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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on February 22, 2020. Dan Palyo provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
Welcome back to RotoBaller, your source for all things fantasy sports! I hope you had a profitable Friday night and caught my FanDuel picks yesterday. I switch over to Draftkings for the weekend and I'm psyched for this six-game Saturday night slate that we have on tap in the NBA!
One game that really jumps off the page tonight is the Atlanta-Dallas matchup which opened with a 239 Vegas total. Two of the bigger superstars on this slate are both in that game as Trae Young will take on Luka Doncic in what could be a very fast-paced and high scoring affair. The other game I have my eyes on is the Eastern Conference showdown between the Milwaukee Buck and Philadelphia 76ers. There is some star power in that one, too, as Giannis Antetokounmpo and Joel Embiid are potential targets who have played well against each other in the past.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 2/22/20. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. Find me on Twitter @ThunderDanDFS where I am usually tweeting about fantasy sports and DFS. Remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before line-up lock.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Luka Doncic - PG, DAL @ ATL ($10,200)
Something weird happened with the DK algorithm since Luka's price down today despite the matchup getting significantly better against a poor defensive team in Atlanta. This is not a spot that I want to fade, even at high ownership. Luka put up 62 DK points last night in his first action since the All-Star Break and could easily match or surpass that number tonight in a better game environment. Don't overthink this one, just lock in Luka as the first player in your lineup. There should be enough value to fit him in with a number of other high end plays.
Russell Westbrook - PG, HOU @ UTA ($9,800)
I usually wouldn't write up two high-priced guards in the same article, but like I just said, I think there is plenty of value on this slate with the way that DK did pricing to easily fit Westy and Luka together if you want to do it. Westbrook was absolutely rolling before the break and was having another solid game against the Warriors before being ejected from that game on Thursday night. His price is back down under 10k which makes him one of the best point-per-dollar values of any stud on the slate. This matchup against Utah is an excellent one, too. Many think of Utah as an elite defensive team, but that's far from the truth. They have been getting worse on defense as the season has gone along and were victimized by another point guard just last night as Dejounte Murray had a huge game. With Utah on a back-to-back, they should struggle to defend the high-octane Houston offense and therefore I want some exposure to Westy and maybe even his buddy Harden tonight.
Coby White - PG/SG, CHI vs. PHO ($4,700)
The Bulls are on the teams we can eye for value tonight as they should once again be pretty shorthanded and forced to run a fairly tight rotation. White was a bit of a letdown on Thursday night when he only managed to score 17.5 DK points, however, he did play 30 minutes in that game and his poor shooting (3-11 from the field, 0-5 from downtown) is mainly to blame for the dud. I have no problem going back to him tonight in a much better matchup against a bad Phoenix defense that gave up 118 points to the Raptors last night. This is a pace-up spot for the Bulls and therefore they should get some extra possessions and shots up tonight. I like White as one of the best values on the slate at the guard position.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Cody Zeller - PF/C, CHA vs. BKN ($4,700)
Zeller is PF eligible tonight, which is awesome because it gives us a chance to play another center in our lineups without using the C or UTIL slot. Cody is a solid per-minute producer and has seen his role with the Hornets solidify lately despite the fact that Charlotte's rotations have been a bit of a mess in the first half of the season. He played 22 minutes in the Hornets' last game before the break and then 25 minutes in Thursday's game against Chicago and was very productive with 35 DK points. The matchup here is solid on both sides for big men as Brooklyn and Charlotte are both teams I target with centers often. Don't sleep on his teammate P.J. Washington at the same exact price, either.
Dorian Finney-Smith - SF/PF, DAL @ ATL ($4,600)
Small forward is a tough spot here on this slate unless you are paying up for Giannis. But there are plenty of sub-5k options who are GPP-viable. DFS happens to be my favorite one tonight. He has been playing heavy minutes for Dallas this season and despite being a low usage player who doesn't take many shots, he's still able to carve out productivity due to his ability to rebound, defend, and hit the occasional open three-pointer. The reason I like him so much tonight is the paced-up environment of this game. The Hawks play fast and loose and are notorious for turning the ball over. That plays right into DFS's strengths and he could easily rack up 8-10 DK points just on blocks and steals in this one.
Thaddeus Young - PF, CHI vs. PHX ($5,600)
While there are some riskier GPP guys that I also like here in Daniel Gafford and Shaq Harrison, I am going to lock and load Thad Young into one of my forward slots instead. He played a whopping 36 minutes on Thursday night as the Bulls simply don't have any other reliable options at the PF position and posted 46 DK points. It might feel like point-chasing a bit here since he hadn't put up over 30 DK points more than once in weeks, but the situation in Chicago has changed with Chandler Hutchinson and Kris Dunn both out. Thad should have to play heavy minutes again tonight and I like him to score at least 30 DK points in a good matchup against the Suns.
DraftKings DFS Centers
DeAndre Jordan - C, BKN @ CHA ($5,500)
DJ is slowly winning the majority of the center minutes in his timeshare with Jarrett Allen at the position. While he comes off the bench, he's played more minutes than Allen in five straight games and is simply being more productive. He has three 40 DK point performances in his last four games and one of the best matchups for big men on the slate as the Hornets have been horrible at defending the center position all season long. Target big men in pace-down matchups like this one and save the guards for pace-up spots.
