jason mezrahi 
In this column, I’ll highlight five NBA DFS 2/21 difference-makingplays in GPPs, from studs with a huge upside to value plays who could hit8x-10x.
These are risky plays who won’t always make the most sense forcash game builds, so buyer beware!
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NBA DFS 2/21 — PG
Luka Doncic, DAL (@ ORL) – DK $10,600
We saw Bam drop 70 fantasy points last night, and while the paceof that game helped dictate a new ceiling for the Heat’s big man, a now-healthyDoncic could arrive at 70 DK points tonight without the benefit of a decentmatchup. With Damon Lillard sitting out tonight, it’s probably a slate whereyou should pay up for Luka or LeBron James, and my money’s on the guy with 7xupside. Nobody on the Magic can stop Luka from doing his thing. I don’t seemuch of a point to stacking up Markelle Fultz, who’s now $6,200 and could getsaddled with the return of D.J. Augustin (questionable), but if you choose to fadeLuka and go with LeBron at SF (and don’t want to spend way up at the PG spot),both Jamal Murray ($7,100) and Jrue Holiday ($7,300) could have big games aswell.
Pivots: Jamal Murray/JrueHoliday
NBA DFS 2/21 — SG
Jaylen Brown, BOS (@ MIN) – DK $5,900
The Wolves could be in trouble tonight, especially with Karl-Anthony Towns out, no more Robert Covington defense to stop opposing swingmen/forwards, and a cast of fringe NBA talents rounding out their bizarre rotation. If they can keep in close, we could see monster value from Brown, who should be recovered from his ankle issues following the break. Kemba Walker is out, so there will be more shots to go around, and the price on Jaylen is just too good to pass up tonight. In fact, he’s the same exact price as Marcus Smart, who doesn’t have the same scoring upside. I won’t chastise you for going to C.J. McCollum (PG/SG/G/UTIL), and there’s plenty of positional eligibility to roster both on DK. Stacking DeAngelo Russell could be a move if the Wolves can keep this close, but he is kind of expensive for such a tough matchup.
Pivot/Stack: C.J. McCollum/DeAngeloRussell
NBA DFS 2/21 — SF
Gordon Hayward, BOS (@ MIN) – DK $7,000
Jayson Tatum is going to be very popular at just $7,800 on DK, so Hayward could go overlooked in a matchup where he’ll be handling the ball just as much (if not more) than the former Dukie. Hayward could see 20+ points, double-digit rebounds, a handful of assists (or more) and plenty of supplemental stats to fill out his fantasy output. The matchup is excellent, and we’ll need some $6-8K players with a 7x upside if we’re going to make this work. We should probably stay away from stacking more Wolves in the 1-2-3 spots (preferring exposure to James Johnson or Naz Reid), but if you want to pivot from Hayward, the obvious choice is Tatum or the upside-laden Brandon Ingram.
Pivots: Jayson Tatum/Brandon Ingram
NBA DFS 2/21 — PF
James Johnson, MIN (vs. BOS) – DK $4,600
Johnson has a 40-point upside if he sees 30 minutes, and we must find some value somewhere on this slate. This is another situation we’ll have to monitor before lock to see who’s starting for the Wolves, but Mr. OG Throat Tattoo will be the likely veteran to log bigger minutes and try to replace what KAT offers from a scoring and defensive perspective. Spend-up pivots include Zion Williamson (who we also haven’t seen hit his ceiling yet despite a 50 DK point outing against these same Blazers before the break) and Anthony Davis (PF/C/F/UTIL), who should be fresh and ready to put up big numbers in a pace-up spot against Memphis. Both will find a way onto my multi-entry builds this evening.
Spend Pivots: Zion Williamson/Anthony Davis
NBA DFS 2/21 — C
Hassan Whiteside, POR (vs. NO) – DK $9,200
Whiteside probably watched Bam Adebayo his former teammate go OFF during the All-Star break and last night and got a little steamed, especially since Bam has low-key criticized his lack of nuance and pick-and-roll by liking and emoji-dropping on a tweet from October. But Whiteside is a consistent double-double machine and solid shot-blocker who should log big minutes tonight in a game that cries for usage from the Lillard-less Blazers. Whether or not playing both Zion and Whiteside in the same lineups is one of the questions we’ll have to ask ourselves as we get closer to lock. The obvious pivot at this price point is Andre Drummond, but if you need more value, we can look to Serge Ibaka (solid floor, decent upside as a starter without Marc Gasol and facing the defensively challenged DeAndre Ayton) at just $6,500.
