We have a beautiful nine game NBA DFS slate on tap for tonight. Headlined by two TNT games, and let’s just say, you won’t be waking up to re-runs of Charmed. These games are too good to fall asleep to. Let’s get into it!
Playing NBA DFS can be incredibly rewarding, but it can also make your head spin. It’s our job to make sure you’re winning as much as possible! There are countless variables that can lead to a player’s individual performance, but I’ve found it’s best to focus on just a few that can lead to better predictability.
My favorite factors to track for NBA DFS targets: Matchups (Offensive/Defensive Ratings), Opportunity (expected player minutes, game pace), and Recent Form.
This is the AM VERSION of a living article that will be updated throughout the day, as news comes through the wire.
LET’S GET INTO THE SLATE!!!!
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NBA DFS Targets and Preview for Feb. 23
Wizards vs. Clippers (-11); Total 233.5
My Wiz are rolling lately. I’m talkin’ five straight wins, rolling. Regardless of their recent form, I think the Clippers are going to be too much to handle. At least against the Lakers, you only needed to worry about Bron. Clippers have PG and Kawhi. A 2nd ranked offense. The Wiz, “can’t guard a parked car,” according to Brad Beal. I anticipate that’ll be a problem for my squad. I like the Clippers big.
DFS Targets: Wizards targets: The Lakers’ best trait was defense. I think the Wiz will have no problem scoring against the Clippers. I like Beal, Russ, Bertans, and Rui. On the Clippers, I like the entire starting five + Lou Williams for your player pool.
Hawks (-8) vs. Cavaliers; Total 228
The Hawks are 14th in net rating, while the Cavaliers are dead last. The way the Hawks have been playing lately, leads me to believe this will be a blowout. I don’t target potential blowout games, as you never know how fantasy points will be distributed, and starters may only play three quarters.
DFS Targets: Fade.
Pistons vs. Magic (-4); Total 210.5
The Pistons and Magic are 24th and 26th, respectively in net rating. They’re also both in the bottom half of the league for offensive rating, and defensive rating. I don’t know who wins this game, but there’s no reason for anyone to watch it.
DFS Targets: DET targets: Ellington, Grant, and Plumlee. ORL targets: MCW, Fournier, Vucevic, and Ross.
Kings vs. Nets (-6.5); Total 242
I smell a blowout. I don’t even need to give you any stats. The Nets are lethal and KD isn’t even back yet.
DFS Targets: I’d normally fade blowouts, but the usage is almost entirely distributed towards Harden and Kyrie over the past few games. I think they’re both a safe bet to hit their value, even if they only play three quarters against the Kings. Special circumstances.
Warriors (-3) vs. Knicks; Total 220
This is going to be an incredibly interesting game to watch. The Warriors are 5th in the league in defense, while the Knicks are 3rd in the league in defense. Who would’ve guessed that these two teams were going to make their money on the defensive end before the season started? I like the Warriors with Steph back in the mix, but I’m anticipating a low-scoring affair.
DFS Targets: I lean on the stars if I must target a potential low game total. I’d roll with Curry and Randle from this game, but probably won’t select either for any of my lineups on a slate like this.
76ers (-1.5) vs. Raptors; Total 222.5
These two teams are 9th and 8th in net rating, respectively. It’s hard to believe, considering the disparity in records for the two teams. At the end of the day, Ben Simmons has been playing OUT OF HIS MIND the past few games. Joel Embiid is an MVP candidate. Stats be damned, I can’t see a way Toronto pulls this one out. I like Philly.
DFS Targets: PHI targets: Simmons, Embiid, Curry, Harris. TOR targets: FVV, OG, and Siakam. I don’t like Kyle Lowry shares against a big guard like Ben Simmons.
Celtics (-2) vs. Mavericks; Total 224
This is the first of our TNT games on the night. Talk about star power! On the Celtics, we’ve got Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum, and Kemba Walker. On the Mavs, we’ve got Luka “Legend” Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. I could get into a bunch of stats, but at the end of the day, Boston plays average defense, and Dallas doesn’t play any. This is going to be fun to watch, and great for DFS.
DFS Targets: BOS targets: Brown, Tatum, and Walker are the studs. I’m looking at Pritchard, Semi, and NeSmith for value. DAL targets: Luka, Kristaps, Richardson, and Hardaway for value. This could end up being one of the top two or three highest totals of the night.
Timberwolves (-10.5) vs. Bucks; Total 232
I don’t believe there’s a mercy rule in the NBA, but they might institute it for tonight. Wolves are so bad that they’ve fired their head coach, and hired another team’s assistant coach the same night! How do you even prepare for an interview that quickly? I’m not even sure they had him interview. Avoid this game like the plague. It’ll be over by halftime.
DFS Targets: NO!
Trail Blazers vs. Nuggets (-6.5); Total 232
This is our second TNT game of the night, and we’re going to need it to wash out the taste of that Bucks/Wolves game. We’ve got Murray and Jokic on the Nuggets. Jokic has been playing like an MVP all year, and Murray just got into the swing of things recently. On the other hand, we have Dame Lillard, who can legitimately be in the conversation for the best shotmaker in the league. He puts teams on his back. The Blazers don’t really get blown out (except for last night. Sheesh!). The stats support a big win in favor of the Nuggets, but I think we’ll be watching this game until the very end.
DFS Targets: POR targets: Dame, Gary Trent Jr., Covington, Kanter. DEN targets: Jokic, Murray, MPJ, Barton, and Campazzo for value.
Don’t forget to check back later in the day as Bradlee will be updating his NBA DFS preview with all the info you need to turn tonight’s slate into a resounding success!
If you are reading this on Fantrax.com make sure to head on over to FantraxHQ to check out Brad’s afternoon updates.
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