NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Sunday (2/5)

DraftKings and FanDuel each have different size main slates this Sunday. DraftKings will run a four gamer with a 6:00 pm EST start, while FanDuel will run five games with an earlier 5:00 pm EST tipoff. The NBA has been electric lately, and Sunday’s schedule should follow suit, with every game having a spread of fewer than six points. The close competition should make for a great night of fantasy hoops. Enough small talk, though. Let’s jump into Sunday’s plays.

View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet

Schedule & Odds

CLE (-4.5) @ IND (+4.5) O/U: 225.5
TOR (+4.5) @ MEM (-4.5) O/U: 226.5
PHI (-5.5) @ NY (+5.5) O/U: 226.5
SAC (-2) @ NO (+2) O/U: 235.5
DEN (-1.5) @ MIN (+1.5) O/U: 230.5

Check out our consensus game odds as well as the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros

Injury Report

Joel Embiid (foot) Questionable
Ja Morant (wrist) Questionable
Zion Williamson (hamstring) OUT
karl Anthony-Towns (calf) OUT
De’Aaron Fox (personal) OUT
Jaren Jackson Jr. (thigh) Questionable
Rudy Gobert (groin) Questionbale
OG Anunoby (wrist) OUT
Steven Adams (knee) OUT
Jonas Valanciunas (knee) Doubtful
Dillon Brooks (suspension) OUT
Mitchell Robinson (thumb) OUT
Kyle Anderson (back) Questionable
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (ankle) Questionable
Dyson Daniels (ankle) Doubtful
Austin Rivers (suspension) OUT

Core Plays

Jamal Murray (PG-DEN): $8,000 DraftKings, $8,300 FanDuel

Besides the obvious high-end options like Jokic and Embiid, Jamal Murray is one of my favorite plays on Sunday’s slate. The Nuggets’ point guard has been playing out of his mind lately. In his last three games, Murray’s averaged 35.3 points, five rebounds, and seven assists while shooting 48.5% from three-point range. Minnesota is 22nd in the NBA in opponent three-pointers made and 25th in three-point percentage allowed. As one of the better point-per-dollar options on this smaller slate, I want all the Jamal Murray exposure I can get.

Domantas Sabonis (C-SAC): $10,500 DraftKings, $9,600 FanDuel

With three elite All-Star centers to choose from on Sunday, which one to go with will be a tough decision. While I’ll likely match the field with my Jokic and Embiid exposure, I may be more aggressive with Sabonis. De’Aaron Fox (personal) is already ruled out, leaving plenty of usage on the table, which Sabonis should mainly soak up. In addition, the Pelicans will be without their top-two big men in, Zion Williamson (hamstring) and Jonas Valanciunas (knee), so Sabonis should be able to feast down low early and often. Look for Sabonis to be on triple-double watch.

GPP Targets

Brandon Ingram (SF/SG-NO): $7,100 DraftKings, $7,600 FanDuel

With the highest implied total on the slate at 235.5, this will certainly be a game environment I want pieces of in most of my lineups. One of my favorite targets is going to be Brandon Ingram. After being sidelined for over a month due to injury, he’s fully healthy and playing great basketball. The veteran has scored 45 or more DKFP in back-to-back games while logging 30-plus minutes in three straight. Ingram is typically priced at about $1,500 more than his current salary. I’ll gladly take the discount on a player with the skillset to break a slate wide open and win me a GPP.

D’Angelo Russell (PG-MIN): $7,200 DraftKings, $7,400 FanDuel

Russell is always a risky play because he can be a volatile player. However, he’s been highly consistent of late. He posted 35 or more DKFP in eight of his last nine games and seven on FanDuel. That’s good for at least five times the return on investment at his current salary. He just torched the Magic and now draws a Nuggets squad that has been awful against point guards all season long. Look for Russell to continue his strong play.

Value Plays

Isaiah Hartenstein (C-NY): $4,000 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel

Hartenstein has become a pretty good salary relief option. He’s grabbed double-digit rebounds and yielded 25 or more fantasy points in three straight games. The big man has seen a minutes increase with Mitchell Robinson (thumb) out of the lineup and has taken full advantage of the extra run. While he does draw a tough matchup against MVP candidate Joel Embiid, he’s at a cheap enough price point to still return 5X his value or better on opportunity alone.

Larry Nance Jr. (PF/C-NO): $4,700 DraftKings, $4,900 FanDuel

With starting center Jonas Valanciunas (knee) likely out for Sunday’s game against the Kings and Zion Williamson (hamstring) also sidelined, Larry Nance should be in line for big minutes. Over the last four games, he’s produced 25 or more fantasy points, playing only an average of 23.5 minutes. Nance should see a significant increase in his playing time on Sunday and be able to return at least five times his value against a Kings squad that doesn’t have a great interior presence.

Thank you for reading another edition of the NBA DFS primer by FantasyPros. If you enjoyed the content, please give me a follow on Twitter @ev_ritt3. The love and support are greatly appreciated. Until next week, good luck!

DFS DraftKings FanDuel NBA Joel Embiid Ja Morant Zion Williamson karl De’Aaron Fox Jaren Jackson Jr. Rudy Gobert OG Anunoby Steven Adams Jonas Valanciunas Dillon Brooks Mitchell Robinson Kyle Anderson Kentavious Caldwell-Pope Dyson Daniels Austin Rivers Jamal Murray Domantas Sabonis Brandon Ingram D’Angelo Russell Isaiah Hartenstein Larry Nance Jr.