Need a jump start on your lineups before Awesemo’s NBA DFS rankings or projections? No worries, Damien Mathews has you covered with his Pick 5! favorite NBA DFS Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel for Wednesday, Feb. 12 (2/12). With 11 games on tap, we have a myriad of options to choose from. Damien has some takes on Luka Doncic, Pascal Siakam and more!
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NBA DFS Point Guard: Luka Doncic $9,700 FanDuel $10,900 DraftKings
After missing the last seven games, Luka Doncic is back and not priced appropriately. I truly think Doncic wants to play in the All-Star Game and getting cleared with one game before the break will allow him to do so. That will also allow us to get him at a discounted price compared to before his injury. Doncic should be in for 30-plus minutes as he was in December. For the season, Doncic is averaging 1.74 fantasy points per minute with a 38.1 usage percentage. 45.9 assist rate and 22.7 defensive rebounding percentage.
*Honorable Mention: Trae Young $10,100 FanDuel $10,400 DraftKings
**Honorable Mention: Eric Bledsoe $6,700 FanDuel $7,700 DraftKings
***Honorable Mention: Damian Lillard $9,600 FanDuel $10,200 DraftKings
NBA DFS Shooting Guard: Khris Middleton $7,200 FanDuel $8,800 DraftKings
Regardless of if Giannis Antetokounmpo plays or not, Khris Middleton is still the highest projected shooting guard in my model and for good reason, as he has averaged 1.62 fantasy points per minute with a 31.0 usage percentage and 26.0 assists rate in 170 minutes without Giannis on the floor over the last month. With Giannis on the floor, he was at 1.41 fantasy points per minute with a 24.0 usage percentage and 24.0 assist rate. So either way, Middleton still stands out as a great play, but ultimately if Giannis misses, he is a borderline lock.
*Update: Giannis is out.
*Honorable Mention: Jordan Clarkson $4,900 FanDuel $5,300 DraftKings
**Honorable Mention: Devonte’ Graham $6,800 FanDuel $7,400 DraftKings
***Honorable Mention: Caris LeVert $6,000 FanDuel $6,600 DraftKings
NBA DFS Small Forward: Pascal Siakam $8,400 FanDuel $8,700 DraftKings
Pascal Siakam has the Toronto Raptors on a 15-game win streak currently and he is playing at a very high level. Although the competition during that stretch was average to below average at best, Siakam has been solid, averaging 1.18 fantasy points per minute with a 27.9 usage percentage and 14.1 assist rate over the last month. Playing north of 34.0 minutes per, Siakam is producing 23.7 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.4 assist and two combined steals/blocks on the season. He is also shooting a solid 46% from the field and 36.7% from 3. Toronto will head to Brooklyn to take on the Nets in what should be a great game for DFS as both teams play at a top-15 pace.
*Honorable Mention: Mikal Bridges $4,800 FanDuel $5,300 DraftKings
**Honorable Mention: O.G. Anunoby $4,800 FanDuel $5,200 DraftKings
***Honorable Mention: Jae Crowder $5,300 FanDuel $5,100 DraftKings
NBA DFS Power Forward: Aaron Gordon $6,300 FanDuel $6,900 DraftKings
Aaron Gordon has been playing solid basketball over the last month, averaging 0.98 fantasy points per minute with a 21.8 usage percentage. For his price point, Gordon looks like an appealing option for us to deploy on this massive slate where ownership will play less of a factor with so many options to choose from. Gordon is getting you 29.4 fantasy points per game on average for the season, but recently, he’s been in the 40 range in three out of his last five. He has a date with the Detroit Pistons who are allowing 110.5 points per 100 possessions and have the ninth-worst defensive rating in the NBA.
*Honorable Mention: Rondae Hollis-Jefferson $4,300 FanDuel $4,400 DraftKings
**Honorable Mention: Larry Nance $4,500 FanDuel $5,100 DraftKings *(If Kevin Love is out)
***Honorable Mention: John Collins $7,800 FanDuel $9,100 DraftKings
NBA DFS Center: Nikola Vucevic $9,400 FanDuel $9,000 DraftKings
Nikola Vucevic is averaging 1.29 fantasy points per minute with a 26.0 usage percentage and 19.4 assist rate. On the season, he is producing 19.0 points on 16.5 attempts with 10.8 rebounds for an average of 41.2 fantasy points per game. But over his last three games, Vucevic has posted 51, 50 and 47 fantasy points. He is a 50-fantasy point threat on any given night, and in 43 games, he’s been over $9,000 only three times but has posted 10 games of 50-plus fantasy points (FanDuel).
*Honorable Mention: Hassan Whiteside $8,800 FanDuel $8,400 DraftKings
**Honorable Mention: DeAndre Jordan $5,600 FanDuel $5,500 DraftKings
***Honorable Mention: Marquese Chriss $5,800 FanDuel $5,900 DraftKings
