Fantasy Basketball Value Picks: Top DraftKings NBA DFS Bargain Plays for February 1

Well, it’s February. I’m not sure if I can say that February is officially acknowledged as the worst month of the year, but for those of us in the northeast, it’s certainly pretty high on the list. Heck, I was born in February and I still don’t care for it all that much. At least it has the common decency to be only 28 days long, right?

Allow me to brighten your February. Here’s three value assets in great spots on tonight’s nine-game NBA slate.

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SF/PF Kenrich Williams, Oklahoma City Thunder at Houston Rockets, $4,600

I don’t think I’m going out on a limb when I suggest that the Thunder are going to score a lot of points on Wednesday. Oklahoma City is third in the NBA in pace this season (102.1), while Houston not only owns the league’s seventh-fastest pace across its past 10 games (101.5), but also the sixth-worst defensive rating (120.2). That’s a combination that screams buckets. Obviously, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,200) is going to have a field day, yet this is the type of offensive environment that can support an entire team. That’s where Williams comes into the picture. The Thunder have experimented with their lineups since Lu Dort (hamstring) succumbed to injury, with Williams drawing his eighth start of 2022-23 in Monday’s loss to Golden State. The veteran wing logged 33.1 minutes that evening, finishing with 25.0 DKFP — the third time he’s managed at least 25.0 DKFP in his last four contests. Maybe it’ll be Jaylin Williams ($3,300) who instead draws the start on Wednesday — he would be viable, if so — but if Kenrich sees 30-plus minutes against the Rockets, he will bring back a minimum of 5x value. Guaranteed.

SF/PF Stanley Johnson, San Antonio Spurs vs. Sacramento Kings, $3,100

Johnson is sort of an even more cost-effective version of the aforementioned Kenrich Williams. On top of having eligibility at the same positions, Johnson also stands to benefit from an absolutely lovely game script on Wednesday. Simply put: Kings games are high-scoring affairs. There’s a reason the total for this matchup is well over 240 points on the DraftKings Sportsbook. In fact, Sacramento has surrendered at least 110 points to its opponent in 24 of its past 25 contests. All of this is good news for Johnson, who has seen his minutes spike over San Antonio’s last two games, culminating in the veteran leading all Spurs’ reserves in minutes on both occasions. This hasn’t been empty volume, either. Johnson managed 10 points in Monday’s loss to Washington, while he grabbed an impressive 12 rebounds in Saturday’s defeat to Phoenix. Plus, for what Johnson lacks in overall ceiling, he makes up for in flat-out savings. At just $3.1K, Johnson doesn’t have to do much to be valuable.

C Moe Wagner, Orlando Magic at Philadelphia 76ers, $3,900

I would say it’s a little naive to expect Wagner to continue at the pace we’ve seen in Orlando’s past two games, yet it is fun to bask in the numbers. Despite logging a paltry 22.4 minutes per contest since Saturday, the big man has been an absolute force, averaging 24.5 points and 34.5 DKFP with a massive 29.5% usage rate. Again, it’s all pretty unstable, but it’s also very impressive stuff. So, how can Wagner survive the inevitable dip in efficiency he’s going to see at some point soon? A bigger role. Wagner’s averaged 28.0 DKFP in his 14 starts in 2022-23, starts mostly made in the absence of Wendell Carter Jr. ($5,900; foot). So how fitting that Carter Jr. has suddenly popped up on the Magic’s injury report as questionable due to the same ailment that cost him so many contests earlier in the season. Whether it’s a re-aggravation or load management, I have serious doubts that Carter Jr. is available on Wednesday. If that’s the case and Wagner starts, the sky is the limit.

Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $350K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]

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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is theglt13) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.