Welcome, NBA DFS enthusiasts, to my debut piece here at RotoBaller! I'm excited to be joining a great team of writers here and will be bringing you my favorite plays for FanDuel NBA DFS.
Tonight we have an 8-game slate with plenty of injury news to monitor and some new faces in new places as we saw a number of trades go down yesterday in the NBA. This may also leave some teams shorthanded tonight since many of these players may not be available to debut with their new teams.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 2/7/20. These DFS lineup picks can vary from higher-priced players and elite options to lower-priced players and value picks on FanDuel. You can also check out today's DraftKings lineup picks. Find me in the NBA Chat Room or @ThunderDanDFS on Twitter.
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FanDuel DFS Guards
Goran Dragic - PG, @ SAC ($5,300)
The Miami Heat are going to be a major source of value tonight on this slate with Jimmy Butler doubtful, Tyler Herro out, and Meyers Leonard out. With Butler off the floor, Dragic sports a 26% usage rate and 1.1 FanDuel point-per-minute average. While Kendrick Nunn will start and is cheaper, it's Dragic who I think has a higher ceiling and more upside here in his role off the bench. In the six games that Butler has missed this season, Dragic is averaging nearly 20 points a game as well as six assists.
Reggie Jackson - PG, @ OKC ($5,700)
I have been riding Reggie over the last two weeks and there have been a few floor games in there, but he's coming off a huge performance against the Suns and now finds himself the number one option on offense tonight with the Pistons trading Andre Drummond to Cleveland yesterday. The Pistons will be incredibly shorthanded tonight with Derrick Rose and Luke Kennard already ruled out. With those three Pistons off the floor, Reggie has a 30% usage rate and he's already shown what type of numbers he can put up when he's leaned on to be the primary scorer. The matchup is fairly neutral here against the Thunder, but the threat of "Chris Paul defense" isn't anything to scare me off a player who is just way too cheap for his projected role in this game.
Bruce Brown - SG, @ OKC ($4,900)
I wanted to give you another value pick here with Brown instead of recommending someone like James Harden at shooting guard, who is an obvious lock and load play if Westbrook sits out the second half of a back-to-back. Bruce has been starting alongside Jackson with the Pistons so banged up in the backcourt, but his minutes are often staggered with Reggie and he serves as the primary ball-handler with the second unit or runs the point with the first unit when Reggie subs out early. He's not a scorer, but is a reliable rebounder, passer, and defender and should be able to get you 25-30 FanDuel points tonight with ease given his role on this team and minutes.
FanDuel DFS Forwards
Kristaps Porzingis - PF, vs. WAS ($9,600)
Some might jump off Porzo tonight with another hefty price increase, but I think he may be worth every penny. He's averaging 28 points and 13 rebounds in the seven games that he has played without Luka Doncic this season and has eclipsed 50 FanDuel points in each of those contests. He carries a 30% usage rate and a 1.4 FanDuel points-per-minute average with Luka off the court and has an elite matchup against a Washington team with one of the worst defensive ratings in the league. The Wizards also play at a high pace, meaning extra possessions for the Mavericks. He scored 58 FanDuel points on Wednesday night in only 29 minutes, so I think his ceiling one of the highest on the slate if he gets a full complement of minutes tonight.
Serge Ibaka - PF, @ IND ($6,200)
As long as FanDuel fails to increase Ibaka's price substantially, I will continue to play him while Marc Gasol is out. Ibaka has slid over to center for Toronto and has thrived in that role. He battled through foul trouble in the second half of Wednesday's game to post 30 points, seven boards, and three assists against this same Indiana team and hit the game-winning shot. I love targeting Myles Turner with opposing centers, and Ibaka is an easy play for me tonight at this price. I project his minutes over 30 again tonight since this game should remain competitive throughout. It might seem too easy to just plug a guy in who played well against the same team a few nights ago but don't overthink this one.
Derrick Jones Jr. - SF, @ SAC ($5,200)
Jones is another Miami player that I want in my lineups tonight. While he isn't a natural scorer, he is an athletic freak who can pile up boards, blocks, and steals in a hurry. With Jae Crowder and Andre Igoudala not yet ready to suit up for Miami, I expect Jones to log heavy minutes tonight like he has the last two games. He was awesome on Wednesday night against the Clippers, piling up 48 FanDuel points in 31 minutes and I see a similar ceiling tonight against a Kings team that is a very poor rebounding team.
FanDuel DFS Centers
Deandre Ayton - C, vs. HOU ($8,800)
I have to go back to Ayton again tonight in this spot against a Houston team that is playing a super small lineup on a nightly basis. The Rockets just gave up a huge night to Anthony Davis last night and continue to run P.J. Tucker and Thabo Sefolosha out at center. Ayton has seen his role grow in a big way for Phoenix and is taking over as the main option in their offense while Devin Booker has been trending in the other direction. Ayton has a 25% usage rate over his last 10 games and has put up 21 points, 12 boards, and three assists over that stretch. While Joel Embiid definitely deserves some consideration against Memphis, Ayton is a strong play tonight and a good bet to keep his 50+ FanDuel point streak going.