Top NBA DFS Plays & Prop Picks 2/3 | Making Sense of a Wild Monday Slate!

Monday, February 3rd - DFS Plays & Pick 'Ems for Today's NBA Action!

Author

Ryan Humphries
February 03, 2025

Written By: Ryan Humphries on Twitter & LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries

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DFS Main Slate Rundown 📰

Well… the NBA landscape has changed quite a bit since the last newsletter came out on Friday. A pair of monster three-team trades (one being a bit more monstrous than the other) came down the pipeline over the weekend and there will surely be several more significant moves ahead of Thursday’s 3 pm ET trade deadline. Buckle up for an extra chaotic week of NBA action! Aside from the fallout of the recent trade news, we have a wild injury report today with a slew of high-impact players listed as either “out” or “questionable”. So if you’re putting any serious money into this slate, staying on top of all of the latest injury news and starting lineups will be a necessity. Alright, let’s lock in and see if we can make sense of it all! Best of luck!

 

NBA Trade Tracker (I’ll keep this linked until we’re past Thursday’s deadline)

 

Today’s Key Injuries

  • Wizards: J. Poole - Questionable, A. Sarr - OUT

  • Hornets: L. Ball - OUT, J. Okogie - OUT, V. Micic - Questionable, T. Mann - OUT, C. Martin - OUT, T. Salaun - Doubtful

  • Hawks: T. Young - Probable, C. Capela - OUT, B. Bogdanovic - OUT

  • Pistons: None

  • Rockets: A. Sengun - Questionable, F. VanVleet - OUT, J. Smith Jr. - OUT, J. Landale - Doubtful

  • Knicks: J. Hart - Probable, OG Anunoby - OUT

  • Spurs: V. Wembanyama - Questionable, Z. Collins - OUT (traded), T. Jones - OUT (traded)

  • Grizzlies: J. Morant - Questionable, D. Bane - OUT, B. Clarke - Questionable, M. Smart - Doubtful, V. Williams Jr. - Doubtful

  • Bucks: G. Antetokounmpo - OUT, D. Lillard - OUT, B. Portis - Doubtful, B. Lopez - Questionable, K. Middleton - OUT

  • Thunder: Jal. Williams - OUT, C. Holmgren - OUT, C. Wallace - OUT, A. Caruso - OUT

  • Kings: D. Fox - OUT (traded), K. Huerter - OUT (traded), J. McLaughlin - OUT (traded)

  • Timberwolves: A. Edwards - Questionable, J. Randle - OUT, N. Reid - Questionable, D. DiVincenzo - OUT

  • Pacers: M. Turner - Questionable

  • Jazz: C. Williams - OUT

  • Pelicans: B. Ingram - OUT, D. Theis - OUT, D. Murray - OUT (done for season -- will be excluded from future injury reports)

  • Nuggets: R. Westbrook - OUT, P. Watson - OUT

 

Late Game Injury Report (FanDuel Main Slate Only)

  • Magic: J. Suggs - Doubtful

  • Warriors: J. Kuminga - OUT, D. Green - Probable, B. Hield - Probable

  • Suns: None

  • Trailblazers: R. Williams - Questionable

Main Slate Match-Ups w/ Game Totals & Point Spreads

Top DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Plays

Note: NBA position designations are never going to perfectly align between the major DFS sites. For the purposes of these newsletters, positional designations will default to DraftKings.

Point Guards/Shooting Guards to Consider 🏀

PG Cade Cunningham, DET | DK: $10.3k, FD: $10.2k | vs. ATL

There is a ton of value on this slate so it won’t be a challenge to fit some five-figure studs like Cunningham into our lineups. With many other high-end guards on this slate either battling injuries or facing a potential blowout script, Cunningham does stand out at the top today. He has taken on a colossal 37.5% USG% over his L5Games and his lone dud performance in the last few weeks came in a 91-110 blowout loss on the road to the mighty Cavs last Monday. Cunningham has also excelled in two previous contests against the Hawks this season where he has averaged 25.5 PPG, 8.5 RPG, 12.0 APG, 2.5 STL+BLK/gm, and 1.66 FPPM. He has been a bit more efficient at home this season and this is shaping up as one of the better DFS environments on the slate given its close spread (DET -4) and lofty total (237 O/U).

 

PG Jose Alvarado, NOP | DK: $4.8k, FD: $4.8k | at DEN

We’re skipping over a lot of names in the mid-range but I believe it's important to highlight several of these value options even if they’re going to be fairly obvious plays to most -- as usual, I’ll be listing off plenty of other favorable guard plays below. With Dejounte Murray (Achilles) having his season cut short, Jose Alvarado is expected to maintain a starting role, at least until Brandon Ingram (ankle/out) is ready to return. Alvarado has seven starts under his belt this season and, in those games, he has averaged a respectable 0.99 FPPM and 30.3 DKFP/29.7 FDFP per game. The Pelicans are “only” 10.5-point underdogs against the Nuggets tonight, so there is a decent chance this game stays somewhat competitive. Denver has also ranked 27th versus starting PGs L10Games. If Alvarado ends up playing 30+ minutes tonight, he’ll have plenty of time to return 6x (or better) value on his $4,800 salary on both sites.

 

SG Keon Ellis, SAC | DK: $3.5k, FD: $4.4k | at MIN

The Kings were one of the teams involved in the big weekend trades. They have sent away star guard De’Aaron Fox along with Kevin Huerter and Jordan McLaughlin. They did get back Zach LaVine and a handful of draft picks but, barring some unexpected news, LaVine won’t be ready to make his Kings debut until later this week. That should land Keon Ellis in the starting lineup this evening. Ellis isn’t an overly prolific fantasy scorer, averaging a rather pedestrian 0.80 FPPM this season. But he will have a good chance to play 30+ minutes tonight and has averaged 28.0 DKFP/29.1 FDFP in his L5Games as a starter. It may not be an ideal match-up but the Timberwolves have allowed some solid DFS production to opposing guards lately and the Kings are only five-point underdogs in this game. At his current price points, Ellis could be a steal tonight, particularly at his $3,500 salary on DraftKings.

 

Other Guards to Consider

PG Jalen Brunson, NYK vs HOU

PG Tyrese Haliburton, IND at UTA (Slight boost if M. Turner is out)

PG/SG Jamal Murray, DEN vs. NOP

PG/SG Malik Monk, SAC at MIN

PG/SG Dyson Daniel, ATL at DET

PG/SG Andrew Nembhard, IND at UTA

SG Malik Beasley, DET vs. ATL

PG/SG Stephon Castle, SAS at MEM (Boost if Wemby is out)

PG/SG Luke Kennard, MEM vs. SAS

PG KJ Simpson, CHA vs. WAS (Boost if V. Micic is out)

SG/SF Gary Trent Jr., MIL at OKC (Pending MIL injury report)

PG/SG Miles McBride, NYK vs. HOU

PG Rob Dillingham, MIN vs. SAC (Boost if A. Edwards is out)

PG/SG AJ Green, MIL at OKC (Pending MIL injury report)

PG/SG Devin Carter, SAC at MIN

 

FanDuel Main Slate Only

SG/SF Devin Booker, PHX at POR

PG/SG Anfernee Simons, POR vs. PHX

 

Small Forwards/Power Forwards to Consider 🏀

PF Miles Bridges, CHA | DK: $9k, FD: $8.2k | vs. WAS

Forward is a bit thin at the top today, but we can feel pretty confident that Miles Bridges will dominate the usage for the injury-ridden Hornets once again. When viewing the usage matrix splits with all of the currently injured Hornets (L. Ball, J. Okogie, T. Mann, C. Martin, B. Miller, G. Williams) off the floor this season, we’ll find that Bridges has seen a massive +11.4 percentage point increase to his usage rate -- and that’s in a fairly significant sample size of nearly 200 minutes. The Hornets (-5) are rare favorites today despite all of the injuries, which speaks volumes about how awful the Wizards are. The Wizards, who are 4th in pace and dead last in DEFRTG, have ranked 29th versus starting power forwards this season.

 

SF/SG Christian Braun, DEN | DK: $5.2k, FD: $5.5k | vs. NOP

With Russell Westbrook out for a second consecutive game, Braun will step back into the starting lineup tonight. Braun started the first 47 games of the season for the Nuggets and was, by all means, very solid in that role. His last two games as a starter have been particularly strong as he has combined for 52 points, 16 rebounds, six assists, four steals, and a block. He is shooting the three ball at a 43.8% clip at home this season and the Nuggets should have no major problems putting up points against the Pelicans’ 28th-ranked defense.

 

PF/C Precious Achiuwa, NYK | DK: $5.1k, FD: $4.8k | vs. HOU

I believe there is a strong chance we’ll see Achiuwa earn a spot start in place of the injured OG Anunoby. Achiuwa has only started one other game this season and he turned in a quality 13-point, 10-rebound double-double (and 32.0 DKFP/30.0 FDFP) against the Timberwolves on Dec. 19th. He is also coming off of his best overall game of the season on Saturday where he put up a 15/15 double-double and 41.25 DKFP/39.50 FDFP across 29 minutes. He was the immediate substitute who came into the game once Anunoby exited one minute into the second half, which further solidifies the assumption that he’ll be starting tonight. The Rockets (4th in DEFRTG) represent a tougher match-up but we know that Knicks’ HC Tom Thibodeau doesn’t hesitate to give his starters huge minutes, so Achiuwa should have ample opportunity to turn in some nice value tonight.

 

Other Forwards to Consider

PF Zion Williamson, NOP at DEN

PF/C Jaren Jackson Jr., MEM vs. SAS

SF/PG Amen Thompson, HOU at NYK

SF/SG Trey Murphy III, NOP at DEN

PF Pacal Siakam, IND at UTA

PF/C John Collins, UTA vs. IND

SF DeMar DeRozan, SAC at MIN

SF/PF Michael Porter Jr., DEN vs. NOP

SF/PF Aaron Wiggins, OKC vs. MIL

PF Santi Aldama, MEM vs. SAS

PF Keegan Murray, SAC at MIN

SF/PF Zaccharie Risacher, ATL at DET

PF/C Aaron Gordon, DEN vs. NOP

SF/PF Taurean Prince, MIL at OKC

SF/SG Isaiah Joe, OKC vs. MIL

SF/SG Andre Jackson Jr., MIL at OKC

SF/PF Gregory Jackson, MEM vs. SAS

 

FanDuel Main Slate Only

SF/PF Franz Wagner, ORL at GSW

SF/SG Toumani Camara, POR vs. PHX

Centers to Consider 🏀

C Mark Williams, CHA | DK: $8.4k, FD: $7.8k | vs. WAS

After missing a couple of games with a foot injury, Mark Williams didn’t look limited at all upon his return to action on Saturday as he poured in a 20/15 double-double and 50.25 DKFP/50.50 FDFP across 32 minutes in a narrow loss to the Nuggets. Williams has put up a studly 1.44 FPPM this season and he should continue to take on a key role for the shorthanded Hornets. And, of course, the match-up literally does not get any better as the Wizards have ranked dead last versus starting centers this season.

 

C Rudy Gobert, MIN | DK: $6.3k, FD: $6.6k | vs. SAC

Gobert has put up some excellent production lately which has resulted in him scoring at least 37.0 DKFP/36.5 FDFP in four of his last five games. Overall, he is averaging a 13.6/10.8/3.2 stat line during that five-game stretch, along with 3.4 STL+BLK/gm and 39.0 DKFP/40.4 FDFP. He has seen a moderate usage boost with Julius Randle (groin/out) off the floor this season -- Randle’s absence should also solidify bigger minutes for Gobert as well. He may receive a further bump if either Anthony Edwards or Naz Reid (both questionable) are ruled out for tonight’s game.

 

Other Centers to Consider

C Nikola Jokic, DEN vs. NOP

C Domantas Sabonis, SAC at MIN

C Isaiah Hartenstein, OKC vs. MIL

C Jalen Duren, DET vs. ATL

C Jonas Valanciunas, WAS at CHA

C Steven Adams, HOU at NYK (Only if A. Sengun is out again)

C Charles Bassey, SAS at MEM (Only if Wemby is out)

C Thomas Bryant, IND at UTA (Preferred if M. Turner is out)

C Isaiah Stewart, DET vs. ATL

 

FanDuel Main Slate Only

C Deandre Ayton, POR vs. PHX

PrizePicks NBA Power Play of the Day ⚡

Here is a two-pick “Power Play” I’m liking for today's NBA action over on PrizePicks! Nothing is ever a guarantee to hit but I put my own money on these bets so I don't just lightly throw these out there without believing they'll cash! If it hits, it will return 3x the wager.

Keon Ellis MORE than 9.5 Points

Zion Williamson MORE than 41.0 Fantasy Score

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That will wrap us up with today’s “Daily Dribble” edition! Once again, you can find me on Twitter or in LineStar chat @Ryan_Humphries. Good luck everyone!