The Daily Fantasy Basketball Playbook is back after taking a day off on Thursday because of the short game slate. Tonight is filled with value plays due to injuries and Anthony Davis is hard to avoid because of the lack of uncertainty at that position.
Love the second tier point guards tonight because they can produce at elite levels while not killing the bankroll. I do like Kemba Walker tonight because of all the injuries to the Hornets, but he doesn't play as well on the road compared to his play at home. The shooting guard position is filled with value plays (like usual), which makes it hard to spend the big bucks on James Harden. There are a lot of good middle tier players at SF so you don't have to shell out the big money for LeBron. Hard to spend a lot of money at the center position with so many over priced players mixed with better lower tier value plays. Time to grind!
Point Guards
| Player | Team | DraftKings | Fanduel | Comments |
| Brandon Knight | Bucks | 7,100 | 7,200 | Superb matchup & averaging 42 FP on the road |
| Reggie Jackson | Thunder | 7,600 | 8,100 | Better Play on DK. Averaging 41 min/40 FP per game this season |
| Goran Dragic | Suns | 6,200 | 7,000 | Great matchup & averaging 33 FP in the last 3 games |
| Ty Lawson | Nuggets | 7,400 | 8,100 | Love his price on DK. Indy is brutal vs PG's |
| Mario Chalmers | Heat | 4,400 | 4,600 | GPP play that could get extra minutes with Wade out |
Shooting Guards
| Player | Team | DraftKings | Fanduel | Comments |
| Tyreke Evans | Pelicans | 7,700 | 7,600 | Best SG for the price |
| Kyle Korver | Hawks | 5,900 | 5,800 | Will be in a majority of my LUs as he's on fire right now |
| Anthony Morrow | Thunder | 4,000 | 4,100 | 3-point specialist that will see plenty of minutes/shots |
| P.J. Hairston | Hornets | 3,000 | 3,500 | Solid punt play if G.Neal sits out |
Small Forwards
| Player | Team | DraftKings | Fanduel | Comments |
| Trevor Ariza | Rockets | 6,600 | 6,300 | Produced 24/6/7 Vs Philly earlier this season |
| Kawhi Leonard | Spurs | 6,600 | 6,800 | Averaging 40 FP in the past 3 games. |
| Luol Deng | Heat | 5,500 | 6,700 | Love the price on DK as he'll produce more FP with Wade out |
| Corey Brewer | T-Wolves | 3,800 | 4,400 | Playing time & production has increased with Rubio out |
Power Forwards
| Player | Team | DraftKings | Fanduel | Comments |
| Anthony Davis | Pelicans | 11,200 | 11,600 | Finding it hard to leave him out of my lineups |
| Jared Sullinger | Celtics | 7,000 | 6,800 | Has 30+ FP in the past 5 out of 6 games & has a good matchup |
| Cody Zeller | Hornets | 3,900 | 3,800 | Will see a heavy amount of minutes with all the injuries |
| Anthony Bennett | T-Wolves | 3,000 | 3,500 | Great play if he starts, but worried about the matchup. GPP play only |
| Derrick Favors | Jazz | 7,300 | 7,100 | In line for a big game vs the weak Knicks' frontcourt |
Centers
| Player | Team | DraftKings | Fanduel | Comments |
| Nikola Vucevic | Magic | 8,100 | 8,700 | Best of the expensive centers as MIL gives up the 2nd most FP to centers |
| Roy Hibbert | Pacers | 7,300 | 6,700 | Keeps producing and still a good price on FD |
| Kelly Olynyk | Celtics | 5,800 | 5,400 | Producing 30 FP at home this season |
| J.J. Hickson(PF on FD) | Nuggets | 3,500 | 5,300 | Solid punt play on DK, avg 11/11 in 2 games this season |
| Gorgui Dieng | T-Wolves | 4,200 | 4,900 | Sneaky play at C with T. Young out |
Player News
Devin Carter accounted for 10 points (3-of-5 FGs, 3-of-4 FTs), four rebounds, two assists, one steal and one three-pointer in 22 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Mavericks.
Carter’s rookie season ended on a positive note individually, as he reached double figures for the fourth time. Offseason shoulder surgery delayed his NBA debut until after the New Year, with Carter playing 36 regular-season games. While he was worth stashing in dynasty league drafts before this season began, the former Providence standout did not deserve a look in redraft leagues. That will likely remain the case next season, but the Kings need to make a decision regarding their head coaching position, as Doug Christie was only the interim. Add in the need for an experienced point guard, and Carter’s fantasy outlook isn’t great.
Keegan Murray recorded nine points (3-of-9 FGs, 1-of-2 FTs), six rebounds, two assists, one steal, two blocks and two three-pointers in 36 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Mavericks.
Murray recorded a complete stat line on Wednesday, but the impact was muted. That was a fitting end to the season for the Kings forward, whose fantasy value took a significant hit. The signing of DeMar DeRozan during free agency did Murray no favors, and that was also true for the addition of Zach LaVine just before the trade deadline. While he did approach his Yahoo! ADP (87) in nine-cat formats, Murray failed to crack the top-100 in eight-cat. Murray is extension eligible this summer, but the Kings have many questions to answer, including who the head coach will be and the future of lead executive Monte McNair. How that impacts Murray remains to be seen, but he’s worth selecting with a top-100 pick in drafts.
Domantas Sabonis tallied 11 points (5-of-13 FGs, 1-of-2 FTs), 13 rebounds, five assists and two steals in 37 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Mavericks.
It’s fitting that Sabonis would finish his season with a double-double, as he recorded 61 during the regular season. However, his impact was limited, with Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford combining to control the paint for most of Wednesday’s Play-In tournament matchup. Regarding fantasy value, Sabonis was a top-25 player in eight- and nine-cat formats for the season. However, his value took a significant hit after the trade deadline, with the De’Aaron Fox deal leaving the Kings with two high-scoring wings (Zach LaVine and DeMar DeRozan) and no legitimate point guard. How Sacramento addresses that decision during the offseason will impact Sabonis’ fantasy value in 2025-26.
DeMar DeRozan shot 13-of-28 from the field and 5-of-6 from the foul line in Wednesday’s loss to the Mavericks, tallying 33 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two steals and two three-pointers in 43 minutes.
DeRozan went out firing on Wednesday, shooting just under 50 percent from the field and finishing a blocked shot shy of a complete stat line. Like other key Kings players, his fantasy value took a hit after De’Aaron Fox was traded to San Antonio. The lack of a point guard who can set up others consistently proved problematic for the Kings, who now have some significant decisions to make this offseason. DeRozan can approach top-50 fantasy value, but the task gets much easier when on the court with a legitimate lead guard.
Zach LaVine logged 44 minutes in Wednesday’s loss to the Mavericks, tallying 20 points (8-of-19 FGs), three rebounds, nine assists and four three-pointers.
LaVine led the Kings in assists on Wednesday, but inefficient play was an issue in the Play-In tournament defeat. The turnover count was worse than the field goal percentage, as LaVine committed five. After being traded to the Kings, the veteran guard was an eighth-round player in nine-cat formats, and a fifth-round player in eight-cat. While reuniting with DeMar DeRozan gave the Kings two high-scoring wings to pair with center Domantas Sabonis, the lack of a legitimate point guard was an issue. LaVine can approach top-50 value, but the task became more difficult when he was traded.
Keon Ellis shot 3-of-4 from the field and 1-of-1 from the foul line in Wednesday’s loss to the Mavericks, scoring nine points with one rebound, one assist and two three-pointers in 18 minutes.
Ellis’ 2024-25 season ended with a whimper, as he provided limited value as the Kings’ fifth starter. He played 80 games this season, providing slightly higher fantasy value in his 28 starts. In those outings, Ellis averaged 9.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.1 steals, 0.9 blocks and 2.0 three-pointers in 31.1 minutes. Regarding playing time, he benefited from the decision to trade De’Aaron Fox. However, Sacramento must address the point guard position this offseason, which would limit Ellis’ fantasy value in 2025-26.