Last night’s core was insanely good. There was an absurd amount of value, but there were also some pretty big landmines out there. Luckily, my four plays all cleared, as Jaylin Williams got 55 (!!) and nobody I suggested had less than 37.
I was also all over Sengun as the top spend of the slate, and he got 71. If Isaiah Joe didn’t get hurt I could have had a really big night, but we look to the next one. There are some great plays on this slate, so let’s set forth with a winning foundation with my top NBA DFS picks, and I’ll also touch on some great game environments and the best spends for Thursday night.
NBA DFS Core Plays for Thursday
| DraftKings NBA Core Plays | FanDuel NBA Core Plays |
| Marvin Bagley ($4.9k) | Marvin Bagley ($5.4k) |
| Jrue Holiday ($6.6k) | Jrue Holiday ($6.9k) |
| Matas Buzelis ($6.3k) | Matas Buzelis ($6.6k) |
| Kuminga ($5.8k) | Kuminga ($5.8k) |
Update 5: Kuminga starting. I’d get to him over the other Hawks, but they all look good.
Update 4: I think the 3 guys above are the starting point on both sites. Hawks guys all look good, I like Kings and Mavs mid-range plays, and all the Blazers look good. Yabu is also a solid value on CHI and we can play Jazz and Pelicans at will – namely Collier, Filipowski, and Zion. For studs, I like Luka the most, but nothing wrong with Wemby, Joel, or Maxey.
Update 3: Clingan got downgraded to Q with an illness. Fuck! I am not wary of playing him even if he’s in. The Blazers value behind him is also all Q so even if those guys are in it is a very dicey situation. Clingan was one of my favorite plays. For now, I am removing him. Also removing Kuminga and only making him a core play if he starts. Collier is sliding in to complete my DK core for now. Utah does not have another PG and Keyonte/Lauri are OUT. Find going away from him if he’s crazy chalk, but he looks great.
Update 2: Jalen Johnson is OUT. Kuminga is a lock as long as he starts. He’s fine if he comes off the bench, but into ownership at $5.8k, I’d be OK with fading. Onyeka and Hawks guards get a huge boost. They are all pricey, but all very playable not in a smash spot.
Update: I am locking you into 2 centers. Feel free to not do that. I just really like Bags/Clingan. Even if you go away from that pairing, I think there might be too many centers to not still land with a C/C build. That said, only playing one center will be inherently unique. Not sure I feel the need to go out of my way (in any regard) to get different on a big slate, though.
There is no shortage of value tonight. I will start here, just because I am sure I’ll have to update this later. If I had to predict one guy that never leaves tonight’s NBA Core, though, it’d be Bagley. The matchup with the Kings is fantastic, he’s cheap, and Daniel Gafford is out. Bagley looks like a total smash.
The other guys, you can argue. It’s a 9-gamer and for every good play there are two more. Great example is Jrue, who isn’t exactly cheap, but is starting and projects very well in a terrific spot against Chicago. This game features a very high total, two top-10 paced offenses, and two bottom-10 defenses. Jrue is such a good play with Deni sidelined, but there’s also Scoot Henderson, who is $1k cheaper. The issue is he’s coming off the bench and by comparison, his ceiling might be capped.
Within the framework of that same team, Clingan looks like a very difficult fade. Jerami Grant and Camara also look really good, but Jrue/Clingan simply look better. I also have eyes for guys like Zion, Onyeka, and others – depending on what goes down – but Clingan presently grades out as the better play.
Buzelis looks really good as well and is a little too cheap. Yabusele is popping like crazy, but chalky Yabu is something I’m not very excited to do. You can play him and he’s just $4.9k, but Buzelis is a more compelling play, especially since finding value on this slate isn’t very difficult.
The mid-range is STACKED. It might only get more stacked. We need to keep an eye on the status of Jalen Johnson and Amen Thompson in particular. Amen returning would cross the Rockets off for me. If he’s out again, though, fading Reed Sheppard would be difficult.
Jalen against the Wizards would make for perhaps the best overall play of the slate. But he exited his last game hurt, so him playing isn’t a lock. If he is out, all the Hawks will project very well, with Onyeka and CJ at the forefront.
Best NBA DFS Game Environments for 2/26
- Heat vs. 76ers (240.5 total)
- Blazers vs. Bulls (235.5 total)
- Kings vs. Mavericks (236.5 total)
- Pelicans vs. Jazz (242.5 total)
These are the games most of my plays will be coming from. It’s a hefty 9 game slate, so we can be selective. I don’t see much reason to force guys from other games, and these games in isolation are also quite stackable.
The easiest and perhaps most fun game to stack is Chicago vs. Portland. Josh Giddey is even interesting as a GPP play, while the Blazers look awesome and at least 2 Bulls are core play worthy.
Utah could sit guys and fuck everything up. That would make their game with New Orleans even more stackable based on fitting guys in. Dallas and Sacramento both have 2-3 good plays we should consider, if not more.
This doesn’t mean you can’t stack other games or go get one-off plays such as Sengun or Wemby. I just think with a slate this size we can be picky, and going after the best values in the best game environments is The Way.
Top Studs to Pay For on Thursday
- Luka ($11.4k)
- Jalen Johnson ($10.8k)
- Tyese Maxey ($10k)
- Wemby ($10.9k)
- Joel Embiid ($9.5k)
- Sengun ($9.4k)
Big list of studs, I know, but 9 games gonna 9 games. Let’s start with Luka, who owns the top projection, but has to contend with Austin and Bron for usage. Plus he’s on the road against a solid Suns defense.
However, it doesn’t appear he will be owned – especially if Jalen plays – and let’s not ignore that Phoenix’s best defender (Dillon Brooks) isn’t playing. Luka is so damn sneaky on this slate. I am not really getting to a true stud after my first run-through, but if I do pay up I think it’ll be for Luka or eating the chalky JJ.
Jalen ruined most of our nights the other day. He’s in the same smash spot against Washington. It’s possible he is not 100% and it’s also possible that game blows out, because Washington gives none of the fucks. He’s obviously a great spend if he’s in and not limited. I like him as much as everyone else, but if he’s super owned on a slate this size I tend to think going and getting a far less owned Luka is more exciting.
Maxey is the most annoying stud in existence. He and Joel are great spends, per usual, but on a slate this big I prefer to chase higher ceilings via JJ or Luka.
Wemby is maybe the slate’s top stud if we knew he’d get 35 minutes against the Nets. San Antonio keeps murdering everyone left and right and the Nets aren’t good. The matchup is great and he’s great. I think it’s a play we don’t need to make, but it’s there.
There’s also Sengun. A date with Orlando on the second leg of a B2B set will alone probably keep me away, but he could smash again if Amen Thompson is out. He’s just not very expensive and he’d get all the usage. Terrible spot, but still playable.
Overall, I tend to prefer going balanced on this slate. The mid-range and 2nd tier is loaded. That said, bypassing all these studs feels a bit dangerous and getting raw points can be nice. Right now Luka is my preference with ownership considered, but that’s possibly only if Jalen is in and chalky. If Jalen is out, I have to think it inflates Luka’s ownership. In that event, going balanced would be more appealing.
Playing DFS since the days of DraftStreet, Kevin knows the ins and outs of DFS, specifically for NFL and NBA. He’s also been helping people win in fantasy football leagues for 15+ years and is one of many experts featured at FantasyPros.
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