The dust has settled on the trade deadline, and we’ll get our first look at several of these new-look squads tonight, as part of DraftKings’ featured six-game slate.
I’ll take you through the slate, one game and a time, analyzing the injury news, stats, and trends that you need to know as you fill out your lineups for tonight’s DFS contest. The games tip at 7 p.m. ET.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $300K Friday 8’s [$100K to 1st]
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Cavaliers at Wizards
As long as Donovan Mitchell ($8,600), who’s currently probable with a shoulder injury after missing Cleveland’s win over the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday, plays, this game is not particularly interesting. The Cavaliers won’t have new addition De’Andre Hunter ($5,900) yet, but the Wizards won’t have Marcus Smart or Khris Middleton either, and the loss of Kyle Kuzma ($6,100), who they traded to the Milwaukee Bucks, won’t help. Washington is bad and got worse at the trade deadline, and it doesn’t stand much of a chance against Cleveland. The three most expensive players in this game — Mitchell, Evan Mobley ($8,400), and Darius Garland ($8,000) — are all Cavaliers. For a value play, I like Max Strus ($4,500), who should see an increased role in the offense with Caris LeVert off the roster and Hunter still not ready to play. Strus had a 15-point, six-rebound (30.0-FPT) performance in his most recent game.
Spurs at Hornets
We got our first look at the duo of Victor Wembanyama ($11,000) and De’Aaron Fox ($8,500) on Wednesday, and it should leave Spurs fans feeling extremely optimistic. Wembanyama dropped a 24-point, 12-rebound double-double (46.0 FPTS), while Fox had 24 points and 13 assists (57.8 FPTS) despite shooting just two-for-seven from beyond the arc. Expect that both players’ production should only increase as they become more familiar with each other’s games, which theoretically are perfect complements for each other, although Fox’s acquisition might hurt the fantasy ceiling of rookie guard Stephon Castle ($5,500). Meanwhile, Charlotte surprisingly traded away center Mark Williams, leaving veterans Jusuf Nurkić and Taj Gibson as their only big men. The key injury news for the Hornets is that point guard LaMelo Ball ($10,100) is questionable to return after a five-game absence with an ankle sprain, and he’d be a must-start if healthy.
Bucks at Hawks
Atlanta inexplicably made several rebuild-oriented moves at the trade deadline, dealing Hunter to Cleveland for Caris LeVert ($4,400) and Georges Niang ($3,500), Bogdan Bogdanovic to the LA Clippers for Terance Mann and Bones Hyland, and Cody Zeller for the draft rights to a 2017 second-round pick, Alpha Kaba, who currently plays in South Korea and will almost certainly never see an NBA court. The biggest beneficiary — besides San Antonio, which controls the Hawks’ unprotected first-round pick this year — should be first overall pick Zaccharie Risacher ($4,500), who had strung together four 25-plus-point fantasy performances in a row before a quiet outing on Wednesday against the Spurs. Atlanta will also be hoping for continued improvement from center Onyeka Okongwu ($6,300), who torched Wembanyama to the tune of 30 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists (57.0 FPTS) on Wednesday. Point guard Trae Young ($9,600) has scored 32 or more points in each of his past three games, averaging 56.25 FPTS per game across that span.
Heat at Nets
Surprisingly, Nic Claxton ($5,600) is still on Brooklyn’s roster after being heavily linked to Los Angeles during the trade deadline, and although the six-foot-11 big has been solid, the Nets as a team have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points to opposing centers. As a result, both Bam Adebayo ($8,200) and Kel’el Ware ($6,000) should have plenty of fantasy viability. Ware, in particular, has put up several huge performances since entering the starting lineup, and should put up decent numbers against Brooklyn since new additions Andrew Wiggins, Kyle Anderson, and Davion Mitchell won’t play. Cameron Johnson ($6,400) is also surprisingly still a Net, and as long as he’s not on a minutes restriction in his second game back from an ankle sprain, his shooting should be a solid asset against a Miami team that has surrendered the 10th-most made threes per game this season.
76ers at Pistons
As always, Philadelphia’s ceiling hinges on the health of its big three, but none of Joel Embiid ($10,000), Tyrese Maxey ($9,900), and Paul George ($8,000) has an injury designation for tonight’s game. Of the three, Embiid is the best option, having dropped a 29-point, 10-rebound, 11-assist triple-double (62.25 FPTS) in a narrow win on Tuesday over the new-look Dallas Mavericks. It was the 2022-23 MVP’s best fantasy performance of the season, and he should have a good chance of following it up against a Pistons team that has allowed the 12th-most fantasy points to opposing centers. Maxey, too, has had seven straight 30-point outings, although Detroit has been stout against opposing point guards. Embiid’s return hurts the ceiling of Pistons center Jalen Duren ($6,300), who’s efficient and a good rebounder but is too low-usage to be a reliable fantasy option. I am a believer in Ausar Thompson ($4,500), who has started to follow in his twin brother Amen’s footsteps, scoring double-digit points in three straight games.
Raptors at Thunder
Arguably the biggest NBA news today is that center Chet Holmgren ($7,000) will return after suffering a fractured hip on November 10. The 22-year-old will almost assuredly be on a minutes restriction, but his return will be a huge boost to an Oklahoma City team that, despite having the best record in the NBA at 40-9, has allowed the sixth-most rebounds to opposing teams this season. Holmgren was averaging 16.4 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks (37.2 FPTS) per game, and he and Isaiah Hartenstein ($7,000) should both be viable against a Raptors team that has allowed the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing centers. For Toronto, Immanuel Quickley ($5,700), Gradey Dick ($4,300), and Jamal Shead ($3,500) should all see some benefit from the trade that sent Davion Mitchell to the Heat, although I wouldn’t play any of them against the Thunder’s league-best defense.
