NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays, Strategy for Thursday, February 27

NBA DFS Picks: DraftKings Plays, Strategy for Thursday, February 27

This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.

Slate Overview

Warriors (-4.5) at Magic, 212.5 O/U

Nuggets (-3.5) at Bucks, 241 O/U

Hornets at Mavericks (-9.5), 222 O/U

Pelicans at Suns (-7.5), 237 O/U

Timberwolves at Lakers (-5.5), 229 O/U

For the latest spreads and over/unders, visit RotoWire's NBA Odds page. There you can also find player props, futures, picks, articles and sportsbook bonus codes.

Injuries to Monitor  

For all the latest updates, visit RotoWire's NBA Injury News page and our comprehensive NBA Injury Report.

The following players are projected starters and are listed as questionable at time of writing.

LaMelo Ball, CHA

P.J. Washington, DAL

Bradley Beal, PHX

Donte DiVincenzo, MIN

Anthony Edwards, MIN

Elite Players

Guards

Jamal Murray ($7,700), DEN at MIL

Murray remains prone to fluctuating production but has a relatively high floor with room to have a big game. This month, he's averaging 38.9 DraftKings Fantasy Points through 24.6 points, 5.9 assists, 2.4 rebounds and 1.2 steals. He's ranged from 21-74 DKFP during this stretch. This game has a blistering 241.0 over/under, and the Bucks have struggled to contain opposing guards.

Trey Murphy ($7,900), NOP at PHX

Murphy has been hot for months, putting up at least 30 DKFP in 29 straight games for an average of 41.2 DKFP through 24.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.2 steals. There aren't many players better for cash lineups, given his high floor. This game is expected to remain fairly competitive as well, with a 7-point spread in favor of Phoenix with a 236.5 over/under.

Forwards/Centers

Franz Wagner ($8,400), ORL vs. GSW

Wagner has been excellent all year, and that hasn't slowed down recently. He's averaging 40.9 DKFP in February, ranging between 26-51 FP. The primary concern when slotting him into a lineup today is the matchup. Golden State has been playing well defensively, and this contest has just a 212.5 over/under with the Warriors favored by four points.

Naz Reid ($7,900), MIN at LAL

Minnesota remains shorthanded in the frontcourt, prompting Reid to start 10 straight games. During this run, he's averaging 44.0 DKFP through 21.5 points, 9.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.7 blocks. The Lakers' defense has been great lately, and this game has a relatively low 229 over/under with the Lakers favored by six points. It's not a perfect matchup for Reid, but the salary still has plenty of value.

Kevin Durant ($9,000), PHX vs. NOP

It's hard to go wrong with Durant, especially in this game script. The Suns are favored by seven points with a 236.5 total, so there should be plenty of points on the board. KD has played at least 38 minutes in seven straight games, averaging 46.5 DKFP on the back of 26.9 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 1.6 blocks and 1.1 steals.

Expected Chalk 

Nikola Jokic ($12,300), DEN at MIL

Jokic has scored at least 40 DKFP in 13 straight games, averaging 26.9 points, 11.1 rebounds, 11.3 assists and 1.8 steals in 35.2 minutes (61.4 DKFP). Denver is expected to score about 120 points tonight as well, which bodes well for him given how involved he is in all aspects of the game. When the Nuggets have scored at least 120 points, Jokic is averaging 66.9 DKFP.

Mid-Range Money 

Bol Bol ($4,900), PHX vs. NOP

This is as big of a risk/reward play as you can make, and I'd only recommend it for GPPs, where you're gunning for upside. Bol's playing time and production is all over the place, but he most recently started against the Grizzlies and posted 39 DKFP in 32 minutes. Before that, he posted below 13 DKFP in three straight games. At the very least, this is a good, fast-paced matchup for him to take advantage of...in theory.

Max Christie ($5,100), DAL vs. CHA

Christie's past two games have been a bit of a fall back to Earth, but it doesn't get much better than the Hornets as a bounceback opportunity. Even counting those games, Christie is averaging 27.9 DKFP since being dealt to Dallas. It's easy to justify throwing him into a lineup for any type of DFS contest.

Value Picks

Karlo Matkovic ($4,000), NOP at PHX

Matkovic seemed like he'd be thrust into more minutes, but then coach Willie Green decided Kelly Olynyk needs to run the offense. However, Olynyk is out tonight, so Matkovic should be able to step into a bigger role. Overall, Matkovic is averaging 21.5 DKFP over his past 10 games, and he's reached 30+ DKFP twice during this stretch. It's not a massive upside play, but he's someone who can slot into your lineup to allow for higher-salaried options.

Jordan Hawkins ($3,800), NOP at PHX

As you can probably tell by this point, I like targeting this Pelicans-Suns game. With Olynyk and Bruce Brown sidelined for New Orleans, more usage should funnel to Hawkins, who is a microwave scorer off the bench. Slotting him into your lineup at under $4K is a pure upside play, but he's hit for over 20 DKFP in four of his past nine games.

The author(s) of this article may play in daily fantasy contests including – but not limited to – games that they have provided recommendations or advice on in this article. In the course of playing in these games using their personal accounts, it's possible that they will use players in their lineups or other strategies that differ from the recommendations they have provided above. The recommendations in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of RotoWire. Alex Barutha plays in daily fantasy contests using the following accounts: FanDuel Username: unclestosh99, DraftKings Username: Roto_Alex.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Alex Barutha
Alex is RotoWire's Chief NBA Editor. He writes articles about daily fantasy, year-long fantasy and sports betting. You can hear him on the RotoWire NBA Podcast, Sirius XM, VSiN and other platforms. He firmly believes Robert Covington is the most underrated fantasy player of the past decade.
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