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The NBA trade deadline is at 3 p.m. EST today, and since anyone involved in a last-minute trade will not play Thursday, there is a chance for some cheap backups to play heavy minutes. Please be sure to check the latest news and starting lineups before you set your DFS lineups. The teams that have already made trades are all sources for useful DFS plays, and I will be especially interested to see the Kings’s starting lineup.
Point Guard
The Kings reportedly looked at their win against the Celtics for evidence they could win without DeMarcus Cousins, so it is worth noting Darren Collison took a season-high 21 shots in that game. Collison is averaging 14.5 field goal attempts per game in February, and I suspect he takes more than that Thursday.
Elfrid Payton played 30 minutes in Orlando’s last game thanks to C.J. Watson’s Achilles injury. Payton had a modest seven points, three rebounds and three assists, but barring a trade, Payton is the cheapest guard you can count on in Thursday’s slate.
Stephen Curry is averaging 30.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 3.3 steals per game against the Clippers this season. Curry and the Warriors hate the Clippers, and I expect another big game from Curry, especially if Chris Paul remains out.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Darren Collison | SAC | H | DEN | 49 | 30.9 | 86% | 1.2 | 13.7 | 2.1 | 4.2 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 1.7 | 48% | 19.73% | 23.1 | 24.7 | 23.7 | $5,500 | $7,400 | $19 |
| Elfrid Payton | ORL | H | POR | 58 | 29.1 | 66% | 0.6 | 12.5 | 3.8 | 5.7 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 2.1 | 46% | 21.89% | 26.6 | 28.1 | 26.8 | $5,600 | $5,200 | $20 |
| Stephen Curry | GSW | H | LAC | 55 | 33.4 | 92% | 4 | 24.7 | 4.3 | 6.4 | 1.7 | 0.2 | 2.9 | 47% | 29.03% | 40.3 | 44 | 42.3 | $9,100 | $9,500 | $49 |
Shooting Guard
Tyreke Evans is still restricted to 27 minutes per game in Sacramento, but he could take 15 shots per game simply due to the dearth of other scoring options on the roster. Evans, Collison and Ty Lawson are the only Kings capable of creating for themselves or others, and I expect them to take most of the shots Thursday.
All that being said, keep an eye on Sacramento’s starting lineup. Buddy Hield is averaging 20.2 minutes per game this season, but he will likely get a lot more if he starts, and he is much cheaper than Tyreke Evans.
E’Twaun Moore is expected to start at shooting guard for the Pelicans, and he is averaging 11.3 points, 2.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists as a starting guard this season. Moore’s ceiling may be a bit limited, but he is cheaper than Tyreke Evans and safer than Buddy Hield.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Tyreke Evans | NOP | H | HOU | 26 | 18.2 | 78% | 0.8 | 9.5 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 1.5 | 40% | 27.30% | 19.3 | 20.7 | 19.7 | $4,500 | $4,200 | $16 |
| Buddy Hield | NOP | H | HOU | 57 | 20.4 | 88% | 1.6 | 8.6 | 2.9 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.1 | 0.8 | 39% | 20.44% | 14.1 | 15.4 | 14.9 | $3,500 | $3,600 | $10 |
| E'Twaun Moore | NOP | H | HOU | 51 | 24.7 | 76% | 1.1 | 9.8 | 2.2 | 2.2 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 1 | 46% | 18.04% | 17.1 | 18.2 | 17.6 | $3,600 | $3,400 | $10 |
Small Forward
For all of the hand-wringing over LeBron James playing too many minutes, which he is, LeBron’s production has not suffered at all. Even so, the All-Star break had to have been good for LeBron, and it is worth noting he is averaging 24.8 points, 9.0 rebounds and 11.8 assists on 3+ days rest this season.
Moe Harkless is averaging 11.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 0.9 blocks and 1.2 steals as a starter this season. Small forward is the weakest position in Thursday’s slate, and Harkless offers safe production at a low price.
A lot can change between now and tipoff, but I like Wilson Chandler quite a bit, especially if Danilo Gallinari is out or traded. Sacramento does not have anyone who can match up with Chandler’s size and athleticism, and Chandler is averaging 16.6 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.1 blocks and 1.4 steals over his last eight games.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| LeBron James | CLE | H | NYK | 52 | 37.5 | 69% | 1.8 | 25.9 | 7.7 | 8.8 | 1.4 | 0.6 | 4.3 | 54% | 29.54% | 48 | 51.4 | 48.9 | $11,200 | $10,300 | $54 |
| Moe Harkless | POR | A | ORL | 52 | 28.9 | 67% | 1.1 | 10.6 | 4.7 | 1 | 1.2 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 48% | 16.36% | 20.6 | 22 | 21.2 | $4,600 | $4,500 | $12 |
| Wilson Chandler | DEN | A | SAC | 50 | 30.9 | 73% | 1.5 | 15.6 | 6.7 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.7 | 45% | 22.30% | 27.6 | 29.5 | 28.3 | $6,600 | $6,800 | $29 |
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Power Forward
Anthony Tolliver is averaging 12.2 points and 5.7 rebounds in 24.2 minutes per game as a starter this season. Tolliver will presumably start Thursday with DeMarcus Cousins gone, which would make Tolliver a nice value.
Aaron Gordon had a pretty modest night in his first game with Serge Ibaka gone, but I suspect that was mostly due to San Antonio’s defense. No team in Thursday’s slate has allowed as many fantasy points to power forwards as the Trail Blazers, and Gordon has a very high ceiling at a modest price.
Frank Kaminsky is averaging 17.2 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 1.2 blocks and 1.2 steals as a starting center this season. Kaminsky has played at least 36 minutes in three consecutive games, and that should continue Thursday with Miles Plumlee and Cody Zeller out.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Anthony Tolliver | SAC | H | DEN | 45 | 23.2 | 79% | 1.4 | 7.2 | 3.8 | 1 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.8 | 45% | 13.20% | 14 | 15.3 | 14.7 | $3,600 | $3,900 | $10 |
| Frank Kaminsky | CHA | A | DET | 54 | 25 | 75% | 1.3 | 10.8 | 4.6 | 2.1 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1 | 39% | 21.43% | 20.8 | 22.2 | 21.4 | $6,000 | $6,300 | $19 |
| Aaron Gordon | ORL | H | POR | 56 | 27.6 | 65% | 1 | 11.2 | 4.6 | 1.9 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 43% | 19.60% | 20.8 | 22.1 | 21.3 | $4,500 | $4,900 | $19 |
Center
In his only game against Portland this season, Nikola Vucevic had 30 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. The Trail Blazers still do not have any centers who play reasonably good defense.
With all of the uncertainty surrounding Denver and Sacramento, all I can say with any reasonable amount of confidence is Nikola Jokic will start, and nobody on Sacramento can slow him down. I would probably prefer to spend my salary elsewhere, but Jokic is much safer than the other top centers.
Willy Hernangomez is averaging 11.7 points, 11.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists, 1.0 blocks and 1.7 steals as a starter this season. At this point, he is the cheapest center I feel confident actually playing.
| PLAYER | TM | H/A | OPP | GP | MPG | FT% | 3PTM | PTS | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | FG% | USAGE | FDPTS/G | DKPTS/G | YPTS/G | $FD | $DK | $Y |
| Nikola Vucevic | ORL | H | POR | 55 | 28.5 | 62% | 0.3 | 13.9 | 10 | 2.8 | 0.9 | 1 | 1.7 | 48% | 24.37% | 32.4 | 33.8 | 32.5 | $7,200 | $7,100 | $28 |
| Willy Hernangomez | NYK | A | CLE | 49 | 15.7 | 73% | 0.1 | 6.6 | 5.9 | 1 | 0.4 | 0.5 | 1.2 | 54% | 18.70% | 16 | 16.9 | 16.1 | $5,800 | $5,700 | $14 |
| Nikola Jokic | DEN | A | SAC | 49 | 26.9 | 82% | 0.6 | 16.3 | 9 | 4.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 | 2.1 | 58% | 23.08% | 34.7 | 36.5 | 35 | $10,900 | $10,500 | $44 |