Happy Thursday, RotoBallers! We welcome the first Thursday of February with five games to choose from as we build our DFS lineups tonight. The slate is full of possibilities with two of the fastest teams in the NBA (Portland-Philadelphia), two of the hottest teams in the NBA (Houston-Memphis), and a rematch of last season's Western Conference Finals (Denver-LA Lakers) to watch and profit from in daily fantasy land.
A game that wasn't mentioned above is the Golden State Warriors versus the Dallas Mavericks matchup. The Warriors are averaging 105.6 possession per game and are not afraid to get up and down the court with any team. It's led them to an 11-10 record and currently occupy a spot in the play-in game. Meanwhile, the Mavs are reeling with a 3-7 record in their last 10 games, but they finally picked up a win against the Atlanta Hawks to stop a six-game losing streak. This game's 225.5 points over/under should open up some tantalizing value plays.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 2/4/21. 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.
Featured Promo: For this week only, take 50% off any full-season or yearly Premium Pass on the site! Just enter discount code THANKS when checking out. Thanks for being a reader, and Happy Holidays! Sign Up Now!
DraftKings DFS Guards
John Wall - PG, HOU at MEM ($6,900)
Wall missed the first game of the Rocket's back-to-back set last night to play tonight. The point guard has elevated his game in real and fantasy basketball since James Harden departed the team, and he will be a focal point of the offense against the Grizzlies. In his last four games, Wall has returned at least four times value on his cost while averaging 19.3 points, 6.3 assists, 3.8 rebounds, one steal, and three triples. The sub-$7,000 price tag makes him a massive target in my lineups tonight, and if Victor Oladipo sits, Wall could be a trendy play in this high-paced matchup.
Gary Trent Jr. - SG/SF, POR at PHI ($6,200)
With C.J. McCollum (foot) and Jusuf Nurkic (wrist) still sidelined, Trent is one of the best secondary options in the Trail Blazers offense. Since he moved into the starting five, the third-year player is averaging 19.4 points, 4.8 threes, and 1.8 steals per contest. The three-point shooting is really taking the guard to another level, though. He's drained 49.0 percent of his attempts from behind the arc, and it all came together on Tuesday against the Wizards when he went 7-for-9 and racked up 41.3 DraftKings fantasy points. Tonight's game against the 76ers has the highest over/under on the slate, and while Trent may not get another 40 points, a five-times return on value is well within range for the sharpshooter.
Tim Hardaway Jr. - SG/SF, DAL vs. GS ($5,700)
Hardaway may come off as a contrarian play tonight, considering that Golden State allows the fewest fantasy points to shooting guards this year. However, the veteran shooter has scored 29, 30, and 33 fantasy points in his last three games, and I like that kind of return on a player valued at $5,700 tonight. Over those three games, the 28-year old is averaging 19.7 points, four rebounds, 3.7 threes, and one steal per contest. The Dallas injury report is clean as of this writing, so you can expect Hardaway to continue his steady workload of 13.6 shots per game this season.
Want more NBA DFS tools and content? Our NBA Premium package includes our daily DFS Cheat Sheets, Research Station, Optimizer, and access to our Premium Slack Chatrooms where members can chat with our NBA analysts. Check out this recent big win from RotoBaller premium member Bsuperak on FanDuel - join in on the winning!
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Ben Simmons - PG/SF, PHI vs. POR ($8,300)
Simmons may not have the ceiling that most DFS players look for on a nightly basis, but he has a rock-solid floor to build upon. The two-time All-Star has scored at least 35 DKFP in eight of his last ten games, and he's broken the 40-point barrier in six of those eight instances. In his fourth season, the Australian is averaging 40 fantasy points per game after putting together 13.4 points, 8.1 rebounds, eight assists, and 1.7 steals per contest. His ceiling is higher than usual this evening because the Trail Blazers allow the fourth-most fantasy points to small forwards.
Juan Toscano-Anderson - PF, GS at DAL ($3,500)
No James Wiseman. No Kevon Looney. That leaves little-known JTA to carry the load at the center spot in the Warriors game against the Dallas Mavericks. He was called into action on Tuesday against the Celtics and performed admirably. In 27 minutes on the court, the sophomore player from Marquette produced 16 points, two rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal while shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from three-point range. DraftKings has bumped his price up to $3,500 for tonight's game, but with all the injuries in Golden State's frontcourt, I am ready to put Toscano-Anderson and ride the hot hand in my lineups.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Christian Wood - PF/C, HOU at MEM ($8,800)
The center position is so stacked tonight that Wood may become an under-rostered gem in tournaments. He's coming off a bit of a stinker on Wednesday where he only put up 25.5 DKFP, but he was incredibly consistent before that. In the seven games before yesterday's down game, Wood was averaging 47.2 FPPG and hadn't dipped below 41 points in any of those matchups. The Grizzlies are an average matchup against centers for fantasy purposes, but they allow the teams to hit their three-point shots at 37.4 percent (20th in the league). That will open up another avenue for Wood to tally some fantasy points as he has made multiple triples in three straight games and five of his last six contests.