The trade deadline is officially in the books, so we can now turn our attention to Thursday’s DFS slate. Tonight’s five-game slate locks at 7:30 p.m. ET, so let’s run through some of the top studs and value plays to consider for your lineups.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $400K Shootaround [$100K to 1st]
Point Guard
Worth Paying Up For: C.J. McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers @ Miami Heat ($7,200)
McCollum was eased back into the rotation for the Blazers following a long injury absence, but he logged 38.3 minutes in their last game. He’s looking at another monster workload Thursday vs. the Heat after the Blazers shipped Gary Trent Jr. and Rodney Hood to the Raptors in exchange for Norman Powell. Trent Jr. and Hood have averaged 49.9 minutes per game this season, so that’s a lot of playing time that needs to be absorbed.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Jordan Poole, Golden State Warriors @ Sacramento Kings ($6,100)
Poole has done an admirable job filling in for Steph Curry. He’s scored at least 34.0 DKFP in three of his past four games, and he should be able to put together another strong showing vs. the Kings. They rank dead last in defensive efficiency, and they’ve been one of the best possible matchups for point guards.
Shooting Guard
Worth Paying Up For: Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers @ San Antonio Spurs ($7,800)
The Clippers lead the slate with an implied team total of 115.0, and they will be without Serge Ibaka for the sixth straight game. That makes George an appealing option. He’s seen the second-largest usage bump on the team with Ibaka off the court this season, and he’s also seen a sizable price decrease over the past few games. The decrease has been warranted – George has scored 32.0 DKFP or less in four of his past six games – but $7,800 is simply too cheap for him.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Tyrese Haliburton, Sacramento Kings vs. Golden State Warriors ($6,000)
Haliburton has been one of the most impressive rookies this season, and he’s scored at least 36.75 DKFP in back-to-back games. He’s logged at least 35.5 minutes in both of those contests, and he could see an even larger workload vs. the Warriors. The Kings traded away Cory Joseph, which opens up approximately 21 minutes of playing time. I would expect Haliburton to pick up a couple of them.
Small Forward
Worth Paying Up For: Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers @ San Antonio Spurs ($8,800)
Editor’s Note: Clippers SF Kawhi Leonard (foot) has been ruled out tonight vs. the Spurs.
Leonard might be the top stud on a slate that is largely devoid of star power. He’s scored at least 47.75 DraftKings fantasy points in back-to-back games, yet his salary has actually dropped over that time frame. He should continue to play a few additional minutes with Ibaka out of the lineup, and Leonard has averaged 1.32 DKFP per minute this season.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Nicolas Batum, Los Angeles Clippers @ San Antonio Spurs ($3,700)
Sticking with the Clippers, Batum is a nice potential source of value. He’s had a career resurgence in Los Angeles, and he’s played a few additional minutes recently with Ibaka out of the lineup. He’s coming off a huge 29.0 DKFP performance in his last outing, so he has nice upside at $3,700.
Power Forward
Worth Paying Up For: Kelly Oubre, Golden State Warriors @ Sacramento Kings ($6,200)
Oubre has dual SF/PF eligibility on DraftKings, but I’m most interested in using him at power forward. It’s a relatively thin position on today’s slate, with most of the top players a bit overpriced.
Oubre is coming off 45.5 DKFP in his last performance, and he has the potential for another big game vs. the Kings. He’s increased his production to 0.97 DKFP per minute with Curry off the court this season.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Derrick Jones Jr., Portland Trail Blazers @ Miami Heat ($3,900)
The Blazers are going to be thin on the wing with Hood and Trent Jr. gone and Powell not available to make his debut. That leaves Jones and Carmelo Anthony ($5,000) to handle most of the minutes, and I prefer Jones at a cheaper price tag. He hasn’t been as productive on a per-minute basis – he’s averaged 0.71 DKFP per minute this season – but he’s a safe bet to play more than 30 minutes. That’s very appealing for someone who costs just $3,900.
Center
Worth Paying Up For: Mitchell Robinson, New York Knicks vs. Washington Wizards ($5,100)
It didn’t take long for Robinson to work his way back into the Knicks’ rotation. He played just 16.7 minutes in his first game back from injury, but he was ramped up all the way to 30.7 minutes in his second game. He finished with 40.5 DKFP in that contest, but his price actually dropped to $5,100 for tonight’s matchup vs. the Wizards. The Wiz are a dream matchup for centers, so Robinson has the chance to be one of the strongest values on the slate.
Best Bang For Your Buck: James Wiseman, Golden State Warriors @ Sacramento Kings ($4,800)
It’s officially Wiseman season in Golden State. He started in the Warriors’ last game, and head coach Steve Kerr said he expects Wiseman to start for the rest of the season. That makes a lot of sense with the Warriors not really contending, and Wiseman is obviously a huge part of the Warriors’ future.
That makes Wiseman a very appealing value on Thursday’s slate. He’s averaged 1.06 DraftKings points per minute this season, and he should play around 26 minutes in an excellent matchup vs. the Kings.
Overall Lineup Strategy
This is an interesting slate. There was a flurry of trades made before the deadline, but it hasn’t really opened up a ton of value. There are definitely still some spots we can exploit, but none of tonight’s squads will be playing incredibly shorthanded.
With that in mind, I like the idea of a balanced build. I’m starting my teams with the center combination of Robinson and Wiseman, who could combine for 80 fantasy points at just $9,900. They’re simply too cheap for the amount of upside they provide.
That leaves you with nearly $6,700 for your remaining roster spots, which should be pretty easy to build around. Leonard, McCollum, and George are the three “studs” I’m looking to jam in, but none of those players are going to force you to use a true punt at any position.
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