The dust is still settling on Thursday’s trade deadline, but the show must go on. Tonight there is a seven-game main slate tipping off at 7 p.m. ET. Let’s look at the player pool and discuss the top NBA DFS picks for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups. Do not forget to head over to the Awesemo NBA DFS home page for more great written daily fantasy basketball content.
NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings, FanDuel & Yahoo Fantasy Basketball Building Blocks Today | Thursday, Feb. 10
Yahoo Play of the Day — Kyrie Irving: Brooklyn Nets at Washington Wizards
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 45.39 | DraftKings: 47.03
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 41.8% | FanDuel 30.8% | DraftKings 15.9%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $37 | FanDuel $9,400 | DraftKings $10,400
James Harden is on his way to Philadelphia, while Ben Simmons will be joining Brooklyn. However, for tonight it is going to be the Kyrie Irving show against the Wizards. LaMarcus Aldridge did stay back in Brooklyn today with Harden, but it would not be impossible for him to be in Washington prior to tipoff. He likely has an ankle injury unless Brooklyn was just holding him out, similar to the De’Aaron Fox rumors.
Regardless of any shenanigans in play, the key fundamental for Irving’s recommendation is two-fold. First, it is a fantasy-friendly matchup, and in 173 minutes this season without Kevin Durant and Harden on the court, Irving is averaging 1.31 Yahoo points per minute. Second, now is a great time to show out while reminding everyone he still is a top-tier NBA player. Additional synergy can be found from the shorthanded Wizards, with Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Thomas Bryant and Deni Avdija all seeing increased responsibilities with Bradley Beal out for the rest of the season, Daniel Gafford in the health and safety protocol, and Montrezl Harrell and Spencer Dinwiddie were traded this afternoon.
Pascal Siakam: Toronto Raptors at Houston Rockets
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 47.11 | DraftKings: 47.88
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 30.6% | FanDuel 21.3% | DraftKings 30.7%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $42 | FanDuel $10,400 | DraftKings $9,800
Tonight Fred VanVleet is out with a groin injury, which means additional usage and fantasy opportunities for Pascal Siakam. In a fun twist, VanVleet’s absence will not likely lead to any additional minutes for Siakam since they currently rank first and second in minutes played. Toronto also has O.G. Anunoby and rookie Scottie Barnes in the top five, with the only non-Raptor being Harden. Houston is currently a 6-point home dog, and that would likely be double digits if VanVleet were playing tonight. Load up on Siakam, Barnes and Anunoby in all formats, and even Gary Trent Jr should be on the short list. There is really no real need for three Raptors in any single lineup, but most lineups look better when there are one or two.
Tonight the NBA player props market for Pascal Siakam against Houston is one to exploit, as Awesemo has him projected for just over 6.1 assists. Currently his assist prop is over/under 6.5, while on the surface this seems close, leaning towards the over would be a savvy strategy. When VanVleet is off the floor, in 380 minutes Siakam sees his assist rate increase from 20.2% to 27.9%. In the four games that Siakam has played this season without VanVleet, he has tallied seven, eight, 12 and seven assists. If Houston keeps this one remotely competitive, the over is in play.
Luka Doncic: Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Clippers
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 56.11 | DraftKings: 60.93
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 28.2% | FanDuel 42.9% | DraftKings 30.9%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $54 | FanDuel $11,200 | DraftKings $12,400
Value options will be plentiful tonight as the dust settles on another trade deadline. Kristaps Porzingis is on his way from Dallas to Washington in an exchange centered around Spencer Dinwiddie. Porzingis has been out for the last two weeks, so that does not directly impact Luka Doncic, though he may have a little more pep in his step when he takes the court. The more important thing to note is that he has scored 60 or more fantasy points in five of his last six games. In this stretch he is averaging 35.5 minutes and 23.2 field goal attempts with a 49.6% success rate. This has culminated in 31.3 points, nine rebounds, 11.7 assists and 2.2 combined blocks and steals.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS picks for the Thursday, Feb. 10 Fantasy Basketball Slate
Tonight is a staggered slate with five different start times, concluding with a pair of West Coast games beginning at 10 p.m. ET. Keep in mind that salaries and scoring formats differ across the various fantasy sites, and a slam-dunk play on Yahoo may be a below-average NBA DFS pick on DraftKings or FanDuel.
