NBA

FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Thursday 2/17/22

Kyle Lowry and the Heat will see a step up in pace as they travel to visit the struggling Hornets. Who else stands out on the final main slate before the All-Star Break?

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

Away Home Game
Total
Away
Implied
Total
Home
Implied
Total
Away
Pace
Home
Pace
MiamiCharlotte224.5114.5110292
WashingtonBrooklyn216105.75110.252310
DallasNew Orleans214108.75105.253021
PhiladelphiaMilwaukee223.5108.5115288
HoustonLA Clippers228.5108.75119.75114


Today's official NBA injury report is more crowded than one would think with just five games today before the All-Star Break.

Jimmy Butler (shoulder) is the largest name questionable on the slate, but I'd slant him closer to probable since he played through it Tuesday. Tyler Herro (knee) is also a question mark, but he's likely closer to doubtful for Miami after missing three of the last four.

On a slate this small, it'll be worth watching the Wizards' frontcourt. Both Rui Hachimura (ankle) and Daniel Gafford (conditioning) are questionable. With the home game, Kyrie Irving won't play for Brooklyn on the other side.

Other than that, the remaining game with questions lies in Los Angeles. The Clippers host the Rockets, and Houston was down both Christian Wood (illness) and Kevin Porter Jr. (illness) Wednesday night in Phoenix. Unfortunately, we're unlikely to get that news before lock unless the two are upgraded from questionable this afternoon.

Guards

Luka Doncic ($11,300): The best conceivable spot to spend up at guard is Luka. Following an off night against Miami, Doncic still has an absurd 41.1% usage rate in a February that's seen Kristaps Porzingis injured and traded, and he's turned it into 1.63 FanDuel points per minute. The 214.0-point total in New Orleans is the lowest of the day, but at least it comes with just a 3.5-point spread on a five-game slate that could include multiple blowouts.

Kyle Lowry ($5,600): Lowry leaps off of numberFire's projection page for a reason. Miami (29th in pace) sees a seismic leap up to the Hornets (2nd in pace) in a game with a 224.5-point total that's a full-blown shootout by the Heat's standards. Lowry is averaging 0.94 FanDuel points per minute this season, so don't expect his recent production dip to stick around too long should his 36-minute role remain unchanged.

Jalen Green ($4,300): The Clippers have struggled in February to the sixth-worst net rating (-6.7) in the NBA, so don't expect a blowout of Houston with or without their two best players. Green's role (at least 31 minutes played in 8 of his last 10 contests) is just too solid to ignore on a five-game slate despite his tendency to only fill the scoring column. The stickiness of said role has him a priority over Raul Neto, personally. Both are quality low-salaried options, though.

Others to Consider:
C.J. McCollum ($8,400): 29.7% usage rate since joining the Pels. Two 50-burgers on FanDuel as well. The top mini-stack to Luka.
Raul Neto ($4,800): If I could guarantee he sees 33 minutes again like Wednesday, he'd be a top-shelf priority. I can't.

Wings

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,500): Internally, it feels like Giannis' floor has dipped since Khris Middleton and Jrue Holiday both returned to the lineup, but it hasn't. Giannis has scored at least 50 FanDuel points in five of his last six games, and 1.88 FanDuel points per minute in February is a good sign that's here to stay. Philadelphia is one of few squads that allow minimal blowout risk from Giannis and the Bucks, and just a 6.5-point spread here lends evidence to that.

Kyle Kuzma ($7,700): The Wizards torched Wednesday's slate, and Brooklyn's 116.7 defensive rating in February (sixth-worst in the NBA) doesn't exactly provide hope they'll keep them in check, either. Many are just under-salaried for their roles. Kuzma dropped 27 points on just 33.3% shooting last night. While the 15 rebounds Kuz collected Wednesday is more of an outlier in volume, he'll smash this salary's value with that offensive role and a decent contribution on the glass.

Eric Gordon ($4,100): Gordon posted 20 points in a spirited effort by the shorthanded Rockets on Wednesday. He's still floating near minimum salary despite a 30-plus minute role before his heel injury and returning to 38 minutes a night ago. numberFire's projections are high on Gordon, and he'll be a top-tier pivot off of Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. KCP is sure to be the single most popular slate after a 40-burger on FanDuel one night ago.

Others to Consider:
Jimmy Butler ($9,100): His production has fluctuated wildly since Bam Adebayo returned, but this matchup is the perfect one to unlock the ceiling.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($4,200): Went 5-for-8 from deep and added 3 steals to detonate Wednesday's slate. At just 0.72 FanDuel points per minute overall this season, proceed with caution.

Bigs

Joel Embiid ($11,400): Embiid's situation is very similar to Luka's. Embiid has a monstrous 42.1% usage rate in February that he's turned into 1.86 FanDuel points per minute, but he (and the entire roster) stumbled in Tuesday's loss to Boston. Philly is 28th in pace, so the Bucks (8th in pace) are a massive upgrade in possessions, and we know who will shoot for a bulk of them. With many likely to flock to Andre Drummond, he might be my favorite tournament star of the day.

PJ Washington ($5,100): It appears Charlotte is done with Kelly Oubre's lack of defensive prowess. They moved Washington into starting lineup and gave Oubre just 21 minutes off the bench on Tuesday. Washington played 32 minutes at the four -- his new position with Montrezl Harrell now down low. He's numberFire's best value option to run back Kyle Lowry or Jimmy Butler in this solid environment; Miles Bridges' salary is just a touch too high.

Alperen Sengun ($4,800): This salary isn't small, but it's one you'll likely want to have a plan to swap into. Sengun started for Christian Wood and posted 48.3 FanDuel points on Wednesday. At 1.17 FanDuel points per minute when Wood is off the floor this season, he's going to post a solid total in that event. If Wood is ruled out, Sengun's next victim would be an L.A. frontcourt that is last in the NBA in defensive estimated rebounding (74.3%).

Others to Consider:
Bobby Portis ($6,300):
Portis' minutes are sliding a bit, but still the path to a full-time role and monstrous game.
Jonas Valanciunas ($6,300): numberFire's top-projected value center over Drummond. I agree. Drummond's minutes haven't exceeded 23 in either game. The bubble should pop soon.