DFS NBA Full Court Press: FanDuel & DraftKings Main Slate - Feb. 9th, 2023

Main Slate Breakdown for NBA DFS 2/9:

Welcome to another year of the DFS Army NBA Full Court Press! Members had a ton of success using the Full Court Press along with various articles and tools that DFS Army provides last season, so we are glad to be back with another year of the all-inclusive article. You have to start your research somewhere, and oftentimes going game by game and breaking down every matchup and its key players is the first step in our process. My name is Mike aka @MadnessDFS on Twitter, make sure to give me a follow as I’ll occasionally make updates to the advice in the article. But, you’ll mostly find me in our VIP coaching forums where I provide detailed lineup maneuvers and answer all lineup questions. With that said, let’s get it started!

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Before I get started, I need to shoutout a few huge VIP Member wins – “Phamacist” took 1st place in the $300k Fadeway contest which netted him $100k over the weekend while “da_banditz” grabbed 1st place on FanDuel as well winning $10k- congrats guys!

Denver Nuggets @ Orlando Magic

Vegas Total: 231.5

Vegas Spread: Den -6.5

We’ll kick this slate off by starting with the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic is going to look like a top spend-up option up there with those Lakers guys and Giannis. He’s averaging 68.6 DraftKings points per game over his last four games and would be a guy I like going right back to in a great matchup. Jamal Murray has been on a heater and now has at least 43 DraftKings points in four of his last five and will look like a good option in all formats again in this one… he was unreal last time out. Michael Porter Jr. looked good again last time out as well, but we know the volatility that comes with him, so more of a tournament option than anything. Then Aaron Gordon is in a similar boat, but comes with a higher floor, he also put up a big game last time out, I’d have no issue going right back to the well with him. Guys like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Bruce Brown are secondary GPP options… but don’t feel the need to chase that Brown game when everyone was out. From the Magic, Paolo Banchero came down to Earth a bit last time out but will continue to be a solid secondary option. The SF position has not been a fun one to fill as of late and he helps cure that issue. Franz Wagner has been held under 30 FanDuel points in four straight games and would be more of a secondary option than anything. Wendell Carter Jr. will have his hands full with Jokic down low, but if he can stay out of foul trouble they’ll need his size so the minutes should be there, and will look like a solid GPP option. Markelle Fultz is a fine option as well, that’s the issue with this team, they go like 10 guys deep with legit NBA guys which hurts their DFS appeal. Jalen Suggs struggled big time last time out and isn’t a guy I think we need to force in by any means, he’ll be a tournament value option while Jonathan Isaac is still floating around that 10-minute mark per night, so he’s not really in play quite yet.

5-star play: Nikola Jokic

4-star play: Jamal Murray, Aaron Gordon, Paolo Banchero, Franz Wagner

Deeper Value: Jalen Suggs

GPP Sleeper: Michael Porter Jr., Bruce Brown, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Markelle Fultz, Wendell Carter Jr.

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Phoenix Suns @ Atlanta Hawks

Vegas Total: 229.5

Vegas Spread: Atl -7.0

Starting with the Suns, they made one of the biggest in-season trades in NBA history overnight in acquiring Kevin Durant from the Brooklyn Nets. He won’t be available in this one and neither will any of the pieces going back to the Nets which was really just Mikal Bridges. They’ll also be without Devin Booker after he returned last time out for some injury management. Below is how this team operates with Booker and Mikal Bridges off of the court this season:

• Chris Paul – 24.3% usage rate; 1.45 fpm
• Deandre Ayton – not a big enough sample size
• Damion Lee – 17.4% usage rate; 0.73 fpm
• Josh Okogie – 20.5% usage rate; 1.01 fpm
• Torrey Craig – 9.4% usage rate; 0.80 fpm

Outside of Paul and Ayton, there isn’t a ton I need to get to, that said, with Bridges and Booker out there are a ton of minutes opening up. Keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for a starting lineup, but I would anticipate to see guys like Lee, Craig, and Saric all in there. From the Hawks, Trae Young has been good over his last couple of games and looks like a solid option yet again in this one. Dejounte Murray has seen his price tag fluctuate with Young in and out over his last few games, but again, he should see all the minutes he can handle even if he has to share the usage with Trae in the backcourt. Clint Capela has been fine as of late but we haven’t seen those big 30-minute+ games as of late, he’d be more of a secondary center option for me. Bogdan Bogdanovic had a nice game last time out and is a name being floated around as a trade candidate for the Hawks, so he may not even be on this team tonight… but assuming he is, he’ll look good. The same can be said for De’Andre Hunter and John Collins, just not guys I can see prioritizing in this one… both guys have been good though, so no issue with them as secondary pieces.

5-star play: Chris Paul, Deandre Ayton, Trae Young

4-star play: Damion Lee, Torrey Craig, Dario Saric, Dejounte Murray, Clint Capela

Deeper Value: Dario Saric, Damion Lee

GPP Sleeper: Josh Okogie, Bogdan Bogdanovic, De’Andre Hunter, John Collins

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Chicago Bulls @ Brooklyn Nets

Vegas Total: 228.5

Vegas Spread: Bkn -2.0

Starting with the Bulls, we kind of know the deal with this team by now, the production starts and ends with the big three in this lineup. Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, and DeMar DeRozan are all in a similar price range and are all in solid form as of late. It can be hard to predict which of the three will have the big game and who will have the dud on a nightly basis, however. DeRozan ended up missing their last game and comes into this one as questionable, so keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed for updates, but I’ll operate under the assumption that he’s good to go here. The rest of this team is a different story, I suppose you could make a case for Patrick Williams and Coby White if Alex Caruso is traded, but hopefully, we can find better value options. I had a bunch of White last time out with DeRozan out and it didn’t exactly work in my favor. From the Nets, they were obviously on the other end of that massive deal I was talking about and probably aren’t done dealing quite yet. Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith are expected to make their Nets’ debuts tonight, assuming they’re both on the team yet. I can’t say I love the price tag on Dinwiddie, but he’ll run this offense in a great matchup. Then the price tag for Cam Thomas has come way up for good reason, he has at least 57 DraftKings points in three straight games and is someone I have no issue going right back to even with Dinwiddie in there. Nic Claxton will look great as well, he’s been in good form. Royce O’Neale is never a sexy option, but he’ll play all the minutes he can handle here and makes sense again. The same can be said for Ben Simmons and Finney-Smith as I touched on earlier, they traded TJ Warren in the Durant deal which will open up minutes and I would expect Joe Harris is traded as well.

5-star play: Nikola Vucevic, Nic Claxton

4-star play: Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, Spencer Dinwiddie, Cam Thomas, Royce O’Neale, Ben Simmons

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Patrick Williams, Coby White, Andre Drummond, Dorian Finney-Smith

Quick shoutout to VIP member “Cenzamatic” on a massive $20k win last season! Sometimes paying up for double studs works, and Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kevin Durant brought it home for him with the help of some Stanley Johnson and Pistons value. Good work and congrats man!

Milwaukee Bucks @ Los Angeles Lakers

Vegas Total: 240.0

Vegas Spread: Mil -5.5

Starting with the Bucks, Khris Middleton is slowly getting his minutes up but it sure seems like they’re going to wait until the All-Star break to put him back into the starting lineup. The price tag has become interesting over the last few games and I don’t hate taking a shot on him in this one… as we’ve come to find out, SF can be a tough position to fill. Giannis Antetokounmpo had a massive game last time out and is averaging 69.2 DraftKings points in his last five games. He’s a top spend-up option on the slate. Jrue Holiday bounced back slightly last time out and his price tag has dropped below $8k, I don’t have an issue with him in a great matchup. Brook Lopez looks like a nice option in this one as well, he hasn’t been great over his last couple of games but they’ll need his size against Davis down low. I would expect to see more minutes for guys like Pat Connaughton with Joe Ingles and Bobby Portis still out. From the Lakers, they made a big splash last night as well and won’t have Russell Westbrook moving forward which is best for all parties. I’m just going to operate under the assumption that LeBron James and Anthony Davis will play moving forward because they always have some sort of injury designation, but keep an eye on the Breaking News Feed as always. LeBron got the scoring record out of the way last time out against the Thunder, but this is a national TV game against one of the best teams in the league, so I would expect LeBron to get up for this one again. I do love going right back to Anthony Davis at a cheaper price tag than James, however. He had a rough game last time out, but it was pretty clear that was LeBron’s game from the start, he’s going to look like a great option in all formats. He scored 71 DraftKings points in this spot earlier this season. The rest of this team isn’t anything I think we need to prioritize, but Dennis Schroder will benefit from Russell Westbrook being traded until D’Angelo Russell makes his debut with the rest of those Utah guys.

5-star play: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis, LeBron James

4-star play: Brook Lopez, Jrue Holiday, Dennis Schroder

Deeper Value: None

GPP Sleeper: Khris Middleton, Pat Connaughton, Dennis Schroder, Rui Hachimura

NBA Lock of the Day: -> Click Here <-

With it being the trade deadline today I’m expecting some moves with the teams on this slate which will open up some plays that aren’t currently there, so I’m going to keep the lock of the day behind the paywall for our VIP Members, so come get started, promo code MADNESS gets you 10% off! Check out our VIP Cheat Sheets as we get closer to lock for staff picks on Core plays, 8x locks of the day, and tiers notes as well!

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Editor’s Note – However, if you are more interested in simply betting the games, NBA is full of crazy action.  And, our dynamic modeling over at SharpBets adjusts in real time to help identify Vegas inaccuracies you can exploit.  Follow Ryan, Anthony, and Statsational for models and coaching advice that help you build any bankroll for any sport…