Friday used to mean a big ol’ ridiculous NBA slate, but we’re lookin’ at just 4 games on DraftKings tonight. At least FanDuel had the decency to add the 2 West Coast games to make theirs a 6-gamer. Of course, the caveat there is FD is, generally, butt.
The trade deadline has come and gone, so at least we don’t have to deal with that mess anymore. There are some new faces in new places set to make their team debuts tonight, while others aren’t yet ready to suit up. We’re also dealing with some notable injuries, with guys like Karl-Anthony Towns, Cade Cunningham, and Jalen Duren potentially shaking things up.
Here’s how I’m building for this one:
DraftKings Core Plays
- Mitchell Robinson ($4,300)
- Jaylen Brown ($9,700)
- Naz Reid ($6,300)
- Jeremiah Fears ($3,800)
The Knicks likely won’t have KAT – officially doubtful – tonight against the Pistons. Tough matchup, but Mitchell Robinson should play around 24 minutes here even if he doesn’t start. It’s a small slate without a ton of great cheap value. Robinson may not have a nuclear ceiling thanks to his low usage, but there aren’t many other salary-savers I’m much more confident in here. Plus, you can play multiple Cs on DK.
The other cheapie really popping is Jeremiah Fears. Feels bad! The Pelicans did trade Jose Alvarado, though, and we don’t know if Jordan Poole will be back in the rotation. Even if Poole does play, Fears should be in line for 20ish minutes off the bench. He’s around a fantasy point-per-minute on the season, and the game blowing out potentially boosts Fears’ minutes. If he’s going to be extremely chalky – which it looks like he will be – I think pivoting to Poole makes a lot of sense in GPPs despite the risk. TJ McConnell is another similarly-priced option you can get at a fraction of Fears’ ownership.
The Wolves get the best draw on the slate against a Pelicans team that simply can’t protect the rim. Naz doesn’t do much of his damage inside the arc, but he’s a terrific per-minute producer, and his salary has declined a bit. He’ll get a huge boost if Julius Randle (Q) winds up sitting. He’s probably a core option for me either way, though I’d consider a max-2 of Naz/Randle/Gobert if they’re all in the lineup.
The best way to spend salary on the slate is with Jaylen Brown at $9,700 against the fast-paced Heat. I don’t really expect Vucevic to steal too much of Brown’s elite usage, and he’s just too cheap for the monster role he’s playing without Tatum this season.
FanDuel Core Plays
- Kawhi Leonard ($9,600)
- Kris Dunn ($4,400)
- Julius Randle ($8,000)
- Mitchell Robinson ($4,300)
2 more games on FD gives us the Clippers-Kings matchup. LAC traded Harden and Zubac, and the new guys – Garland, Mathurin, Jackson – won’t be ready to play tonight. Kawhi should continue to see a boatload of usage for a very undermanned team, and I’m less concerned about the Clippers getting destroyed in this matchup. The Kings, of course, are trash. Kawhi is also cheaper than Brown/Ant/Cade on FD.
I’m reluctant to play a chalky Kris Dunn. I don’t think you have to, but he’s $4,400 and the Clippers are bereft of ball-handlers. I do think you can pivot to someone like Kobe Sanders if Dunn’s ownership really gets out of control, but he does make sense as a cheapie.
Randle at $8,000 on FD is simply an underpay, and the Pelicans continue to get destroyed in the paint. Center isn’t an amazing position on this slate, so I’m ok with punting it with MitchRob over here, as well.
Taylor Smith been a profitable DFS player for years, turning his passion for fantasy sports into both consistent results and quality content. Since 2018, he’s created fantasy analysis and strategy pieces for several outlets, most notably RotoGrinders and FantasyLabs, where he’s covered everything from daily picks to advanced DFS theories.
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