NBA Daily Fantasy Projections & DFS Picks for DraftKings & FanDuel 2/17

For the NBA’s final night before the All-Star break, DFS players get a five-game slate to attack this evening. As always, be sure to watch the Awesemo NBA Starting Lineups page closely today for updates on each team before making your NBA picks. The biggest name that is listed as questionable is Jimmy Butler (shoulder), but the forward has played through a questionable tag in four of his past seven starts and is expected to suit up tonight, per Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra. Below are some NBA daily fantasy basketball picks that stand out for tonight’s slate using Awesemo’s Boom/Bust Tool and NBA DFS projections.

Boom/Bust NBA Daily Fantasy Projections & Picks

Boom: Seth Curry: $5,500 DraftKings/$6,000 FanDuel

30% DraftKings Boom/19% FanDuel Boom

Curry is simply underpriced for his new role with the Nets. Since being traded to the club last week in the blockbuster deal for James Harden, Curry has supplied 36.5 DraftKings PPG in his first two starts with Brooklyn. During this span, Curry has ranked second on the team in playing time with 34 minutes a night and has handled a 23.2% usage rate, while attempting 8.5 three-pointers per game. The sharpshooter is providing 0.94 DraftKings PPM this season and will be going against a Washington defense tonight that ranks 22nd in efficiency.

In this spot, the Nets carry the fifth-highest implied team total on the slate at 109.75 points and this contest is expected to stay competitive throughout, with Brooklyn only favored by 4.5-points. Curry is a lock for over 30 fantasy points tonight, and while he is an excellent target on both sites, the shooting guard is a core play at only $5,500 on DraftKings. At this affordable price tag, Curry sports a top-five Boom score on the slate in Awesemo’s Boom Bust Tool.

Boom: Reggie Jackson: $6,800 DraftKings/$6,700 FanDuel

30% DraftKings Boom/29% FanDuel Boom

Fire up Jackson in all formats tonight with Norman Powell (foot) missing his fourth straight game. In these past three contests with the heavy usage wing sidelined, Jackson has taken on a huge workload, logging 38 minutes per game and receiving a 29% usage rate, resulting in 40.8 DraftKings PPG. To put into perspective how big of a role upgrade this is for the point guard, before this recent absence for Powell, Jackson was averaging 30 minutes per game and a 26.2% usage rate this season. The veteran is producing 1.1 DraftKings PPM in these last three without Powell and could not ask for a better matchup than tonight against the Rockets.

This season, Houston ranks dead last in defensive efficiency and fourth in pace. Furthermore, they are playing their second game in two nights. By a sizable gap, the Clippers present the highest implied team total on the slate with 120 points, and this matchup also carries the largest total of the night at 229.5 points. Jackson is an excellent combination of safety and upside in this dream spot and is a value that cannot be ignored at sub $7,000 salaries on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

Latest NBA DFS Content

Boom: Joel Embiid: $11,800 DraftKings/$11,400 FanDuel

21% DraftKings Boom/29% FanDuel Boom

Forget about Tuesday’s massive blowout loss to the Celtics and pay up for Embiid tonight. Before that loss, the center was on an incredible run, scoring 66 DraftKings PPG in his previous 12 starts. Harden (hamstring) will not make his Sixers’ debut until after the All-Star break, and as noted above, Curry was sent to Brooklyn in last week’s trade for the superstar. In the 371 minutes Embiid has played with Curry off the court this season, the center has been a monster, contributing a whopping 1.82 DraftKings PPM behind a 41.8% usage rate. This is a 3.8 percentage point increase from Embiid’s average usage for the season and tonight he will be playing way up in pace against the Bucks.

Milwaukee ranks sixth in pace, compared to the Sixers, who rank 27th. This marquee matchup’s total is the third-highest on the slate at 223 points and Embiid’s over/under props on BetMGM are set at 31.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists. Before defensive stats and bonuses are credited, this is already 52 DraftKings points for the center. With a slate-best ceiling in Awesemo’s Boom Bust Tool, Embiid is the most optimal stud to build around tonight on both DraftKings and FanDuel.

Bust: C.J. McCollum: $8,500 DraftKings/$8,400 FanDuel

60% DraftKings Bust/65% FanDuel Bust

McCollum looked great on Tuesday, posting 52 DraftKings points against the Grizzlies, but do not expect this type of performance tonight against the Mavs. Ranking fifth in defensive efficiency and dead last in pace, Dallas is arguably the worst matchup in fantasy basketball right now. This contest’s total is the low mark of this five-game slate at 213.5 points and the Pelicans’ implied team total is the second-lowest of the night at 105.5 points.

In this miserable spot, McCollum’s over/under props on BetMGM are set at 21.5 points, 4.5 assists and 4.5 rebounds, which is only 32 fantasy points before defensive stats and bonuses. This is well under five-times value for his current salaries, and McCollum is rating as one of the worst high-end values on the slate for both DraftKings and FanDuel in Awesemo’s NBA projections.

Thanks for reading to the end of this article! If you appreciate this free content and want to see more of it every day, you can help us out by sharing this article on social media!