FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Tuesday 2/8/22

If you're new to daily fantasy basketball -- maybe you started your DFS journey during the MLB or NFL seasons, or maybe basketball is your sport and this will be your first year giving it a shot -- you're in for a treat. The NBA scene changes on a week-to-week, day-to-day, and -- depending on injury news -- even a minute-to-minute basis, making every slate a unique one that requires an ever-changing approach.

With so much changing so quickly, we're here with plenty of tools to help you out. We have daily projections, a matchup heat map, a lineup optimizer, and a bunch of other great resources to help give you an edge.

Daily fantasy basketball is very reliant on a player's opportunity, so you'll need to make sure that you're up-to-date with key injuries. Our projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news, we have player news updates, and the FanDuel Scout app will send push notifications for pressing updates regarding your players.

We'll also be coming at you with this primer every day, breaking down a few of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's break down today's main slate on FanDuel.

The Slate and Key Injuries

The biggest name in doubt on today's official injury report is James Harden. Harden is listed as questionable with a hamstring injury, and he could join Kevin Durant (knee) and Kyrie Irving (can't play in Brooklyn) out for tonight's game.

Both point guards in Sacramento are also in doubt. De'Aaron Fox continues to battle his ankle injury. The Timberwolves are also listing D'Angelo Russell (shin) and Patrick Beverley (ankle) as questionable despite playing Sunday.

Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles) has been promoted to questionable for Indiana. He's joined by teammates Isaiah Jackson (ankle) and Terry Taylor (illness).

The Rockets are unsure if Eric Gordon (heel) will suit up on Tuesday.

Matisse Thybulle is questionable for Philadelphia with a shoulder injury as they battle the Phoenix Suns.

Kristaps Porzingis is already ruled out for Dallas with his knee issue. Unfortunately, his backup Maxi Kleber (knee) is out as well. On the other side, Cade Cunningham (hip) is listed as questionable.

The Knicks will presumably get back Kemba Walker off a rest day Monday.

Carmelo Anthony will sit for the Lakers with a hamstring injury tonight. They're in L.A. hosting the Bucks.

(Editor's Note: After this article was submitted for publishing, Portland's C.J. McCollum was traded to the Pelicans for a package surrounding Josh Hart. Both will accrue zero FanDuel points tonight.)

Guards

Trae Young ($9,000): The first guard that comes with zero concerns is Young. His Hawks have a solid implied team total (118), there are options to stack his game on the other side, and he's been individually tremendous for this salary in 2022. Since January 1st, Young has turned a 34.6% usage rate into 1.40 FanDuel points per minute. He matches the upside of a Luka Doncic or Ja Morant at a much lower salary -- and frankly, with fewer floor concerns.

Jalen Suggs ($5,500): Suggs has eclipsed 28 FanDuel points in each of his last four games, so this salary sticks out like a sore thumb. The Magic are outmanned most nights, but they're just 3.5-point road underdogs to a Portland squad that just shipped off two of its best parts. He has a very similar range of outcomes to Cole Anthony at a much lower salary, which explains the difference in per-dollar projection today by numberFire's model.

Jalen Green ($4,700): Quietly, the rookie has turned the corner. He's played at least 32 minutes in four of his last five games and averaged 15.6 points per game in that time. His 40-FanDuel-point upside is too realistic for a salary this low. The Rockets and Pelicans are a sneaky spot to stack on this 10-game slate since this game carries a 228.5-point total, and the favored Pels (22nd in pace) should see a huge boost in possessions against Houston (1st in pace).

Others to Consider:
Ja Morant ($10,100): My only concern? Clippers have a -12.6 net rating in February and no viable stacking partners. Could blowout.
C.J. McCollum ($7,500): Norman Powell's 22.2% usage rate in 2022 is gone. McCollum should inherit a giant chunk. Projected well.
Anfernee Simons ($6,500): Simons' role isn't as solid as McCollum's, but the salary isn't as high. Solid 224.5-point total here, too.
Marcus Smart ($5,600): Two straight blowouts have dipped his salary. Still averaging 0.95 FanDuel points per minute since January 1st in a full-time role.

Wings

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,300): Giannis has by far the best environment of any superstar on Tuesday, and that should point us in the right direction. The Bucks are just 4.5-point road favorites visiting the Lakers, and Giannis on the whole is still averaging 1.72 FanDuel points per minute since the calendar turned to 2022. These two teams are top-10 in pace as well. Giannis dropped 47 points on 23 shots against L.A. in December with Anthony Davis playing.

James Harden ($9,500): My personal guess is that Harden does suit up for Brooklyn tonight. With back-to-back road games, the Nets may have been resting him when Irving was available to play. If he goes in what is assumed to be a full-time capacity, Harden is averaging 1.58 FanDuel points per minute since January 1st with both K.D. and Kyrie off the floor. That's an absurd production rate for a four-digit salary. The trade speculation does add risk here, though.

(Editor's Note: Harden is now ruled OUT for Tuesday.)

Brandon Ingram ($7,800): The lone small forward that checks every single box for his salary is Ingram. He has been a productive monster (1.47 FanDuel points per minute) since returning from injury on an elevated 32.4% usage rate. Houston's 115.5 defensive rating is the worst in the NBA by a country mile, but an 8.5-point spread is one of few small enough to target a Rockets game recently. Oh yeah, Ingram did just drop 62.6 FanDuel points against them Sunday as well.

Others to Consider:
Anthony Edwards ($7,400): Minny has the highest implied team total (119) of the day. Edwards could drop 40 of it alone.
Chris Duarte ($5,000): He gets benched when I'm interested in him, but Terry Taylor out makes him a slam dunk value.
De'Andre Hunter ($4,800): 30-minute role in a game with stars to stack? Definitely works.
Dorian Finney-Smith ($4,200): Heavy minutes got heavier with the Dallas frontcourt injuries. Production will turn around.

Bigs

Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,200): Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid are on the slate, but they're in brutal matchups with low totals. They'll likely siphon popularity away from Towns, and that's great news. The T-Wolves have a massive implied team total (119), and Towns could contribute scoring and on the glass. The Kings are a bottom-10 team in offensive, defensive, and total rebounding. The injuries on both sides make this high total tough to stack, but Towns is a great start.

Domantas Sabonis ($9,900): Sabonis should return to a full-time role on Monday after two additional days off since his stay in COVID-19 protocols. He'll get all the work he can handle. Sabonis is averaging 20.3 points and 13.3 rebounds per 36 minutes since January 1st without Myles Turner, but he's just been out or limited too often himself to notice. The Hawks' awful 113.1 defensive rating (fourth-worst in the NBA) should give him ample opportunity to accumulate fantasy points.

Dwight Powell ($4,600): If I coached Dallas, I'd start and play Marquese Chriss -- a better, more productive player than Dwight Powell. But I don't, so Chriss only saw 12 minutes on Sunday. Powell started and saw 36 minutes instead, so he is numberFire's top overall projection in terms of value today. His 0.78 FanDuel points per minute this season aren't overwhelming, but a center seeing that much court time with Luka has inherent upside no matter what.

Others to Consider:
Jonas Valanciunas ($7,200): Solid cash-game center. 30-plus FanDuel points in seven straight. Use his lower salary to get Giannis.
Bobby Portis ($6,200): He'll be popular due to 76% shooting inflating his totals the past two games. Still a solid cash plug.
Jerami Grant ($5,400): 36.5% shooting in February. Still an opportunity to turn it around if Cunningham sits again. Good role.
Al Horford ($5,300): 30-plus minutes in Boston's last two close games. Like using Boston value to stack Harden instead of Jayson Tatum or Jaylen Brown.