With 10 games on Friday's NBA schedule, daily Fantasy basketball players will utilize several different NBA DFS strategies. Some may look to stack options from fast-paced teams when making NBA DFS picks, some may try to fit in as many elite options from the NBA DFS player pool while going for some cheaper lottery tickets, or others may want to build an NBA DFS lineup around mid-priced players for balance. Another NBA DFS strategy could be as simple as targeting the worst defenses in the league, and many of those teams are taking the floor on Friday.
The Wizards, Hawks, Pacers, Pistons and Spurs are the five worst NBA scoring defenses in descending order this season. All five are in action on Friday, so should daily Fantasy players make NBA DFS picks on sites like FanDuel and DraftKings around attacking those defenses? Kings center Domantas Sabonis is coming off 19 points, 17 rebounds and 13 assists on Wednesday after having a 20-26 stat line on Monday, so should you use him in NBA DFS lineups against the Pacers? Before making your NBA DFS picks, be sure to check out the NBA DFS advice, player rankings, stacks, and top daily Fantasy basketball picks from SportsLine's Jimmie Kaylor.
Kaylor is a DFS and betting expert for SportsLine, who won a DraftKings Millionaire Maker contest in 2022. He uses a combination of his background as a former college and professional athlete and his keen eye for statistical trends when making his picks and locking in his DFS lineups. Kaylor enters the 2024 calendar year with multiple five-figure tournament cashes on his DFS resume.
Kaylor's approach allows him to find the best NBA DFS values and create optimal lineups that he only shares on SportsLine. They're a must-see for any NBA DFS player.
On Wednesday (when Kaylor last published picks), Kaylor highlighted Rockets guard Jalen Green as one of his top picks in his NBA DFS player pool on both sites. The result: Green had 34 points with four rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks, returning 53 points on DraftKings and 53.8 points on FanDuel. Anybody who included him in their lineups was well on the way to a profitable day.
Kaylor has turned his attention to NBA action on Friday and locked in his top daily Fantasy basketball picks. You can only see them by heading to SportsLine.
Top NBA DFS picks for Friday, February 2
For Friday, one of Kaylor's top NBA DFS picks is Clippers forward Kawhi Leonard ($8,800 on DraftKings and $9,500 on FanDuel). Leonard had 31 points, nine rebounds, four assists, four steals and a block in a 125-109 win over the Wizards on Wednesday. He's posted at least 30 points in back-to-back contests while taking 25 field goal attempts in each game as he's aggressively looking for his shot as of late. Leonard has shot at least 53% from the field in five straight contests, averaging 25.6 points during that stretch.
The 32-year-old is averaging 23.9 points, 6.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists this season. The Clippers play the Pistons, who could go down as one of the worst teams in NBA history. The Pistons are 6-41 this year and are coming off a 128-121 loss to the Cavaliers on Wednesday. Opponents are shooting 49.3% from the field, the sixth-highest in the NBA this season, against Detroit, and with Leonard's efficiency as of late, Kaylor expects another big performance from the six-time All-Star on Friday.
Another part of Kaylor's optimal NBA DFS strategy includes Suns center Jusuf Nurkic ($6,600 on DraftKings and $7,000 on FanDuel). Nurkic had 28 points, 11 rebounds, six assists, two blocks and a steal in a 136-120 win over the Nets on Wednesday. He made 11 of 15 shots (73.3%), while shooting at least 60% for the third time over his last four games.
The Suns play the Hawks, who are allowing the second-most points (123.3 ppg) in the NBA this season. Atlanta is allowing the third-most points in the paint (56.0 ppg), including allowing 58 points per game in the paint over its last three contests. The 7-foot Nurkic does virtually all his scoring inside the paint, and after having a huge game and being heavily featured in the Phoenix game plan on Wednesday, the 29-year-old could have similar success on Friday. See Kaylor's other NBA DFS picks right here.
How to set your NBA DFS lineups for Friday, February 2
Kaylor is also targeting a player who could go off for massive numbers on Friday because of a dream matchup. This pick could be the difference between winning your tournaments and cash games or going home with nothing. You can only see who it is here.
Who is DFS pro Jimmie Kaylor putting in his optimal NBA DFS lineups for Friday? Visit SportsLine now to see optimal NBA DFS picks, rankings, advice, and stacks, all from a professional DFS player who won a DraftKings Millionaire Maker contest, and find out.
