RADIO
A seven-game slate means we have a bit more flexibility with lineup construction, but that also means our sleeper picks need to be spot-on. There are a ton of options tonight, and even though Ricky Rubio's price is a little steep, this seems like a trap game for value plays. Jevon Carter, and a few other Suns bench players, look like they are ready to make or break every lineup tonight, but instead it will be both the Phoenix starters carrying most of the workload per usual.
The Warriors have experienced a significant slide over the past week. Mainly, Draymond Green getting ejected while they lose their eighth game in a row. The Suns already have the upper-hand, even coming off a loss of their own to Detroit the night before, so with the little momentum they had from late in the fourth, and almost allowed them to escape with a win, they are still going to need the most from their starters, just to beat the Warriors.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 2/29/20. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. Remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before line-up lock.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Damion Lee - SG, GSW v. PHO ($5,300)
Even with the Warriors losing, Damion Lee is finding ways to stay productive. We have rarely seen Lee in this form and this is the first time all season he has been shooting with this much frequency. Even though his shot attempts have fluctuated more now, than earlier in the season, he has increased his ceiling by showing the willingness to be THE high-volume shooter for this team. The efficiency is slowly following behind, but it is there and for the time being, Lee and Andrew Wiggins are the rhythm of the offense. The Suns defense isn't good enough to really diminish their upside, and as long as Lee is playing with this sense of urgency, he'll need a serious price increase before you can safely fade him.
Avery Bradley - PG/SG, LAL @ MEM ($3,300)
If Avery Bradley is going to be consistently inconsistent, we need to find ways to play into that. This is one of those situations, where Bradley has performed well against Memphis in the past, and he tends to get more minutes against bad teams. He had a scoreless game versus the Pelicans, which entirely disagreed with the original math of that game, but it's also ideal since it led what his price is now. Luckily, he responded by scoring 12 points on seven shots the next game, so whatever that little hiccup was, the framework of this game will be defined Anthony Davis and should trickle down to make things easy for the guards, especially a wing-scorer like Bradley.
Markelle Fultz - PG/SG, ORL @ SA ($5,600)
Despite the Orlando Magic winning three-straight games, their longest winning streak since early-December, Markelle Fultz has seen both medial production and usage over those three games. The worst part about this tiny string of games is that none of those teams have quality backcourt defenses. Where Fultz looked like he should have thrived, he struggled, and that's where most DFS players will be looking. His inability to produce against normally bad defenses will ignore the fact that Fultz has matched up with the likes of Caris Levert, Josh Okogie, Taurean Prince, and Malik Beasley over that span. The Spurs lack those types of defensive tools and if Terrence Ross keeps playing well, it clearly impacts Fultz' upside.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Rudy Gay - SF/PF, SA v. ORL ($3,300)
This shouldn't come as much surprise. The Spurs are playing, which means you are contemplating their entire roster. It's an unfortunate circumstance, but it's part of DFS. The Magic defense is still very talented and even though they have small gaps here and there, only a few certain players fit the role of someone who can unravel that type of defense. Both DeMar DeRozan and Rudy Gay fall under the category of those players, but Gay's minutes on a nightly basis just aren't there. He makes the most of them every game, but since he doesn't have the leeway to miss a ton of shots, it's hard to confidently consider him every night. Since there is some history favoring Rudy Gay here, it's hard not to roster him at this price. The Spurs will need more individual offense, so LaMarcus Aldridge is also a solid play here.
Kevin Love - PF, CLE v. IND ($6,700)
The two times these teams have met, Kevin Love has dominated the stat sheet. To put it in context, Domantas Sabonis has had a stellar season that started on a very strong note. Even with that strong start, Love was able to post two monstrous double-doubles against the Pacers defense. Andre Drummond will force a few less rebounds to go Love's way, but the spacing he adds to this team, in this situation, allows the Cavaliers to actually compete in this game. The season might be a bust for Cleveland, but there are still points to be scored and Love should do more than carry his weight, again, tonight. The Pacers rank sixth for a reason, but they are going up against two of the league's top rebounders.
Carmelo Anthony - PF, POR @ ATL ($5,700)
Although Carmelo Anthony never made it clear he didn't want close to 40 minutes-a-night playing for a contender, he is somewhat making the most of those minutes? Even though Anthony is playing like a refined player with the Trail Blazers, we need efficiency. The Hawks defense ranks in the bottom three when matched up against forwards and Anthony is coming off a 12-point outing versus the the Pacers. The eight shots he took that game were the fewest he's taken since February 4th, so look for a sort of rebound game from him against a defense that lets up some of the best FG%'s to opposing power forwards.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Bam Adebayo - C, MIA v. BKN ($8,600)
Looking at the list of centers available, Bam Adebayo sneaks by. Jarrett Allen and DeAndre Jordan are not skilled enough defensively to run the floor with Adebayo, and they don't have the size and attitude to bump around with him in the paint. Both the Nets centers might have upside when it comes to rebounds, but both also will be tasked with chasing around one of the league's most versatile big men. To make things worse for Brooklyn, adding Jae Crowder has seemingly increased Adebayo's defensive intensity, so his upside in blocks alone has me worried for whoever fades him tonight.
