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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on February 8, 2022. John Brubaker provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
Happy Tuesday, RotoBallers! I hope last night's slate of NBA DFS treated you well. I'm continuing to work on my NBA model, trying to gather more information to make sure all of you are as armed as possible going into each slate. Even with the small adjustments I've made so far, it seems to be working. I'm trying to implement different factors to separate cash options against GPP options. I'll continue to keep you all updated with the adjustments I make, and with all of that said, let's get to tonight!
Tonight we have a nice slate, with ten games on tap. With now both FanDuel and DraftKings having multi-position eligibility players, we'll have to attack slates a bit differently to make our lineups as optimal as possible. That's where I come in! I'll look to find my personal top plays and values for tonight's slate. Things can change during the day as well, so I'll do my best to update as news comes out!
Here are my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on 2/8/22. 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
Luka Doncic - vs DET (FD: $11,200, DK: $12,200)
I'll start today's slate with Luka Doncic, the first of four Mavericks I have on my list. The Mavs will be down the trio of Tim Hardaway Jr., Maxi Kleber, and Kristaps Porzingis in this one, three players who tend to play big minutes for Dallas. We can expect a reasonable minute increase for Luka, as I have him projected for 36.9 minutes tonight, over a full minute higher than his season average. Doncic averages 1.81 FanDuel and 1.86 DraftKings points per minute in this situation, and although his price is steep, both of his usage and minutes are amongst the top of the slate and he should dominate the 25th ranked defense in point guard efficiency.
Cole Anthony, at POR (FD: $6,900, DK: $7,000)
We'll head to the west coast for the second play of the night, as the young Magic take on the (rebuilding?) Blazers. The Magic are always shorthanded it seems, and tonight should be no different. I have Anthony projected for 34.1 minutes tonight, and in this situation, he averages 1.02 FanDuel and 1.07 DraftKings points per minute. The Blazers lost two of their best defensive players in Norm Powell and Robert Covington, so it'll be a task for the 14th ranked team in point guard efficiency to slow Anthony down.
Jalen Brunson, vs DET (FD: $5,800, DK: $6,900)
The second Maverick of the night will be Luka Doncic's backcourt partner, Jalen Brunson. Brunson should see a minute increase with the guys out for Dallas, and I have him projected nearly five minutes over his season average at 34.6 minutes. Brunson averages 0.98 FanDuel and 1.02 DraftKings points per minute in this situation and should have a usage around 23% which is great considering he plays next to Luka who himself carries a 35.7% usage. It'll be harder for Brunson to "get there" on DraftKings, but I feel he's a must-play on FanDuel tonight.
Also consider: Marcus Smart (FD: $5,600, DK: $5,100), Patty Mills (FD: $5,700, DK: $5,800)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Chris Duarte, at ATL (FD: $5,000, DK: $5,500)
The Pacers will now be without Caris LeVert, who was traded to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. Duarte had himself an afternoon Sunday following the trade, going for 22 points, five rebounds, and two assists against the Cavs. As always, we can't definitely project a repeat performance here, especially if guys like Malcolm Brogdon and Isaiah Jackson end up playing tonight. However, Sunday was certainly a positive note Duarte. As of now, I have Duarte slated for 30.6 minutes and assuming Brogdon and Jackson end up playing, he's still a 0.91 FanDuel and 0.92 DraftKings point per minute player. He does become a full point per minute player should those two end up being ruled out, and I'll consider him a must-play on both sites should that be the case.
Alperen Sengun, vs ORL (FD: $5,000, DK: $4,500)
Senguuuuuun. Sengun has been playing some solid basketball of late and has hit at least 5x value on both sites in each of his last three games. He's jumped in the starting lineup for Houston, though I wouldn't expect him to play more than 25 minutes. Nevertheless, he's a 1.11 point per minute player on both sites in his current situation. If he can hit that 25-minute range, he should easily be able to hit value. I would stay away in cash of course, but there's definitely solid GPP upside here.
Dorian Finney-Smith, vs DET (FD: $4,200, DK: $5,000)
The third but not the final Dallas player on the list is the DFS man himself. I mentioned him last Wednesday, and he delivered with another "DFS" like performance, logging three points, seven rebounds, and four assists. He's been shooting better of late though, logging double digits in back-to-back games. Finney-Smith is averaging 40.75 minutes per game over his last four games. While I can't see him playing 40+ tonight, as I have him projected at 37.4, he very well could play those minutes and I just can't ignore the potential upside there. I would probably still avoid in cash games, but he's one of my favorite leverage plays of the night.
Also consider: Wendell Carter Jr. (FD: $7,400, DK: $6,800), Jae'Sean Tate (FD: $5,300, DK: $5,100)
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Jonas Valanciunas, vs HOU (FD: $7,200, DK: $8,300)
JoVal has somewhat come down from the absolutely insane form he was in early on in the year, but he's been a consistent, reliable big man for the Pelicans in the absence of Zion Williamson. Fortunately for Valanciunas, he draws a very favorable matchup against the Rockets, who rank dead last in center efficiency. The Pelicans will also be without Willy Hernagomez, JoVal's backup, so he should see some decent minutes unless the Rockets decide to go small for a long period of time. Regardless, I have Valanciunas projected for roughly 32 minutes tonight, and he's a 1.2 FanDuel and 1.23 DraftKings points per minute player.
Dwight Powell, vs DET (FD: $4,600, DK: $4,700)
The final Maverick I have tonight is Dwight Powell. Powell has been a pretty big beneficiary of Kleber and Porzingis missing time, as he's averaged 13/6/2 with five blocks and steals in his last two games. Those have come with a massive minutes boost, as Powell has played 34 and 36 minutes in Dallas' last two games, respectively. Powell is nearly a point-per-minute player with those two and Hardaway all of the floor and draws a solid matchup against Detroit who ranks 21st in center efficiency, providing a solid value center on both sites tonight.
Also consider: Nikola Jokic (FD: $11,500, DK: $12,600), Jusuf Nurkic (FD: $7,700, DK: $8,500)
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