DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Wednesday 2/12/20

With 11 games to choose from on tonight's NBA slate, let's take a look at how to utilize the DFS possibilities.

Here are some of the top plays and sleepers on DraftKings. As always, good luck.

Point Guard

D'Angelo Russell ($8,300) -- Russell had his first game with the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday, scoring 22 points and dishing 5 assists in the loss. He was cash from deep going 4 for 5 (80%), and 7 of 12 from the field (58.3%) overall. As a member of the Golden State Warriors, Russell played 25 minutes versus the Charlotte Hornets earlier in the season and totaled 18 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists. This time around there's much more excitement for Russell after the trade, and he'll take on a lowly Hornets squad that surrendered 121 points to Minnesota earlier this season. The Hornets allow 2.61 made three-pointers (13th) and rank 10th in fantasy points (46.55) per game allowed to point guards. I like Russell's ceiling in this matchup.

Elfrid Payton ($7,500) -- Payton has recorded at least 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists in each of his last six games and has exceeded his fantasy average (29.3) for 11th-straight games. He's averaged 44.15 fantasy points per game over his last five and has led the team in either points, rebounds, or assists in four of those five. The Atlanta Hawks are among the leagues-worst in points (24.70), rebounds (6.81), assists (8.24), steals (1.78), and overall fantasy points allowed per game (49.69). numberFire's model predicts Payton to have another solid all-around performance of 12.2 points, 7.8 assists, and 5.2 rebounds, totaling 34.0 fantasy points.

Shooting Guard

Collin Sexton ($6,200) -- Sexton had six straight games of 20 or more points before scoring 13 against the Clippers on Sunday. Sexton dipped below his fantasy points per game average of 29.6 for the first time in eight games. He registered 25 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists in the first meeting with Atlanta, and the Hawks defense hasn't improved much -- or at all -- since. The Hawks rank 15th in fantasy points per game allowed to point guards (47.50), and Sexton is projected to record 19.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.9 assists for 29.4 fantasy points in tonight's matchup. I’ll back Sexton -- who was just named as a Rising Star Challenge replacement -- to exceed 30 fantasy points in this matchup.

Markelle Fultz ($5,900) -- Fultz has scored double-digits in his last three games and surpassed his 25.6 fantasy average in each of those contests for the Orlando Magic. He's shot over 50% in two of his last three and recorded at least six assists in both of those. This will be the second meeting between the Pistons and Magic this season, and Fultz posted 31 fantasy points on 16 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists in the first one. His usage rating is 16.72% over the last five games, and Detroit has had a problem stopping point guards. Detroit ranks 27th with 8.47 assists allowed per game to the position, as well as 23rd in rebounds (6.62). If Fultz can stay hot, he should be in for another solid all-around performance.

Small Forward

Aaron Gordon ($6,900) -- Gordon is averaging 39.1 fantasy points over his last five games and is coming off a 46-point performance versus Atlanta on Monday. Gordon has recorded two double-doubles in his past five games. The Pistons allow the fourth-most points to power forwards (23.75), as well as the 10th-most fantasy points per game (49.02). They currently rank fourth in rebounding towards power forwards (10.10), but a lot of that was due to the presence of Andre Drummond. Back Gordon to have another solid night as he and Nikola Vucevic ($9,000) are nightly double-double threats. Gordon is pegged to record 14.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists for 28.8 fantasy points versus Detroit.

Tim Hardaway ($6,000) -- Hardaway Jr. was a steal Monday night, recording 45.75 fantasy points on a mere $5,400 salary. He recorded 33 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists versus the Jazz. He's averaged 34.55 fantasy points over his last five games with Luka Doncic sidelined. He and Kristaps Porzingis ($8,200) have been worth playing on a nightly basis. The Sacramento Kings are ninth in fantasy points per game allowed to shooting guards (42.73), ranking last in steals (1.93), and 25th in assists per game (5.05) -- which makes Hardaway worth a look even with Doncic likely returning. Hardaway is averaging 1.04 fantasy points per minute over his last five games and 33 minutes per game during that stretch. numberFire's model predicts Hardaway with 22.6 fantasy points in 27.45 minutes, but I'll take the over on that, given his recent play.

Power Forward

Julius Randle ($8,600) -- Randle has played the Wizards twice this season, and both times he has owned them. He's averaging 55.9 fantasy points versus Washington, recording 32.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 4 assists in the two meetings. Washington is allowing over 120.3 points per game -- which ranks worst in the league. The Wizards don't defend the power forward position very well in the paint, and that's where Randle makes a living. Randle ranks 24th in the league with 10.7 points in the paint, with more than half (55.3%) of his points coming from there. The Wizards rank 21st in points (22.88), 23rd in rebounding (11.64), and 18th in fantasy points allowed per game to power forwards (48.21). Play Randle and expect big numbers for the third time this season versus Washington.

Rondae Hollis-Jefferson ($4,400) -- If Serge Ibaka ($6,300) is unable to go due to an illness, then Hollis-Jefferson is in line for a start with Marc Gasol still sidelined. Hollis-Jefferson played 34 minutes versus the Timberwolves on Monday, posting 21 points and 6 rebounds for 36 fantasy points. He's averaging 18.9 fantasy points on the season, and when he's played 20 or more minutes in his last 10 games, he's recorded 28 or more fantasy points in three qualifying contests. This will be the fourth and final meeting between the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets, and RHJ is worth the stash as your last spot for small risk and high reward.

Center

Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,500) -- Towns has recorded 50 fantasy points in four of his last five games, also recording a double-double in all five. The Hornets allow the second-most fantasy points to centers across the league (58.42), and rank among the bottom-five in points (22.66), rebounds (17.11), steals (1.53), and blocks (2.92) surrendered to the position. I think Towns is in for a big night if the Hornets can avoid a blowout. In their only meeting of the season, Towns recorded 82.5 fantasy points on 37 points, 15 rebounds, and 8 assists in 27.4 minutes versus Charlotte. Tonight, numberFire's model projects Towns to post 26.4 points, 10.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists.

Jaren Jackson Jr. ($6,400) -- Jackson Jr. is fresh off his first double-double in 18 games, recording 14 points and 11 rebounds on Sunday versus Washington. Tonight's opponent is the Portland Trail Blazers, and they are another team struggling defending power forwards -- but that's to be expected when you sign Carmelo Anthony ($5,500). Portland ranks 30th in rebounding (13.02), 29th in points (24.40), and 29th in fantasy points allowed per game (53.29) to the position. Jackson Jr. is projected by numberFire's model to record 18.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists tonight. I'll take the over on his rebounds and give him a legit chance to double-double in back-to-back games for the first time in his young career.

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