Wednesday has a gigantic 14-game featured slate, locking at 7:00 p.m. ET on FanDuel and DraftKings. Given the constant flux of the NBA season, we’re breaking down the top building blocks for NBA DFS picks today. These are the best options for Wednesday’s slate, including Moses Moody, P.J. Washington and Nikola Jokic, with plenty of pending news likely to reveal new treasures throughout the day.
NBA DFS Picks Today – Building Blocks: Wednesday, Feb. 12
NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Moses Moody: Warriors at Mavericks
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 23.83 | FanDuel: 23.06
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 26.2% | FanDuel: 17.7%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $4,100 | FanDuel: $4,500
Even with a player pool that is comprised of 28 teams, somehow Moses Moody is going to be a relevant piece. Yes, he does need to be in the starting lineup for a second consecutive game, but with the Mavericks missing Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford and Dwight Powell, plus having traded Maximilian Kleber, it looks like P.J. Washington is going to be serving as the small-ball center.
This in turn makes it more likely that Moody will be in the starting lineup over Gui Santos, Kevon Looney and Trayce Jackson-Davis, which gives the enigmatic wing an opening to join the first five. Skipping his four early-season starts, Moody played 27.5 minutes against the Jazz on Jan. 28, producing around 0.9 fantasy points per minute, and he did the same in just shy of 33 minutes on Monday against Milwaukee with Giannis Antetokounmpo out of the picture.
The addition of Jimmy Butler is really driving the reconfiguration of the lineup, and it looks like Draymond Green will serve as the pivot man against smaller opposing centers. Moody has long tantalized DFS gamers when the Warriors were shorthanded, but he never received consistent minutes or had the trust of coach Steve Kerr. In his last 11 outings, he had 24 or more fantasy points six times and 30-plus three times. In this stretch, he also had a pair of single-digit-fantasy efforts, which is why we really need to see the 14th overall selection of the 2021 NBA Draft in the starting lineup. If he is not, then there are too many other options today that could eviscerate his fantasy total.
Green is also getting attention with his favorable salary on DraftKings ($5,900, 21.6%) and FanDuel ($6,400, 17.1%). Stephen Curry is always a tournament target, and his prospects are strong on DraftKings since it has the better fantasy awards for made 3-pointers. Washington (ankle) missed the last game, but if he returns to action, he is going to be tasked with helping out Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving keep the offense afloat. Irving is best suited for FanDuel’s scoring systems, while Thompson is not particularly DFS relevant on such a large slate.
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Nikola Jokic: Nuggets vs. Trail Blazers
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 66.44 | FanDuel: 64.02
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 11.2% | FanDuel: 5.7%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $12,500 | FanDuel: $12,900
Tonight there are three players who have a median projection of 50 fantasy points or more on FanDuel, including Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Victor Wembanyama. Cade Cunningham, Karl-Anthony Towns, Domantas Sabonis and LeBron James join these two titans on DraftKings, with Jayson Tatum and Luka Doncic falling a tick shy.
However, none of these options come within 14 fantasy points of three-time and reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.
Jokic is far from a must-play tonight, but it is interesting to see how much further ahead he is of the competition. We saw this same matchup on Monday when the Nuggets crushed the Trail Blazers 146-117. The Joker did not set foot on the court in the final frame, but that was not a soul-crushing moment for his DFS backers, as he had 40 points and just over 67 fantasy points in his 30.7 minutes of action during the first three quarters.
Michael Porter Jr. (hamstring) is questionable, and it makes sense for the team to give him tonight off with the All-Star Break coming up. Russell Westbrook is also out, which again puts the scoring load on Jokic, with Jamal Murray chipping in. Depending on how the dust settles amidst all of the swirling news, there may be better tournament options than Jokic, but he remains a core building block in the meantime.
The Pistons needed Cunningham for only 27 minutes last night as they embarrassed the Bulls, allowing the home team to post only 29 points in the first half. Expect more from Chicago in tonight’s rematch, which should see Cunningham and Jalen Duren (23 minutes) getting more run.
Wembanyama averaged just over 33 fantasy points in his two meetings against Boston, but he only played 24 and 27 minutes in those games. Clearly he has a higher ceiling tonight, though Jokic is still preferrable, even with the premium.
Doncic will join LeBron for their second game, and the former Maverick is expected to play at least 30 minutes. That would be enough time for him to flirt with 50 fantasy points against the Utah Jazz, depending on how much King James defers.
Gilgeous-Alexander is on the short list for the MVP award, though we want to keep in mind that Oklahoma City is heading to Minnesota tomorrow night as one of the 10 teams in action. Miami is unlikely to cause much consternation for the Thunder at home, so SGA is a candidate for in-game rest.
Anthony Edwards had 50-plus fantasy points in five of his last six games, with three in the 60s. He is questionable with a sore hip, though tonight’s matchup against the visiting Milwaukee Bucks is far more winnable than the battle against the Thunder tomorrow.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Pick
Pascal Siakam stands out in the sports wagering world, with the under on his 8.5 rebounds prop on SugarHouse, Unibet and BetRivers. This trio of operators has this wager currently listed at -120, which is well above the -140 or worse posted by the rest of the major sites.
The screenshot of Portfolio EV shows that this wager projects to win 57% of the time. That combined with the -118 odds on SugarHouse, Unibet and BetRivers leads to a favorable 5.4% expected value when accounting for the -133 “True Odds.”
Stokastic’s Advanced NBA Statistical Projections have Siakam projected for 32.8 minutes and 8.12 rebounds. Even if center Myles Turner remains out, he will be backfilled by capable glass cleaners in Thomas Bryant and Obi Toppin against the weak Washington frontcourt. The Wizards are the third-worst rebounding team on the season, though the squad scrambled and fought its way to league average during the last fortnight.
In his last 12 games, Siakam tallied more than nine rebounds just three times, only one of which was a game without Turner.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
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