Tonight’s slate features an eight-game lineup, all of which are included on the main slate which tips off at 7:00 p.m. EST. The Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers, and Houston Rockets are all operating on a back-to-back tonight. Please adjust your lineups accordingly.
Point Guard
Ish Smith (PG – WAS): $5,200 vs. DAL
The Washington Wizards are going to be shorthanded at the point guard spot with Isaiah Thomas being moved at the NBA trade deadline. Sure, the Wizards did bring Shabazz Napier into the fold, but he may or may not play tonight, and if he does, he probably won’t play a ton of minutes, leaving much of the onus on Smith’s shoulders. The matchup against the Dallas Mavericks is an average one, as the Mavs rank 17th in defensive rating and 19th in pace. Expect Smith to receive a good amount of work and opportunity tonight.
Reggie Jackson (PG – DET): $5,700 @ OKC
Just like Smith and the Wizards, the Detroit Pistons are lacking players galore. From trading C Andre Drummond to missing Derrick Rose, Markieff Morris, and Svi Mykhailiuk to injury, a lot of playing time and opportunities become available for tonight’s contest. Since returning from injury, Jackson has been inconsistent, though he’s flashed in two games and is coming off a strong 45.5-point performance. Expect to see a ton of usage from Jackson as the Pistons are simply lacking bodies and playmakers at this point.
Tonight’s slate features an eight-game lineup, all of which are included on the main slate which tips off at 7:00 p.m. EST. The Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers, and Houston Rockets are all operating on a back-to-back tonight. Please adjust your lineups accordingly.
Point Guard
Ish Smith (PG – WAS): $5,200 vs. DAL
The Washington Wizards are going to be shorthanded at the point guard spot with Isaiah Thomas being moved at the NBA trade deadline. Sure, the Wizards did bring Shabazz Napier into the fold, but he may or may not play tonight, and if he does, he probably won’t play a ton of minutes, leaving much of the onus on Smith’s shoulders. The matchup against the Dallas Mavericks is an average one, as the Mavs rank 17th in defensive rating and 19th in pace. Expect Smith to receive a good amount of work and opportunity tonight.
Reggie Jackson (PG – DET): $5,700 @ OKC
Just like Smith and the Wizards, the Detroit Pistons are lacking players galore. From trading C Andre Drummond to missing Derrick Rose, Markieff Morris, and Svi Mykhailiuk to injury, a lot of playing time and opportunities become available for tonight’s contest. Since returning from injury, Jackson has been inconsistent, though he’s flashed in two games and is coming off a strong 45.5-point performance. Expect to see a ton of usage from Jackson as the Pistons are simply lacking bodies and playmakers at this point.
Shooting Guard
James Harden (SG – HOU): $11,800 @ PHO
“Harden put up a 35.9-point stinker yesterday in a tough matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers, but it doesn’t matter in the slightest with Russell Westbrook sitting tonight’s contest out due to rest. Harden possesses tournament-winning upside on a nightly basis, and now has the go-ahead to jack up as many shots as he pleases. Harden’s ceiling is always astronomical, but it truly elevates to a different galaxy when Westbrook is sidelined. The Phoenix Suns are also a great matchup as they rank 19th in defensive rating and 10th in pace. Fire Harden up without question.
Duncan Robinson (SG – MIA): $4,300 @ SAC
Robinson doesn’t offer much upside, but at a cheap price tag and with Jimmy Butler being listed as doubtful, there is a slight intrigue in Miami Heat players. Robinson doesn’t offer many ancillary stats, but he can reach value on the back of a strong shooting performance, coupled with a handful of rebounds. At the very least, Robinson plays a ton of minutes and the Sacramento Kings rank 18th in defensive rating.
Small Forward
Kelly Oubre Jr. (SF – PHO): $6,800 vs. HOU
Oubre has one of the biggest workloads in the NBA on a night-to-night basis, routinely playing over 35+ minutes. Oubre is coming off a 41-minute performance just two nights ago, in which he totaled 39 FanDuel points. The matchup against the Rockets is a spicy one as they field an average defense (15th-ranked) but play at an incredible pace, ranking 2nd in the league in that category. This is a strong pace-up game for all Suns players, not many of which carry a more intriguing potential than Oubre.
Derrick Jones Jr. (SF – MIA): $5,200 @ SAC
One of my top plays on tonight’s slate has to be the man replacing Jimmy Butler (doubtful status) in the lineup tonight. Jones is coming off a strong 48.3-point performance, has played a strong bout of minutes recently, and will now surely cross into the mid-30’s in terms of minutes played. Not only will he get a ton of run tonight, but the matchup against the Kings is a solid opportunity to reach value with relative ease.
Power Forward
Jayson Tatum (PF – BOS): $8,300 vs. ATL
The Boston Celtics are currently dealing with a litany of injuries and potential players sitting out, including the questionable statuses of Jaylen Brown, Gordon Hayward, and Kemba Walker, the probable statuses of Marcus Smart and Brad Wanamaker, and Daniel Theis already being ruled out. It’s hard to say what will come of the injury report, but obviously the more starters that sit the contest out, the greater the intrigue in Tatum. Not only will his usage rate skyrocket, but the Atlanta Hawks are a sieve defensively, ranking 28th in defensive rating and 4th in pace.
Sekou Doumbouya (PF – DET): $3,700 @ OKC
Somebody needs to suit up tonight for the Pistons, and with Drummond out of the picture – as well as a trio of injuries – Doumbouya’s intrigue increases. Sekou is listed near minimum value, meaning he doesn’t need to accomplish much to reach value. So long as he can register a game with his 25+ minutes of playing time, expect to see Doumbouya reach value, and to potentially smash.
Center
Deandre Ayton (C – PHO): $8,800 vs. HOU
There may not be a hotter DFS option than Ayton at this point in time, and his production shouldn’t slow down tonight against the small-ball Rockets. The Rockets just traded away their only big man in Clint Capela, leaving the team to start small forward P.J. Tucker as their center. Needless to say, Ayton should absolutely feast against everybody that’s thrown at him in the paint, both by scoring and rebounding. Anthony Davis eviscerated the Rockets just last night, simply due to the lack of a big man.
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Sosa Kremenjas is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Sosa, check out his archive and follow him @QBsMVP.