The extended All-Star week is over and we’re rounding the corner into the home stretch of the fantasy basketball season. For both fantasy and real life basketball teams, the playoffs are coming soon and the hierarchy of the league is becoming established in a more concrete way. The 46-10 Thunder are having an incredible season and hold a sizable 9.5 game lead over the tied 37-20 Grizzlies and Nuggets. The latter two will battle for the privilege of running into OKC into the Western Conference Finals, if all goes to plan. The bottom half of the playoff seeds in the West is a warzone, with only a 3.5 game difference between the 11th and 7th seeds.
In the Eastern Conference, the Cavaliers have a similar record as OKC, sitting at a comfortable 47-10 with the Celtics trailing behind by six games. Despite the Celtics trailing in second, most would agree that Boston is still the gatekeeper of the East, as evidenced by their +215 odds to win the Finals on DraftKings Sportsbook (the Cavaliers sit at +650).
We’re shooting the Three Lists of Threes today for your weekly dose of fantasy tips: Buy-lows, sell-highs, and streams.
Here are some sell-highs we can consider.
Sell ’em
DeMar DeRozan, SG/SF, Sacramento Kings
DeRozan is on a heater currently, clocking in as the 11th ranked player in the past two weeks. In these four games, he’s shooting 56.5% from the field and averaging 30 PPG and 5 APG. He has been productive this season but boasts limited upside. DeRozan’s fantasy profile is unlikely to change at this stage of his career. While he’s a talented scorer and expert midrange shooter, he’s always been unable to contribute in threes and defensive stats.
Naz Reid, PF/C, Minnesota Timberwolves
Reid has been excellent filling in for Rudy Gobert. His last two games have both been very productive, especially on the defensive end. There will be some falloff once Gobert returns, but Minnesota will need Reid’s spacing for the rest of the season. Despite his value to the Wolves’ lineup, it’s a good time to see whether another manager is willing to overpay for center who can provide threes. Furthermore, Julius Randle’s return will also negatively affect Reid, so I’d get off this while you can.
Ben Simmons, PG/C, Los Angeles Clippers
Simmons got bought out of the Nets and joined the Clippers, where he immediately made an impact with a 12 point, seven rebound, six assist, and four stock line in 27 minutes. Simmons is still not playing back to back sets, though. He’s also not going to crack more than 25 minutes per game regularly, so it’s safe to say that his upside is limited here. It’s a better situation than Brooklyn, for sure, but this is not a player who we absolutely need to have on our teams.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information
