Core Plays LIVE: NBA DFS Picks for Thursday, February 5th

by Derek Farnsworth (Notorious) Last Updated 2026-02-05 22:33:14 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 Thursday!

We have a nice 6-game slate on tap this evening. We also have the WM Phoenix Open to sweat over the next 4 days. We cap the week off with the Super Bowl. It’s a tremendous week for sports fans. There are technically 8 games on the schedule tonight, but FanDuel and DraftKings have both left the final 2 games off of their main slates.

The trade deadline is today at 3:00 PM ET, so we might have some trades rolling in throughout the day.

NBA DFS Top Picks on DraftKings and FanDuel: Core Plays LIVE for Thursday, February 5th

Slate Overview

• 6-game main slate
  - 7:00 pm ET – Brooklyn Nets at Orlando Magic
  - 7:00 pm ET – Washington Wizards at Detroit Pistons
  - 7:30 pm ET – Utah Jazz at Atlanta Hawks
  - 7:30 pm ET – Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors
  - 8:00 pm ET – Charlotte Hornets at Houston Rockets
  - 8:30 pm ET – San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks
  - 10:00 pm ET – Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns (not on main slate)
  - 10:00 pm ET – Philadelphia 76ers at Los Angeles Lakers (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

Brooklyn Nets (at ORL)

We kick off the slate with the Nets, who travel to Orlando to take on the Magic. This is a mediocre matchup on paper, but the Nets have a team total that is 6 points lower than their season average. Cam Thomas is out, but the rest of the key players should be available.

This is not a great spot on paper, but I always have interest in Michael Porter Jr. in tournaments, especially at low projected ownership, and especially when Thomas is out. He has scored at least 49 fantasy points in 3 of the last 5 games and should have a usage rate north of 30%. We don’t have anyone else on the team projected to play more than 26 minutes, so I think the rest of the Nets offer more risk than upside.

Orlando Magic (vs. BKN)

The Magic have a pace-down matchup against the Nets, but there is still some upside in this matchup. Brooklyn is 24th or worse in rebounding rate, 3-point percentage allowed, and defensive rating. The Magic have a team total that is 3 points lower than their season average. Franz Wagner has been ruled out.

Paolo Banchero has been volatile, but he should continue to lead the team in usage with Wagner out. He’s flashed 55+ fantasy point upside recently, and it doesn’t look like he’s going to be very popular on this slate. Jalen Suggs has played at least 32 minutes in 2 of the last 3 games, so we are starting to see more upside from him. He’s not my favorite mid-range option, but he’s certainly viable in tournaments. Desmond Bane has been held under 40 fantasy points in 9 straight games, so I’m fine being underweight on him. The only other play of note here is Wendell Carter, as the Nets are 24th in rebounding rate.

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