NBA

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Monday 2/24/20

Is Kristaps Porzingis a must-play versus Minnesota without Karl-Anthony Towns? Who else stands out on Monday's slate?

With eight 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 on DraftKings. As always, good luck.

Point Guard

Eric Bledsoe ($7,200) - Bledsoe is averaging 1.26 fantasy points per minute over his last five games and 1.21 in his last 10, showing signs of consistency amid the Milwaukee Bucks' talented offense. His 35.44 fantasy points per game over his last five is proof of that, as he's up from his season average of 31.35. His usage rating is up to 26.18% over the last five, too. In the previous meeting between the Bucks and Wizards, we saw the highest-scoring game of the season at 282 points. Bledsoe had 60 fantasy points in that meeting, posting 34 points, 10 assists, and 6 rebounds in one of his best performances of the season.

Kendrick Nunn ($5,600) - Nunn's usage rating is 24.29% over his last five games with Jimmy Butler and Tyler Herro both missing time from the lineup. Nunn will continue to have a larger role in the offense after scoring double-digit points in three straight games and recording 46 fantasy points versus the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday. Going into the All-Star break, he was trending in the wrong direction, but over the past two games he shot over 58% despite his fantasy value decreasing. Nunn is projected by numberFire's model to record 27.9 fantasy points with 17.6 points, 3.6 assists, and 2.8 rebounds.

Shooting Guard

Tim Hardaway Jr. ($7,000) - In his last five games, Hardaway crossed the one fantasy point per minute threshold with 1.09, up from his 0.88 average. With Luka Doncic ($10,500) missing time, Hardaway's usage has increased (+11.36%) over that span, and he's not the only Maverick seeing additional minutes pay off. Outside of Seth Curry ($5,400), Hardaway ranks second among the Mavericks with a 47.24% increase in fantasy points per game. He's up to 33.62 fantasy points per game over his last five, and with Doncic's return and Jalen Brunson sitting out, he should still remain a staple in the offense tonight.

Collin Sexton ($6,500) - Sexton is averaging 1.01 fantasy points per minute over his last 10 games with most of his fantasy points coming from his scoring ability. Sexton's usage rating over the last five games (27.56) has continued to remain above his season average (26.99%) amid the Andre Drummond ($8,100) transaction. His consistency, scoring 20 points in 8 of his last 10 games, gives you confidence in knowing what you're receiving from Sexton on a nightly basis. Nunn (35.27) and Sexton (36.17) hold similar projected ceilings heading into a home-and-home set versus each other. This will be another exciting matchup, as they combined for 41 points, 17 assists, 4 rebounds, and 80.5 fantasy points in Saturday's meeting.

Small Forward

Khris Middleton ($8,300) - Middleton is averaging 1.40 fantasy points per minute over his last 10 games, far above his 1.14 season average. Like Bledsoe, Middleton's usage rating has increased in the offense over his last five to 26.95% per game. His 42.24 fantasy points per game over that five-game stretch has been impressive, as he's got it done scoring, rebounding, and passing, averaging 24.0 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 4.8 assists. Middleton holds a projected ceiling of 46.0 points in tonight's matchup with the Wizards, and the last time these two teams met, he had a career-high 51 points in a 151-131 win.

Cam Reddish ($5,000) - Reddish has started to become a consistent contributor for the Hawks, as he's saw his usage rating rise to 20.46% among other key areas. He's averaging 24.44 fantasy points per game over his last five, up from his 19.62 on the season. Reddish has met the Philadelphia 76ers twice this season, averaging 28.2 minutes. Riding his hot streak, tonight could be a solid start considering the 76ers' injury woes and newcomers. Reddish has scored 16 points or more in his last three games and surpassed 37 minutes in his last two. Reddish is averaging 0.87 fantasy points per minute in his last five, and if he plays 37-plus, he's due to record 32.19 or more fantasy points tonight.

Power Forward

Robert Covington ($6,000) - Covington has averaged 0.94 fantasy points per minute in five of six games since arriving in Houston. In that time, we've witnessed how lethal he is defensively and knocking down threes for the Rockets. He's averaging 32.08 fantasy points per game since joining the team, compared to his 28.50 season average. Covington holds a projected ceiling of 36.10 heading into tonight, and his 54 three-pointers in six games is something to consider when playing the Knicks. New York ranks 22nd with 2.42 made three-pointers allowed to power forwards per game and 2.97 allowed to small forwards (second-worst). They also allow 13.2 makes as a team (28th), and if Covington exceeds 10 three-point attempts for the fourth time in seven games, he could have a huge night scoring.

Cedi Osman ($4,600) - Osman is now up to a modest 23.88 fantasy points per game over the last five, thanks in part to his most recent performance against the Miami Heat. They face them again, and Osman is ranked as the 10th-highest projected small forward tonight despite his low value. Osman is averaging 24.4 fantasy points per game in three games versus Miami, and with some of the Heat's key players out, we saw Osman have one of his better performances. Osman recorded 19 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists for 40.25 fantasy points in Saturday's meeting. At home, his numbers are slightly higher, as he's shooting 44.8% from the field at home. numberFire pegs Osman for 17.2 fantasy points, but I'm expecting him to continue to be involved tonight versus a weakened Heat team.

Center

Ersan Ilyasova ($3,500) - Brook Lopez is out for the Bucks, so his brother, Robin Lopez ($3,000), and Ilyasova will fill in. Versus the Wizards, we could see Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,400), and company sit earlier, but the center position has no choice but to play. In his one meeting with Washington, Ilyasova recorded 22.3 fantasy points in 20.4 minutes, only shooting seven times. Tonight, he should be looking at 10 shot attempts something he's done in two of his last three games. The Wizards allow the most points per game in the league (119.8), and I expect the role players for the Bucks to be more involved with the Toronto Raptors up next.

Kristaps Porzingis ($8,100) - Porzingis is averaging the fourth-most fantasy points per minute of all players tonight with 1.62 over his last five games. Porzingis' usage rating has also increased to 29.75% over his last five to go along with 49.46 fantasy points per game. When he's on the floor, he's been a consistent threat with or without Doncic. With him entering the lineup tonight, he should see his 16.3 shot attempts per game over the last three drop, but out of all the players on the list, Porzingis holds the highest projected ceiling (48.47). Porzingis' median projections is around 40 fantasy points tonight, and the lack of defense in this one could force that to increase.


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.