FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks and Helper: Friday 2/2/24

Since NBA DFS is easier to predict than baseball or football, it would likely get plenty of votes as the best sport to play on FanDuel. Basketball players usually stick to the same minutes and produce at roughly the same rate. Sounds easy, right? Trust me -- it's not!

As a result, NBA daily fantasy is highly reliant on a player's opportunity, so you'll need to ensure that you're up to date with key injuries. numberFire's projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news. numberFire also has player news updates, and the FanDuel Scout app will send push notifications for pressing updates regarding your players.

In addition to daily projections, numberFire also offers a matchup heat map and lineup optimizer to help give you an edge.

On top of all that, here at FanDuel Research, we'll come at you each day with this NBA DFS primer, which breaks down a few of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's dive into today's main slate on FanDuel.

NBA DFS Picks

Guards

Top Plays

Devin Booker ($9,800) -- The Phoenix Suns have the highest implied total (125.5) of the slate against a Atlanta Hawks team that's 27th in defensive rating, fourth in pace, and -- per FantasyPros -- gives up the sixth-most FanDuel points (FPs) to SGs. If that's not enough to sell you on Devin Booker, I don't know what is. Book went for "only" 44.6 and 48.1 FPs in two prior matchups this week, but he'd averaged 66.7 FPs per game (FPPG) over the previous three. His ceiling is sky-high.

Jalen Green ($7,600) -- It's hard to say whether this Jalen Green stretch is just a hot streak or a true breakout, but we can ride alongside either way. Green has gone over 50 FPs in three of his last four games, averaging 30 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 4.0 assists over that span. Tonight's matchup with the Toronto Raptors is plenty good enough for him to keep producing. Over their last 15 games, Toronto dipped to 20th in defensive rating and gave up the sixth-most threes to SGs. Green (four threes in three straight games) stands to take advantage.

Andrew Nembhard ($6,200) -- Guard thins out quickly today, but Andrew Nembhard has some appeal as a salary-saver. Nembhard has gone above 22 FPs in six straight games, averaging 30.3 FPPG over that span. He continues to play 25-plus minutes even with Tyrese Haliburton back, and his minutes restriction could give Nembhard a nice boost in this second leg of a back-to-back. With a 249 over/under, this is one of two premier game environments, too.

Others to Consider

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($11,300) -- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has a great matchup versus the Charlotte Hornets (30th in defensive rating), but seven teams have implied totals north of 120 tonight, so we aren't short on stud guards. The Oklahoma City Thunder are favored by a whopping 16 points, so it's easy to see SGA playing closer to his floor than ceiling. On a nine-game slate, that's hard to justify.

De'Aaron Fox ($8,900) -- De'Aaron Fox is my favorite pivot away from Booker. When the Sacramento Kings last faced the Indiana Pacers, they combined for 247 points, with Fox chipping in 42.2 FPs despite an 8 for 20 shooting night. A tight spread (Kings -3) and high total (248.5) should result in tons of fantasy goodness between two teams who know how to get up and down.

Terry Rozier ($6,800) -- Terry Rozier is still looking for a true ceiling performance as a member of the Miami Heat, but he's settled in nicely of late with 29.9 and 32.0 FPs in his last two. A matchup with the Washington Wizards could unlock his previously displayed upside -- they're 28th in defensive rating, first in pace, and a bottom-five fantasy defense to both guard spots.

Scotty Pippen Jr. ($5,500) -- Scotty Pippen Jr. notched 30.8 FPs last night, which is his third 29-FP outing in four games. Pippen's salary has jumped up as a result, but he can still serve as a strong value against the Golden State Warriors. Golden State is 30th in defensive rating over their last 15 games, and they've given up the fourth-most FPs to PGs on the season.

Wings

Top Plays

Jimmy Butler ($8,600) -- Don't look now, but Jimmy Butler is heating up. Over his last three games, Butler averaged 28.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 4.7 assists. He went over 50 FPs in two of those three -- a mark he should reach in a Charmin ultra soft matchup with Washington. The Miami Heat have a 118.75 implied total (quite high for them), but the spread is only Heat -7.5. They went 6-10 last month and this is in Washington, so he could get a more competitive game environment than you'd think.

Keegan Murray ($6,700) -- Keegan Murray went for 45.8 FPs when he faced Indiana last month. They're a top-10 fantasy matchup for both forward spots, so another strong outing is certainly in the cards. This is one of two truly elite game environments tonight, and Murray is well-positioned to stay hot. He notched 51 FPs in their most recent outing.

Luguentz Dort ($4,700) -- In a soft matchup with Charlotte -- and with Jalen Williams out -- Luguentz Dort is in line to provide a ton of value at a sub-$5K salary. Dort has been quiet of late, but he played 36 minutes with Williams out for their last game. That kind of workload puts him in a good spot to take advantage of OKC's 121.75 implied total. numberFire projects Dort for 27.5 FPs. As of Friday morning, that makes him by far the best point-per-dollar value on the board.

Others to Consider

Kevin Durant ($9,700) -- You want one of Phoenix's stars in your lineup, and it's hard to argue against Kevin Durant. KD has taken a back seat to Booker of late, but that hasn't stopped him from going for 40 FPs in seven of their last eight games. Although he exceeded 50 only three times over that span, Atlanta's porous defense gives him a high ceiling tonight. Over their last 30 games, the Hawks have given up the ninth-most FPs to SFs and the second-most to PFs.

Jonathan Kuminga ($7,300) -- Jonathan Kuminga's salary reached the $7,000s for the first time tonight, but I'm still in on him as a mid-range option. Kuminga has scored 20 points in seven straight games, averaging 39.8 FPPG over that span. The matchup is good enough to stay hot as the Memphis Grizzlies are injury-ridden and have given up the eighth-most FPs to PFs this season.

Kevin Huerter ($6,200) -- Like Murray, Kevin Huerter is in line to produce against a Pacers' defense that struggles to defend wings. Huerter went for 43.4 FPs when they faced off last month, and he's averaging 33 FPPG over his last eight. We want a piece of this 248.5 over/under.

Cam Whitmore ($5,300) -- Cam Whitmore has been trending up, averaging 30.4 FPPG over his last four. The 19-year-old continues to flash real scoring upside and stands to benefit from a Raptors defense that gave up 120 points per game last month, the eighth-most in basketball.

Bigs

Top Plays

Domantas Sabonis ($10,200) -- It wouldn't be a Kings game stack without Domantas Sabonis. A nightly triple-double threat, Sabonis averaged 18.9 points, 14.9 rebounds, and 9.6 assists over his last eight games, clearing 50 FPs five times over that span. Indiana continues to bleed fantasy points to opposing bigs, and they just gave up a pair of 45-FP outings to both of the New York Knicks big men. This will be his second time playing in Indy since he left the Pacers. Sabonis notched 45.2 FPs in last year's visit. It's helpful that he's PF-eligible given the extensive list of capable Cs.

Chet Holmgren ($8,200) -- Chet Holmgren's salary is workable alongside Sabonis, and this is a great ceiling spot for him. Chet is fresh off a 51.1-FP outing, a mark he could hit again given Charlotte's struggles inside. On the season, the Hornets have let up the most points, second-most rebounds, and fourth-most FPPG to opposing Cs. They continue to sport the worst defensive rating in the NBA, and they're just 27th in rebound rate on the year.

Nick Richards ($6,100) -- On the other side of that Hornets-Thunder matchup, both Nick Richards and PJ Washington ($6,400) are in play as salary savers. OKC's defense is tough, but they're bottom-three in rebound rate and bottom-10 in FPs allowed to Cs. Washington went for 37.1 FPs in their most recent outing and cleared 30 FPs in four of his last six games. Meanwhile, Richards is numberFire's third-best value on the slate from a point-per-dollar perspective.

Others to Consider

Jaren Jackson Jr. ($8,600) -- Jaren Jackson Jr. is the second-best point-per-dollar value based on his 47.2-FP numberFire projection, but Memphis has just a 108 implied total. It's hard for me to confidently get there when a whopping seven teams have an implied total north of 120 -- though the matchup is lovely. The Warriors were the worst defensive team in the league last month, and they let up the third-most FPPG to opposing PFs over their last 15.

Jusuf Nurkic ($7,000) -- Jusuf Nurkic totaled 53.2 FPs in Phoenix's last game, so there's an established ceiling for him against a weak Atlanta interior tonight. Over their last 15 games, the Hawks have given up the second-most FPPG to Cs. They're 24th in defensive rating and second in pace over that span.

Mason Plumlee ($4,700) -- There is no shortage of good centers to choose from tonight, but Mason Plumlee has some appeal if you want to load up on guards. Plumlee continues to hover around 20 minutes a night -- plenty of time to produce against a Detroit Pistons defense that's given up the second-most FPPG to Cs. It's worth noting that the Los Angeles Clippers are on the second leg of a back-to-back, so he could see more usage if anyone sits.

Jonathan Isaac ($4,100) -- Jonathan Isaac has a brutal matchup with the Minnesota Timberwolves, but his salary is absurdly low relative to what he can do. He's seen 18 minutes in three of their last four games, notching 16.0, 22.1, and 22.8 FPs in those outings. He's the only part of this slate-low 211.5 over/under I'd consider.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.