NBA Daily Fantasy Picks & Playbook: February 1
Published: Feb 01, 2024
We have a four-game NBA DFS main slate on Thursday, February 1st, on DraftKings and FanDuel. This slate has been turned upside down with the latest news that LeBron James and Anthony Davis are out tonight. Even with them out, Donovan Mitchell, Jalen Brunson, Jayson Tatum, and Tyrese Haliburton are still on the slate, so plenty of star power still. Let's dive into today's NBA DFS top plays for the four-game main slate.
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Make sure to check out today's NBA DFS projections and NBA DFS ownership projections before finalizing your lineups today. We also have the NBA Consistency Report to help identify players that have exceeded value based on their current price tag this season and of course our NBA DFS Lineup Generator!
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Notable NBA Injury Updates
QUESTIONABLE
- Anthony Davis – OUT
- LeBron James – OUT
- Tyrese Haliburton – IN
- Tyrese Maxey
- OG Anunoby – OUT
- Nicolas Batum
- John Konchar – Expected to play
- Bennedict Mathurin – OUT
- T.J. McConnell – IN
- Luke Kornet – OUT
- Quentin Grimes – OUT
- Jalen Smith – IN
- Santi Aldama – Expected to play
OUT
DOUBTFUL
Back-to-Backs
Pace
Pace definition: Pace is the total number of possessions a team uses in a game.
*key* Green is elite pace of play, Blue is decent pace of play, & Red is slow pace of play.
Green = Fast Paced team
Blue = Neutral Paced team
Red = Slow Paced team
- Indiana Pacers - 2nd
- Los Angeles Lakers - 6th
- Utah Jazz - 9th
- Philadelphia 76ers - 14th
- Memphis Grizzlies - 16th
- Boston Celtics - 18th
- Cleveland Cavaliers - 20th
- New York Knicks - 27th
Defensive Ratings
- Indiana Pacers - 26th
- Utah Jazz - 24th
- Los Angeles Lakers - 15th
- Memphis Grizzlies - 10th
- Philadelphia 76ers - 8th
- New York Knicks - 6th
- Cleveland Cavaliers - 3rd
- Boston Celtics - 2nd
NBA Game Totals
- Los Angeles Lakers @ Boston Celtics - 239.5 (BOS -14.5)
- Philadelphia 76ers @ Utah Jazz - 237.5 (UTA -4.5)
- Indiana Pacers @ New York Knicks - 236.5 (NYK -3.5)
- Cleveland Cavaliers @ Memphis Grizzlies - 215.5 (CLE -8.5)
Top Tier Core Plays
Donovan Mitchell, Cleveland Cavaliers
On the surface, this game is terrible. No doubt, it’s terrible. That said, Evan Mobley's been ruled out and we're not certain about Darius Garland. Even if he does play, it's on a limit. Mitchell’s on a heater right now averaging 30.6 points, 9.4 assists, 5.6 rebounds, and 57.6 DKP/game over his last five.
Jalen Brunson, New York Knicks
Brunson's been good, not great from an FP scale the last couple of slates without Julius Randle, but man this is a spot that could change that narrative. Still, without the guys that are in, Brunson's at a 33% USG and averages 1.39 FP/min. 50 FP is normally great, but his price continues to rise, that's the only reason I worded it that way. Elite play tonight.
Tyrese Maxey, Philadelphia 76ers
Here's what we know. Nick Nurse thinks Maxey will play. We know Embiid, Melton, and Covington are out. With all that in play, Maxey and the 76ers get a massive pace-up spot and he'll have the team to himself here. Maxey, with those guys out, is at 1.36 FP/min this season along with a 9.4% USG bump to 36.7%.
Mid-Tier Core Plays
Markkanen is the Jazz's best player and we saw what the Philly defense looks like without Joel Embiid last game, well, a less than 100% Embiid, and now Embiid's fully out. Markkanen and his 25% USG and 1.28 FP/min average is a fantastic spot to attack.
Jarrett Allen, Cleveland Cavaliers
Have you seen what centers have done to Memphis lately? It's all year they've struggled rebounding as they're bottom-five in rebounding opportunity. Sabonsi has 25 rebounds against them the other day and now Allen gets a center room all by himself with Evan Mobley ruled out. He's had 11+ rebounds in 16 straight games and has flashed a ceiling of 23 in that span. This is a ceiling-rebounding spot for Allen.
Kristaps Porzingis, Boston Celtics
If you think this game can stay close, someone on Boston is going to have a big game. With their starting five fully healthy and playing together, it's Porzingis who leads the team in FP/min at 1.22 while posting a 23.8% USG rate. Porzingis has a very solid floor/ceiling combination and gets a match-up against Jaxson Hayes and Christian Wood.
D'Angelo Russell, Los Angeles Lakers
Tied with Austin Reaves at 1.37 FP/min without James, Davis, and Vincent is Russell and that's an elite number. Russell is a good shot-creator and can be a good facilitator as well. He gets a 7.2% USG bump up to 30.2% USG rate without those guys this year. He has 40 minute upside and the highest ceiling on the Lakers.
Austin Reaves, Los Angeles Lakers
Without James, Davis, and Vincent this year, Reaves sees the biggest usage bump at 12.6% up to 33.4%, which leads the team. He's also at 1.37 FP/min, which is tied with DLo for the team lead. If the Lakers can keep this game competitive, it's because of Reaves.
Tobias Harris, Philadelphia 76ers
Whether Maxey plays or not, Tobias Harris is going to be a staple in many lineups, including mine. With Embiid, Melton, and Covington out, he sits at a 25.5% USG and 1.13 FP/min. If Maxey sits, the usage goes up and Harris will have the team to himself.
Donte DiVincenzo, New York Knicks
Everyone's darling the last two games, why not make it three straight? This is as good of a pace up spot as we're going to get on tonight's slate and the Knicks could be even more short-handed than the last two games with Quentin Grimes popping on the injury report. With just Quickley, Barrett, Randle, and Robinson off the floor, he has a 26.6% USG and averages 1.24 FP/min.
Second on the Utah Jazz in FP/min this year? Collin Sexton is at 1.2, which is an elite number. He also sports at 27.5% USG, which is percentage points away from the team lead. Anytime we see Sexton extended he's putting up a crooked fantasy score.
Isaiah Hartenstein, New York Knicks
Some 25-minute limit last game. Hartenstein played 29 minutes and now gets a pace-up spot in a good spot for centers. With the same guys out as I mentioned above with DDV, he's at 1.23 FP./min. That goes up to 1.28 if Anunoby is also out again. The minutes cap should be all but gone here.
Look, he's been a very good fantasy producer when Joel Embiid's off the floor. He's at 1.05 FP/min without Embiid off and Maxey on. He's at 1.13 when BOTH are off. He needs to stay out of foul trouble and will be be able to chase John Collins around the perimeter is really the question.
Value Tier Core Plays
Collins has been one of the most consistent Jazz players lately as he's averaged 27.4 minutes and 35.9 DKP/game over his last five, averaging a double-double during that span. Collins is a tough match-up for Paul Reed cuz he'll pull him to the perimeter and space the floor against him. Collins is up to 1.04 FP/min on the year.
Nesmith isn't going to break the slate again (I think) but I recognize how good he's been lately regardless. The minutes are up, the production is up, and thus, here we are. He's a .97 FP/min player with Pascal Siakam this year and the fit next to Siakam has been perfect for him.
Jarred Vanderbilt, Rui Hachimura, Christian Wood, Los Angeles Lakers
Which Lakers front-court member is the most valuable? From a FP/min standpoint, it's Christian Wood at 1.02. He is seemingly splitting time with Jaxson Hayes who will likely start and play over him in blowouts. Hachimura sits with the highest USG at 22% and his .83 FP/min is OK. Vandy has been the worst in both categories this year, but he's been the best of the three lately, so he's my preferred option, but I have interest in all of them.
I almost went Simone Fontecchio here, but why not just go with the cheaper asset that's a better fantasy producer? Olynyk is averaging 1.1 FP/min, which is third on the team, and has twice hit the 20-minute mark over his last four games. He has a VERY high ceiling and low floor, so take that for what it is.
Late-News Core Play Section
*Section for players we are considering “core plays” based on late-breaking news & research
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Player Pool
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