RADIO
Anytime that the Brooklyn Nets pop up on the schedule, fantasy managers take notice. None of the Big 3 -- Kevin Durant, James Harden, Kyrie Irving -- is listed below as a targeted choice, but with the points total of their contest versus Toronto checking in at a gargantuan 242.5 as of Thursday night, it’s safe to say that offense is on tap.
Those won’t be the only mega-priced stars available Friday. Giannis Antetokounmpo is up for grabs, and is he ever really a poor play? League-leading scorer Bradley Beal (34.8 PPG) takes the floor in South Beach (again) in a potential preview of where his future may lie; he dropped 32 against the Heat on Wednesday. In short, snag your favorite star and settle in for a jam-packed Friday with staggered start times, primetime collisions, and … seeing if Minnesota and Detroit can avoid falling to 1-10 on the road to begin their respective seasons.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 2/5/21. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. With COVID-19 a significant factor globally, remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before line-up lock.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Fred Vanvleet - PG/SG, TOR @ BKN ($7,900)
Now we’re not saying that VanVleet can match his career-high 54-point explosion from Tuesday, but his price tag not skyrocketing with urgency is a head scratcher. VanVleet’s highest and lowest DK points total since Opening Night coming in back-to-back games would indicate that he’s a highly volatile GPP play Friday, but he has exceeded value in three of his last four games and reached the 40-point plateau in seven of his last 10 games.
Then there’s the Nets’ defense. While they came out of the gates looking lockdown, they’ve vacillated between hapless and stingy ever since. They represent one of the eight teams in the league with a defensive efficiency exceeding 110, with opposing members of the backcourt particularly excelling.
Hamidou Diallo - SG/SF, OKC vs. MIN ($5,200)
There’s little reason to backoff Diallo with the OKC backcourt even more ravaged by injuries than the last time that we saw them. With Luguentz Dort (knee) joining Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (knee) and George Hill (thumb) on the sidelines, the available Thunder guards will consist of Diallo, Theo Maledon, Kenrich Williams … and that’s about it.
As we’ll expand upon below, the Timberwolves’ defense is in a perilous spot. With Diallo having reeled off six straight games of scoring in double figures without attempting more than nine shots in any contest, his upside leaps off the page, especially in the wake of his season-high 33 minutes played Wednesday.
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DraftKings DFS Forwards
Jimmy Butler - SF, MIA vs. WAS ($8,300)
Butler has taken his trademark intense game play and revved it up a few more notches since returning from the league’s health and safety protocols last Saturday. Having taken double-digit free throws in each of his three most recent outings, he has averaged 24.7 points, 8.0 rebounds, and 7.3 assists in that span.
Washington’s pace (a league-high 106.3) and defensive efficiency (113.9) make them DFS darlings to target due to opponents’ propensity for sterling efforts. The last time that Butler and the Wizards faced off back on Jan. 9, Miami’s All-Star went for 26 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists.
Norman Powell - SG/SF, TOR @ BKN ($6,700)
When Powell starts, he gets buckets. Not even a two-game layoff (not to mention VanVleet’s 54-point eruption) was enough to stunt his five-game stretch of hitting the 20-point plateau.
With OG Anunoby (calf) down, Powell has started at the small forward slot and used his added time on the floor to hoist an average of 16.6 shots over his last five games, knocking down threes at a 42.1 percent clip. With 3.6 boards and 3.2 assists on a nightly basis in that span, his price tag has still not caught up to his production, particularly for a contest that could turn into a track meet.
Thaddeus Young - PF/C, CHI @ ORL ($6,200)
Young has been an extremely solid player for over a decade in the league, so maybe his recent four-game eruption shouldn’t come as a surprise. But with head coach Billy Donovan forced to get creative without Wendell Carter Jr. (quad) at his disposal, Young has suddenly turned into a passing maestro who combined for 28 assists across three games from Jan. 25-Monday. On Wednesday against the Knicks -- who are allowing the second-fewest PPG (104.1) this year -- Young dropped a season-best 19 points on 9-for-11 shooting.
Young’s price tag Friday feels as if he has reached his ceiling, even in the wake of four straight outings that have far exceeded his value. The presence of Zach LaVine, Lauri Markkanen, and Coby White keeps him from becoming a significant scoring threat, but the veteran has shown an adeptness at multi-category contributions that tosses him into play in any format.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Deandre Ayton - C, PHO vs. DET ($7,100)
Rebounds have become the impetus for Ayton’s breakout season. Having logged double-digit boards in nine straight contests entering Friday, Ayton has also averaged 16.2 PPG in that stretch to help establish him with one of the center position’s most stable floors. The last time that Ayton clashed with Detroit this season, he walked away with 14 points and 13 boards.
Ayton’s recent cavalcade of rebounding excellence has stemmed primarily from his relentlessness on the offensive glass. He has snared at least four o-boards in eight of his last nine games; the Pistons boast the eighth-lowest defensive rebounding rate (76.6), which is sure to be problematic. While his role in Phoenix’s offense keeps Ayton off most GPP lineups, he is coming off a stretch of having secured at least 13 rebounds in 11 of 12 games from Jan. 6-Feb. 1.
Al Horford - C, OKC vs. MIN ($6,100)
Since making his return on Jan. 27, Horford has averaged 37.4 DK points per outing. He remains in a particularly strong spot Friday -- even as his minutes total has averaged just 26.9 per night in that span -- largely due to the Thunder’s absence of scoring options. Gilgeous-Alexander remaining on the sidelines gives the veteran big man an added role as a passer, as well as a heavier reliance on scoring.
While all of the above is a terrific reason to consider Horford, the fact that no defense in the NBA is allowing more DK points per game to a particular position than Minnesota is to opposing centers makes him one of the slate’s top options. The 63.5 DK PPG that the T-Wolves are conceding also puts Mike Muscala and Isaiah Roby up for consideration, while Horford remains the kingpin.
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