NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Be a Herro and Have Yourself a Ball! (Feb. 24)

NBA DFS Picks Today – Building Blocks: Monday, Feb. 24

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NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks

There is probably a soft minutes cap of around 30, but considering the second overall selection in the 2017 NBA Draft played at least 27.8 minutes in the last four games, he should be able to push for the upper-20s again. The concern, of course, is effectiveness on offense, as Ball is struggling from the field with a 25.6% conversion rate on 9.8 attempts in this stretch, including 25.8% on 7.8 attempts from beyond the arc.

The expectation is that the 27-year-old will see his popularity sliding below 30% on DraftKings and 40% on FanDuel, which is where his downside is more palatable. If he continues to have the attention of The Masses, then he is less appealing in tournaments. If Ball finds his range from beyond the arc, he can produce close to a fantasy point per minute; if not, well, he will be hard-pressed to clear 20 fantasy points. This is a fun decision point that could make or break tournaments.

Ayo Dosunmu (shoulder), Patrick Williams (knee) and Jalen Smith (concussion) are all out, which means additional minutes are secure for Coby White, Josh Giddey and rookie Matas Buzelis. Nikola Vucevic also looks strong against the team that drafted him since Joel Embiid is unlikely to play tonight and there is the potential that he will not take the court again this season.

Vucevic looks best on DraftKings since there is some opportunity cost at the center position on FanDuel, with Nikola Jokic one of the most desirable plays on the slate. There should be enough value that rostering him is not particularly challenging, with his projected tournament representation at 35% on DraftKings and 22% on FanDuel. Giddey looks best on FanDuel, and the other Bulls players are tertiary targets across the various NBA DFS sites.

Despite the disappointingly disastrous season in Philadelphia, the 76ers have to be thrilled with the early returns from Quentin Grimes, who arrived at the trade deadline (along with a second-round pick) for the injured Caleb Martin. He looks like he can be a solid contributor to the rotation going forward alongside injured rookie Jared McCain. Grimes was the 25th overall selection in the 2021 NBA Draft, though he never quite found his place in New York, Detroit or Dallas. Do not expect another 50-fantasy point performance like he posted against the Nets in Brooklyn, but Grimes could push for 28 to 30 fantasy points if he remains in the starting lineup, with another 7 to 8 in readily available upside.

We know what we are getting with Paul George and Kelly Oubre Jr., but they also have salaries that have been created with the expectation that Embiid will play tonight. Over the last 10 games, Chicago allowed 120.0 points per 100 possessions, which was actually worse than Utah and Washington’s full season defensive efficiency ratings. Tyrese Maxey is dealing with a sore index finger on his shooting hand, though if he plays, this is a favorable matchup and he is going to need to carry the offense.

This is also a back-to-back for Atlanta, who lost 148-143 at home to the Detroit Pistons, in regulation. Coach Erik Spoelstra has tightened up the rotation, with Jaime Jaquez Jr. playing only once in the last five games, while veteran Terry Rozier played 16 and 10 minutes in the last two games. Recent additions Andrew Wiggins and Davion Mitchell have been seeing heavy run with the first five alongside stalwart Bam Adebayo and rookie Kel’el Ware. This makes it hard to trust any of the reserves, but the salary algorithms have not quite caught up to this change in minutes for the starters.

D’Angelo Russell, Noah Clowney and Cameron Thomas remain out, so there are other Nets who can be considered tonight. It is hard to be excited for Killian Hayes, who was a good play at a sub-$4,000 salary on Saturday with a player pool comprised of just eight teams. He is not appealing tonight but at least competent enough to keep the offense moving against the dreadful Washington defense. Cameron Johnson is another player who can do a little bit of everything, so he too receives an endorsement for Monday’s slate. Nicolas Claxton and Day’Ron Sharpe should have no issues in the paint against young Alexandre Sarr and journeyman Richaun Holmes.

It is tougher to endorse anyone from the Wizards if Khris Middleton and Marcus Smart play. This veteran duo is unlikely to play on back-to-backs, with the team looking to prop up their future trade value. They also are probably looking at a soft 26- to 28-minute cap since Washington is unabashedly tanking. In games where they are out, Sarr, Carlton Carrington III, Kyshawn George and Bilal Coulibaly can be considered, depending on other variables.

Jordan Poole is always a tournament target with his scoring upside, though keep in mind that Brooklyn had the best defensive efficiency rating over the last 10 games and the Nets were in the top 3 across the last 15 games.

There will likely be additional value options once the dust settles on which players will be out for Utah, and that will likely take away some of the luster from the Nets. That will turn some into differentiation plays that savvy gamers will want in their portfolios.

Today’s Top Sports Betting Pick

Paul George should be nicknamed “The Postman” because he has been mailing it in this season. That has the under on his 29.5 points + rebounds + assists (PRA) prop on SugarHouse, BetRivers and Unibet, currently offered at -108, as one of the more appealing wagers on the board.

The screenshot of Portfolio EV shows that this wager projects to win 55% of the time. That combined with the -108 odds on this trio of books leads to a spectacular 6.6% expected value when accounting for the -124 “True Odds.”

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Stokastic’s Advanced NBA Statistical Projections have George projected for 32.8 minutes, 19.41 points, 5.63 rebounds and 4.84 assists for 29.88 PRA. While that is just above the 29.5 PRA, it is also accounting for the very favorable matchup.

Across his last seven games, George’s best PRA is 24, which he tallied last night in a whopping 40.2 minutes. In this stretch, Postal P averaged 18 PRA in 33.3 minutes.

Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today

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