FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks and Helper: Monday 2/26/24

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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. Our projections -- which are powered by numberFire -- update throughout the day to reflect current news. You can also turn to numberFire for player news updates as well as 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 some of the day's top plays at each position.

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

Betting lines via the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. Projections and betting odds may change after this article is published.

NBA DFS Picks

Monday's main slate on FanDuel features four games but one dramatically different game environment.

For a full breakdown, see numberFire's matchup heat map.

Top matchup:

Toronto Raptors @ Indiana Pacers | -6, 245.5 total

Other games:

Guards

Top Plays

Tyrese Haliburton ($9,700) -- Tyrese Haliburton hasn't hit that 60-point ceiling he flashed with regularity earlier in the year, but the floor remains rock-solid. Haliburton has totaled at least 45 FanDuel points (FPs) in four of his last five games, including a 48.8-FP effort in Toronto. With the Raptors in town tonight, he's in a nice spot to match his 47.9-FP numberFire projection. Per FantasyPros, the Raptors have given up the second-most assists to PGs over the last 15 games. Haliburton's assists prop is set at 11.5 on FanDuel Sportsbook.

Immanuel Quickley ($6,900) -- Raptors-Pacers is by far the slate's top game environment, so pairing Immanuel Quickley with Haliburton makes a lot of sense. Quickley went for only 30.7 FPs when these teams played right before the All-Star break, but he's gone for 44.7 and 36.9 FPs to kick off the second half. In their last 15 games, the Pacers have given up the sixth-most real-world points to PGs, and they're fifth in pace over that span.

Quentin Grimes ($4,100) -- Quentin Grimes finally debuted for the Pistons over the weekend, notching 21.4 FPs in 26 minutes. Grimes' salary won't stay this low for long if he continues to log north of 25 minutes per game, but we can take advantage of him being a value tonight. The matchup isn't ideal, but the Knicks have dipped to 13th in defensive rating over the last 15 games, and they've been middle of the pack against SGs over that span. With Grimes at $4.1K, we don't need much for him to be worth rostering.

Others to Consider

Jalen Brunson ($9,600) -- Jalen Brunson is a plenty-viable alternative to Haliburton as he boasts a near-identical 47.4-FP projection. The Pistons have given up the most real-world and FanDuel points to PGs this season, and the Knicks have the third-best implied total (117.0) of the slate.

Tyler Herro ($7,500) and Terry Rozier ($6,000) -- Tyler Herro and Terry Rozier are both questionable tonight, and they'll likely end up true game-time decisions. I'm interested in either of them if they suit up given Miami's recent suspensions. Miami's in a pace-up spot and either guard would see a bump in usage in Jimmy Butler's absence.

Andrew Nembhard ($5,900) -- Andrew Nembhard has been a reliable producer of late, averaging 29.1 FPs and 32.5 minutes over his last four games. He's cemented his role in Indiana's starting five -- a good place to be given Indiana's slate-leading 125.25 implied total.

Wings

Top Plays

Scottie Barnes ($9,300) -- Scottie Barnes is the only healthy SF with a salary north of $8K, so he's a clear tier above the rest of the wings. He's done well in two prior matchups with Indiana, totaling 55.4 and 49.4 FPs. That's been a common trend for wings facing the Pacers -- Indiana gives up the fifth-most FPPG to SFs. Toronto has the slate's second-best implied total (119.25), so Barnes comes with a ton of upside in a pace-up spot. His points prop is set at 20.5, a mark he cruised past en route to 29 points the last time these sides faced off.

Josh Hart ($6,900) -- Josh Hart continues to see a heavy dose of minutes, and his across-the-board contributions give him a nice ceiling on a night-to-night basis. Tonight's date with Detroit could lend itself to a ceiling game as the Pistons are bottom 10 in FPs allowed to SFs. Detroit is 11th in pace over the last 15 games, a welcome sign for a Knicks squad that's 30th in pace over that span.

Ziaire Williams ($4,600) -- There's a ton of value at wing tonight, but Ziaire Williams takes the cake. The former No. 10 overall pick has seen at least 30 minutes the last two games, notching 44.8 and 22.3 FPs. The Nets have given up the sixth-most real-world points to SFs this season, and Williams' salary is low enough to offset an ugly 215.5 over/under. Williams' 24.2-FP projection makes him the top point-per-dollar value among SFs (as of Monday afternoon).

Others to Consider

RJ Barrett ($7,300) -- RJ Barrett went for 23 points, 9 rebounds, and 41.3 FPs against the Pacers right before the All-Star break, so he's a nice mid-range option in tonight's rematch. This is the game to target, especially with Indiana struggling to contain opposing wings.

Jaime Jaquez Jr. ($5,900) -- Jimmy Butler is suspended, so we can confidently turn to Jaime Jaquez Jr.. Per RotoGrinders CourtIQ, Jaquez has averaged 27.8 FPPG and 33 minutes in the 18 prior games where Butler was out. Duncan Robinson ($5,600) has averaged 24.9 FPPG and 29.5 minutes in that same split, so we can target either Heat wings in a pace-up spot with the Kings.

Bruce Brown ($4,700) -- Bruce Brown Jr. saw 31 minutes the last time out, so he's easy to consider at $4.7K given the stellar game environment. He totaled 22.1 FPs in Toronto's last matchup with Indiana, and that feels like a fair floor. Brown carries a 24.1-FP numberFire projection.

Bigs

Top Plays

Domantas Sabonis ($10,800) -- Domantas Sabonis boasts numberFire's highest raw projection (48.3) tonight, so he's easy to build around despite a tough matchup. The Heat have given up the fewest FPPG to centers this season, but Sabonis posted a 19-point, 17-rebound, 13-assist triple-double when these teams squared off at the end of January. Including that outing, Sabonis has notched a triple-double in eight of his last 11 games. He's +155 to Record a Triple Double while his points + rebounds + assists prop is set at 42.5.

Myles Turner ($7,100) -- With a 38.5-FP projection, Myles Turner is the best point-per-dollar value of the slate, regardless of position. Turner has come out of the All-Star break red-hot, notching 38.7 and 40.1 FPs over the last two games. He scored a season-high 33 real-world points in yesterday's win over Dallas and will benefit from Toronto's recent woes. They're 27th in defensive rating and 26th in total rebound rate over the last 15 games.

Harrison Barnes ($4,300) -- Projecting Harrison Barnes is the ultimate guessing game, but his playing time remains steady. He's exceeded 20 real-world points in two of his last three games, and his 22.2-FP projection makes him the second-best value among PFs. Miami's defense is tough, but they'll be without a number of key pieces tonight. Barnes' $4.3K salary opens up a ton of lineup possibilities.

Others to Consider

Bam Adebayo ($9,000) -- In 17 games without Jimmy Butler, Bam Adebayo has averaged 46.5 FPPG with a 27% usage rate. Sacramento has held their own against bigs, but Bam's recent play should outweigh any matchup concerns given his enhanced role. Bam has exceeded 42 FPs in four straight games, averaging 48.8 FPPG over that stretch.

Precious Achiuwa ($7,400) -- Precious Achiuwa is fresh off a 22.3-FP stinker, but he'd exceeded 40 FPs in each of the prior two. We can feel good about targeting him in a bounce-back spot against a putrid Detroit front court. The Pistons are bottom six in FPs allowed to both big spots, and they're 24th in defensive rating over the last 15 games.

Keegan Murray ($5,500) -- Keegan Murray suffers from the same inconsistencies as Harrison Barnes, but he, too, continues to see a heavy dose of minutes. Murray hasn't had a ceiling game since the last time Sacramento faced Miami, but his upside is worth targeting in larger tournaments. Murray went for 51 FPs when he faced the Heat last month, scoring 33 points and draining 7 threes.

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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.