Yesterday’s NBA core was solid. Kawhi Leonard could have been better in a blowout, but you needed (the right) OKC players and our NBA DFS picks got you started off on the right foot. Spida was one of my preferred studs and he was a hit, while Taylor was high on Jalen Brunson in our video breakdown.
Thursday slows things down slightly with a six-game main slate at DraftKings. Keep in mind we have the NBA trade deadline to mess things up a bit, but we’ll know it’s full impact well before lock. With that, let’s dive into my top NBA DFS picks for Thursday at both DraftKings and FanDuel, along with my favorite studs to pay up for.
NBA DFS Core Plays for Thursday
| DraftKings NBA Core Plays | FanDuel NBA Core Plays |
| Jalen Duren ($7.7k) | CJ McCollum ($6.2k) |
| Isaiah Collier ($6.9k) | Brandon Ingram ($7.8k) |
| Matas Buzelis ($6.7k) | Jalen Duren ($7.6k) |
Update: The Bulls are lacking bigs and are shorthanded in general. Their guards are interesting and Jalen Smith is in play if he’s not too limited, but Buzelis looks like a smash. Bad spot vs. Toronto, but he could play a ton and projects too well for the price. Buzelis is also in play on FanDuel, but a lock for me on DK. Duren is a lock on both sites. If you want to fade and go cheaper on FD, I get it. I am adding Ingram on FD, where he grades out as a killer value. He and the other Raptors look good on both sites but he stands out over there. McCollum is viable on both sites, but seems more useful on FD.
Duren is such a smash play against the Wizards. Washington can’t stop bigs down low at all. He has a clear path to a double-double and isn’t expensive enough. Cade also looks great, but I’d rather exploit the best spot in this matchup and spend my cash elsewhere.
McCollum and Barrett are playable at both sites, but stand out a little more on FanDuel. Good, not amazing plays, but the price is right and they are in smash spots. You can play anyone from ATL or TOR, but they grade out as excellent values at the moment. I also have eyes for Gueye with Porzingis traded, but I’d probably need Onyeka to sit again to feel great about it.
Jalen Johnson is a smash stud, though. I may take him out of the core later if insane value opens up, but right now he looks amazing and I see no reason to fade him. Monster usage in a great spot against Utah. He is worth the price of admission tonight.
Collier’s price spiked, but Utah is likely going to be shorthanded again. We know Keyonte George for sure won’t play, so another start and a very winnable matchup against the Hawks makes him a standout.
I have my eye on Yuki Kawamura as a potential core play. Right now he is a fringe value, but Giddey is out and Ayo just got traded. Chicago may be very depleted tonight and he’s already been getting 20+ minutes.
Top NBA DFS Stacking Environments
- Jazz vs. Hawks (243.5 total)
That’s it. You can obviously stack any game you’d like, but when looking at plays within the game, pace, defense, and game total, this is the best spot.
The Detroit game is interesting if the Wizards can keep it close, but that game has a 15-point spread and is in Detroit. You can stack it up if you think Washington can hang, though.
The Bulls are so depleted that stacking their game with Toronto feels bad. The others project to be closer to defensive battles, too.
Best Studs to Pay for on 2/5
- Jalen Johnson ($10.5k)
- Cade Cunningham ($10.2k)
- Wemby ($10k)
- Cooper Flagg ($8.7k)
JJ is my drug of choice up top. Amazing spot and we know what he can do. Not even worried about ownership. But he probably will be owned, so if it is egregious we can conisder pivoting to Cade or Wemby – both of which are also in killer spots and could go overlooked.
Cade has a Q tag and Wemby played last night, so that’s two reasons to maybe not fall in love with them. However, based on likely ownership, matchup, and ceiling, they are very interesting tourney spends.
I will also mention Flagg, who keeps wrecking and is quite obviously still too cheap for who he’s become. I am very into him at this price if Wemby rests, but his game relies on getting to the basket right now, and I don’t love the spot if he has to run into Wemby non-stop (especially if owned).
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