Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and DraftPot - 2/5/16

Hey everybody! Welcome to a packed Friday edition of DFSR's world famous NBA picks. Yes, world famous. That's not hyperbole even in the slightest. There are a ton of injury things that will effect the picks. I'm going to give you the broad strokes and then we will catch everyone up with our later afternoon picks update piece that's almost as world famous as the regular picks. Let's get going.

If you want to grab a free trial of the winning projections that inform each and every one of these picks, check out our lineup builder and Google Chrome extension that auto-populates your lineups into FanDuel and DraftKings. While the seasons overlap, you'll get access to our tools for the NBA, NFL, and NHL! Get started for free by clicking the button below.

First time with NBA? Be sure to read our free NBA Ebook on building lineups, general strategy and more. We've got you completely covered.

POINT GUARD

I'm finding point guard to be a mess on this slate. I hate almost every guy for some reason or another. I'll give a few guys I hate less than others, but this is a rough position tonight.

Emmanuel Mudiay - FD 5200 DK 5300
Opponent - CHI
FD Proj. Pts - 27.2 DK Proj. Pts - 28.3
He still has a grip on the majority of the Nuggets' point guard minutes. I'm not expecting that to change. But he's struggled from the field over the last couple of games mostly because he's not that good of a shooter. He'll get to the rack which helps, but from the outside he's a mess. The inconsistent scoring has me worried even if the minutes are right. Because the position is so tough I think I'll end up playing him a lot, but buyer beware if the shot isn't falling.

Elfrid Payton - FD 5500 DK 5300
Opponent - LAC
FD Proj. Pts - 26.05 DK Proj. Pts - 26.53
Oof, this one doesn't feel great either, but I'm not willing to spend too much more than this price range at PG. Orlando needs to keep this game close and Payton has to stay in Scottie Skiles' good graces. Neither is a lock to happen, but I do think Elfrid and his crazy hair see the requisite amount of run. I don't think he'll kill you at these prices even if he is chasing Paul all over the court.

Ish Smith - FD 6700 DK 7100
Opponent - WAS
FD Proj. Pts - 30.4 DK Proj. Pts - 31.23
This will be an up and down game between the 4th and 6th fastest paced teams in the league. From a fan perspective I love watching Ish. His fierce determination to get into the lane and figure things out from there makes him a great dude to tune in for on League Pass. But he gets buzzed off minutes just enough to make me wary of the situation. I think game flow gets him to value tonight, but he's like the guys above in that there are serious question marks.

SHOOTING GUARD

Victor Oladipo - FD 6600 DK 6900
Opponent - LAC
FD Proj. Pts - 30.87 DK Proj. Pts - 32.2
If you read our picks or follow our projections then pat yourself on the back, you're smarter than you look. But also you knew that we were all over Dipo on Wednesday against OKC. Loved his minutes' upside considering the defensive work he was going to need to do. And he paid off in every facet. Dude had his best game of the season with a 37/7/4 line that more than paid the day. And we were one of the few outfits on the guy which led to fantastic separation. All over him again tonight against the Clippers. We have him at a conservative 35 minutes, but there's room for upside at that number.

Tony Allen - FD 4500 DK 4700
Opponent - NYK
FD Proj. Pts - 22.86 DK Proj. Pts - 23.41
Had an off game last time out though our system doesn't give a crap about little blips like that. We are more of a "return to averages" kind of group and Allen is a solid cash game play if you think the minutes will be there. His run is moderately locked in considering how much the Grizz rely on his defense. Allen won't wow you with offensive game, but he typically does enough to hit value and this is a good matchup. The Knicks have been slightly below average against opposing shooting guards this season and Allen's price is right in the value zone for his production.

The injury question marks
Like I said in the opening: we will know more about these situations as your Friday drones on toward quitting time. But if Kemba Walker were to site again then Jeremy Lin becomes almost a must-play. Additionally, if Jimmy Butler was downgraded to out then E'Twaun Moore falls into that must-play range as well. Stay tuned on these situations. I have a feeling we are in for a very interesting lineup lock.

We have a new partner - FantasyHub! They're totally different than the status quo in this industry for all the right reasons. They have great products and good bonuses, sure, but they also give away a big portion of their earnings to charity. Check them out below and get a 500% matching bonus on your first deposit!

SMALL FORWARD

Robert Covington - FD 5000 DK 6200
Opponent - WAS
FD Proj. Pts - 29.52 DK Proj. Pts - 32.93
Sometimes it can be tough stomaching guys on the Sixers. The minutes get jacked around a ton and you can never be sure if they are f#$%ing with rotations just for the hell of it, or if there's a real plan. I'm legit torn on this question. Anyway, Covington got buzzed off minutes against Atlanta because Philly was getting rolled. I think you see a bounce back game from him here against a fast-paced Wiz team who've been just a little south of horrendous against wings this season. I have Covington as a near lock on FD and close to one on DK.

Paul George - FD 8300 DK 8400
Opponent - ATL
FD Proj. Pts - 39.06 DK Proj. Pts - 41.63
The good news on PG is that he's still shooting. He's averaged about 17 shots per game over his last six. So the volume is there. But the problem is with the accuracy. He's only shot 38% from the field in that stretch and it's killing his fantasy production. This is well below his career averages so I'm tempted to say we are looking at some run bad. But he's also coming back from a major injury and could just be fatigued and off his game. It's really tough to know. I want to keep running him out there (and our system does too for sure), but there's some reason for concern. But I like the matchup here and the price is right. It's close, but I'm looking at him in cash games. Feels weird even saying it.

Kawhi Leonard - FD 7200 DK 7800
Opponent - DAL
FD Proj. Pts - 32.93 DK Proj. Pts - 34.28
He got the fantasy juices going against New Orleans the other night mostly because he has facing a bad defense and got a bunch of minutes' run. Kawhi's been all over the map this season which has kept his pricing in check. He's a superstar for sure, but the Spurs end up in so many weird blowout-y games and Pop is Pop that the minutes aren't there consistently. Couple that with the fact that Kawhi sometimes becomes the second or third option on offense and we have a guy who can sink you. But I think he plays bigger minutes tonight against Dallas which should really raise his floor. A much better deal on FD.

Consider Justise Winslow and MKG on the cheaper side of things

Additionally, Lebron is a higher floor big money guy against the Celtics.

POWER FORWARD

Myles Turner - FD 5600 DK 6500
Opponent - ATL
FD Proj. Pts - 29.03 DK Proj. Pts - 30.18
Myles had a bit of a down game (for him at least) on Wednesday which I think is a great thing. I want folks to get swayed a bit by short term results and let it effect their daily decisions. Those are exactly the kind of margins in which we operate. Turner appears solidified in the starting lineup and his talent has allowed him to become a relevant part of their first team offense. He still took 11 shots last game though the minutes dipped just a hair. But at a weaker power forward position, he's a top play considering his scoring prowess and ability to rebound.

Thaddeus Young - FD 6400 DK 6200
Opponent - SAC
FD Proj. Pts - 32.62 DK Proj. Pts - 33.92
Ooh, I love this play. Thad's been up and down with minutes this season which has kept his price in check after some early season love. But tonight he faces a Kings' defense getting steamrolled by opposing power forwards this season. In reality the Kings rank near the bottom of the league in overall defensive efficiency, but the Nets don't have a ton of viable fantasy options. Because they suck. But Thad, if you think the minutes hit the mid 30's, makes for a great upside play at his prices.

Taj Gibson - FD 5300 DK 5800
Opponent - DEN
FD Proj. Pts - 26.86 DK Proj. Pts - 27.32
These guys go 1,2,3 in our system from a points/$ perspective. Power forward is kind of loaded tonight, a rare occurrence in what is usually a barren wasteland of mediocrity and disappointment. But tonight you are flush with options. Taj is more a safety play considering his minutes but lack of true scoring. He's the fourth (at best) option for them on the offensive end when the Bulls are at full strength which means he needs to pile on minutes to see true value. But the run is there for sure.

Strongly consider Derrick Favors who easily could have had his own write up. Additionally, Kevin Love must be loving the Lue-era in Cleveland because he's been real solid of late. Both guys make interesting plays in their pricing tier. You may end up paying for them with other value plays at other positions.

CENTER

Nikola Jokic - FD 6200 DK 5900
Opponent - CHI
FD Proj. Pts - 32.05 DK Proj. Pts - 32.98
Could it be that Denver has finally settled on a big man to take all of the big man minutes? Has hell frozen over? It's one or the other, but Jokic appears to have grabbed the majority of center minutes for the Nuggets. I'm always a little skeptical of situations like this. Mike Malone giveth and taketh away. But if you think Nikola is slotted in for minutes around 30 then he's a fantastic play against a Chicago team coming in well below average against opposing centers this season.

DeMarcus Cousins - FD 11000 DK 11300
Opponent - BKN
FD Proj. Pts - 51.14 DK Proj. Pts - 51.77
I really don't get too wrapped up in what Player A did against Team B last time out because the sample sizes are too small in basketball. That being said, our system really likes Cousins against the Nets today and last time they played earlier in the season Boogie went off for a 40/13 line against Bro-Lo. So there's that. Brooklyn's struggled all season against opposing centers because Lopez is a score first big. Look for Boogie to take advantage here and center is a slot (on FD) you can for sure spend up.

So yeah, basketball season! And we've got some goodies you can take with you. At the end of the post, we have our NBA eBook that you really ought to check out before setting even a single daily fantasy NBA lineup. It's free, below.

GRAB A FREE TRIAL OF OUR PROJECTION SYSTEM!

GET OUR FREE EBOOK ON DAILY FANTASY NBA!

And Daily Fantasy NBA Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings every day!