FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Sunday 2/9/20

If you're new to daily fantasy basketball -- maybe you started your DFS journey during the MLB or NFL seasons, or maybe basketball is your sport and this will be your first year giving it a shot -- you're in for a treat. The NBA scene changes on a week-to-week, day-to-day, and -- depending on injury news -- even a minute-to-minute basis, making every slate a unique one that requires an ever-changing approach.

With so much changing so quickly, we're here with plenty of tools to help you out. We have daily projections, a matchup heat map, a lineup optimizer, and a bunch of other great resources to help give you an edge.

Daily fantasy NBA is very reliant on opportunity, so you'll need to make sure that you're up-to-date with key injuries. Our projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news, we have player news updates, and the FanDuel Scout app will send push notifications for pressing updates regarding your players.

We'll also be coming at you with this primer every day, breaking down a few of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's break down today's main slate:

The Slate

It is important to note the missing totals on NBA odds as we await news on several key players, including the possibly resting Los Angeles Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard and Houston Rockets guard Russell Westbrook.

Point Guard

Damian Lillard ($9,900): Given his recent production, Lillard finds himself at a reasonable price tag at just under $10,000. He has been incredibly hot over his last five games, averaging 58.04 FanDuel points in that span. His peripherals would hint the production is here to stay, as he has taken 26.4 shots per game over the past five and is averaging a very high 37.2 minutes per game in that time. Lillard faces a tough Miami Heat team, but it's one he torched for 34 points back in January.

Kendrick Nunn ($4,900): There will be a Miami flavor to the helper, as they will once again be without ball-dominant guards Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro, but the FanDuel pricing model has not drastically changed to reflect such a large shift in usage. It's also helpful that they match up with the Portland Trail Blazers, whom they faced without Jimmy Butler just last month. Goran Dragic showed out in that game for 29 points and 13 assists, but Nunn could be the one to break out tonight. From the point guard spot, Nunn should start and see heavy minutes, as he was on the floor for 34 minutes of Friday's bout with the Sacramento Kings.

Other Notable Picks: Ja Morant ($6,200), Mike Conley ($5,600), Goran Dragic ($5,300)

Shooting Guard

Donovan Mitchell ($7,100): The Utah Jazz see a gigantic pace increase against the Houston Rockets, and therefore their leading scorer is a great place to start. Some might say Mike Conley has taken away from Donovan Mitchell's usage, but with the usage rate relatively unchanged, Mitchell has still attempted a large amount of shots with Conley back, posting an average of 20.3 shots over the last three games. Mitchell's dominant role will provide him with a great avenue to points against Houston, who give up the fifth-most field goals per game in the NBA.

Duncan Robinson ($4,700): With Butler and Herro out , Duncan Robinson has been seeing a ton of minutes. Over the last three contests, he has played 37.0 per game, including 42 on Friday against Sacramento. As a young player, his role in the rotation also appears to be blowout-proof, which is a plus for a shorthanded Heat team with volatile scoring options. Robinson has parlayed that into points, averaging 16.0 per game in the same stretch, which makes him an incredibly high-floor value play.

Other Notable Picks: Bradley Beal ($10,300), Dillon Brooks ($5,500), Louis Williams ($5,400)

Small Forward

Paul George ($8,600): If Kawhi Leonard rests, as he notoriously has in back-to-back situations, Paul George should be the go-to scoring option for the Clippers on Sunday. George will be popular, as would be expected with his co-star out, and his usage does greatly spike to 34.4% sans Kawhi. He should be worth this price tag if he sees big minutes, but his place in the rotation right now is slightly questionable due to blowouts and returning from injury five games ago. Without many other stars seeing usage or pace increases, heavily consider George if Leonard sits.

Tobias Harris ($6,600): Speaking of usage increases, Tobias Harris could be in line for a monster role in the Philadelphia 76ers' frontcourt on Sunday, as Joel Embiid is questionable with a neck injury, and Al Horford continues to struggle through an Achilles injury. If both miss, Kyle O'Quinn and Norvel Pelle Jr. become high-risk, high-reward value plays, but Harris will definitely see his minutes against a weak Chicago Bulls team that has given up the ninth-most rebounds in the NBA and fifth-most FanDuel points to opposing small forwards.

Other Notable Picks: Derrick Jones Jr. ($5,200), Danuel House Jr. ($5,200), Carmelo Anthony ($4,900)

Power Forward

Bam Adebayo ($8,000): As Miami's other All-Star, Bam sees a larger workload on the offensive end when Jimmy Butler misses time. In the three games without Butler, Adebayo is averaging 22.68 points and 13.7 shots. Adebayo will always be a factor grabbing boards as the league's ninth-leading rebounder, and that should be tremendous news against a Portland team that is dead last in the association in opponent rebounds allowed.

Rui Hachimura ($4,800): A warm welcome back to the Washington Wizards' frontcourt! It seemed like months ago that the Wizards were alternating wings around Bradley Beal, but Rui Hachimura and Moritz Wagner returned from injury two games ago, and Hachimura is already producing. In the two games since coming back, Rui has entered the starting lineup, averaging 14.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in 27.5 minutes per game. In this matchup between two top teams in pace, having an athletic rebounder like Hachimura could have tremendous double-double upside.

Other Notable Picks: John Collins ($7,800), Thaddeus Young ($5,700), JaMychal Green ($3,600)

Center

Jonas Valanciunas ($7,000): Another double-double threat in the Memphis Grizzlies/Washington Wizards game is Jonas Valanciunas at the center spot for the Grizz. Touting JV in this spot has less to do with his role, which has remained hovering around his season-long mark of 28 minutes in February, but seemingly phasing out Jaren Jackson Jr. in the rotation, who is down to 25.5 minutes per game in his last four contests. Combining that information with playing a Wizards squad allowing the fifth most points in the paint, and the upside is clearly visible for Valanciunas in this one.

Other Notable Picks: Hassan Whiteside ($8,300), P.J. Tucker ($4,500)

Austin Swaim is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Austin Swaim also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username ASwaim3. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.