Top NBA DFS core plays at each position on DraftKings on Feb. 7

We’ve got our first Post-Trade Deadline slate and there are eight games on the NBA schedule for Friday night. I’ll preface this article with the warning to keep an eye on lineup news throughout the day. We don’t know 100% which players will be making debuts with new teams and which players will be sitting out again. For now, Clint Capela is not expected to make his Hawks debut tonight against the Celtics. Other than that, it’s a pretty cut-and-dry type of slate. Let’s take a look at some of the options:

Point Guard

Donovan Mitchell, UTA vs. POR, $6,900 — This is a very low price point for D-Mitch, who has had a down fantasy basketball season overall. His ceiling may not be as high or consistent as before, but Spida still has plenty of upside in this matchup. The Blazers are on the second of a back-to-back after defeating the Spurs on Thursday. Portland doesn’t guard the perimeter particularly well and Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum could have tired legs. Mitchell was $7,000 two games ago against the Blazers when he scored 25 points and 36 DKFP.

Other Options: Ben Simmons, PHI vs. MEM, $8,000; Goran Dragic, MIA @ SAC, $5,300

Shooting Guard

James Harden, HOU @ PHX, $12,100 — Harden is the most expensive player on tonight’s slate but he’s also a GPP lock. Russell Westbrook is going to be resting on the second of a back-to-back, and we all know how the Rockets operate when Westbrook sits. Harden hero ball is in play in a fast-paced matchup against a poor defense. It’s just too difficult to fade Harden in this spot. He could put up 100 DKFP on some insane 50-10-10 triple-double. I think his floor might even be a triple-double.

Other Options: Jalen Brunson, DAL @ WAS, $5,600; Kevin Huerter, ATL @ BOS, $5,500

Small Forward

Jayson Tatum, BOS vs. ATL, $8,100 — This is a situation we’ll have to wait and see on some injuries. Even so, Tatum is in a great spot against the Hawks, who will be lacking front court depth if both Capela and Dewayne Dedmon can’t play. The Celtics could be without Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward and Jaylen Brown. If that’s the case, Tatum would be the ideal chalk play on the slate.

Other Options: Tobias Harris, PHI vs. MEM, $6,200; Bojan Bogdanovic, UTA vs. POR, $5,900

Power Forward

Christian Wood, DET @ OKC, $6,000 — I have my reservations about buying into Wood now that Andre Drummond has been traded. Sure, Wood should see the biggest bump in minutes and usage in the front court. He had been playing well prior to the trade, scoring at least 32.75 DKFP in three of four games. The Thunder have some bigs that can disrupt Wood a bit, but they’re mostly not a deep team in the front court. I’d like Wood to be a bit cheaper; he was $4,700 last game and hasn’t been over $5,000 since Jan. 7. Still, he’s probably a decent chalk play.

Other Options: Pascal Siakam, TOR @ IND, $7,500; Robert Covington, HOU @ PHX, $5,700

Center

Joel Embiid, PHI vs. MEM, $8,500 — I talked about Embiid briefly on DK Live’s The Sweat this morning. This price just seems insanely low for a player with Embiid’s upside. He hasn’t been priced below $9K on DraftKings since Nov. 25 ... Sure, I get that Biid is struggling a bit but the past three games were on the road against the Bucks, Heat and Celtics — all above average defensive teams. The Sixers loaded up a bit after the deadline, Josh Richardson held a players’ only meeting, I think Embiid will respond in a good spot tonight.

Other Options: Rudy Gobert, UTA vs. POR, $7,700; Serge Ibaka, TOR @ IND, $6,300