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Happy Thursday, RotoBallers! Tonight's schedule returns to the NBA's standard slimmed-down version with only three games to fill our DFS lineups. Toronto and Milwaukee complete their two-game series while Miami continues their road trip with a matchup against Sacramento. The evening's highlight is Brooklyn, without Kevin Durant, traveling to Los Angeles to take on a Lakers team without Anthony Davis. Can LeBron James continue his MVP-crusade against the superstar duo of Kyrie Irving and James Harden? I can't wait to watch that one.
As of this writing, the only contest with an over/under is the Heat-Kings contest. With Kyle Lowry, Jrue Holiday, and Kyrie Irving's statuses all up in the air for tonight's tilts, Vegas hasn't released the lines for those two matchups. Those three stars will be worth keeping an eye on as the games draw closer. Irving expects to play, but he was a late scratch on Tuesday night, and it cost someone (me) a great chance to finish the slate in the win column. Late scratches can ruin a perfectly fun night of DFS, and it's always worth keeping an eye on any late-developing injury news.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 2/18/21. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. With COVID-19 a significant factor, remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before lineups lock.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Fred Vanvleet - PG/SG, TOR at MIL ($7,900)
FVV burned us last Thursday with a five-point stinker against the Boston Celtics, but I'm ready to go back to the well after taking a step back and looking at the big picture of his recent run. He's topped 50 fantasy points in five of his last ten games and should see a spike in usage if Kyle Lowry (ankle) sits out tonight's rematch of the 2019 Eastern Conference Finals.
VanVleet is performing at an All-Star level during the second month of 2021, and it's led the Raptors to a 5-3 record as they try to get their season back on track. The 26-year old is averaging 24.5 points, seven assists, 3.8 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 3.9 three-pointers in February, or 45.75 fantasy points per game in layman's terms. Both teams sit inside the top 10 for pace this year, and it should equal a fantastic formula for fantasy points in this primetime matchup.
Tyrese Haliburton - PG/SG, SAC vs. MIA ($6,000)
Haliburton has an opportunity to tally some massive fantasy production against the Heat. Harrison Barnes (foot) and Richaun Holmes (knee) will both miss tonight's contest, and it guarantees the rookie will see an abundance of minutes on the court. He's played at least 30 minutes in eight of his previous 10 games, and in those eight contests, the 20-year old is averaging 33.3 FPPG. Haliburton is contributing to every facet of the box score this season.
In his first 25 games as a pro, he's averaging 12.4 points, 3.6 boards, 5.2 dimes, 1.2 steals, and 2.3 triples on 49.8 percent shooting from the floor and 44.3 percent behind the three-point line. With so many regulars out, Haliburton is a smash play on this three-game slate.
Bonus guards: James Harden ($10,600), Tyler Herro ($5,900), Bryn Forbes ($3,700)
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DraftKings DFS Forwards
Jimmy Butler - SF, MIA at SAC ($8,800)
Goran Dragic (ankle) is not joining the team on this road trip, and it's leaving a lot of playmaking chances on the floor for any Miami player to pick up. It seems that Butler is making the most of it and turning in a fantastic stretch of DFS performances. Over his last five games, the 31-year old is averaging 22.2 points, 9.6 rebounds, 9.2 assists, and 1.8 steals. All those box score-stuffing statistics have totaled 54.4 FPPG.
At his current price point ($8,800), that means he is right around six-times value on tonight's slate. You don't see many of those buying opportunities, and it makes Butler one of the pillars in my lineups.
OG Anunoby - SF/PF, TOR at MIL ($6,000)
Usually, I would worry about rostering a player in his second game back from a 10-game absence. However, Nick Nurse has shown time and time again that he has no problem running his guys out there for an absurd number of minutes every night. I would still play Anunoby tonight even if Kyle Lowry (ankle) surprisingly suits up, but he would be a smash play if the veteran guard watches from the sidelines.
OG came back on Tuesday from his injury and provided 13 points, seven rebounds, and one assist, block, and steal a piece. It was an encouraging performance after such a lengthy layoff. With his price remaining at $6,000, I love the idea of getting the fourth-year forward at a slight discount with the chance at a usage rate spike if Lowry is out.
Bonus forwards: Buddy Hield ($6,600), Jeff Green ($5,200), Nemanja Bjelica ($3,800)
DraftKings DFS Centers
Montrezl Harrell - C, LAL vs. BKN ($5,900)
Harrell could be another chalk play thanks to tonight's small slate, but he's going to be good chalk. Brooklyn allows the fourth-most fantasy points to centers and won't keep up with Harrell's frantic pace. In the first game without Anthony Davis for at least two weeks, Harrell came up with the DFS goods. Despite only playing 18 minutes, the 2019-20 Sixth Man of the Year produced 31.5 fantasy points. Thanks to a whopping 30 percent usage rate, second only to LeBron James on the Lakers.
In all likelihood, the sixth-year center will play more than 18 minutes per game, which will open the door for some massive fantasy games. At $5,900, I'm calling my shot and predicting Harrell will return seven-times value against this miserable Nets frontcourt defense.
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