DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks (2/22/21): NBA DFS Lineups

February 22, 2021

The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on February 22, 2021. Eric Moody provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.

The NBA schedule has six games on the main slate for Monday night. One game you'll want exposure to is the Portland Trailblazers versus the Phoenix Suns. This matchup has a total of 230 points. Here are three tips on how to attack the overall slate when assembling lineups.

First of all, it’s important to look at the pace and Vegas lines. Second, it’s also useful to understand the number of fantasy points a team gives up to a specific position. The final tip is to identify value plays that are critical on a slate of any size. You don’t have to necessarily go for the cheapest value, but you want to identify players who have a high floor and a high ceiling. 

This article will supply you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for the DraftKings on 2/22/21. You can also check out today’s FanDuel lineup picks. It’s also important to monitor injury news as a result of COVID-19 as the slate can completely change before line-up lock. Without further ado, let’s dive into the picks! 

DraftKings DFS Guards

LeBron James - PG/SF, LAL vs. WAS ($10,400)

Last Saturday James scored 19 points, accumulated nine rebounds and nine assists against the Heat. He only made seven of 21 field goals. James is listed as probable for tonight's game against Washington with an ankle injury. It would be a surprise if he's inactive. James has the ninth highest Usage Rate among all players. This metric is an estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while he was on the floor. James faces a Wizards team that has allowed the third-most DraftKings fantasy points to point guards and small forwards.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - PG/SG, OKC vs. MIA ($8,400)

Gilgeous-Alexander scored 31 points, accumulated nine assists, four rebounds, and one steal over 36 minutes against the Cavaliers last night. He's been on fire since returning from his knee injury. Gilgeous-Alexander has averaged 22.3 points and 6.7 assists per game over his last three games. He's a nice value against the Heat tonight.

Ja Morant - PG, MEM vs. DAL ($7,500)

Morant disappointed fantasy players last Saturday against the Suns. He only scored 12 points, accumulated five rebounds, five assists, and a steal. Did you know that this was his lowest fantasy point total since January 16th? Morant has a Usage Rate of 29% this season and is in a great position to bounce back tonight against the Mavericks.

Bonus Guards: Zach LaVine ($9,500), John Wall ($8,000), Chris Paul ($7,800)

Want more NBA DFS tools and content? Our NBA Premium package includes our daily DFS Cheat Sheets, Research Station, Optimizer, and access to our Premium Slack Chatrooms where members can chat with our NBA analysts. Check out this recent big win from RotoBaller premium member Bsuperak on FanDuel - join in on the winning!

DraftKings DFS Forwards

Jimmy Butler - SF, MIA vs OKC ($9,200)

Butler scored 24 points, accumulated eight rebounds, five assists, and two steals in 34 minutes against the Lakers last Saturday. Since returning on January 30th he's had seven games with 50 or more DraftKings fantasy points. The only other forward with a higher ceiling on tonight's slate is James.

Gordon Hayward - SF/PF, CHA vs. UTA ($7,100)

Hayward returned from his one-game absence due to a back injury with 13 points, seven rebounds, two steals, and an assist in 33 minutes against the Warriors last Saturday. He looked rusty against Golden State, but Hayward is in a good spot to bounce back against the Jazz. He has the 11th highest Usage Rate (25%) and 10th highest Player Efficiency Rating (22.6) among small forwards. The PER metric sums up all a player's positive accomplishments, subtracts the negative accomplishments, and returns a per-minute rating of a player's performance.

Kyle Anderson - SF/PF, MEM vs. DAL ($6,600)

Anderson was out for rest on the second half of a back-to-back last Saturday against the Suns. He's averaged 26 minutes, 15.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.6 steals, 0.7 blocks, and one turnover over the last 12 games. Anderson is one of my favorite values on the slate.

Bonus Forwards: Kristaps Porzingis ($8,500), Jae'sean Tate ($5,900), Darius Bazley ($5,600), Brandon Clarke ($5,500)

DraftKings DFS Centers

Bam Adebayo - C, MIA vs OKC ($8,800)

Adebayo scored 16 points, accumulated 10 rebounds, six assists, two steals, and a blocked shot in 36 minutes against the Lakers last Saturday. Adebayo has the ninth highest Usage Rate (24.5%) among centers. He's had five double-doubles in the last six games. Adebayo faces an Oklahoma City defense that has allowed the seventh-most DraftKings fantasy points to centers this season.

Rudy Gobert - C, UTA vs CHA ($7,400)

Last Friday Gobert scored eight points, accumulated 15 rebounds, and one assist against Los Angeles. This performance was a bit of a letdown after he scored 23 points and snagged 20 rebounds against the Clippers back on February 17th. Gobert has a nice matchup against the Hornets on Monday night. Charlotte has allowed the ninth most DraftKings fantasy points to centers.

Bonus Centers: Jonas Valanciunas ($7,200), Enes Kanter ($7,000), Deandre Ayton ($6,900)

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis