NBA Daily Fantasy Basketball Sleeper Lineup Picks for 2/25/19

*Mike Barner — @rotomikebarner*

The NBA starts off the final week of February with 11 games on the schedule Monday. That leaves us with plenty of cheaper value play options to wade through in DFS. We’ll make that task a little easier for you by highlighting a couple of players at each position with particularly appealing matchups. Don’t forget to sign up for our Newsletter and try our NBA Lineup Optimizer to help build a winning entry on FanDuel and DraftKings.

POINT GUARDS

Elfrid Payton, NO vs. PHI
FanDuel = $5,700
DraftKings = $4,800

It was certainly encouraging to see Payton log 36 minutes against the Lakers on Saturday in what was just his second game since returning from injury. He played well, scoring 14 points to go along with five rebounds, nine assists, two steals and a block. That was certainly a favorable matchup based on the Lakers’ uptempo pace and he gets another one Monday with the Sixers playing at the seventh-fastest pace (102.6 possessions per game) in the league.

Jalen Brunson, DAL at LAC
FanDuel = $3,800
DraftKings = $3,900

The key here is the status of Luka Doncic (ankle), who has missed both the Mavericks’ last two games. Brunson started in his place, averaging 17.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 3.5 assists. Across 18 games as a starter, Brunson has averaged 11 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.5 assists. With the Clippers playing at the ninth-fastest pace (102.4), Brunson is a virtual lock at this price if Doncic is unable to take the floor.

SHOOTING GUARDS

Eric Gordon, HOU vs. ATL
FanDuel = $5,600
DraftKings = $4,600

Another key injury situation to monitor is James Harden (neck), who is listed as questionable. He was unable to play Saturday against the Warriors, which contributed to Gordon posting 25 points and four assists across 34 minutes. If there is any concern about Harden’s injury, it doesn’t make much sense to play him at home against the lowly Hawks. Since the Hawks allow the most points per game (118.2), Gordon could be in for a field day if Harden sits.

Dion Waiters, MIA vs. PHO
FanDuel = $5,500
DraftKings = $4,700

The Heat have the potential to be extremely shorthanded Monday with Justise Winslow (knee), Rodney McGruder (knee) and James Johnson (shoulder) all listed as doubtful. Goran Dragic is also still on a minute’s limit after missing over two months. That should leave Waiters with all of the playing time that he can handle. He’s averaging 17 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists across his last six games and should be able to capitalize against a Suns team that allows the third-most points per game (116.1).

SMALL FORWARDS

Nikola Mirotic, MIL at CHI
FanDuel = $5,600
DraftKings = $5,400

Despite logging only 18 minutes against the Timberwolves on Saturday, Mirotic scored 17 points to go along with six rebounds, a steal and two blocks. He’s never afraid to shoot and the Bucks don’t have any other great offensive weapons on their bench, so he’s going to take a lot of shots. Scoring opportunities should be even more plentiful for him against his former team Monday with Giannis Antetokounmpo (knee) listed as doubtful.

Nicolas Batum, CHA vs. GS
FanDuel = $5,300
DraftKings = $4,700

Batum has been an inconsistent source of offense for the Hornets, scoring nine points or fewer in five of his last nine games. However, he’s still provided value with averages of 10.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.1 steals during that stretch. This should be a shootout against the fast-paced Warriors, so Batum has the potential to contribute another well-rounded stat line at a reasonable price on both sites.

POWER FORWARDS

Cheick Diallo, NO vs. PHI
FanDuel = $5,500
DraftKings = $4,800

It’s pretty clear that we aren’t going to see much of Anthony Davis down the stretch. He sat out for rest Saturday and logged 25 minutes or fewer in four of his previous five games. While Jahlil Okafor may have seemed like the most obvious beneficiary, the Pelicans have decided to see what they have in Diallo. With at least 16 points and 10 rebounds in back-to-back games, he has the potential to thrive against a Sixers’ frontcourt that is lacking talent due to Joel Embiid’s (knee) absence.

Dario Saric, MIN vs. SAC
FanDuel = $5,000
DraftKings = $4,600

Saric has started the last four games for the Timberwolves and should be locked into that role moving forward. He’s experienced a significant increase in production due to the added minutes, averaging 13.5 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals during that stretch. The Kings play at the second-fastest pace (104.3), leaving with Saric with plenty of upside.

CENTERS

Enes Kanter, POR at CLE
FanDuel = $5,200
DraftKings = $5,800

The Blazers clearly have a talented core of Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic. The only question is, do they have enough talent around them to really make some noise in the playoffs? Well, they made a key move to help support their star trio by bringing in Kanter after he was bought out by the Knicks. He’s an extremely efficient big man who has already averaged 17 points, 8.5 rebounds and two assists over his first two games with the team. The potential for a blowout could leave him with even more playing time Monday, so don’t be surprised if he at least approaches a double-double in this contest.

Joakim Noah, MEM vs. LAL
FanDuel = $5,000
DraftKings = $4,600

After bombing out during his time with the Knicks, there was some question whether or not Noah could be a productive player in the league. He’s done his best to squash those concerns since joining the Grizzlies. He’s been especially productive of late by averaging 14.6 points, 7.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.2 blocks across his last five games. Don’t expect him to log a ton of minutes, but the absence of Jaren Jackson Jr. (thigh) does leave him with the continued opportunity for added playing time.

Author Bio:

Mike has been covering fantasy sports since 2007, joining Lineup Lab in 2017. An avid player of both season-long fantasy leagues and DFS, Mike’s work has appeared on numerous sites, including RotoWire, SportsLine and Sports Illustrated. He’s also been featured on DraftKings’ nightly show, The Sweat, and was a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award.