The NBA tips off the weekend with a jam-packed 11-game slate this Friday night, as the cadence of alternating giant slates and small slates continues. With 22 teams in action, there are plenty of storylines to follow and statuses to monitor leading up to tipoff, so stay tuned to @dklive on Twitter and the DK Live app throughout the day for fantasy-relevant breaking news and analysis.
As teams continue to shift their rotations due to injury and illness, different value options are stepping up and posting big games just about every night. Whether your lineup is mostly set and you’re filling the final spot or you prefer to build from the bargains up, I think the four players below have a great chance to outproduce their affordable salaries. I’ll give updates to these values on Twitter @ZT_Sports, where you can also find my four to play under $4K each day of the NBA season.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $350K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
PG Gabe Vincent, Miami Heat at Atlanta Hawks, $4,800
The Heat will have to rely heavily on Vincent again on Friday since they’ll still be without Kyle Lowry (personal) and Tyler Herro (health and safety protocols). This will be the third straight game that Lowry has missed and Vincent entered the starting lineup for each of the previous two games. He had 15 points and 23.5 DKFP in 27 minutes against the Raptors on Monday and was even better with 11 points, seven assists and 31.5 DKFP in 37 minutes against the Blazers on Wednesday. The bump in assists and playing time was mostly due to Herro checking into protocols, so he should get very high usage and spend much of the night with the ball in his hands in this favorable matchup against the Hawks. Part of that workload was also due to Jimmy Butler ($9,400) getting ejected, but his return in this matchup will likely cut more into the workload of Caleb Martin ($4,400) and Max Strus ($4,600) while Vincent continues to get plenty of run at PG.
In December, Vincent started nine games in a row and averaged 14.3 points, 4.7 assists and 29.1 DKFP in 33.5 minutes per game. He had a 20.5% usage rate over that span and had a similar 20.2% usage rate on Wednesday. He should be a relatively safe play with a high ceiling for as long as Lowry and Herro are out.
SG/SF John Konchar, Memphis Grizzlies at Denver Nuggets, $4,300
Konchar is also in for a big workload due to absent teammates, and he should be a versatile, multi-category producer. Konchar moved into the lineup Wednesday and produced 24.75 DKFP in 32 minutes in a loss to the Bucks. He had six points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots and a steal. Even though he didn’t stand out in any one category, he piled up counting stats and should get another chance to do the same Friday night in Denver.
The Grizzlies are expected to be without Desmond Bane (health and safety protocols), Dillon Brooks (ankle) and Kyle Anderson (health and safety protocols), so Konchar should stay very busy. He showed he has a high ceiling with a 17-rebound, 15-point double-double against the Timberwolves that helped him post 43.75 DKFP. He has also shown his consistency with at least 20 DKFP in six of his past eight contests.
SF/PF Jeff Green, Denver Nuggets vs. Memphis Grizzlies, $3,900
Green has become a recurring character in my “4 to play under $4K” each day on Twitter, and he continues to deliver good numbers while helping fill in the Nuggets’ frontcourt. The 35-year-old veteran has returned from a three-game absence in the health and safety protocols red-hot and has scored double-digit points in six of his seven games since returning.
Over that seven-game stretch, Green has been taking plenty of shots, averaging 10.4 field goal attempts per game with a 23.0% usage rate. He had a down game earlier this week when the Nuggets were blown out by the Jazz but bounced back with 25.5 DKFP against the Clippers in his most recent outing. He should continue to start at least while JaMychal Green (health and safety protocols) is sidelined, and he has shown he can be very productive for a play under $4K while he’s getting so much work.
SG/SF Aaron Wiggins, Oklahoma City Thunder at Charlotte Hornets, $3,500
Wiggins was a second-round pick of the Thunder out of Maryland in last year’s draft and has gotten a lot of run in his rookie year in OKC. He became a regular in the rotation in mid-December and has really stepped up since Christmas. He has started 10 of 13 games since then, playing 27.9 minutes and logging a 17.1% usage rate. Wiggins has averaged 11.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.2 steals per game over that stretch for 19.4 DKFP per contest.
Earlier this week, Wiggins moved to the bench against the Cavs and only played 10 minutes, but that seems to have simply been a matchup-based decision since he played 31 minutes and 34 minutes while moving back into the lineup in the two games since then. On Wednesday in San Antonio, Wiggins had one of his best games of the season, scoring 19 points with eight rebounds and a full box score on his way to 33.5 DKFP. He has that kind of potential on any given night and has proven to be reliable, putting up at least 18 DKFP in 11 of his past 13 contests.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $350K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is z.thompson) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.
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