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There are seven games on tap tonight in the NBA, and they seem to be separated by three clear tiers in terms of their daily fantasy appeal. The Grizzlies-Bulls, Nets-Bucks, and Kings-Nuggets matchups are the clear top targets as they all feature implied totals north of 236 points and project as the fastest games on the slate. Those teams also combine to allow the three highest fantasy points allowed per game on the slate, which gives them even more appeal. The Raptors-Hawks and Spurs-Heat games are also worth targeting, though they're a clear step below the upper tier. The Celtics-Pistons and Wizards-Cavaliers affairs are mostly unappealing as they hold implied totals below 215 points, but there are still players to target in those games due to injury situations creating value.
Surprisingly, we aren't waiting on an exhaustive list of injury news for tonight's slate. Goran Dragic is probable to make his Nets debut and veteran George Hill is questionable to make his return to the Bucks lineup, while De'Andre Hunter is probable for the Hawks and Richaun Holmes remains questionable to return for the Kings.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 2/26/22. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our live-updating NBA injury updates tool as the slate can completely change before lineups lock. As always, feel free to follow my Twitter (@RING_DFS) - I post about a variety of things but mainly NBA DFS with my K-Rate and Positional K-Rate model. Let's get to it - good luck RotoBallers!
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DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Trae Young - PG, ATL vs. TOR ($9,500 DK, $9,200 FD)
John Collins will be inactive again tonight, which vaults Young all the way up to the top of the pay-up priority list at the guard position. He had a rough game last time out, shooting 3-for-17 from the field (0-for-5 from three) with a 32.25 DK point finish. It's not a wise bet to expect him to struggle like that again, especially against a Raptors squad playing in the second half of a back-to-back set. He's averaging a sky-high 37.2% usage rate and 1.49 FPTS/min with Collins and Lou Williams off the floor this season. Plugging in his projection of 36 minutes with those rates results in a 53.6 DK point night, which would be well over 5x value. The Raptors are stingy against opposing point guards, but Young is the type of player who can be the exception and go off in uninviting matchups. He's going to have an abundance of opportunities tonight, and that's obviously something we're highly interested in with a sharpshooter like Young.
Brandon Goodwin - PG, CLE vs. WAS ($4,200 DK, $5,400 FD)
This feels like a necessary evil on a slate that's seemingly lacking value across the board. Rajon Rondo will join Garland and LeVert on the sidelines tonight, which means Goodwin will step in as the primary point guard in an advantageous matchup against the Wizards. He averages a 20.9% usage rate and 0.98 FPTS/min with Rondo, LeVert, Garland, and Rubio off the floor this season, which will work just fine at his DraftKings salary. Goodwin put up 30 DK points over 24 minutes against the Pistons on Thursday, and that was with Rondo still rotating in at the position. Expect at least 30 minutes and a value-smashing night out of the fourth-year guard.
Will Barton - SG/SF, DEN vs. SAC ($5,800 FD) | Better on FanDuel
Barton came out of the All-Star break absolutely swinging as he put up a 31/5/3/1 line for 42.5 FD points in a win over the Kings on Thursday. His price jumped considerably on DraftKings for tonight, but he's still at a very reasonable salary over on FanDuel and can be used as a mid-range option who has the potential to continue crushing value at this tag. The primary reasoning here is that he'll be squaring off against the Kings again, a team that has allowed the most fantasy points per game to opposing shooting guards and the fourth-most fantasy points per game overall. They play at the eighth-fastest pace in the NBA and hold the second-worst defensive rating - all of this adds up to Barton being underpriced for his expected production tonight.
Others to consider: Kevin Huerter ($4,500 DK), Zach LaVine ($7,800 FD), Devin Vassell ($5,100 DK), Monte Morris ($5,200 DK), Gary Trent Jr. ($6,500 DK), Lonnie Walker IV ($4,100 DK), Grayson Allen ($4,000 FD)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Scottie Barnes - SF/PF, TOR vs. ATL ($5,600 DK, $5,900 FD)
Barnes crushed in his first game after the All-Star Break, posting a solid 28/5/1/2 line for 38.25 DK points in a blowout loss to the Hornets last night. He shot 13-for-18 from the floor with OG Anunoby inactive, and if he's going to have a similar role tonight, he will be putting up a useful line against the defensively-challenged Hawks. He only sees a .06 FPTS/min bump with Anunoby off the floor, but his form from last night is too tantalizing to pass up at his cheap salary point. The positional matchup is solid, too, as the Hawks allow the 10th-most fantasy points per game to opposing small forwards this season and the third-most over their last seven games. There's not a ton to love at the forward positions on this slate, but Barnes is absolutely in the mix and he could spike for a ceiling game here.
Kevin Love - PF/C, CLE vs. WAS ($5,600 DK, 4,800 FD) | Better on FanDuel, GPP-only
While I like taking shots on him a lot better over at a very-shallow PF position on FanDuel, he's in play at an elevated price on DraftKings as well with the situation he finds himself in. He has had some lineup-crushing floor games recently as his minutes have fluctuated significantly, but he's still a guy who can put up 30+ FD points in his sleep as long as he is given minutes in the low-to-mid-20's. He leads the team in usage rate (27.9%) and FPTS/min (1.33) with Rondo, LeVert, Sexton, Garland, and Rubio off the floor (225 minutes), so the upside is obviously immense here. It's not a good game environment at all, but Love is entirely too cheap for what he can do if - and it's a big if - he gets requisite playing time.
Domantas Sabonis - PF/C, SAC vs. DEN ($9,400 DK, $9,600 FD)
Went bonkers with 62.5 DK points over 37 minutes when these two squads faced off on Thursday. There's no reason why he can't put up a similar performance tonight. The Nuggets have allowed the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing power forwards over their last 15 games.
Jarrett Allen - PF/C, CLE vs. WAS ($6,800 FD)
Others to consider: Thaddeus Young ($3,200 DK), Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,800 DK, $11,700 FD), Danilo Gallinari ($5,100 DK, $5,000 FD), Jaren Jackson Jr. ($7,100 DK, $7,100 FD) Evan Mobley ($6,800 DK, $7,500 FD), Cedi Osman ($3,900 DK, $3,900 FD), Javonte Green ($4,000 DK), James Johnson ($4,100 DK, $4,200 FD)
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Nikola Jokic - C, DEN vs. SAC ($12,000 DK, $11,500 FD)
Jokic finds himself in one of the top game environments on the slate and his team holds the second-highest implied total. This is basically a free square tonight. He has put up one subpar game (43.75 DK points) recently where his minutes were cut short due to a blowout, but aside from that, his floor has been in the 60 DK point range. He needs exactly 60 DK points to hit 5x value tonight, so having that as a floor feels like a good thing. The Kings are absolutely helpless against opposing centers, allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to the position for the season and the most over their last 15 games. Jokic has recorded 65 and 66 DK points against them this season, and there's room for a whole lot more as the only player in the NBA who has hit the 90 DK point milestone this season. Make Jokic a core piece of your builds tonight and don't think twice.
Daniel Gafford - C, WAS vs. CLE ($3,100 DK, $3,700 FD)
Gafford is horribly underpriced, especially over on DraftKings where we can roster two centers. He started over the ailing Thomas Bryant last night and played a whopping 29 minutes, which resulted in him putting up an impressive 30.5 DK points. His salary somehow dropped by $300 on DraftKings, and unless we get word that Bryant is going to start over him tonight, we have to roll Gafford back out there as a locked-in value option. He averages a solid 1.04 FPTS/min on the season, so it was always just a matter of getting him enough minutes for his game to shine through. The game environment is bad and the Cavs do a good job defending opposing bigs, but value this good is hard to come across.
Others to consider: Jarrett Allen ($7,500 DK, $6,800 FD), Steven Adams ($5,400 DK), Clint Capela ($6,600 DK, $6,500 FD)
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