Daily Fantasy DraftKings and FanDuel NBA Picks - Thursday, February 22, 2024

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Point Guard/ Shooting Guard

Collin Sexton FD - $6700 DK - $6200
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 28.49 DK - 30.65

Keyonte George FD - $5800 DK - $4700
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 29.75 DK - 30.35

The Utah Jazz draw one of the best matchups on the slate and come in as -10 favorites against the Charlotte Hornets. The latter are the second-worst defensive efficiency team in the league this season, playing matador style almost all year long. Utah has an interesting guard rotation in that Collin Sexton and Keyonte George are starters, but Jordan Clarkson comes in and plays a lot of minutes off the bench as well.

It does lead to some usage concerns, but in general, the minutes are more than there for these guys with the prices relatively in check.

Before the All-Star Break, Keyonte George played a whopping 41 minutes against the Warriors, putting up 22 shots and finishing with 33 points. It was, for sure, a breakout performance.

The DraftKings price is way too low for his new role. Meanwhile, Sexton took the third most shots on the team in that game, getting up 18 looks and finishing with 35 points and nine assists. The Jazz can support these guys as cash game plays at their current salaries for sure.

Tre Mann FD - $6600 DK - $5500
Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 27.64 DK - 28.69

Tre Mann has been one of the big winners of the trade deadline, coming over from the Thunder and joining the Hornets starting lineup almost immediately. Over his last three games, he’s averaged 14 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds while running more than 30 minutes per game.

He’s just contributing across the board while Charlotte is still without LaMelo Ball in the lineup. Even with the prices climbing, he’s still a play on both sites, especially DraftKings.

Small Forward

Scottie Barnes FD - $9200 DK - $8800
Opponent - BKN
Proj Pts FD - 37.42 DK - 39.27

Scottie Barnes isn’t the best dollar-for-dollar value play on this slate, but he does have a very high floor at his current salaries. The scoring has come and gone in a not-amazing way over the short-term, but the other stats have stayed uniform throughout. He has double-digit rebounds in three of his last four games, with a triple-double thrown in there as well. The Nets play at a faster pace with Ben Simmons in the mix, so this game should be up and down the court for some of it.

Simone Fontecchio FD - $5500 DK - $4500
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 40.36 DK - 42.66

Ausar Thompson FD - $6300 DK - $5000
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 26.51 DK - 28.29

These two guys should both be in the Pistons starting lineup on Thursday, representing value plays for sure at their price points. After the trade deadline, Detroit has firmed up (we hope) some of its rotations, giving more run to the younger guys (outside of Evan Fournier) going forward. Both Simone Fontecchio and Ausar Thompson should be able to run close to (or over) 30 minutes as long as the game stays close. That might be tough, considering the Pacers are double-digit favorites, but the game environment helps here.

The Pacers are the fifth-worst defense in the league running the second-fastest pace. Ausar has gone for double-digit scoring in each of the last three, averaging 14 points and 5.6 rebounds with blocks+steals in that span. Meanwhile, Fontecchio is getting up shots in this offense and should stick in the starting lineup. The DraftKings price is way too low for the opportunity.

Power Forward/ Center

Lauri Markkanen FD - $8000 DK - $8100
Opponent - CHA
Proj Pts FD - 42.13 DK - 43.8

You can see that we are stacking some Utah Jazz on this slate, and this makes a lot of sense considering the matchup. Lauri Markkanen is having another incredibly efficient season with 49/40/89 splits. He’s averaging 23 points per game in fewer than 33 minutes per game with the 8.6 rebounds actually up per minute from last season. Dude is a great bargain again on FanDuel considering the matchup.

Pascal Siakam FD - $8100 DK - $8200
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 43.72 DK - 45.71

Siakam’s time with the Indiana Pacers hasn’t been an enormous fantasy boom, but he is still producing at a steady clip with the minutes hitting the upper-30s as long as the games are staying close. He gets one of the best matchups against the Pistons who are among the worst teams in the league. Sometimes it can be tough running Indy guys because the minutes come and go. But this is a spot to run Siakam.

Wendell Carter Jr. (FD 5500 DK 4900) is starting to come really, really cheap on both sites. If the minutes can land in the 30s then he is a solid value play.

Strongly consider Nick Richards (FD 5800 DK 5600)