FanDuel NBA DFS Lineup Picks (2/15/21): Daily Fantasy Basketball Advice

We have a solid seven-game slate on tap Monday night, one that does have one big-name absence already confirmed in the form of Kevin Durant (hamstring) and another possible one in that of Joel Embiid (back). However, there are still several other elite players in action, and a solid amount of value options to consider.

As of early Monday morning, there are several games that still don’t sport projected totals on FanDuel Sportsbook, but with fast-paced and/or defensively challenged squads like the Wizards, Nets, Kings and Warriors in action, there should be several very good game environments for DFS production.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 2/15/21. I’ll be providing multiple player suggestions for players at guard, forward and center on FanDuel, aiming to highlight one option apiece at the high, middle and lower end of the salary scale. You can also check out DraftKings lineup picks and injury news before lineups lock. Good luck, RotoBallers.

FanDuel DFS Guards

James Harden, SG – at SAC ($10,600)

Kevin Durant will miss Monday’s game with a hamstring issue, and Harden is averaging 1.34 FD points per minute while boasting a 27.4 percent usage rate with his teammate off the floor. Additionally, Kyrie Irving recently confirmed Harden is essentially the team’s primary ball-handler going forward, which naturally takes his already immense upside to another level. The Kings make for an excellent matchup as well, as Sacramento went into Sunday’s action allowing the highest offensive efficiency in the league, along with a Western Conference-high 120.5 points per home game and NBA-high 49.0 percent shooting at Golden 1 Center. Harden has also scored over 55 FD points in five of the last eight games, while the Kings are surrendering 49.2 FD points per game to point guards and the sixth-highest offensive efficiency (53.1 percent) to backcourt players.

De'Aaron Fox, PG – vs. BKN ($8,700)   

Fox scored 43.9 FD points over 29 minutes against the Grizzlies in his return from a one-game absence Sunday, and the star point guard should be ready for a full workload Monday in a game that should bring a nice bump in pace. The opposing Nets are tied with the Wizards for second-most possessions per road game (106.5), and they’re also allowing an NBA-high 121.8 points per contest when traveling. Fox had scored 53.3 to 57.8 FD points in three of the five games prior to his night off versus the Magic on Friday, and Brooklyn is allowing 51.1 FD points per game to PGs over the last seven while ranking in the bottom 10 in offensive efficiency allowed to the position for the season (28.2 percent).

John Wall, PG – at WAS ($7,700)

Wall sports a team-high 33.9 percent usage rate and averages 1.16 FD points per minute with Victor Oladipo (foot) and Christian Wood (ankle) off the floor this season, and he’s scored 32.7 to 40.9 FD points in the last four contests. He also put up 33.9 FD points in just 24 minutes versus his former Wizards teammates back on Jan. 26, and Washington checks into Monday’s matchup allowing the third-highest offensive efficiency to point guards (30.3 percent), along with the most points (28.9) and sixth-most FD points per game (51.1) to the position. Wall should also be poised to take advantage of the bump in pace the Wizards will bring to the contest, as Washington is averaging an NBA-high 106.8 possessions per game while allowing an NBA-high 124.8 points per home contest.

Also consider: Stephen Curry ($10,500); Trae Young ($9,900); Bradley Beal ($9,800); Kyrie Irving ($9,600); Zach LaVine ($9,600); Andrew Wiggins ($6,900); Eric Gordon ($6,200); Bruce Brown ($3,900)

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FanDuel DFS Forwards  

Domantas Sabonis, PF - vs. CHI ($9,600)

Sabonis has scored 40.8 to 61.6 FD points in six of the last seven games, a span during which he’s eclipsed 54 FD points on three occasions. The big man also put up 48.5 FD points across 34 minutes versus this same Bulls squad back on Dec. 26, and Chicago will still be missing Lauri Markkanen (shoulder) down low Monday. Moreover, the Bulls are surrendering 44.4 FD points per game to power forwards on the season, along with the fourth-most points in the paint (54.7) over the last three contests.

Jarrett Allen, PF – at GS ($6,900)

UPDATE: The Cavs have announced Andre Drummond will be held out of games while a trade is explored, which leaves Allen in position to serve as the starting center beginning tonight.

Allen should be in line to take advantage of both a highly favorable positional matchup and a significant bump in pace Monday, as the Cavaliers face a Warriors team that’s still missing James Wiseman (wrist) and Kevon Looney (ankle) down low and averaging a Western Conference-high 106.3 possessions per game. Golden State is also giving up the third-most rebounds per game (57.0), while Allen checks in having scored 24.5 to 60.1 FD points in six of the last seven. Allen actually only drew three starts over that span, and although Andre Drummond projects to be back with the first unit at center Monday, the young big should either log solid minutes off the bench or perhaps even start at power forward. With that in mind, it’s worth noting Golden State is now ranked in the bottom half of the league in offensive efficiency allowed to frontcourt players (79.3 percent), and the Dubs are also giving up the most rebounds per game (18.7) to opposing second units.

Joe Harris, SF – at SAC ($4,900)

Harris should see his usage bump up with Kevin Durant (hamstring) out of action Monday, making his salary especially appealing in a game against a Kings team with the defensive deficiencies that were already outlined in Harden’s entry earlier. Harris is shooting a career-best 52.0 percent, including 48.9 percent from behind the arc, while Sacramento has been more vulnerable to small forwards of late. The Kings are allowing the seventh-most FD points per game (45.5) to threes over the last 15 contests, and in addition to the metrics cited earlier, it’s also worth noting when considering Harris that they’re surrendering the third-highest three-point percentage (39.8) of any team on its home floor.

Also consider: Kawhi Leonard ($9,800); Jimmy Butler ($8,700); Bam Adebayo ($8,700); Julius Randle ($8,600); Harrison Barnes ($6,600); RJ Barrett ($5,100); Jeff Green ($4,700)

FanDuel DFS Centers

Clint Capela – at NYK ($7,800)

Capela draws a matchup against Nerlens Noel down low that’s historically been very good for opposing centers’ fantasy production, making the Hawks’ big man one of the best potential fantasy-point-per-dollar plays of the night. Capela already checks in having scored over 40 FD points in five of the last eight contests, and he’s put up five double-doubles in the last seven games as well. He also scored 29.4 FD points in just 31 minutes back on Jan. 4 against New York, and the Knicks are allowing the sixth-highest offensive efficiency (33.9 percent) to centers while ranking in the bottom five or 10 in points (22.6), rebounds (15.4) and blocks (2.9) per game surrendered to the position as well.

Myles Turner - vs. CHI ($6,800)

The Bulls may get Wendell Carter back from his thigh injury Monday, but that doesn’t present as a prohibitive matchup for Turner down low by any means. Chicago is giving up 55.5 percent shooting and ranks in the bottom half of the league in points per game (22.0) and offensive efficiency (31.4 percent) allowed to centers, and the Bulls are also yielding 57.0 FD points per game to fives over the last seven contests. Turner has already delivered over 5x his current salary in 14 of 25 games this season, and he fell just short of the mark while putting up 33.5 FD points against these same Bulls across just 25 minutes back on Dec. 26.

DeMarcus Cousins – at WAS ($6,100)

Cousins has admittedly been somewhat of a disappointment in a couple of recent starts in place of Christian Wood (ankle), but he’ll have a chance to redeem himself Monday versus a Wizards squad that’s allowing the fourth-most FD points per game (60.3) to centers over the last seven games. Washington also surrenders the third-highest offensive efficiency (35.6 percent) to fives for the season, and Cousins does have tallies of between 29.3 and 35.7 FD points in three of his last five games. Additionally, as already detailed in Wall’s entry earlier, the Wizards’ accelerated pace of play and highly generous home-court defense stand to benefit multiple players on the Rockets, and in Cousins’ case, so does the fact Washington gives up the fourth-most rebounds per game (56.0).

Also consider: Joel Embiid ($10,700); Nerlens Noel ($4,800); JaVale McGee ($3,700)

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

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