Top NBA DFS core plays at each position on DraftKings on Feb. 5

We’re just a day away from the NBA Trade Deadline on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. ET. So before I get into some picks, I’ll advice you to keep a close eye on lineup news leading into lock tonight. We’ll have a lot of rumors and reports going around, so it’s important to make sure players haven’t been ruled out because of potential trades. On tonight’s slate, we’re unsure if players involved in Tuesday night’s four-team trade will play. The Hawks, Nuggets and Timberwolves are all in action, so that means we’re looking out for Clint Capela, Malik Beasley and Shabazz Napier among other names. Let’s get into some picks.

Point Guard

Trae Young, ATL @ MIN, $10,100 — The Hawks landed Clint Capela, but its unclear if the trade will be official and physicals will go down before tonight. If Capela won’t debut, it doesn’t impact Young much. He was already in a great spot against the T-Wolves, who just traded away their best wing defender and starting point guard. Young has scored over 50 DKFP in each of the past six games. He’s a great cash-game staple and GPP play.

Other Options: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, OKC vs. CLE, $7,200; Caris LeVert, BKN vs. GSW, $5,700

Shooting Guard

Jalen Brunson, DAL vs. MEM, $5,800 — In the past three games with Luka Doncic out, we’ve seen a mixed bag of results for Brunson. He scored 27 points two games ago against the Hawks, but the other two performances left much to be desired. I think we see something closer to the 27 points tonight vs. the Grizzlies. The pace of the game will be high and Brunson should play around 25-30 minutes at a reasonable price. Roll Brunson out in cash games.

Other Options: Devin Booker, PHX @ DET, $8,300; Andrew Wiggins, MIN vs. ATL, $7,400

Small Forward

Bojan Bogdanovic, UTA vs. DEN, $5,900 — This will be one of the slower paced games on Wednesday’s slate. Because of that, we could get some of these players on lower ownership. Bogdanovic never really sees his price fluctuate too much, but his floor is high given how well he’s been shooting from outside. Bojan is shooting a cool 50.8% from downtown over the past six games, hitting 5.0 3-pointers per game. The Nuggets are average at defending the 3-point line, so Bogdanovic should get open looks.

Other Options: Kawhi Leonard, LAC vs. MIA, $9,800; Draymond Green, GSW @ BKN, $6,600

Power Forward

Kristaps Porzingis, DAL vs. MEM, $8,300 — I’m fine stacking Mavericks with Luka Doncic out in this matchup. The O/U for this game is pretty high at 226.5 and Porzingis is coming off 38 points and 12 rebounds for 59 DKFP against the Pacers, which isn’t easy. Memphis may be without Jonas Valanciunas tonight, so that would leave Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jae Crowder tasked with dealing with Porzingis. Because of the nine-game slate, we should get Porzingis at lower ownership, though he’s still more of a cash-game play.

Other Options: John Collins, ATL @ MIN, $8,600; Pascal Siakam, TOR vs. IND, $7,800

Center

Serge Ibaka, TOR vs. IND, $6,100 — The Raptors won’t have Marc Gasol (hamstring) and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson is questionable to play. Ibaka has been starting for Gasol and whenever that’s the case, he’s in a good spot. The Pacers have been getting beat on the boards recently, ranking 25th in defensive rebounding percentage over the past 10 games. Indiana is also 23rd in 2nd chance points allowed in that stretch.

Other Options: Andre Drummond, DET vs. PHX, $9,300; Jarrett Allen, BKN vs. GSW, $6,300