Hittin' The Nuts with Squirrelpatrol - Thursday, February 15th
Want to hit the nuts and take down 1st place in these massive contests posted by FanDuel and DraftKings? Who better to walk you through their favorite NBA DFS picks than Squirrelpatrol! Undoubtedly one of the best DFS players in the game today, Squirrelpatrol has accumulated 90+ Live Final seats, won the FanDuel 2021 World Fantasy Basketball Championship for $500,000, and most recently, took down the NFL Milly Maker in Week 2.
The NBA concludes the pre-All-Star Break portion of their schedule tonight with 3 games, starting at 8:30 PM ET as Milwaukee travels to Memphis to face the Grizzlies (MIL -11.5, 223.0). The Memphis injury report is long as it usually is (there may be no team looking forward to the Break more than Memphis), with Santi Aldama, Jaren Jackson, Luke Kennard, Trey Jemison, Jacob Gilyard, and Scotty Pippen all questionable.
The next game tips off at 9:00 PM ET as the Warriors are in Utah (GS -2.0, 239.5), and with a total 16.5 points higher than the next-highest game on the slate and a close spread, I’ll be aiming to get pieces from this game into my lineups. The slate concludes with a 10:00 PM ET game as Minnesota is in Portland facing the Trail Blazers (MIN -9.0, 214.5) with Anthony Edwards listed as questionable for the Timberwolves.
While no teams are playing tomorrow, it is the All-Star Break, and a number of players are committed to events over the weekend. Giannis Antetokoumpo, Damian Lillard, Stephen Curry, Karl Anthony Towns, and Anthony Edwards are expected to play in the All-Star Game, while Edwards will also be in the Saturday Skills Challenge. Four of the eight participants in the 3-point contest are on this 3-game slate, with Malik Beasley, Damian Lillard, Lauri Markkanen, and Karl-Anthony Towns all traveling to Indianapolis to compete.
It’s a small slate, but it’s our last shot at regular NBA DFS action until next Thursday, so let’s sort through the slate and figure out what to do with our DFS lineups.
NBA DFS Lineup Advice: Squirrelpatrol’s ‘Hittin’ The Nuts’ (February 15th)
High Flyers
Who are the players I’m picking first for my squad? These guys are the first selections for both my cash game and tournament lineups, and I’ll sacrifice elsewhere, if need be, to ensure I get them in:
Giannis Antetokounmpo
FanDuel: $11,700
DraftKings: $11,800
Giannis has a projection about 10 points higher than the next highest player on the slate, and we’ll likely have the value to get up to him on this 3-game slate right before the All-Star Break. Jaren Jackson and Trey Jemison are questionable for Memphis, if they are both out or limited I can’t see who is guarding Giannis. The blowout risk is a concern, but even in 3 quarters, Giannis might still have the highest raw score on the slate.
Stephen Curry
FanDuel: $9,400
DraftKings: $9,600
The GSW/UTA matchup is the best spot on the slate with its high game total and close line, and with Curry being the second-highest projected player on the slate after Giannis, it’s easy to see a situation where Curry is a player you need to have in your lineups tonight. Utah is allowing the 2nd-most points, 2nd-most 3-pointers made, and the 2nd-highest 3-point percentage of any team in the NBA over each team’s last 10 games, and that could be trouble facing Steph Curry.
Damian Lillard
FanDuel: $8,500
DraftKings: $8,900
I’m including a third High Flyer here for tonight’s slate because Stephen Curry versus Damian Lillard is a decision we may have to make, particularly because there are some good value options that are PG-eligible only tonight. Both Lillard and Curry are more expensive on DraftKings than FanDuel, but the price gap is a bit bigger on FanDuel than on DraftKings. It’s a small difference, but it makes an impact, and Lillard may be my preferred option on FanDuel while I can get up to Curry on DraftKings. If you are pairing Lillard with Giannis on either site, it might make sense to include a Memphis player, or otherwise try to get up to Steph Curry.
Site Specialists
Just like a good 3-and-D small forward, sometimes a player fits the specific need we have on the specific site we’re playing on. These are the guys that stand out on one particular site:
Want to read more? Sign up for Premium!
