NBA DFS Picks For February 20 2021

By Aaron Gluck

We have a great five game NBA slate on DraftKings tonight. The news just broke that the Memphis Grizzlies will be resting Kyle Anderson, Brandon Clarke, Grayson Allen and Dillon Brookstonight. We had a more balanced lineup prepared, but this changes the whole slate. The strategy for tonight will now be to draft three to five Grizzles, as they are clearly the best plays available. We have highlighted several Memphis players near the minimum salary we expect to play massive minutes tonight. In consequence, we have bult an aggressive stars and scrubs lineup with all the leftover salary.

Here’s a Value-based lineup For DFS Basketball 2/20/21 (using DraftKings Values)

Be prepared to see a lot of Memphis Grizzlies in our core lineup tonight, as they are missing four key pieces. Ja Morant will be the only strong ball handler for the Grizzlies tonight and is still only $7,700. Morant has been averaging over 41 FPTS across the last ten days and should see a nice boost tonight. Morant will have to do a lot on the court to keep it competitive against Phoenix and we expect he gets a solid minute’s boost. The first option on a team missing four key pieces is an easy lock for us tonight.

I will be playing 150 lineups tonight, and I expect Desmond Bane to be in every single one of them. Bane is easily our favorite play on the slate tonight as he should play over 30 minutes at only $3,800. The price and dual-position eligibility on Bane make him so easy to fit in any lineup. Bane is averaging 24.5 FPTS over the last ten days and should get a huge boost with everyone out. It is hard to try and think of a path for Bane to not hit value tonight, he is an absolute smash play.

The Memphis grizzlies are our favorite targets tonight, so how could we turn down $7,200 for Jonas Valanciunas. We mentioned yesterday that Valanciunas was way too cheap and he has only been bumped up $100. Valanciunas is averaging 36.9 FPTS over the last ten days and should also get a boost tonight. The Grizzlies will be running lower usage players instead of there usual starters and Valanciunas should get much more usage. Valanciunas is a great play for his price and we do not have as many centers to choose from as usual.

Lebron James is still priced at $10,200, which is too cheap without Anthony Davis. James should take on massive usage tonight for an injured lakers squad as we saw last game. James is a great play in terms of consistently hitting the 50 FPT mark, which is exactly what we are looking for. The best part about this play is it will be quite easy to pay for James with all the Memphis value. James is averaging 52 FPTS over the last ten days and has upside for much more.

Alex Caruso – SG ($3,900 DK) Caruso saw a solid minute’s boost for the gutted Lakers last game. The Lakers will be missing a few players again tonight and we expect Caruso to get solid run. Caruso is a decent per minute fantasy producer who typically does not see much floor time. However, Caruso should be forced onto the floor today, and he is way too cheap for any real production.

Xavier Tillman – PF ($3,400 DK) Tillman is one of our favorite plays on the slate coming out of the Memphis Grizzlies. Tillman should be on of the biggest beneficiaries from all the rested forwards for Memphis tonight. Tillman has been a decent per minute producer this season and we expect him to see huge floor time tonight. Tillman is another player who should easily crush value and should be one of your first locks. 

John Konchar – G ($3,100 DK) Konchar has not been a good fantasy producer lately, however the boost he should see tonight is too big to turn down. Konchar should see a massive minute’s increase and may play 30 minutes if things go his way tonight. Konchar is near minimum price and should be able to crush value out of sheer floor time. You may want to limit your Grizzlies in big GPPS, but even then, I have no problem getting to four of them.

Damian Lillard – Util ($10,600 DK) Lillard is expensive tonight, however we have no problem getting to his price with all the Memphis value. Furthermore, Lillard is not too expensive, as he has been dominating recently. Lillard scored 79 FPTS last game and has a much better matchup tonight against Washington. Lillard projects to the best producer on the slate and is a must for any stars and scrubs lineup. Lillard does have some floor because of his high price, but he is still a lock for how we are building our lineup.

Alternative Moves…

LaMelo Ball – G ($8,800 DK) This tag may look like too much for Ball, however it is probably not enough. Ball scored over 52 FPTS last game and is averaging 44.3 FPTS through the last ten days. Ball has a great matchup against the Warriors tonight, who allow a lot of points per game. Ball should see a lot of floor time as the Hornets have a few injuries tonight. Ball always has great upside and is a great option for tournaments.

Have fun tonight, keep an eye on the news as there is always that chance that we get another postpone.

Go win your lineup and tell us how you did. Twitter (@FantasyDFSX) is a good place for that.