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DraftKings NBA DFS Cheat Sheet: Picks, Matchup Analysis and Injury News for February 12

DraftKings NBA DFS Cheat Sheet: Picks, Matchup Analysis and Injury News for February 12

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By: Garion Thorne

Everyone rest up and drink your water. We’ve got a looooooong night on our hands.

Every single NBA team is in action tonight. Yes. You read that right. All 30 teams are taking the court and 14 of the 15 games are included in DraftKings featured slate. It’s going to be wild.

You’ll need all the help you can get putting together lineups and that’s where I come in. Let’s break it all down.

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $300K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]


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Key Injury News

IN: RJ Barrett, CJ McCollum, Alex Sarr

PROBABLE: Luka Doncic

QUESTIONABLE: Damian Lillard, Anthony Edwards, Zion Williamson, Alperen Sengun, P.J. Washington, Jerami Grant, Jaylen Brown, Michael Porter Jr., Tyler Herro, OG Anunoby, Aaron Gordon

OUT: Joel Embiid, Devin Booker, Daniel Gafford, Chet Holmgren, Scoot Henderson, Deandre Ayton, LaMelo Ball, Ben Simmons, Jakob Poeltl, Myles Turner, Grayson Allen

Click here for the slate’s full injury report


Matchup Analysis

Best Defensive Rating (Last 10 Games)

  1. Brooklyn Nets vs. PHI (106.5)
  2. Los Angeles Lakers at UTA (108.1)
  3. Oklahoma City Thunder vs. MIA (108.6)

Worst Defensive Rating (Last 10 Games)

  1. New Orleans Pelicans vs. SAC (123.5)
  2. Milwaukee Bucks at MIN (121.9)
  3. Utah Jazz vs. LAL (121.6)

Fastest Pace (Last 10 Games)

  1. Atlanta Hawks at NYK (104.3)
  2. New Orleans Pelicans vs. SAC (102.5)
  3. San Antonio Spurs at BOS (102.3)

Slowest Pace (Last 10 Games)

  1. Brooklyn Nets vs. PHI (93.6)
  2. Charlotte Hornets at ORL (96.1)
  3. Miami Heat at OKC (96.6)

Highest Game Total

  1. Indiana Pacers at Washington Wizards (242)
  2. Atlanta Hawks at New York Knicks (241.5)
  3. Sacramento Kings at New Orleans Pelicans (239.5)

Top DFS Pick

SF Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Hornets, $8,700

From a game environment perspective, this spot isn’t great, as both the Hornets and the Magic have been among the slowest-paced teams in the NBA this month. That’s actually one of the reasons that this tilt carries an implied total of just 202.5 points — easily the lowest on tonight’s packed slate. It doesn’t matter. If anything, I hope that scares people away from Wagner and keeps his ownership low. The former lottery pick has been in a serious groove in February, averaging 28.8 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. That span also includes 30-point performances in four of his six starts in the month. Without Jalen Suggs (quad) on the court in 2024-25, Wagner sports a 33.9% usage rate and produces 1.28 FPTS per minute. I think he’ll stay hot on Wednesday against a Hornets squad that is basically unrecognizable due to injury.


Top Value Pick

C Thomas Bryant, Indiana Pacers at Washington Wizards, $5,000

With Myles Turner (neck) being held out through the All-Star break, Bryant will get the opportunity to start his third consecutive contest on Wednesday night. In reality, Bryant’s been a vital part of the Pacers’ rotation for the last three games — as Turner was limited to only 5.5 minutes against the Clippers on February 6, despite getting the start that evening. In that three-game sample, Bryant is averaging 14.3 points, 9.0 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 33.8 FPTS. Considering Bryant is producing 1.10 FPTS per minute since being acquired by Indiana, the veteran’s viability with expanded opportunity has not been all that shocking. Expect to see Bryant bring back value once again in Washington, where he’ll face a Wizards defense that is surrendering the second-most FPTS per contest to opposing centers this season.

Garion is a Toronto-based writer who has been playing fantasy sports since elementary school. With a particular affinity for advanced statistics and sabermetrics, he’s been covering DFS Baseball, Football and Basketball for DraftKings dating back to 2018. Prior to that, Garion’s work could be found at FNTSY, SportsGrid, HoopsHype, The New York Daily News and Sportsnet.ca. Still, he is a Dolphins fan, so his decision-making can be questioned from time-to-time.
Disclaimer

All views expressed are my own. I am an employee of DraftKings and am ineligible to play in public DFS or DKSB contests.