Isaiah 
There are millions of people playing NBA DFS across the United States and Canada, and studies have proven that this is truly a game of skill. In order to be successful, it is imperative that you know the rules, do some research, properly manage your finances, stay on top of all the news, and most importantly, HAVE FUN. Hopefully, this article will help alleviate the time it takes to do some of that research. I encourage everyone reading this article to join the team here at WinDaily in our Discord NBA DFS chat rooms where you will be able to actively collaborate with us in finding the right players to succeed. It is our goal to give you the tools you will need to develop a process that will make you a better player.
Isaiah’s Protocol picks are built around DraftKings pricing but are good across the industry with some slight adjustments to salaries on the various sites.
The Core
Andrew Wiggins ($7600) I originally wanted to start with Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,700) here, but he’s questionable with a sprained knee. If KAT plays, I have no problem stacking them both together. The Pelicans (6-22, 2-11 away) putrid defense is traveling to Minnesota on the second half of a back to back, after losing at home, in OT, to the Nets last night. Minnesota actually has the fastest pace on the NBA DFS slate tonight. Wiggins has been playing around 36 minutes, and launching 20 shots per game over his last 5, sinking 40%. His season averages match that to the tune of 25/5/3/1/1, for 40 DKFPTS. Wiggins should see a substantial bump to those stats if Towns can’t go. He’s simply too cheap for the upside tonight. This is probably the most important news on the slate; make sure you are tuned in when it drops.
(Gorgui Dieng is the probable fill-in for KAT, but he’s a defensive player who lacks DFS upside). If Towns does, in fact, miss this game, I love running it back with the athletic youngster Jaxson Hayes ($4000), for some value.
Zach LaVine ($8100) It’s no secret that picking on the Wizards defense is the key to DFS gold. This game has a glaring 231 O/U, the highest game of the night by over 12 points. Chicago is only a 1 point favorite, which makes me comfortable that it won’t blow out. Lavine has a 30.5% usage rate ranking 5th highest on the slate, and he shoots 1.16 FP/min. The Wizards rank 28th in DEFF and 20th vs. his position. I’ll take Zachs projected 50 burger at $8.1K all day long.
Wendell Carter Jr. ($6000) We’re going to stay right here with this CHI/WAS game. This one’s pretty easy, and could be chalky as well. The Wizards have lost virtually their entire frontcourt. The most recent victim, Rui Hachimura went down with a groin injury on Monday. With Rui, Bryant, and Wagner all out, Bertans Mahinmi, and G-Leaguer Admiral Schofield are the only true frontcourt players on the roster. They do not stack up with Wendell and do not have any chance to rest. Carter should absolutely feast in this NBA DFS match up, at that salary.
Chris Paul ($7500) The fountain of youth seems to have hit this ageless veteran over the last month or so. Paul has a relatively median 22% usage rate and scores 1.12 FP/min. Memphis ranks 26th in DEFF. Paul stood out for me in comparison to the other guards at this price range because of his recent game logs, and the matchup. CP3 has been flirting with a triple-double recently, and I want him on my NBA DFS squad when he does. Memphis looks to be the ideal platform, so I’m getting on the train, at this bargain-basement price.
Value
Josh Hart ($5300) Hart and Lonzo Ball ($5400) have great matchups vs. a TWolve team that ranks at the bottom of the NBA vs. guards. Both of these guys are going to see some run regardless of who starts, with J.J. Reddick out. I lean slightly toward Hart simply because he’s more consistent and most likely lower owned. That doesn’t mean that Ball can’t go out there and have a great game.
Jeff Teague ($5800) I’m throwing him in this section as the Pelicans also struggle vs. guards, and his salary is in the same range. New Orleans ranks 25th in DEFF, and 30th against his position. Teague has a 22.1% usage rate and shoots just over 1 FP/min. He’s been averaging over 30 minutes a game.
Eric Paschall ($4600) Having just been cleared from a recent hip injury, I think Paschall may go overlooked. He has a 20.9% usage rate and shoots .85 FP/min. Mostly I love the price and match up here. Portland ranks 29th in DEFF, and 28th against his position. I like the thought of having a solid NBA DFS starter in the late-night hammer to put my build over the top, so I may take the leap here. There’s a bit of risk involved with both Russell and Draymond running at the same time, but Paschall has shown that he can play with the starters. Portland’s susceptible defense doesn’t scare me, and his salary is hard to ignore.
I’ve already touched on some of myother favorite value plays above, in Jaxson Hayes, and Ian Mahinmi.
My opinion has me believing thatif you attack the weak defenses of NO/MIN and the high scoring MIN/WAS game,you’ll be successful tonight.
Only one player is listed above the $10,000 mark, and there are plenty of decent options available in the mid-priced range; I wouldn’t advise diving too deep into value tonight as there is really no need to get away from a balanced approach. This is a large NBA DFS slate, that lacks a certain number of “over the top” superstars. This makes it’s critical to nail down a solid player pool and stay on top of any late-breaking news. I highly encourage all readers to join myself, and the rest of the WinDaily team in the Discord chat rooms as we break down and discuss our favorite plays of the night. Thank you for reading my content and feel free to leave a comment, or hit me up on Twitter @IsaiahsProtocol.
GOODLUCK AND HAVE FUN
