We're back to another huge Friday slate! We had six games last night to wet our whistles, but it's now time for a slate with double digit games. It seems as if most player's price tags dropped a bit from the All Star Break, which gives up a lot of good value, even if they are higher priced options.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 2/23/18. I will break down my favorite plays based on projected production versus price at each position. I'll also mention a few high-upside plays to consider in tournament lineups as well.
As always, hit me up on Twitter @BalesSJustin with any questions or comments. I always look forward to conversation on the Twitter. Good luck!
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Lonzo Ball - PG, vs DAL ($6,600)
Ball is returning from injury tonight, and he is expected to immediately play minutes in the mid-30s. He can be had at a discount, as his price tag dropped dramatically because of his injury. His last price before he was injured was $8k, which is 1.4k higher than tonight. Ball had also scored between 37 and 49 fantasy points in eight of his last 10 games. He looks fully comfortable in the NBA at this point in the season, and he can be used in all leagues, unless it is announced that he is on a minute's restriction tonight.
J.J. Barea - PG/SG, at LAL ($5,400)
Barea caught fire before the All Star Break, as he is averaging 11.7 points, 2.0 rebounds, 10.0 assists, and 1.0 steal in 28.0 minutes per game over his last three games. He has seen a slight increase in minutes recently, and he is expected to play minutes in the mid- to high-20s again tonight. He is a great option in terms of fantasy points per minute, and he will see an uptick in production because of the pace the Lakers play at. Barea is still fairly cheap, and he can be used in all leagues.
Other Guards to Consider: Eric Bledsoe, CJ McCollum, Wayne Ellington, Goran Dragic, Ish Smith
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Nikola Mirotic - PF, vs MIA ($6,600)
Mirotic scored 48 fantasy points in his first game with the Pelicans, but then took a two game adjustment period, in which he scored 12.75 and 21.75 fantasy points. He looked back on track now, as he is averaging 45.8 fantasy points per game over his last three games. He has been locked into big minutes for the Pelicans since his trade, and he gets a great matchup against the Miami Heat tonight. Mirotic is cheap enough to be used in all leagues.
Mason Plumlee - PF/C, vs SA ($4,300)
Plumlee has not seen consistent minutes this season, but he was able to average 27.8 minutes per game over his last four games before the All Star Break. He looked outstanding in that time, averaging 29.4 fantasy points per game over that span. He comes with a low price tag because of his matchup against the San Antonio Spurs, but they are far from the elite defense that we have come to know over the last few years. Plumlee does carry some risk, but he is a cheap with tremendous upside tonight, making him a great tournament option.
Other Forwards to Consider: JaMychal Green, Jimmy Butler, LaMarcus Aldridge, TJ Warren, Ersan Ilyasova
DraftKings DFS Centers
Andre Drummond - C, vs BOS ($9,300)
Attacking the Boston Celtics big men is somewhat of a widely used strategy at this point, but that does not mean it is wrong. They have struggled against centers this season, and Drummond is averaging 16.0 points, 18.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 2.0 steals in 35.3 minutes per game against Boston this season. He has also scored between 45 and 71 fantasy points in eight of his last nine contests. His price tag dropped significantly during the All Star Break, and Drummond can be used in all leagues.
Other Centers to Consider: Rudy Gobert, Jusuf Nurkic, Brook Lopez