man.


Brett Oswalt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Brett Oswalt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username BRO14THEKID. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.