I’m looking forward to sitting down and watching some basketball. It’s currently blizzarding outside my house, right now, and there’s no better time to get my eyes glued to the TV. I’ll also have a ton of lineups going on DraftKings, so you better believe I’m ready to provide some great content. With that in mind, let’s get into this slate!

If you have any comments or questions, reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel

Check out today’s NBA Tip-Off from DraftKings

Most Value Per Dollar 

The spreads should be fascinating on this slate. We have Brooklyn and Milwaukee looking like massive favorites, while the rest of the games should stay relatively close. We also have numerous bad defenses on display, which should lead to a ton of points across the board. As usual, the point guard and center positions are stacked, and those will be featured heavily in the next section!

If you’d like to see more information on how the betting landscape will be for this slate, check out BettingPros.

Below is a list of the top-10 players of the day expected to generate the most value relative to their salary. These are ranked in order.

Trae Young (ATL) $9,800
While Trae didn’t find his way into the studs section, he’ll squeeze perfectly into the top of the value plays. We say that because he has one of the best matchups possible and has been rolling recently. Over his last two games, Young has collected 69 points, nine rebounds, and 14 assists. That scorching form looks extremely enticing against a Kings team that owns the worst defensive rating in the NBA, especially with Young sitting below $10K.

Mason Plumlee (DET) $6,200
Plumlee has quietly been doing a lot more ball-handling in Derrick Rose and Blake Griffin’s absence and remains way too affordable at $6,200. In fact, he’s averaging 35 fantasy points per game across his last 14 outings. That looks really intriguing against a Brooklyn team that surrenders the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing centers. In their one meeting a month ago, Plumlee had 52 DraftKings points in one of the best games of the season.

De’Aaron Fox (SAC) $9,200
Fox has at least 28 DraftKings points in 23-straight games, playing some of the best basketball in the NBA. He’s also averaging 45 fantasy points per game in that same span, making him look like an All-Star snub. What we love here is the matchup, though, with Atlanta ranked 24th in defensive efficiency while having a defensively inept Trae Young covering Fox. Look for these two to go at it all night long.

Brook Lopez (MIL) $4,700
Lopez is in the midst of the worst season of his career, but he’s got too much talent to be this cheap. He showed that in his two most recent games, scoring at least 31 fantasy points in each of those. That’s all you can ask for from a sub-$5K player, and Washington happens to be the best matchup in fantasy right now. We’ll discuss that more later on.

Kyle Lowry (TOR) $8,700
Lowry is running things for the Raptors with Pascal Siakam, Fred VanVleet, and OG Anunoby all out of the lineup. In fact, he’s got at least 34 fantasy points in eight-straight games, averaging 42 DK points per game in that span. He’s done a lot of that damage through assisting, and it’s scary to think how good he could be if he gets more aggressive in his scoring. We also don’t mind that he faces a Hornets club that ranks 23rd in points allowed.

Robert Covington (POR) $5,600
Roco was terrible in the first month of the season, but he’s really turned things around recently. He’s got at least 31 DraftKings points in eight of his last 11 games, averaging 33 fantasy points per game in that span. That’s a fantastic total from someone in this price range, especially when you see that he faces a 25th-ranked Timberwolves defense here.

Myles Turner (IND) $5,900
Turner has remained way too cheap on DraftKings all season long. The big man is averaging 35 fantasy points per game for the season and has a 33-point average over his last 11 outings. That makes the price drop hard to understand, and it puts him in play until he gets to $7K. It’s not like Deandre Ayton will slow him down either, with the former Wildcat being one of the worst defensive bigs in the NBA.

Jaylen Nowell (MIN) $4,600
Nowell just had the best game of his career on Thursday, providing 28 points, five rebounds, and six assists. The increased role is even less surprising when you see that Minnesota is without D’Angelo Russell and Malik Beasley. That means his role should continue to increase, and that’s certainly not good news for a 28th-ranked Portland defense.

Will Barton (DEN) $5,200
Barton has proven to be a $6,500 player in the past, and he’s showing why recently. Will the Thrill has at least 24 fantasy points in four-straight outings, averaging 31 DK points per game in that span. That’s a good total from such an affordable player, and we don’t anticipate a 23rd-ranked Dallas defense to slow him down.

DeAndre’ Bembry (TOR) $3,800
Bembry just played a season-high 37 minutes on Thursday, and if he does that at this price, he’s one of the best values on the board. This guy has proven he can stuff the stat sheet when given the minutes, and it’s hard to overlook a 37-spot on Thursday. We also love the matchup, with Charlotte surrendering the fifth-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season.

Check out our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet for the top bets of the day

Studs Worth Their Salary

• Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL) $11,000: If you don’t already know, Giannis is making a late push at a third-straight MVP. In fact, Antetokounmpo has at least 63 fantasy points in nine of his last 16 games, averaging 62 DK points per game in that span. That looks wonderful but facing a Washington team that ranks 27th in defensive efficiency and first in pace makes him the easiest play on the board.
• James Harden (BKN) $10,900: Harden is in full-on takeover mode with Kevin Durant out. Over his last 11 games played, James is averaging 59 fantasy points per game. That’s the stud we remember from Houston, and that should be no problem to duplicate against an 18th-ranked Detroit defense.
• Nikola Jokic (DEN) $10,800: Jokic leads the NBA with 60 DraftKings points per game, making him tough to fade on every slate. What makes him attractive here is the aforementioned matchup with Dallas, who essentially plays without a center. That’s bad news against a guy who’s scored at least 39 DK points in all but one game this season.
• Damian Lillard (POR) $10,700: Lillard has become a machine with Jusuf Nurkic and C.J. McCollum both out of the lineup. He’s scored at least 45 fantasy points in 19 of his last 23 games, averaging 50 DK points per game in that span. The matchup against Minnesota is the icing on the cake, though, with Lillard dropping a 66-spot on them in their one meeting earlier this season.

Notable Players to Fade

• John Collins (ATL) $6,500: With Bogdan Bogdanovic and Danilo Gallinari both healthy, Collins has played 27 or fewer minutes in three-straight games. That has held him to fewer than 29 DK points in each of those, which isn’t good enough from someone this expensive.
• Deandre Ayton (PHO) $6,300: Ayton has failed to crack 30 fantasy points in each of his last three games, dropping a nightmarish 18 DK points in his most recent outing. That’s a terrifying sign, and it’s particularly horrifying when you see that he has a date with a defensive stud like Turner here.
• Devonte Graham (CHA) $5,000: We were all curious who the odd man out would be in Charlotte, and it appears to be Graham. He played just 19 minutes in his return to action on Thursday, and that’s a terrifying sign with his inefficient shooting.
• Dennis Smith Jr. (DET) $4,900: DSJ carved out a nice role when Delon Wright was out, but now that Wright is back, it’s back to bench duties for Smith. He played just 21 minutes in the first game with Wright, and one would have to believe that will only drop with Wright getting healthier and Saben Lee possibly stealing minutes too. UPDATE: Smith has been ruled out due to COVID protocols.

Create DraftKings lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool

Beyond our daily fantasy basketball content, be sure to check out our Daily Fantasy Basketball Tools. Our Lineup Optimizer allows you to build winning DFS lineups in seconds for Cash and GPP contests – to our DFS Cheat Sheets – that helps you get a quick read on the day’s players. We’ve got you covered this fantasy basketball season.

Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.