FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Monday 2/14/22

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

Weird. This conversation heart says "Don't fade Nikola Jokic".

Valentine's Day brings a fun nine-game slate today, and thankfully, the official injury report is decently quiet.

Zach LaVine is the most noticeable name that is already out. Chicago's All-Star has a knee injury and won't face San Antonio. Javonte Green (foot) may join him on the sidelines.

Elsewhere, Norman Powell broke his foot this weekend for the hard-luck LA Clippers. He's without a timetable to return.

The Jazz have Rudy Gobert listed as questionable with the calf injury that has sidelined him for weeks, but his role would almost certainly be limited at best as a 14-point favorite over the Rockets.

New York is by far the most active team on today's report. RJ Barrett (ankle) is already ruled out, and they have Mitchell Robinson (ankle), Nerlens Noel (foot), and Cam Reddish (ankle) all listed as questionable for their battle with Oklahoma City.

Kyrie Irving won't play at home for Brooklyn, and James Johnson (knee) may not either.

Finally, of the notable injuries on the slate, Denver will be watching Monte Morris' status throughout the day as he attempts to clear concussion protocol.

Guards

De'Aaron Fox ($8,000): The worst February defensive rating in the NBA belongs to the crumbling Nets (122.6), and Brooklyn has a few values that make this one an interesting stack. Fox's 29.6% usage since the Tyrese Haliburton trade is right in line with his pre-trade mark, so he really hasn't felt much of an impact. Averaging 1.15 FanDuel points per minute in that span, he's an interesting target on the Kings' side of a potential stack.

Klay Thompson ($6,700): Thompson's minutes limit has ballooned to 30-plus, so he's on the menu for full slates again. There's really no reason to roster Stephen Curry when the two have been nearly identical players since Klay returned. Thompson has a higher usage rate (30.3%) than Curry (29.8%), and Curry (1.19 FanDuel points per minute) barely edges out Klay in per-minute production (1.14). L.A. brings stiff perimeter defense, but his value is innate for that reason.

Patrick Mills ($5,000): The Nets' offense adds Seth Curry tonight, and he should be a rising tide to lift all ships. Curry's role is to be determined, but Mills already has a solid role in Brooklyn when Irving, Kevin Durant, and James Harden all have been off the floor this season. His 26.4% usage rate is solid and third amongst starters in that situation, but his salary is also much lower than that of Cameron Thomas. Both he and Curry are high-upside options in tournaments.

Others to Consider:
Dejounte Murray ($10,800): The cost to acquire here is unnerving, but the highest game total of the day (233.5) eases some concerns.
Seth Curry ($5,300): If he starts, he's probably more aggressive than Mills offensively. Green light for DFS.
Jalen Green ($4,700): Played 33-plus minutes in back-to-back blowouts. High-floor option with upside in that even.
Troy Brown ($3,600): Started for Javonte Green and played 27 minutes on Saturday. At minimum salary, he could help jam in his game's studs.

Wings

DeMar DeRozan ($10,400): I was critical of DeRozan and Nikola Vucevic on Friday, but with LaVine out again, their roles justify consideration in such a top-shelf environment. DeRozan's 40.0% usage rate in February during floor situations without LaVine is absurd, and he's parlayed that into 1.36 FanDuel points per minute. He's scored over 35 real-life points in five straight games, and sometimes it's best to just ride the scorching hand. Ask Jeremy Lin.

Kyle Kuzma ($7,700): The Wizards' top three options are gone, and Kuzma will continue to replace a giant amount of their production. Kuzma has a team-best 26.8% usage rate with Bradley Beal, Montrezl Harrell, and Spencer Dinwiddie all off the floor this season. That's only resulted in 1.05 FanDuel points per minute due to a poor, inefficient Washington offense, but keeping pace won't be an issue with the Pistons' -10.2 net rating in town.

Franz Wagner ($5,100): There's no doubt that Jalen Suggs has eaten into the rookie's production upon his return. Wagner drops from a 22.3% usage rate with Suggs off the floor to just a 21.2% rate overall when he's in the mix. Shooting has really been what's plagued Wagner in February; his 46.3% mark from the field this month is well behind his 50.3% one from January. This salary is low enough to buy the dip with a star we know we want to target on the other side.

Others to Consider:
OG Anunoby ($6,900): His cold shot (9-for-29 in his last two) has quelled his otherwise perfect role. At least 35 minutes in five straight.
Josh Hart ($6,400): Portland has plenty of per-dollar value if they can keep it close. They're 15-point dogs to Milwaukee, though.
Evan Fournier ($5,300): With Barrett out, Fournier has the highest usage besides Julius Randle. The one Knick capable of a "can't-miss" game scoring.
Amir Coffey ($3,800): Back to pre-trade rotations for the Clippers. Coffey should re-enter the starting lineup. 31.1 minutes per game in January.

Bigs

Nikola Jokic ($11,300): Orlando is 12th in pace, and that makes this an upward move in possessions for the 23rd-paced Nuggets. The Magic have also allowed the ninth-most FanDuel points per game (55.62) to opposing centers. Enter the top one in NBA DFS. Jokic has posted at least 50 FanDuel points in 14 of his last 15 games entering this positive matchup. That's a stupid floor with a path to upside if he cuts down the turnovers (5.0 per game in February).

Jusuf Nurkic ($7,600): The Blazers are a dangerous game on Monday. They're 15.0-point underdogs, but their lineup consists of four tremendous per-dollar options if they saw full minutes. That includes Nurkic, who is one of the top overall projected players of the day by numberFire. Milwaukee (4th in pace) is also a massive pace-up spot for Portland (19th). In tournaments, there is an enormous reward should this one stay close.

Bobby Portis ($6,500): One way to hedge the blowout concerns in Milwaukee and still attack that gaudy total (230.5) is by rostering Portis. Bobby is on a scoring binge at the moment; he's posted 21.0 points per game on 13.8 shots per game in February. He's the one Bucks player at their salary that has a reasonable chance of still eclipsing value in a blowout. Of course, using Giannis Antetokounmpo and crew is viable if you believe it stays tight, but Portis might be fine on his own.

Others to Consider:
Julius Randle ($10,000): Both centers are banged up, which would boost his rebounding floor a great deal. A solid matchup with OKC.
Wendell Carter Jr. ($6,800): Foul trouble against Jokic is a concern, but at least 34 FanDuel points in three straight. Weird salary.
Jerami Grant ($5,700): Floor isn't quite as high at this salary with Cade Cunningham and Marvin Bagley III both expected to play. Still projected well.
LaMarcus Aldridge ($5,200): If he starts, he could erupt on this slate. Team-high 29.2% usage rate this season when Brooklyn's "Big 3" has been off the floor.