The Trade Deadline has come and gone, with a group of stars and plenty of role players now finding themselves on new teams in preparation for the home stretch. In these articles, I focus on the top plays, traditionally geared toward cash games. However, with over a decade of NBA DFS experience under my belt—and as someone who rarely dives into cash formats—I’m selecting picks that also typically come with high upside. That means they offer the steady floor needed for cash games while packing the high ceiling we need for tournaments.
The NBA is treating us to an early, small, ugly three-game slate before the Super Bowl festivities kick off later in the afternoon. The 76ers-Bucks game holds the highest implied total at an uninspiring 227.5 points, while the Raptors-Rockets game is a little appealing due to its high projected pace. The Hornets-Pistons affair is the worst game environment, but it also has the two spend-ups I’m most interested in getting to on this slate. Let’s make some Super Bowl side bet money today, shall we?
This article will provide my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 2/9/25. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our excellent NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 3 p.m. EST on DraftKings and FanDuel. Good luck, RotoBallers!
Here is a look at some of the higher-priced players we can use as building blocks for cash and GPP contests.
Giannis Antetokounmpo being ruled out early turns this into a slate where we’ll need to choose between high-priced guards or Joel Embiid (if he plays). My priority will be the guards in Cade Cunningham and LaMelo Ball, though I will be interested in Embiid against a Giannis-less Bucks squad if he winds up playing.
Cunningham has earned his high price tag, exceeding what he needs for 5x value tonight in seven of his last nine games while popping for a monster 69.25 DK point outings in a tough matchup against Cleveland his previous time out. He holds a team-high 33.3% usage rate and 1.32 FPTS/min rate with Jaden Ivey off the floor this season, and he has stepped up even more recently with a 1.43 FPTS/min rate since 1/11. The Hornets have allowed the 11th-most fantasy points per game to PGs over their last seven games, so it’s all systems go for the young star in Detroit.
Ball looks superb on the other side of this matchup. He’s making his second start since returning from injury, but there aren’t any limitation concerns as he played 36 minutes and scored 46 DK points on Friday against the Spurs. He has just as much upside as Cunningham in this matchup, as he faces a Pistons defense that has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game to PGs over their last seven games.
Portis, meanwhile, is always a heavy consideration whenever we get Giannis out of the lineup. He sees a jump to a 23.3% usage rate and 1.26 FPTS/min rate with the former MVP off the floor this season, and he has produced tournament-winning games of 60.25 and 61.75 DK points over his last two contests. Portis can dominate with his scoring and rebounding ability in this matchup, especially if Embiid is ruled out.
Top Core Plays:
This is where we talk about saving salary. Whether it’s a severely underpriced backup or even as simple as a guy playing like someone who should be priced higher, this is where you’ll find guys who make lineups work.
Sorting the best value picks of the day by fantasy points per dollar:
DraftKings dropped the ball with their post-trade pricing on some players, but that’s OK because we can take advantage of it. Kyle Kuzma is way too cheap for his projected role with Giannis off the floor. He played just 24 minutes in his team debut on Friday, but he should see a few more minutes out of necessity tonight. He’s a 0.94 FPTS/min player this season, so as long as he gets at least 25 minutes tonight, he will be a significant value play on DraftKings.
Nurkic is in a similar situation, except he’s cheaper at just $3,400 on DraftKings today. He hasn’t made his debut with the team yet, but he should see enough run to pay off his low price tag if he does suit up in this one. Even if he does play, Moussa Diabate looks excellent as a cheap mid-range option, as he is still the starting center and has games of 36.25 and 30.25 DK points over his previous two contests. Additionally, Detroit has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points per game to Cs over their last seven games.
Cam Whitmore has some appeal today, as he’s a high-variance player who could see some extra run in a potentially uncompetitive game against the Raptors in Houston. His game log is uninspiring lately, but his 32.25 DK points performance against the Knicks on 2/3 is an example of what we’re looking for on this slate. He has the second-highest usage rate on the team, with Fred VanVleet off the floor this season at 27%, so I would love him as a contrarian value option if we get another game with FVV ruled out.
Top Value Plays:
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It’s Cunningham and Ball at the top, but I will also get to Damian Lillard as the lead dog in Milwaukee today. He holds a 33.1% usage rate and 1.38 FPTS/min rate with Giannis off the floor this season, and we know he can catch fire against any squad at any time based on his historical performances. Philly would become a much easier matchup if Embiid were to be ruled out, so keep an eye on that.
Immanuel Quickley hasn’t been played well lately and has seen his playing time fluctuate wildly, but he’s cheap enough to like him with Brandon Ingram, RJ Barrett, and Jakob Poeltl already ruled out for this matchup. He holds a 1.15 FPTS/min rate with Barrett and Poeltl off the floor this season, so we should get a productive game out of him as long as he receives a normal workload.
Top PG Options:
Shooting guard is a challenging position today. Jalen Green looks solid at the top of the board, but I’m not sure I’ll be able to get there if I prioritize playing Cunningham, Ball, Lillard, and Sengun. I prefer to spend down at the position, getting to guys like Whitmore and Gradey Dick on today’s slate. Dick’s rates aren’t inspiring as he averages just 0.75 FPTS/min with Poeltl and Barrett out, but he’s cheap and has shown 30+ DK point upside this season.
Top SG Options:
I will take shots on Kuzma in his second game with the Bucks today. It stands to reason that the Bucks didn’t acquire him just to roll him out for 24 minutes per game, so we should see his playing time tick up in a potentially soft matchup against an Embiid-less 76ers. I like him even if Embiid plays, but I’d rather not have the big man patrolling the paint for Kuzma’s sake.
Ausar Thompson is another piece I will rotate in, as he’s under $5,000 and should play enough to do some damage against a vulnerable Charlotte defense. He has been playing great ball lately, averaging 30.6 DK PPG at a 1.21 FPTS/min rate over his last four outings. He looks good if he gets the 27 minutes he has been seeing lately, but he has a chance to smash value if he can get a few more minutes in this spot.
Top SF Options:
Kuzma, Portis, and Thompson will take up most of my PF exposure today, but I also want to ensure I get to some Ochai Agbaji. Agbaji has been starting in Barrett’s place, and while he hasn’t been ultra-productive, we don’t need much out of him at just $3,500 on DraftKings. He has games of 24, 26.25, and 31.75 DK points over his last four outings, all of which will get the job done at his current salary. As mentioned before, this game could get out of hand, so he could also see some extra run in a blowout against the second unit of Houston.
Top PF Options:
Portis is the play of the day, Diabate looks excellent as a mid-range option, and Nurkic and Jonathan Mogbo are potential “punt” plays to consider. However, Alperen Sengun could be a difference-maker on this slate (depending on his ownership). The talented big man needs just 43 DK points to hit 5x value tonight, and he has been over that mark in his last three games. He also gets a juicy matchup against an outmatched Raptors frontcourt that has allowed the sixth-most fantasy points per game to Cs this season.
Top C Options:
Miles Bridges. Bridges is priced way up as he dominated in Ball’s absence, but his appeal disappears with Ball back and playing his full allotment of minutes now. His usage falls to 24.9% and he holds a mediocre 1.06 FPTS/min rate with the star guard on the floor this season, and those aren’t rates we’re looking for in a player that’s priced as high as he is. The matchup isn’t great, either, as Charlotte allows the 14th-least fantasy points per game to PFs this season.
Here is where I leave you with some of my favorites.
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