Welcome to the Valentine’s Day edition of the DraftKings NBA DFS Tournament Core Plays article. At first glance, there’s not a lot to love. Sorry, I couldn’t resist getting a pun in here. This slate is lacking a lot of value at the moment, and we may have to settle for an ugly date. However, this can change quickly, as I expect some news to come out later today. But for now, let’s take a look at a few key pieces that any news should not affect.
DraftKings NBA DFS Core Plays | Feb. 14
Damian Lillard (PG – $9,600)
Most of the field will be on Luka Doncic tonight, and rightfully so. He’s a must in cash games and has the gpp upside to be in the top scoring lineup. A lot would have to go wrong for Luka not to crush in his matchup. However, taking risk in a tournament can pay off in a big way. Damian Lillard will be on national television and he just seems to have something extra for these. This game has the highest total on the slate. If it has any chance of hitting the over, Dame will have to be a large part of that. If you are using Dame and fading Luka, it would also be wise to run it back with Kristaps Porzingis. He’s certainly going to carry low ownership and if Luka has a subpar performance, Porzingis is a candidate to pick up some slack.
Michael Porter Jr. (SF/PF – $5,900)
Gary Harris is set to miss another game tonight. Will Barton is also out due to personal reasons. This opens up some chalk mid-tier value in Michael Porter Jr. With Barton and Harris off the court, Porter should see minutes in the mid-30’s. When playing this amount of minutes, he averages 20 points, 8 rebounds, and a few stocks. He has a nice floor today, along with 50-point DFS upside. His implied ownership is around 35 percent. He’s a must play in cash games and it would take a good reason to fade him in tournaments with multiple position eligibility. If you are looking for a gpp pivot, I would take a look at Carmelo Anthony. That game will be on national television and has a 235 point total.
Grayson Allen (SG/SF – $4,300)
Value is slim on tonight’s slate and Allen is playing in the late game against the Kings. Sacramento surrenders the 4th highest three point percentage in the league. Cue up Grayson Allen who has stepped into a starting role with the injury to Desmond Bane. The Grizzlies should also be without Melton again. Allen played 35 minutes last game against the Lakers, firing ten three-pointers and burying six of them. He’s very reliant on scoring and a perfect candidate for tournament lineups.
Miles Bridges (SF/PF – $5,100)
Gordon Hayward is ruled out tonight and it opens up a ton of usage. He’s also recently seen his price drop by $700. This makes him much easier to stomach. Bridges has averaged eleven rebounds in his past four games. He just needs some buckets to easily hit value on a value starved slate.
If you use this core of NBA DFS players, it will give you an average of $6,275 per player for your remaining roster spots. It should give you enough wiggle room to go in almost any direction in the mid-tier.
If you have not followed me on Twitter yet, please do so. My handle is @NickSteigDFS. As a disclaimer, FlurrySports nor myself are responsible for your NBA DFS lineups. This article is just to give you insight on where I will be starting my DraftKings NBA tournament lineups. As you know, news can hit hard in the NBA so please feel free to blow up my twitter inbox with questions. Stay warm and may the DFS Gods rule in your favor!
