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NBA DFS sleepers and values plays for DraftKings and FanDuel on February 8, 2023. Juan Carlos Blanco gives you his top NBA DFS picks and lineup targets.
We're set for a nine-game Wednesday night slate in the wake of LeBron James' momentous achievement Tuesday, yet tonight's array of contests could ultimately produce even more headlines. There's Kyrie Irving's debut in Dallas for a marquee matchup against the Clippers, but the early portion of the ledger may house the most compelling battle of the night -- a 76ers-Celtics clash at TD Garden.
With 16 teams in action, there is no shortage of attractive players across the salary cap in strong matchups, which should make for a very intriguing night of lineup construction.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for the respective main slates on DraftKings and FanDuel on 2/8/23. Remember to monitor the NBA injury report as the slate can completely change before lineups lock, which is at 7:00 pm ET. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Fred VanVleet - PG/SG, TOR vs. SAS ($9,100 DK, $8,900 FD)
VanVleet has been on quite a tear for multiple weeks, and his matchup Wednesday is about as attractive as it gets in terms of his chances for another explosive performance. The veteran guard is averaging 27.1 points (with 41.5 percent three-point shooting), 7.5 assists, 5.2 rebounds, and 1.8 steals across his last 10 games, eclipsing 60 DK points on three occasions and 60 FD points twice within that sample.
The Spurs have allowed an NBA-high offensive efficiency rating to point guards (31.7), along with over 50 fantasy points per game to the position. San Antonio is also yielding the fourth-most assists per road game (27.3), along with an NBA-high 42.3 percent three-point shooting when traveling as well -- two more key vulnerabilities VanVleet is very capable of exploiting.
Darius Garland - PG/SG, CLE vs. DET ($8,300 DK, $8,200 FD)
Garland scored just under 40 fantasy points on either site in his first meeting with the Pistons this season, and Detroit continues to be one of the most generous teams in the league to point guards. The star point guard has been at his best at home all season, shooting 50.9 percent, including 45.4 percent from behind the arc, across 23 home games while averaging 44.3 DK points per contest there.
Detroit is allowing the third-highest offensive efficiency rating to point guards (29.4), along with the second-most DK (52.4) and FD (51.7) points per game to the position. What's more, the Pistons have been even more generous of late, conceding 61 DK/58.9 FD points per game to PGs in the last seven games. Meanwhile, Garland has averaged well over 40 fantasy points on either site over the last 12 games while shooting 49.3 percent, including 46.6 percent from three-point range.
Jalen Green - SG/PG, HOU vs. SAC ($6,800 DK, $6,900 FD)
A couple of recent modest performances have served to drop Green's salaries, which makes him a highly appealing play based on the fact he's clearly capable of overdelivering on them. In fact, Green just put up 41.3 DK/40.1 FD points against the same Kings squad he'll face again Wednesday, and he's delivered at least a 5x return on his current DK salary on 26 occasions and on his current FD salary in 19 instances. Green is also averaging over 35 fantasy points per contest at home, and he's clocking just under 40 in three previous encounters versus Sacramento.
The Kings have allowed an NBA-high 26.0 offensive efficiency rating to shooting guards, along with 48.1 percent shooting, including 39.0 percent from three-point range. Sacramento is also allowing elevated 44.4 percent three-point shooting in the last three games, while Green has drained an impressive 38.5 percent from distance over the last nine contests.
ALSO CONSIDER: Jordan Poole - PG/SG, GSW vs. OKC ($7,100 DK, $7,600 FD); Gabe Vincent - PG/SG, MIA vs. IND ($4,300 DK, $4,200 FD)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Jayson Tatum - SF/PF, BOS vs. PHI ($11,200 DK, $11,000 FD)
Tatum bounced back from a poor shooting performance against the Suns on Friday to touch up the Pistons for 60.3 DK/56.2 FD points on Monday. The star forward has now eclipsed 50 DK and FD points in five of the last six games, a span during which he's putting up a stellar 30.2 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 5.0 assists. He now faces a 76ers team that is likely going to force him to play heavy minutes and that he already generated 61 DK/58.4 FD points in one prior outing.
Philadelphia has had trouble slowing down power forwards all season, giving up the 11th-highest offensive efficiency rating to fours (26.8) and 49.6 percent shooting to the position. The Sixers are also giving up over 47 DK and over 44 FD points per game to PFs, while Tatum has been at his best at home with averages of 32.2 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.3 steals in 25 games at TD Garden.
Klay Thompson - SF/SG, GSW at POR ($7,900 DK, $7,800 FD)
Thompson went off for 42 points Monday in the first game of Stephen Curry's current absence due to a lower leg injury, once again stepping up without his star backcourt mate on the floor as he's already done on multiple occasions this season. The veteran sharpshooter is now averaging 27.2 points, 4.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 10 games without Curry following Monday's breakout effort, and he draws a matchup that could well be conducive to another productive performance Wednesday.
The Trail Blazers are allowing 38.1 percent three-point shooting to two-guards, as well as the fifth-most DK points per game to the position in the last seven contests (45.9). Thompson has also eclipsed 40 DK points on three occasions in the eight games prior to Monday and had been over that mark twice over that span on FD, giving him no shortage of appeal at his salaries.
Keegan Murray - PF, SAC at HOU ($5,500 DK, $5,400 FD)
Murray can certainly be a rollercoaster to roster at times, with perhaps no more fitting example than his last two games. The rookie just racked up 46.5 DK/43.7 FD points during the first game of a back-to-back set against the same Rockets squad he'll face again Wednesday, but he'd tallied all of 7.5 DK/6.3 FD points over 26 minutes just 24 hours earlier versus the Pelicans.
However, the Rockets are giving up the fourth-highest offensive efficiency rating to power forwards (28.1), along with over 46 DK and over 47 FD points per contest to fours in the last 15 games. Houston has also allowed 37.0 percent three-point shooting, including 45.2 percent over the last three games, while Murray is draining an excellent 41.3 percent of his attempts from distance, including 44 percent in the last 11 contests.
ALSO CONSIDER: - Pascal Siakam - PF/C, TOR vs. SAS ($9,400 DK, $8,600 FD)
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Bam Adebayo - C/PF, MIA vs. IND ($8,900 DK, $8,700 FD)
As has often been the case this season, Adebayo can be had at a discount over some of the top-tier centers, yet he arguably brings nearly as much upside as any of them and is in a matchup versus a Pacers team he's already enjoyed plenty of success against this season. Adebayo also checks in on a heater, having put up 21.6 points, 10.2 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.6 steals across his last 12 games while averaging well over 40 fantasy points per contest on each site during the sample.
Indiana is tied for the eighth-highest offensive efficiency rating surrendered to centers (33.4), along with over 57 DK and over 56 FD points per game to the position. The Pacers are also yielding the third-most rebounds per road game (54.5) and a robust 50.4 points in the paint per contest when traveling as well, two more metrics that certainly portend a productive night for Adebayo.
Mason Plumlee - C, CHA at WAS ($6,600 DK, $7,000 FD)
Plumlee is enjoying a career-best season and not really showing signs of slowing down, already putting up at least 30 DK points in 14 of 18 games since the calendar flipped to 2023 and on 13 instances in the same span. The big man has been a more productive player on the road as well, putting up 31.9 DK/31.5 FD points per game in 31 contests, and he's averaging 30.7 DK points against the Wizards in three prior meetings this season.
Washington checks in ranked No. 18 in offensive efficiency rating surrendered to centers (32.2) and is giving up over 54 fantasy points per game to the position over the last seven contests. Plumlee's previous success in this matchup and modest salaries for his upside keep him firmly in play at the mid-range level Wednesday.
Daniel Gafford - C, WAS vs. CHA ($5,400 DK, $6,000 FD)
Gafford is also a fine play on the other side of the Wizards-Hornets tilt, as Plumlee is not a good defender and has already had some significant trouble against the Wizards' young big this season. Gafford scored 40 DK/43.9 FD points across 24 minutes against the Hornets back on December 2, and he checks in averaging 32.4 DK/33.5 FD points over the last four games on the strength of 12.8 points, 9.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 2.5 blocks during that span.
Charlotte continues to struggle with centers, surrendering the third-highest offensive efficiency rating to the position (35.7) for the season, along with an NBA-high 59.7 DK and 58.9 FD points per game to fives on the campaign as well. What's more, Charlotte is allowing the second-most rebounds (54.7), 11th-most points in the paint (51.5) and most blocks (6.0) per road game, all numbers that certainly work in Gafford's favor.
ALSO CONSIDER: Domantas Sabonis - C/PF, SAC at HOU ($10,300 DK, $9,500 FD)
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