The NBA tips off February with nine games on the schedule, six of which make up the main fantasy basketball slate on DraftKings, beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET. Of the 12 teams on the main slate, the Nuggets, Hornets and Spurs are playing for a second day in a row, but no teams in action play again on Sunday. Looking at the six games in play, three teams stand out as the top NBA DFS stacks for Saturday, February 1.
As always, it’s critical to keep a close eye on today’s injury report for the latest availability updates as we approach tip-off. With what we know going into the day, here are my top NBA DFS Stacks:
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $200K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st]
Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Washington Wizards
The Timberwolves are the top stack on the board in this great matchup against Washington. The Wizards play at the fourth-fastest pace in the NBA and have the NBA’s worst defensive rating. They also allow the most fantasy points per game to point guards and centers, and are a great team to stack against, allowing 122.2 points per game. Additionally, extra usage will be available with Julius Randle (groin) out and Mike Conley ($4,000; thumb) questionable.
Core Plays: Anthony Edwards ($9,600) is an elite pay-up play at the middle of the stack. He had 36 points, 11 assists and 69 fantasy points in Thursday’s win over the Jazz and has at least 48 fantasy points in three of his last four. He lit up the Wizards for 41 points and 66 fantasy points when he faced them in mid-January, and should be ready for another huge game Saturday. With Randle out, Rudy Gobert ($5,800) could be more involved in the offense and Naz Reid ($5,500) could get his first start of the season. Even if he continues to come off the bench, Reid is a strong option since he has scored 12+ points in 13 straight games in his role in the second unit.
Value Options: Nickeil Alexander-Walker ($4,000) has also been solid off Minnesota’s bench and has taken it to another level in his last two games, producing 31 fantasy points against the Suns and 31.5 fantasy points against the Jazz. NAW started in place of Conley on Thursday and will be a great value play if he’s in the starting lineup again. Rob Dillingham ($3,500) also got extra time and scored a career-high 19 points with eight assists for 32.5 fantasy points. Dillingham looks like the real deal, but his playing time has been inconsistent. In Randle’s absence, Luke Garza ($3,100) is another bargain to consider after he scored 16 points and finished with 24 fantasy points in 14 minutes on Thursday.
Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Sacramento Kings
The matchup between the Thunder and Kings has the highest point total of the six on the main slate by a wide margin. The Kings have played at the third-fastest pace in the NBA over their last 10 games and allowed 117.8 points per game over that stretch. The Thunder are an impressive 19-3 at home and averaged 118.1 points per game in those 22 contests. In Sacramento, the Thunder beat the Kings 130-109 in their first meeting of the year back in November.
Core Plays: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,800) is an expensive starting place for the OKC stack, but he brings a very high ceiling and has consistently put up big points. He had 52 points and 63.25 fantasy points in Wednesday’s loss to Golden State and has over 53 fantasy points in five of his last seven. In his first game this season against Sacramento, he had 37 points and 59 fantasy points. Jalen Williams is out with a wrist injury, so there’s more usage to go around, too. Isaiah Hartenstein ($7,200) could be worth a look as he plays his supporting role well and can be solid parts of the stack as well.
Value Options: The Thunder seem to have multiple combinations of guards and wings that they constantly cycle through. Cason Wallace ($4,100) has been starting regularly lately and is a solid play with 20+ fantasy points in four of his last six games. He could get some extra work since Alex Caruso (ankle) is out. Isaiah Joe ($3,800) and Aaron Wiggins ($3,800) have also proven to be streaky scorers with upside who could get more work in Caruso’s absence. Luguentz Dort ($4,400) plays plenty of minutes as a defensive stopper but his offense is erratic, making him tough to trust for fantasy.
Los Angeles Lakers at New York Knicks
The Lakers visit Madison Square Garden in the primetime national TV matchup, and they’ll be a solid fantasy stack since there is so much usage available without Anthony Davis (abdominal). Davis leads the team with a 31.2% usage rate on the season, leaving plenty of opportunities available in his absence.
Core Plays: The ageless wonder, LeBron James ($10,700) has referred to Madison Square Garden as his favorite road venue, and he has averaged 28.0 points, 7.4 assists and 6.9 rebounds in his 30 career games at the historic arena. His usage rate increases to 34.0% with Davis off the floor, and he had a double-double and 46.25 fantasy points in just 27 minutes on Thursday in a laugher against Washington. He has 45+ fantasy points in eight of his last nine games and deserves to be the core of any Lakers stack.
Value Options: Without Davis, Jaxson Hayes ($4,600) got the start on Thursday and posted a double-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and 31.5 assists in 25 minutes. Max Christie ($4,700) has been getting good minutes and usage as well, and Rui Hachimura ($5,300; calf, probable) had 22 points in the Lakers’ win over Washington. As a bargain value, Jarred Vanderbilt ($3,300) could be an interesting play. He had 23.25 fantasy points in 16 minutes against Washington and is still ramping up after recovering from surgery on both feet.
