RADIO
We're back to the typical small weekend slate on Sunday, as there are four games on the main slate in the NBA tonight. Denver, New Orleans, and New York are all playing on the second leg of their back-to-back sets, and there are several high-salaried players listed as questionable, so we have a lot to keep track of as the day moves along. The biggest news updates will likely be coming out of New Orleans, where we have Zion Williamson still out and Jonas Valanciunas and Dyson Daniels as true question marks to play. Let's get to it.
Here is my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on 2/5/23. Keep an eye on RotoBaller’s NBA injury news and also our full NBA injury report today to stay up to date before lineups are locked.
DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Brandon Ingram, vs. SAC (FD: $7,600, DK: $7,100)
Ingram is far too cheap on both sites and needs to be prioritized as such. He leads the team in usage rate (31.9%) with Zion off the floor, and his 1.20 FPTS/min will more than get the job done at his current salary. There's plenty of room for more per-minute production tonight, too, as the game environment is favorable and the Pelicans could be even more shorthanded with Valanciunas and Daniels being questionable to play. The absence of J-Val would open up a lot of production for the remaining Pels, particularly in the rebounding department. Ingram shot 15-for-28 from the field in his last game - players who shoot 28 times per game should not have a salary in the low $7,000s.
Malik Monk, vs. NOP (FD: $5,500, DK: $5,200) | Kevin Huerter, vs. NOP (DK: $5,500)
These two Kings pieces are recommended mid-range pieces to target tonight, though I'm not too fond of Huerter's pricing on FanDuel. They should play around 30 minutes, and while Huerter's minutes are likely a little bit safer to project, both players have shown considerable upside relative to their salary. The Pelicans allow the ninth-most fantasy points per game to small forwards this season, and it's safe to say that their defense will take a significant step down without the services of Zion and J-Val tonight.
Also consider: Davion Mitchell, CJ McCollum, Desmond Bane, Fred VanVleet, Donovan Mitchell (FD), James Harden (FD), Herbert Jones, Gary Trent Jr. (FD)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Trey Murphy III, vs. SAC (FD: $4,800, DK: $4,400) DraftKings preferred
The similarly-priced Herbert Jones also looks good in this spot, but he typically spikes for big games when he racks up defensive stats, not by shooting volume. On the other hand, Murphy doesn't hesitate to shoot the rock, as he has at least 11 shot attempts in four of his last five games. He hasn't done anything jaw-dropping for a long time, so don't expect a "ceiling" game tonight. However, 25-35 DK points are undoubtedly within the range of outcomes for Murphy as the game environment is great, and the Kings allow the most fantasy points per game to opposing small forwards.
Domantas Sabonis, vs. NOP (FD: $9,600 DK: $10,500)
Sabonis only sees marginal bumps to his usage rate (22.8%) and FPTS/min rate (1.35) with De'Aaron Fox off the floor, but he's too cheap (on FanDuel), and this game environment is too juicy not to want to get to the stud big man in DFS lineups tonight. The Kings need him to be the focal point of their offense to succeed, and that feels like a very appealing situation tonight, with Sacramento facing off against the short-handed Pelicans on the road. They're already missing Zion, but it's looking like they will also be without their veteran enforcer down low in Valanciunas, as he's on the "doubtful" side of questionable as things currently stand. The Pelicans have allowed the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing centers over their last seven games.
Also consider: Jaden McDaniels, Harrison Barnes, Chris Boucher, John Konchar, Jaren Jackson Jr., Kyle Anderson
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Nikola Jokic, vs. MIN (FD: $11,600, DK: $11,400)
We're running it back with the reigning two-time MVP tonight against the Wolves. Jokic had a "down game" against the Hawks last night as he "only" put up 59.5 DK points, but that was enough to exceed 5x value at his salary, and it's unlikely that we see another game like that out of him tonight.
He only took eight shots and had five turnovers in the blowout win as teammate Jamal Murray took his turn to light up the scoreboard. I expect Joker to revert to his typical dominant self tonight against a suspect Wolves frontcourt that has allowed the eighth-most fantasy points per game to centers over their last 15 games. He destroyed this team with 69.25 DK points back on January 18, posting an insane 31/11/13/1 line over 31 minutes of action.
Also consider: Guillermo Hernangomez, Isaiah Hartenstein, Rudy Gobert
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