NBA DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups, Injuries & More Today: Thursday Playbook

It's Thursday, February 19th, and we have a 7-game NBA DFS main slate on DraftKings and FanDuel. 

We've made it through the All-Star break, and the NBA is back in full swing. There are plenty of injury situations to digest despite the time off, and we've also got tanking teams and trade ramifications still playing out. Let's break it all down. 

Before actually diving into the meat and potatoes, welcome to the NBA DFS season. If this is your first time reading our column on NBA DFS picks, I just want to welcome you and give you a few tips and tricks on what you should be looking for each night.

• News outlets: reliable sources that give us injury news & starting lineups
• Pace of play: who's playing fast vs. who's playing slow. Which teams get a pace-up spot (more possessions) vs. pace-down (fewer possessions)
• Usage rates: is a percentage of how many plays that player is being used in
• NBA DFS Projections
• Lineup Generator
• NBA Ownership

NBA DFS Picks & Daily Fantasy Playbook Today, February 19th

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Pre/Post-Lock Update Section

This section will be used for anything that changes from the morning until right up to roster lock. 

Injury updates, players we’re higher on than we were in the morning and so much more.

All status updates after contest roster lock will be made in the Fantasy Alarm Discord: https://discord.gg/2yATJxXe8G

UPDATE 6:40 PM ET 

• Andre Drummond starting for Philadelphia. Added to Core Plays 

UPDATE 6:00 PM ET 

• T.J. McConnell - OUT 
• Aaron Nesmith - AVAILABLE
• Micah Potter - AVAILABLE 

UPDATE 3:00 PM ET 

• Grayson Allen - Questionable (downgrade)

NBA Injuries, News & Updates Today, 2/19

• ATL:
  Jonathan Kuminga - Out
• PHI:
  Joel Embiid - Out
  Paul George - Suspended
• BKN:
  Nic Claxton - Out
• CLE:
  Nae'Qwan Tomlin - Out
  Max Strus - Out
• HOU:
  Steven Adams - Out
  Fred VanVleet - Out
• CHA:
  Moussa Diabate - Suspended
  Miles Bridges - Suspended
  Coby White - Out
• IND:
  Aaron Nesmith - Questionable
  TJ McConnell - Questionable
  Micah Potter - Questionable
  Pascal Siakam - Out
  Ivica Zubac - Out
  Obi Toppin - Out
  Tyrese Haliburton - Out
  Johnny Furphy - Out
• WAS:
  Alex Sarr - Out
  Trae Young - Out
  Anthony Davis - Out
  Cam Whitmore - Out
• DET:
  Jalen Duren - Suspended
  Isaiah Stewart - Suspended
• NYK:
  OG Anunoby - Available
  Deuce McBride - Out
• TOR:
  Collin Murray-Boyles - Probable
  Sandro Mamukelashvili - Questionable
• CHI:
  Josh Giddey - Expects to play
  Jalen Smith - Probable
  Tre Jones - Probable
  Zach Collins - Out
  Noa Essengue - Out
• PHX:
  Dillon Brooks - Suspended
  Haywood Highsmith - Out
• SAS:
  Mason Plumlee - Out

h/t @UnderdogNBA 

NBA DFS Slate & Game Overviews

In the section below, I’m listing the most notable things we need to look at in Las Vegas, including notable O/U and spreads. Not every game is listed, but every game listed has the pace and defensive numbers listed.

NBA DFS Core Player Pool & Lineup Picks

Here are the core players I’m looking at for my NBA DFS picks tonight. You can see the full analysis of tonight’s NBA DFS projections and player pool below or skip ahead to building the best lineups possible by locking these into the aforementioned lineup generator now.

High

• Victor Wembanyama, Jalen Johnson, Cade Cunningham, Tyrese Maxey, Donovan Mitchell, Alperen Sengun, Scottie Barnes 

Mid

• LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, Andrew Nembhard, Josh Hart, VJ Edgecombe, RJ Barrett, Tari Eason, Jarace Walker, Day'Ron Sharpe, Paul Reed, Jay Huff

Value

• Egor Demin, Bilal Coulibaly, Ryan Kalkbrenner, Nolan Traore, Tristan Vukcevic, Quentin Grimes, Andre Drummond, Dominick Barlow, Grant Williams, Micah Potter

Don't Miss The NBA DFS Playbook Live Show At 5:00 PM ET

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