It’s Tuesday, February 24th. The National Basketball Association (NBA) has 11 total games on the schedule, but it’s a split slate on both DraftKings and FanDuel. There is an eight-game slate we’ll focus on, with tip-off times between 7:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. ET. The game between the New York Knicks and Cleveland Cavaliers can be seen on Peacock at 7:30 p.m. ET. Below are our top NBA DFS picks for today.
View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet
NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer
NBA DFS Core Plays
- DraftKings: $10,800
- FanDuel: $11,300
You’re going to want Jalen Johnson in your DFS lineup, building around the high-scoring forward. And, you’re likely going to want to pick on the defensively-challenged Washington Wizards with at least a mini-stack of Atlanta Hawks players on Tuesday.
The Wizards are 30th in opponent ranking, while Johnson has averaged 51.7 fantasy points per game. It’s a perfect storm. And, yes, you’re paying up quite a bit for the points, but every cent will be worth it when Johnson and his teammates post big numbers against the Wizards.
- DraftKings: $9,800
- FanDuel: $10.700
Will he, or won’t he? That always seems to be the question with Joel Embiid. He is uber-talented when on the floor, but he has missed huge chunks of time, too, due to his right knee. While that’s bad news for the 76ers, it’s great news for fantasy managers, particularly those in DFS with stock in Tyrese Maxey.
Maxey is going up against the defensively-challenged Indiana Pacers, who have an opponent rank of 27th, while he is putting up 48.8 fantasy points per game. DFS players might hope Embiid stays away, so the offense goes exclusively through the Philly point guard.
- DraftKings: $9,500
- FanDuel: $9,700
Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers host the New York Knicks on Peacock, so you can watch him and his teammates on the national telecast. Mitchell has been solid out of the All-Star break, going for 26 points, five rebounds and 4.5 assists per game in the past two outings, although his three-point shooting is just 2-of-13.
However, the last time he faced the Knicks, Mitchell blew up for 34 points, seven boards, six dimes, four steals and four treys in the Christmas Day game at Madison Square Garden. In two games against the Knicks, he is averaging 32.5 points, 5.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds, two steals and three three-pointers per game. You’re going to need a shooting guard, and Mitchell is a strong play, as he seems to relish facing the Knicks.
NBA DFS Cash Game Targets
- DraftKings: $7,900
- FanDuel: $7,900
Brandon Miller and the Hornets head to Chicago to tangle with the Bulls and their opponent rank of 24. Miller is averaging just 35.3 fantasy points per game, which is rather low compared to others in this same price range. Rostering him takes a bit of a leap of faith.
After a couple of stinkers to start the month of February, Miller has picked up the pace a little, including 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting in Washington after another poor defensive team on Sunday. He has connected for at least four three-pointers in four of his past five games, and he has 22+ points in three of those outings. The last time he faced the Bulls in Chicago on January 3rd, he went for 22 points, six rebounds, four assists, a block, a steal and four three-pointers.
- DraftKings: $7,800
- FanDuel: $9,400
Kevin Porter Jr. has been the beneficiary of Giannis Antetokounmpo (ankle) sitting out due to his high-ankle sprain. Porter has posted 40.5 fantasy points per game, which makes him a little more productive than all of the players available in the $7,500-$8,200 price range. He is facing a Miami defense with an opponent rank of just 28, so the sky is the limit for him at Fiserv Forum on Tuesday.
Porter went for 21 points and 10 assists for the double-double against the Toronto Raptors on Sunday in a blowout loss, and he extended his streak with two or more steals to three games. He also has seven or more assists in each of his past eight games, while going for 18+ points in six of his past seven outings.
- DraftKings: $7,700
- FanDuel: $8,200
Zion Williamson faces a pretty strong matchup against the Golden State Warriors, who check in with an opponent rank of 25. The big man’s price tag is a bargain considering his 37 fantasy points per game production.
Williamson has been rolling right along in the past three games, averaging 26 points, four rebounds, 3.7 assists and one steal per game, while also connecting at a 63.2% or better clip from the field in four of his past five outings.
NBA DFS GPP Targets
- DraftKings: $7,000
- FanDuel: $7,200
Onyeka Okongwu has racked up 35.2 fantasy points per game, the most points per game of any player up to $7,500. He is a strong option in the middle, and he faces a Washington defense with an opponent rank of 29. It’s a strong spot for Okongwu to exceed his projections.
Okongwu went for 13 points and 11 rebounds with two blocks against the Brooklyn Nets in another favorable matchup on Sunday, his first double-double since January 26th. He has scored 12+ points in nine of the past 10 games, and he has two or more blocks in two in a row and four of the past six outings.
- DraftKings: $6,700
- FanDuel: $6,200
Sticking in the Washington-Atlanta game, Kyshawn George is a tremendous value at this mid-tier price. After some brutal games to kick off the month of February, where he averaged just 7.3 points per game in three outings against the Kings, Knicks and Pistons, he has scored 13+ points in three of the last four outings.
George still misses a ton of shots, hitting just 15-of-43 (34.9%) across the past four games, so be mindful of that. However, there is no penalty for misses, and he appears to have the green light to jack up 10-to-12 shots per game lately. George is going to get opportunities to score. If his perimeter shot is falling, he will exceed expectations by a mile.
- DraftKings: $6,200
- FanDuel: $6,500
Brandin Podziemski is coming off a banger of an outing. He went for 18 points, 15 rebounds and nine assists with a steal and three treys in a 128-117 victory over the Denver Nuggets last time out on Sunday. He is working on a string of five consecutive games with 11+ points, including four games with 14+ points.
Podziemski is averaging 15 points, 7.4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game across his past five outings, as he continues to excel with Steph Curry (knee) on the shelf. New Orleans has an opponent rank of 28, so Podziemski should easily exceed his DFS salary expectations.
NBA DFS Value Plays
- DraftKings: $4,800
- FanDuel: $4,900
The 21-year-old Noah Clowney continues to average a healthy amount of minutes for the Nets, averaging 25 minutes per game in seven February games.
The results have been erratic, at best, but when the matchup is favorable, Clowney can exceed DFS salary expectations by miles. Case in point was his 22-point, six-rebound performance against the Chicago Bulls on February 9th.
- DraftKings: $4,600
- FanDuel: $5,300
Teammate Miles Bridges will serve the final game of his suspension for an altercation against the Pistons, so Grant Williams gets a crack at the starting five again.
Williams has played at least 26 minutes in each of the past four games, and the results have been a bit mixed. He was a huge disappointment in Washington on Sunday, posting just five points with five assists and four rebounds across 26 minutes.
However, in a tough matchup against Houston in the previous game, he went for 20 points with nine rebounds on 7-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-5 from downtown. When his shot is falling, Willias can be a boon to DFS players, but he’s hit or miss.
- DraftKings: $4,100
- FanDuel: $4,100
The first-round pick out of Illinois has carved out a nice role for himself in South Florida lately. Kasparas Jakucionis has scored 11+ points in four of the past five games, while posting at least three boards in each of those games.
Jakucionis has also dished out at least three assists in four of the last five games. He has 15 total three-pointers in the five-game span, too, although 12 of those came in a two-game span from February 8-9.
