My Core
Giannis Antetokounmpo- Giannis has been pretty much the best player in fantasy basketball again this season, and is a tough fade for me even amidst the blowout concerns tonight. The Pistons have absolutely nobody threatening in terms of rim protection right now, which is huge for someone like ABC who does most of his damage attacking the rim. I am making it a priority to build around him tonight, and I like his raw point ability over the likes of James Harden and Russell Westbrook for double ups and head to heads.
Jimmy Butler- Butler should be rested and ready to go after the break, and is one of my favorite targets on this slate when factoring in price. Not only does he lead the Heat in usage rate, but we have seen him continually take over close games with a 31% usage rate in the fourth quarter, It’s an exceptional matchup against the Atlanta Hawks who are one of the worst defensive units in the NBA — which could be why the Heat own a 118 implied team total. This game is expected to be close, featuring a spread of just six points, which brings me to one of my favorite tournament plays in Trae Young.
Young is not someone I am targeting in cash games due to his volatility, but I don’t expect him to be high-owned and that’s the exact time I look to jump on him in tournaments. He makes for the perfect stack with Jimmy Butler, and if the game stays close…Young ranks second in the NBA in usage rate in the fourth quarter at 38.4%.
Joel Embiid- Embiid is the final player I’m locking in tonight, and while it may come as a surprise, I think it is fairly easy to jam in this trio with some of the value available. Embiid has been much better at home than on the road for fantasy purposes this season, and the Nets have been one of my favorite matchups for opposing big men over the past few seasons. He actually has averaged 59.8 DraftKings points over his last four meetings with them, and appears under-priced at only $9,000.
Note: Ben Simmons was listed as a game-time decision earlier today. If out, both Embiid and Al Horford would be bumps up.
Value Plays
Shaq Harrison/Coby White- The All-Star Break was not kind to the Bulls, they didn’t seem to get anymore healthy and will still be without six key players tonight. Shaq Harrison owns a 1.1 fantasy point per minute rate with those six players off the floor this season, and he should step into the starting lineup for Chandler Hutchinson. White doesn’t grade out quite as good per minute wise, but keep in mind this is a very small sample size. Our Data Dashboard has him projected for 0.9 points per minute tonight, and he should be needed for 30+ minutes.
Derrick Rose- I debated including Rose in my core section for tonight, because I don’t see a way where he doesn’t make my optimal build on either site. Reggie Jackson was bought out over the break, which opens up even more usage for Rose and some of the other Pistons. He boasts a usage rate north of 30% with Jackson and Andre Drummond off the court this season, with around 1.4 fantasy points per minute. He’s under-priced at $5,900 and will be one of the first players I lock in on Thursday night.
Josh Richardson- Richardson is someone that I mentioned as a play on the stream today, but has continued to find his way into my early builds. He’s priced at just $4,200 on DraftKings, which is not appropriate for his current role on the team. JRich got hurt on January 22nd and logged just four minutes, and was on a minutes limit in his first few games back. That was not the case in the 76ers last game where he got up over 30 minutes, and he may be needed for more offense if Ben Simmons happens to sit.
Written by Ben Hossler (Follow @BenHossler on Twitter)
