NBA Fantasy: Top DFS lineup choices for Feb. 13

If you plan on participating in NBA DFS, it is crucial to stay informed about lineup announcements and be prepared for late swapping. This strategy will give you a competitive edge and increase your chances of winning prizes.

We have a five-game slate tonight, which is the perfect amount of games, in my humble opinion. Ultimately, it’s about making the right choices and picking your spots, which is why I’m here. Let’s break down the top plays for this slate.

NBA DFS Core Plays

Domantas Sabonis (C, PF – SAC)

Sacramento is playing in consecutive games, so monitor any lineup news that may impact Sabonis’ play. The good thing is it’s the second straight game against New Orleans. Only the Washington Wizards have allowed more fantasy points to opposing centers. Despite a solid performance yesterday, the Kings big man is capable of much more.

Sabonis should play more minutes tonight, and his usage was lower than average in Wednesday’s game. He will project higher and should be a lock for a double-double. The Pelicans have been all pace and no defense in their last 15 games and line up as an even better matchup in recent play. Sabonis will be quite highly rostered, but it’s well worth it as he should have a ceiling performance tonight.

James Harden (PG – LAC)

No team has allowed more fantasy points to opposing point guards than the Jazz. Recently, Utah has been a top-10 pace team while still ranking as the second-worst defense. This is an opportunity for James Harden to eat. The Clippers and Jazz just met on Saturday. In that game, Harden tallied 55 DraftKings points. He might do the same tonight.

The Clippers guard has had quite the range of outcomes in terms of performances, but he’s shown his ceiling with 70+ fantasy point outings. With his recent insane assist rate, Harden has the chance for another 95th-percentile output. The lefty has gone over 47 fantasy points in three of his last four outings, so he has found a little bit of consistency in the short term. I expect Harden to be highly rostered, but it checks out as he won’t break the bank. You should still get a high return on investment.

NBA DFS Cash Game Targets

Malik Monk (PG, SG – SAC)

For someone averaging 37 minutes over his last four games with a 25% usage rate, I can’t believe Malik Monk won’t be highly rostered tonight. He scored 17 points last night, which is right at his season averages.

The Pelicans allow the fifth-most points to opposing point guards. Despite the addition of

Zach LaVine

, Monk is simply priced too low on this slate. His high floor without an equally high price lines you up well to spend elsewhere in your cash lineups.

I project him for around 38 fantasy points, which he has covered in six of his last nine games and should do so again tonight. Sacramento will be a popular team tonight, but it checks out. You shouldn’t have to worry about rostership as much across your head-to-heads and 50/50s.

Norman Powell (SG, SF – LAC)

With

Kawhi Leonard

back, it’s tempting to throw his name in as an option, given his 29% usage rate in his 14 games. Still, I’m going to go with Powell, who projects for higher minutes with similar usage of around 28%.

After scoring 26 points against Utah this weekend, he’s in line for another solid output tonight. Powell has performed better on the road this year and has gone over 30 DraftKings points in 11 straight games. The consistency is unmatched and the matchup might be the best in the league.

Utah has an awful defense and has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season, and their recent splits are even worse. Don’t think too hard about this one. The Clippers are in line for a lot of points tonight, and Powell should be a big part of that.

NBA DFS GPP Targets

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (PG – OKC)

It pained me to keep Shai Gilgeous-Alexander out of core plays instead of GPP targets, but he does have a bit higher risk and appears to be lower-rostered, which makes him a better leverage option across multi-entry tournaments. He’s playing on the road, where the Thunder guard averages fewer points across the board.

Gilgeous-Alexander has also never been priced so high and doesn’t have the friendliest matchup tonight. Minnesota’s defense is in the top 10 with a bottom-10 pace of play. The Timberwolves have also allowed the seventh-fewest points to opposing point guards and get a bump in defense at home.

These are all reasons why Gilgeous-Alexander will be lower rostered than expected. The reason why he’s a GPP play option is because he’s Gilgeous-Alexander. There’s a chance he gets 70+ fantasy points without breaking a sweat. I rarely advise not rostering the Kentucky product, but if you do, limit him to large-field GPPs.

Alperen Sengun (C – HOU)

If you aren’t going for Sabonis in the center position, Alperen Sengun is your option. Golden State has allowed the 10th-most fantasy points to opposing centers, and this is a pace-up spot against a defense that has been lacking of late.

Sengun bounced back well last night against Phoenix with a clean double-double. He’s gone over 50 DraftKings points 17 different times this year. That’s the kind of ceiling performance we’re looking for tonight. Not much rostership is going toward the Houston big man, so if you’re looking for a leverage spot, Sengun is your best bet.

NBA DFS Value Plays

Dillon Brooks (PF, SF, SG – HOU)

For a starter who has been playing hot of late, it’s always great to find a value option that plays on both sites. Despite averaging 14 points a night, Brooks has gone over that number in four of his last five games. He’s also seen a bump in usage rate and minutes in the last two weeks.

Golden State has been a bottom-10 defense in the last 15 games and this is still a relatively big pace-up spot for the Rockets. I expect Brooks to play around 35 minutes tonight with around 25 fantasy points. He’s shown the ability to go over 40 DraftKings points, and Golden State is a sneaky good matchup for someone you can play in versatile roles on FanDuel.

Kevon Looney (C – GSW)

With only a five-game slate tonight, the value options aren’t exactly strong, as I look at the slate this fine morning. I imagine that, from the back-to-backs and injuries coming up, players will pop up in the value section for today’s games. For now, we’re going with Kevon Looney in the same game mentioned above.

Looney hasn’t been playing super-high minutes recently, but I project him for close to 20 minutes tonight as Golden State continues its road trip. I’d stick to Looney in GPPs as a value option if you’re slotting him in your lineups.