Sunday wraps up the weekend with the NBA fun tipping off at 6:0 p.m. ET on FanDuel and DraftKings. Let’s get into the top NBA DFS picks and building blocks like Cade Cunningham, Wendell Carter Jr. and more!
NBA DFS Picks Today – Building Blocks: Sunday, Feb. 23
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NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Cade Cunningham: Pistons at Hawks
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 52.93 | FanDuel: 50.02
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 15.3% | FanDuel: 21.3%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $10,400 | FanDuel: $10,400
For the second time this season, Detroit has won at least five consecutive games. The last time the team cobbled together this many victories was in March of 2019.
Do not worry about the three recent fantasy totals for Cade Cunningham, as the team won these matchups by 40, 18 and 15 points. The budding superstar still tallied over 40 fantasy points in each appearance, despite playing nearly five minutes less than his season average in this timeframe.
The top selection of the 2021 NBA Draft is setting personal highs with 35.4 minutes, 20.8 field goal attempts, 6.2 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 25.4 points. He is third in assists and 12th overall in the scoring race. He has 24 double-doubles in his 51 starts, along with eight triple-doubles, demonstrating a strong floor and heady upside. In the DraftKings scoring format he has 50-plus fantasy points 29 times (57%), reaching that mark 42% of the time on FanDuel.
Cunningham has the highest median fantasy point projection on DraftKings and FanDuel for the respective featured slates. Technically, he is second to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on FanDuel, though the blue site is not including the nightcap game in its main contests. Detroit is currently favored by a bucket for tonight’s matchup in Atlanta. Over the last 10 games, the Hawks were been in the bottom third of the league, allowing 116.0 points per 100 possessions. Teammates Jalen Duren and Tobias Harris are secondary options, both of whom can provide tournament differentiation on the main DFS sites.
The Pistons have been solid on defense, allowing just over 110 points per 100 possessions over the last 10 games. Onyeka Okongwu currently projects to be represented on one-third of all tournament rosters on DraftKings and FanDuel tonight, which makes sense with his wide range of outcomes. The 24-year-old had a pair of 50 fantasy point efforts in his last six games, though he did not crack 30 fantasy points in the other four. Currently, the Stokastic Boom/Bust Tool shows that the fifth-year pivot is underrepresented in tournaments by nearly 14%. If his popularity reaches 45% or higher, he becomes an intriguing player to avoid, so let other gamers assume the risk of a dud performance in that event.
Wendell Carter Jr.: Magic vs. Wizards
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 29.67 | FanDuel: 29.38
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 52.5% | FanDuel: 42.3%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $4,800 | FanDuel: $5,200
Wendell Carter Jr. rejoined the first five over the last two games, which dramatically changed his role and is providing increased offense and rebounding opportunities.
Including his final appearance before the All-Star Break, the 25-year-old is averaging 29.8 minutes, 10.0 points, 12.3 rebounds and one “stock” (combined blocks and steals). While these are not eye-popping numbers, the salary algorithms have not caught up to his new baseline.
It is crucial that Carter remains in the starting lineup; otherwise he is likely to lose out on 5 to 6 minutes. The matchup against Washington is phenomenal, considering how thin the Wizards are in the post. Yes, rookie Alexandre Sarr has been solid, but he is backed up by journeyman Richaun Holmes, inexperienced Tristan Vukcevic and youngster Kyshawn George. Carter is one of the better foundational building blocks for Sunday, even on FanDuel where Duren is the other “opportunity cost” for center-only players.
Cole Anthony is also standing out on DraftKings ($5,100, 51.4%) and FanDuel ($5,800, 40.3%) since he will be the maestro overseeing the offense against the worst defense in the league. There is volatility in his playing time with the Magic having such a deep rotation, but against this weak opponent, it makes sense that there will be potential mop-up duty, which could keep his minutes in the upper-20s. In his last four games where he logged at least 26.5 minutes of run, Anthony had three games with 40 fantasy points.
De’Aaron Fox: Spurs at Pelicans
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 45.61 | FanDuel: 44.41
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 27.3% | FanDuel: 15.4%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $8,800 | FanDuel: $9,700
It is truly a shame that Victor Wembanyama is out for the remainder of the season; however, that opens up a lot of production for the rest of his ambulatory teammates.
The French phenom was averaging 33.2 minutes, 18.6 field goal attempts, 11.0 rebounds and 24.3 points, which are going to redistribute to the rest of the rotation.
Former Sacramento King De’Aaron Fox will assume the scoring load, and he put up strong numbers in his seven games with the Spurs. His two worst games were on the road in Orlando (25 fantasy points) and in Boston (31 fantasy points). His five other appearances resulted in 45-plus fantasy points, which is what we are hoping for tonight. With Wembanyama out of the picture, expect Fox to push for 20 field goal attempts and at least half a dozen assists in most games.
It appears that Bismack Biyombo is the nominal starter with the well-traveled big man on another 10-day contract. He is just a placeholder as Charles Bassey regains his conditioning after missing six games with an ankle injury. Bassey logged 10 minutes off the bench in his return, and if he is able to crack the starting lineup, he should easily double that run. Sandro Mamukelashvili is the wild card after not playing in the first game without Wembanyama but seeing 22 minutes on Friday. This trio is tough to trust with Biyombo in the mix, so keep tabs on news and, of course, the starting lineup.
Jeremy Sochan got time as the lead facilitator last year in a push to gain experience as a primary ball-handler. Now he is a potential option in the pivot position, depending on the composition of opposing frontcourts. It will be interesting to see how his role shakes out, with Keldon Johnson and Devin Vassell also in the mix as future contributors who need additional seasoning. Best guess is that Harrison Barnes will be the odd man out, though this is a murky situation.
Chris Paul is wildly popular in the first projection run on FanDuel ($5,800, 49.6%) while shaping up as a secondary option on DraftKings ($6,000, 21.2%). Tread lightly because the soon-to-be 40-year-old could be a potential buy-out candidate as he looks to have one last hurrah in the playoffs. This, of course, is speculation, though it does seem logical.
In his first game with the Pelicans, Kelly Olynyk joined Zion Williamson and Yves Missi as the starters in the frontcourt. This resulted in Jeremiah Robinson-Earl not playing, which is likely to be the case going forward in games where Williamson is available. For those feeling bold, Williamson put up at least 40 fantasy points in 11 of his last 13 (85%) games, with four forays to the 50-fantasy point plateau.
Trey Murphy III continues to put up strong fantasy numbers, though the salary algorithms have caught up with his improvements. He is always a tournament option, and this is a matchup that does suit his skillset. It will be a little tougher for Jose “Grand Theft” Alvarado, who gets his fantasy upside via steals, and going against Paul and Fox, well, those opportunities are likely to be harder to come by tonight.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Pick
Tyler Herro has a strong matchup with Milwaukee tonight, though the under on his 6.5 assists prop on SugarHouse, BetRivers and Unibet, currently offered at +100 (aka even money), is appealing.
The screenshot of Portfolio EV shows that this wager projects to win 52% of the time. That combined with the +100 odds on this trio of books, leads to a favorable 4.9% expected value when accounting for the -110 “True Odds.” DraftKings is all the way down at -135, while Pinnacle is at -130, so act quickly before this wager disappears.
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Stokastic’s Advanced NBA Statistical Projections have Herro projected for 36.4 minutes and 5.73 assists. Over the last 20 games, 17 without teammate Jimmy Butler, Herro averaged 36.1 minutes and 6.3 assists. He dished out seven or more dimes on nine (45%) occasions, landing on exactly seven in a trio of tilts.
This wager is likely to come down to the wire, but it is important to remember that Herro also needs to put the biscuit in the basket if Miami is to have any hope of a road victory tonight. Terry Rozier, Bam Adebayo and Davion Mitchell will also help with keeping the offense moving, which could curb the assist upside for Herro.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
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