DFS NBA Lineups for February 11, 2017 at Draftkings.com & Fanduel.com
On days that there’s a nice slate of DFS NBA games, we’ll give you the game totals, point spreads, and pertinent injury news to follow for NBA daily fantasy, as well as some players that we’re considering for our lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel.
We have seven games on our DFS NBA slate for 2/11/17, highlighted by Kevin Durant’s return to Oklahoma City as his Warriors take on the Thunder. James Harden finds himself at home against Phoenix and their putrid defense, while LeBron is at home against Denver…and their putrid defense. There’s a super high total in the Suns v. Rockets game, but beware the dreaded blowout factor. The Rockets are 14.5 point favorites in that one.
If your bankroll allows, there’s a $1700 live final qualifier on DraftKings that awards two seats and even pays out third and fourth place. If that’s a little too much for you, they’re running a Saturday Spin Move with a $40 buy-in and $50,000 to first place.
As always, be sure and monitor any of the injury news that breaks throughout the day, as value plays and player upgrades can arise in a moments notice.
PLAYERS RULED OUT
Jabari Parker (knee)
Khris Middleton (rest)
Joel Embiid (knee)
Danilo Gallinari (groin)
Avery Bradley (Achilles)
Enes Kanter (Arm)
Zaza Pachulia (shoulder)
Rodney Hood (knee)
Kenneth Faried (ankle)
Emmanuel Mudiay (back)
Iman Shumpert (ankle)
Aaron Gordon (foot)
INJURY NEWS TO MONITOR
Dion Waiters (ankle)
Josh Richardson (ankle)
Jae Crowder (personal)
Tyson Chandler (ankle)
Thaddeus Young (wrist)
Eric Gordon (back)
Deron Williams (toe)
Cody Zeller (quad)
NBA GAME SPREADS, TOTALS & START TIME FOR TODAY’S GAMES
Bucks @ Pacers -7 (7:00p): 212.5
Heat -4 @ 76ers (7:30p): 208.5
Nuggets @ Cavs -11.5 (7:30p): 231.5
Warriors -7.5 @ Thunder (8:30p): 227.5
Magic @ Mavericks -6 (9:00p): 203.5
Suns @ Rockets -14.5 (9:00p): 235
Celtics @ Jazz -6.5 (10:00p): 205.5
Best NBA Picks for February 11, 2017
Giannis Anteteokounmpo ($10.5k DraftKings, $11.2k FanDuel)
The matchup was absolutely ideal for Giannis last night and we got a taste of what he might be able to do on a nightly basis with Jabari Parker (knee) done for the year. Tonight he’ll face a Pacers defense that’s more capable than the Lakers, but is slightly below average and vulnerable on the wing, as Indiana coughs up the tenth-most PPG (20.1) to opposing SFs and 12th most to opposing SGs (23.2) this season. The Greek Freak went for 27 points, 7 rebounds and 9 assists in his sole meeting with Paul George and the Pacers this season. He just took 20 shots from the field and got the FT line a whopping 21 times on his way to 41 points last night, and he’s now sporting a 29.7% Usage Rate and averaging 1.38 FPs per minute with Parker off the floor this season.
LeBron James ($10.2k DraftKings, $11.1k FanDuel)
All eyes while be on Kevin Durant, as he makes his return to OKC tonight, making LBJ a somewhat contrarian option at a slight pay bump. Yet he clearly draws a superior matchup against a Nuggets team that now ranks dead last in defensive rating and allows the eighth-most FPPG (40.53) to opposing SFs over the last month. Of course, James plays more like a point forward and Denver gives up the second-most FPPG (47.71) and APG (9.31) to opposing PGs this season. The Cavs are scoring 118.6 PPG over their last seven appearances and James has been the catalyst in snapping their mid-season skid. This is clearly a game to target with a 231-point Over/Under tonight, but we do have the Cavs favored by over 11 points, so keep in mind any of the big three could find some rest in the fourth quarter if this one gets out of hand.
Hassan Whiteside ($8.5k DraftKings, $9.1k FanDuel)
If you only pay up for one big man tonight, make it Mr. Whiteside. The Heat’s center is coming off a lackluster game in a relatively easy win over the Nets, but might find that more effort is required to extend Miami’s 13-game winning streak at Philadelphia tonight. The Sixers are playing very well over the last couple months but are still expected to be without Joel Embiid, leaving them extremely vulnerable in the paint. Whiteside absolutely dominated Jahlil Okafor and the rest of Philly’s backup bigs on his way to a 30-20 game when these teams last met and he’s now averaging 31 PPG, 16.5 RPG and 2.5 BPG despite playing just 29.5 MPG over two meetings with the 76ers this season. Philly is giving up the most FPPG (62.64), most PPG (28.73) and most RPG (21.53) by far to opposing centers over the last month and Whiteside is certainly capable of adding to those lofty averages.
Mid Tier DFS NBA Picks
Evan Fournier ($6.2k DraftKings, $5.5k FanDuel)
He was rounding into form anyway after missing several games with an ailing foot, but Aaron Gordon’s absence from Orlando’s lineup seemed to spark even more aggressive play from Fournier on Thursday. He went for 24 points, 9 rebounds and 8 assists in a narrow loss to Philly and draws another plus matchup tonight in Dallas, as the Mavericks are ranked 26th in opponents FG shooting (.469%) and rank dead last in rebounding rate. Fournier is sporting a 25.3% Usage Rate and averaging 0.80 FPs per minute with Gordon off the floor this season and he’s really increased his efforts on the boards, which bodes well for his prospects in this matchup.
Robert Covington ($5.9k DraftKings, $6.3k FanDuel)
While he only managed to meet value in a good matchup at Orlando and draws a tougher matchup against the Heat tonight, Covington is still a very strong mid-tier play. With Embiid off the floor this season, he sees a +5.6% increase in Usage Rate while averaging 0.21 rebounds and 0.87 FPs per minute. Lord Covington has played 35-plus minutes in seven of his last eight appearances for the Sixers and that gives him an excellent floor as a player who averages 13.1 points, 7.1 rebounds, 2.1 steals and 1 block per 36 minutes this season. Give him a look in what should be a close home game this evening.
Bargain Tier DFS NBA Picks
Milwaukee Bucks
Giannis is the clear-cut elite option to consider in a Bucks uniform, but there are several value plays to consider with Jabari Parker done for the year and Khris Middleton inactive on the second half of this B2B set. Michael Beasley ($4.2k/$4.4k) saw a bump in playing time and produced 15 points over 23 minutes last night. Thon Maker ($3k, $3.5k) drew the start for Parker and is worth a look as a low-upside punt play, while big men Greg Monroe ($4.9k, $5.8k) and John Henson ($4.1k, $3.9k) are both worth a look in GPP formats despite their lackluster performances last night.
Andre Iguodala ($3.8k DraftKings, $4.2k FanDuel)
Iggy has been a great value option on DK for several weeks now and he just provided 8x returns on value with 37.5 DK points in a win at Memphis last night. Tonight poses a similar test for the Warriors against a Thunder team that plays solid defense, but is more vulnerable on the wing, as OKC coughs up the third-most PPG (21.37) to opposing SFs this season. Iguodala has yet to put up big numbers in two blowout wins over the Thunder at home this season, but tonight’s road tilt is expected to be much closer while the Dubs should require his lockdown defending in an effort to contain Westbrook.
Jameer Nelson ($4.4k DraftKings, $4.4k FanDuel)
Nelson surprised value hunters with a dud three appearances ago against the Mavericks, but he’s since bounced back with 22 points, 20 assists and 63.25 DK points (57 FD points) over his last two starts. Emmanuel Mudiay (back) appears no closer to a return while inexperienced combo guard Jamal Murray managed just 6 minutes of playing time in a shootout with the Knicks last night, so Nelson appears to be the main floor general for a shorthanded Nuggets squad. Tonight he’ll face a Cavs team that is giving up the most FPPG (49.98) to opposing PGs over the last month in a game that’s ripe for targeting.
If, Then Player
If Eric Gordon (back) misses another game, James Harden will become even more appealing despite his astronomical price tag, while Corey Brewer can serve as a min-priced punt play to help you fit The Beard.
With Avery Bradley out, Jaylen Brown has emerged as a solid value play and he could become much safer if Jae Crowder (personal) misses tonight’s road tilt in Utah.
If Tyson Chandler sits tonight, Alex Len makes for a great minimum salary punt as he’ll likely see in the neighborhood of 25 minutes against Houston.
