Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Monday, February 23rd

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-02-23 18:29:14 Premium Content Part of the product NBA DFS

A daily fantasy sports OG, Notorious has been roaming the DFS streets ever since they were invented. He has racked up multiple live final seats and several six-figure tournament wins in his DFS career. So, who better to walk you through the madness of NBA DFS slates on DraftKings and FanDuel? Core Plays LIVE will zoom out on the slate as a whole, zoom in on the best plays, and constantly update as news breaks. Whether you are diving into the slate 5 hours before it starts or 5 minutes before it starts, you’ve come to the right place.

Happy Monday!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. I went golfing (it was 40 degrees and windy, but I’ll still take it), we went to my nephew’s birthday party, and we saw some friends. If that’s not a great weekend, I’m not sure what is. I nearly had a big cash in PGA DFS, as I finished 20th in the big $25 GPP on DraftKings. We are dialed in with golf right now, so make sure to check out this week’s content for the Cognizant Classic (formerly known as the Honda Classic).

The NBA has a serious tanking problem, and I’m not sure what the solution is at this point. The All-Star Weekend also has major issues without a clear resolution. Adam Silver has a lot to figure out in the coming seasons. However, we are more worried about the short term. Speaking of the short term, I used to tell people that my job was “trading in short-term athletic futures.” We only have 3 games on the schedule tonight, so we can afford to do a deep dive into each team.

NBA DFS Top Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel: Core Plays LIVE for Monday, February 23rd

Slate Overview

• 3-game main slate
  - 7:00 pm ET – San Antonio Spurs at Detroit Pistons
  - 8:00 pm ET – Sacramento Kings at Memphis Grizzlies
  - 9:30 pm ET – Utah Jazz at Houston Rockets
• NBA DFS Optimizer
• NBA Starting Lineups
• NBA Injury Report
• Scroll to FanDuel and DraftKings Rankings & Core Plays

News Updates

This section will be updated as injury news is released throughout the day.

Team Previews

San Antonio Spurs (at DET)

We start with the Spurs, who have a tough matchup on the road against the Pistons. On the season, Detroit is 3rd or better in rebounding rate, points allowed per game, and defensive rating. San Antonio’s team total is 5 points lower than their season average. All of their key players are expected to be available.

Good luck trying to find a player on the Spurs with a positive RGValue. Victor Wembanyama is the closest player to having one, and he’s certainly worth a look in tournaments. The problem is twofold: we don’t have a ton of obvious value on the slate, and this is one of the worst possible matchups. The good news is that Wemby has started to see minutes in the 30s in competitive games, which tonight’s should be.

Even in large-field tournaments, I have no interest in the likes of De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle. For them to pay off their price points, they’ll need to be efficient, which is a big ask in this matchup. There’s a better path for Keldon Johnson and Dylan Harper, as they can meet salary-based expectations with 25+ fantasy points.

Detroit Pistons (vs. SAS)

I doubt many fans know this, but the Pistons currently have the best record in the NBA. Tonight, they host the Spurs, who are 8th or better in rebounding rate, points allowed per game, and defensive rating. Detroit’s team total is 3 points lower than their season average. Isaiah Stewart is still suspended, but everyone else should be available.

Cade Cunningham has the highest RGValue of any superstar on tonight’s slate. It’s far from an ideal matchup, but he has scored at least 59 fantasy points in each of the last 3 games. Jalen Duren is back in the lineup and coming off of a game with 48 fantasy points, but his minutes are still discouraging. It’s tough to pay a premium for him in a bad matchup when we can’t expect him to play more than 28 minutes.

Ausar Thompson (1.03 DK / 1.04 FD) and Tobias Harris (0.93 DK / 0.92 FD) should both push for around 30 minutes at similar price points. If choosing between the two, I’ll take the better per-minute producer in Thompson. If you are looking for a large-field tournament punt, Daniss Jenkins is only $3,500 on DraftKings and should push for around 20 minutes off the bench.

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