Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Thursday, February 19th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-02-19 19:14:15 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 Thursday…

The wait is over, and we are officially back from the All-Star Break!

I hope everyone enjoyed the break more than the actual All-Star Weekend. I don’t have a solution for fixing it, but something needs to change. Fans weren’t interested in attending the events live, let alone watching them on television. It wasn’t that long ago when the dunk contest was considered must-watch, and the actual All-Star Game meant something to the players. Perhaps I’m an old man yelling at the clouds, but this isn’t the All-Star Weekend that I grew up watching.

I enjoyed the break. I tried to golf in 35-degree weather, worked on a model for NCAAB betting, spent some time with the family, and even hit the gym a couple of times. After some rest and relaxation, I’m ready for the final 2 months of the NBA regular season. Before we know it, baseball will be back in our lives.

We have 10 games on the schedule tonight, but only the first 7 games are included on the main slates for FanDuel and DraftKings.

NBA DFS Top Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel: Core Plays LIVE for Thursday, February 19th

Slate Overview

• 7-game main slate
  - 7:00 pm ET – Atlanta Hawks at Philadelphia 76ers
  - 7:00 pm ET – Brooklyn Nets at Cleveland Cavaliers
  - 7:00 pm ET – Houston Rockets at Charlotte Hornets
  - 7:00 pm ET – Indiana Pacers at Washington Wizards
  - 7:30 pm ET – Detroit Pistons at New York Knicks
  - 8:00 pm ET – Toronto Raptors at Chicago Bulls
  - 8:30 pm ET – Phoenix Suns at San Antonio Spurs
  - 10:00 pm ET – Boston Celtics at Golden State Warriors (not on main slate)
  - 10:00 pm ET – Orlando Magic at Sacramento Kings (not on main slate)
  - 10:30 pm ET – Denver Nuggets at Los Angeles Clippers (not on main slate)
• 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

Atlanta Hawks (at PHI)

We kick off the slate with the Hawks, who travel to Philadelphia to take on the Sixers. This is a mediocre matchup, as the Sixers are close to the league average in pace, rebounding rate, and points allowed per game. The Hawks have a team total that is 1 point lower than their season average. Jonathan Kuminga is out, but everyone else should be available.

This backcourt has been productive all season, but it’s tougher to make a strong case for Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Dyson Daniels now that CJ McCollum is on the team. All three have negative RGValues against the Sixers. The only player with a positive RGValue on the roster is Jalen Johnson. In his last 5 games, he has scored 59, 60, 71, 64, and 73 fantasy points. He’s still underpriced on DraftKings ($10,400). Onyeka Okongwu has played well at times, but he’s failed to top 35 fantasy points in 5 straight games.

Philadelphia 76ers (vs. ATL)

The Sixers draw an excellent matchup against the Hawks, who are 3rd in pace, 27th in rebounding rate, and 24th in points allowed per game. Philly’s team total is 5 points higher than their season average. Joel Embiid and Paul George are both out.

Let’s take a look at our handy dandy notebook (sorry, my daughter has been watching Blues Clues) and see who benefits the most with Embiid and George off the floor:

Tyrese Maxey has one of the highest RGValues of any player on the slate. It’s a great matchup to begin with, and he has seen a healthy usage and FP/min. boost with Embiid and George off the floor. VJ Edgecombe has enjoyed an excellent rookie season, and he has seen the highest usage boost of anyone on the Sixers with those two off the floor. Barring something major happening between now and lock, Maxey and Edgecomb will both be in my main lineup.

We have Kelly Oubre projected for 37 minutes against the Hawks. I don’t need to say much more than that. He’s a strong tournament play. The frontcourt for Philly is also interesting with Embiid out. Andre Drummond typically draws the start when Embiid is out. The minute floor isn’t too high, but he’s a decent value play in a nice matchup. Trendon Watford has been a good per-minute producer in his career and has logged at least 24 minutes in 4 of the last 5 games.

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