NBA Fantasy Picks Today: DraftKings & FanDuel Fantasy Basketball Rankings

Tonight features a massive 13-game slate. With that, NBA DFS injury news will be a big part of tonight’s process. Be sure to check the Awesemo NBA Starting Lineups page to see who is in, who is out and who is starting as news breaks, and look at the NBA DFS rankings and projections before making your NBA fantasy picks today for DraftKings and FanDuel lineups.

DraftKings & FanDuel NBA Fantasy Rankings Today

*Grades are ordered DraftKings, FanDuel. Initial grade indicates a player’s strength of output, with the value grade indicating their strength as a play in relation to their salary.

SG Jordan Clarkson — Grades: B, C | Values: A, A

The Utah Jazz will be the main source of options on this large 13-game slate as Donovan Mitchell is out tonight. As of right now they have five players who rank in the top six in Awesemo’s Awesemo ownership projections on DraftKings and five in the top seven on FanDuel. Those players are Jordan Clarkson, Mike Conley, Joe Ingles, Bojan Bogdanovic and Rudy Gobert. All five are firmly in play tonight, but Clarkson stands out the most. With Mitchell off the floor this season, Clarkson has played a team-high 620 minutes while also having a team-high 31.4% usage rate.

Not only is Mitchell out, but the Jazz are hosting the Rockets as 13-point home favorites. The Jazz have a slate-high implied total of 122 points, and the game total is 231 points. The Rockets present the best matchup in the league, as they rank last in defensive rating and first in pace this season. They also allow a league-high 116.7 points per game. The Rockets also get torched in isolation defense. They allow the most points in the league defending one-on-one, which is where Clarkson thrives. He is second on the Jazz in isolation points, behind Mitchell. The large spread also favors Clarkson over the rest of the Jazz pieces. Many lineups will have multiple Jazz players in them, but Awesemo’s rankings lean Clarkson above them all.

C LaMarcus Aldridge — Grades: C, C | Values: A, A

Awesemo projects LaMarcus Aldridge to be the best value play on FanDuel and the second-best on DraftKings. The Nets will be playing without Kevin Durant, Nicolas Claxton and Paul Millsap as they take on the Wizards tonight. Aldridge may come off the bench again, but Awesemo has him projected to play 27.2 minutes. He missed 10 days due to a foot injury but returned last game and played 23 minutes. He finished with 13 points and five rebounds. Awesemo’s Boom/Bust Tool gives Aldridge the highest boom percentage on FanDuel and the fourth highest on DraftKings.

One of the main reasons why Aldridge is projected to play so many minutes tonight is due to his matchup against the Wizards. They play a center nearly every second of the game now that all three of Montrezl Harrell, Daniel Gafford and Thomas Bryant are healthy. The Nets will need the size of Aldridge on the floor for as long as he can go. Aldridge has only played five games since Dec. 12 due to injury and being in the COVID protocols. Before that he was very consistent in his production and minutes. Aldridge should be well rested and ready for this Wizards frontcourt.

SG De’Anthony Melton — Grades: C, C | Values: A, A

Another value play who benefits due to teammates being out is Grizzlies guard De’Anthony Melton. He flip-flops with Aldridge, as Awesemo projects Melton as the best value on DraftKings and second-best on FanDuel. The Grizzlies will be playing without starters Desmond Bane and Dillon Brooks, while Kyle Anderson is also out. Monitor the starting lineup, but there is a very good chance that Melton will draw the start at shooting guard tonight. He has started 13 games this season. Melton can get hot in a hurry and also leads the team in steals with 1.6 per game.

The Grizzlies are the hottest team in the league as they start off their four-game road trip against the Bucks tonight. They have won 22 of their last 27 games. The Bucks have been struggling lately, losing six of their last eight. Where teams can take advantage of the Bucks defense is behind the arc. They allow a league-high 41.6 3-point attempts and 14.1 made 3-pointers per game. This is where the loss of Bane, Brooks and Anderson really hurts, as they combine for 5.2 made 3-pointers per game. Melton will be a key piece for the Grizzlies tonight, as 52% of his field goal attempts come from behind the arc.

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PG Trae Young — Grades: A, A | Values: C, C

Looking to get away from the chalk, Trae Young has a top-three leverage score on both sites in Awesemo’s Boom/Bust Tool. There are a ton of reasons to love Young as a pay-up option tonight. He leads the entire league in usage rate, with 35%. He ranks fourth in the league in points with 27.7 and third in assists with 9.4 per game. Young is second to James Harden in most double-doubles for a guard. He ranks third in most field goal attempts with 20.7 per game. Paying up for Young with all of the chalk value on the board is a great way to differentiate lineups.

This matchup against the Timberwolves has a slate-high total of 235 points, and the Hawks are 2-point home favorites. The Hawks are implied to score 119 points, which is second to the Jazz. The Timberwolves are coming off of a huge victory in Madison Square Garden last night where they won at the buzzer over the Knicks, 112-110. The Timberwolves rank fourth in pace this season, and they have given up the second-most transition points with 21.6 per game. Young will thrive in this game environment. Being priced next to Dejounte Murray on both sites will help keep Young’s ownership low.

SF Jimmy Butler — Grades: A, A | Values: C, B

This slate is loaded with studs, but Jimmy Butler is another player who is popping and priced beneath the studs. He has been in and out of the Heat lineup a bunch lately. Butler has only played in nine games since Nov. 27. However, he has played in the Heat’s last three games and performed very well. Butler is coming off of his second triple-double of the season last game, where he had 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against the Raptors. The Heat will be without Kyle Lowry again tonight, which will put the ball in Butler’s hands for most of the game. In five games without Lowry this season, Butler is averaging 22.2 points, nine rebounds and 9.2 assists — nearly a triple-double.

The matchup against the Trail Blazers is what is making Butler pop the most. The Trail Blazers rank 29th in defensive rating, and they allow opponents to shoot a league-high 47.7% from the field and 37.5% from behind the arc. Butler has only played in 26 games this season, but he is being very aggressive when he is in the lineup. Butler’s 22.4 points per game are the most he has averaged since the 2016-17 season, which was his last season with the Bulls. Butler will be able to keep that aggressive mindset tonight against this pitiful Trail Blazers defense.

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