Wow, what a trade deadline we just had! I thought it would be a light day in terms of moves, but the NBA proved me wrong. Orlando decided that they didn’t want an NBA team anymore, so they’ll be sending out a G-League roster for the rest of the season. Luckily, we don’t have to deal with them yet, but we have a new-look Chicago Bulls team. There were a ton of other moves as well, and that’ll definitely play a huge factor in this article!
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Check out today’s NBA Tip-Off from DraftKings
Most Value Per Dollar
Here we are again! This is another slate where the center position is absolutely stacked! That will leave half of these recommendations as center-eligible players, and there’s some I didn’t even mention. That means you need to get two in your lineup, getting the other one in at your utility spot. In terms of betting, we have a ton of line movement. A lot of that has to do with the fact that these are new-look teams because of the trade deadline, and it’ll make for a fascinating betting night too.
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.
Robert Williams (BOS) $6,600
Celtics fans have been praying for The Time Lord to get a minutes bump, and now is their time! Daniel Theis was traded at the deadline, while Tristan Thompson is still out. That leaves Rob-Will as the only guy left, guaranteeing him 25-30 minutes a night. That’s all we can ask for, with Williams averaging 24 DK points per game in just 17 minutes a night this season. Imagine that rate in 25-30 minutes!
Dennis Smith Jr. (DET) $4,800
Now that Delon Wright is in Sacramento, DSJ should assume starting point guard duties in Detroit. He actually had that role earlier when Wright was injured, with DSJ averaging 28 DK points per game in his seven starts. He did that damage in fewer than 24 minutes a night, and all of this makes him really hard to avoid at this price. We love this matchup, too, and we’ll go over that more later.
Christian Wood (HOU) $8,500
Wood would be one of the favorites for Most Improved Player if he didn’t miss nearly two months earlier this season. We say that because he’s scored at least 25 fantasy points in all 22 games he’s played, en route to a 40-point average. The best part about using him here is this matchup, though, with Minnesota ranked 26th in total defense and Karl-Anthony Towns being one of the worst defensive centers in the NBA.
Collin Sexton (CLE) $7,200
Sexton probably deserves some consideration for a MIP player, but we’ll just keep riding him as a value in DFS. He’s actually scored at least 28 DraftKings points in 15 of his last 17 games, flirting with a 40-point average in those 15 outings. We expect him to reach that 40-point threshold again here, facing a Sacramento team that owns the NBA’s worst defensive rating.
Jakob Poeltl (SAS) $5,800
Poeltl has been really solid as the starting center in San Antonio, averaging 28 DK points per game. That alone makes him worth a shot in this price range, but Chicago has been horrendous against big men. In fact, they’re surrendering the most fantasy points to opposing centers over the last two weeks.
Josh Richardson (DAL) $5,400
Richardson has been too good to be this cheap. He’s averaging 26 DK points per game over his last 22 outings and has been even better recently. He’s got a 29-point average over his last seven games while playing 34 minutes a night. We obviously love the matchup, too, with New Orleans ranked 29th in total defense.
Mason Plumlee (DET) $6,200
Plumlee has been in this article constantly for me, and he’s going to remain in it until he gets the price tag he deserves. Since the beginning of February, the big man has a 35-point average and gets the best matchup in fantasy here. Washington currently plays at the fastest pace in the NBA while ranked 26th in defensive efficiency.
Tyler Haliburton (SAC) $6,200
Haliburton is one of the favorites for Rookie of the Year, averaging 30 DraftKings points per game. We like him even more right now, inserted into the starting lineup for the injured Marvin Bagley III. The matchup against Cleveland is the icing on the cake, though, with the Cavs ranked 22nd in defensive efficiency.
Brook Lopez (MIL) $5,000
Lopez and Plumlee might as well be written in permanent marker on your screen because they find themselves in this section almost every day. The simple fact is, DraftKings is not pricing these guys high enough. Bro-Lo has recaptured the form that made him a stud in the past, scoring at least 30 fantasy points in five of his last eight games, providing a 30-point average in that span. Facing the slowest-paced team in the NBA adds to Lopez’s value, too, because this dude is one of the slowest guys in the league himself.
Tomas Satoransky (CHI) $4,800
Sato is still the starting point guard in Chicago, and he remains way too cheap. He’s averaging 27 DK points per game in this role which is right on par with what he did last season. That’s all you can ask for from a sub-$5K player, especially against a Spurs team that owns a 25th OPRK against opposing point guards.
Check out our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet for the top bets of the day
Studs Worth Their Salary
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL) $10,800: Giannis just had one of his worst games of the season on Wednesday but dropping 34 fantasy points in a “bad” game shows just how scary this guy can be. Before that, Antetokounmpo posted a 64-point average over his previous 17 games, the best mark in the NBA in that span. New York is a tough matchup, but Giannis has at least 54 DK points each of their first two meetings this season.
- Luka Doncic (DAL) $10,800: Doncic had quite the dud himself on Wednesday, showing just how weird of a slate that was. He was a freak before that, though, averaging over 55 fantasy points per game across his previous 33 outings. We love that against a Pelican’s team that surrenders the third-most fantasy points to opposing point guards. In their one meeting earlier this year, Don dropped 81 fantasy points in one of the most ridiculous games of the year.
- De’Aaron Fox (SAC) $9,000: If you don’t already know, Fox is an absolute freak. He’s scored at least 28 DK points in 31-straight games and is in the best stretch of his season right now. In fact, Fox has at least 50 DK points in three-straight games and should be able to duplicate that against a crappy Cavs defense.
Notable Players to Fade
- Joel Ingles (UTH) $5,800: Ingles has been really solid for the last two weeks, but the recipe remains the same. Ingles is a great option when he starts and a subpar player when he comes off the bench. He’s averaging 30 DK points per game as a starter this season and has a 22-point average coming off the bench.
- Coby White (CHI) $5,400: White is a talented youngster, but he’s impossible to trust in this new role. Satoransky has taken his job as the starting point guard, and it’s led to White averaging 18 DK points per game across 24 minutes a night in his last six outings. That becomes even more concerning, with Nikola Vucevic swallowing up even more touches.
- Kyle Anderson (MEM) $5,300: Anderson has been subpar for weeks now, and it’s hard to understand why he’s still in this price range. He’s failed to crack 24 fantasy points in nine of his last 11 games. We hate that against the best defense in the NBA.
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.