Late March is clinching season, where teams vying for the playoffs all season get to pop the corks off the champagne and celebrate, even if just for one night before the grind begins again. That’s why it’s fitting that the Oklahoma City Thunder — who have clinched the Western Conference — and the Cleveland Cavaliers, who are closing in on locking up the East despite a recent four-game losing streak, will both suit up tonight.
Because Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($11,200) is going to suit up tonight, you’re going to want to put him on your team. In order to fit his monstrous salary, you’ll then need to find value options for under $5,000. Here are my favorite three:
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PF/C Kessler Edwards, Dallas Mavericks at New York Knicks, $3,800
Edwards’ salary has dropped nearly $1,000 over the past two games in advance of Anthony Davis ($10,200)‘s return, which he made last night, finishing with a solid 12 points, six rebounds, and three assists (27.0 FPTS) in 27 minutes. But with Davis expected to rest on the second night of the back-to-back before returning on Thursday, Edwards should resume a bigger role, and given his cheap salary, he has an extremely high fantasy ceiling. It’s doubtful that Edwards will start — recently, Kai Jones ($5,100) has been Dallas’ center of choice — but he should receive 20 or so minutes off the bench, enough for him to grab a few rebounds and drain a triple or two.
New York’s defense has improved in recent weeks since Jalen Brunson ($9,000) went down with an ankle injury that is expected to keep him out for at least another week. Between the start of February and Brunson’s injury, the Knicks had the sixth-worst defense in the league, but since their talisman got hurt, they’ve had the third-best. Karl-Anthony Towns ($10,000)‘s metrics are rather confusing: by some methods, he’s the worst defensive center in the league, given that players have shot 1.4 percentage points better than usual within 10 feet when he’s the nearest defender, the 19th-worst mark in the league regardless of position, but then again, this Towns-led team has allowed the fourth-fewest fantasy points to opposing centers. I trust the individual metrics more than the team ones, and I think Edwards will be plenty viable tonight.
C Zach Edey, Memphis Grizzlies at Utah Jazz, $4,500
This year’s rookie class, while probably better than expected overall, has been marked by inconsistency. First overall pick Zaccharie Risacher ($4,800) has had games where he looked like a future superstar and others where he was virtually invisible, Stephon Castle ($6,800) has led the San Antonio Spurs to three straight wins without De’Aaron Fox and Victor Wembanyama but is one of the league’s worst players by advanced metrics, and Alex Sarr has either been awful or effective, with little in between. That hasn’t been true for the Grizzlies’ two rookies, Edey and Jaylen Wells ($3,700), who should both finish in the top five of Rookie of the Year voting. Although he’s a bit foul-prone, Edey can consistently provide 24 minutes, eight points, and eight rebounds.
It’s unclear what his ceiling is against the Jazz, given how inconsistent Utah’s rotation has been in the last few weeks. If Walker Kessler ($7,100) plays, Edey might face some resistance, given that he is arguably a top-five rim protector in basketball, ranking second in rebounding percentage and second in block percentage. But the Jazz have found creative ways to manufacture losses and take their competent center out of the action, whether that’s by sitting Kessler for nearly the entire second half, as they did in a 128-112 (probably accidental) win over the Washington Wizards, or by having him launch threes despite being attempting just six all season until the last few games.
PG Dennis Schroder, Detroit Pistons vs. San Antonio Spurs, $4,700
San Antonio has had a very funny profile recently, given that it’s paired one of the league’s best offenses — you can thank Castle for that one — with one of its worst defenses. Schröder has never been a positive defender, but he’s fantasy-viable because of his individual offensive skill and the likelihood that the Pistons put up 130 points, although it’s worth noting that he’s had at least one steal or one block in each of his last five games. He put up 16 points, five assists, and two steals (28.75 FPTS) on Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans, although he probably won’t repeat that level of production tonight if Cade Cunningham ($10,500) returns from his calf soreness. Against San Antonio — which has given up the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing point guards — he should still be effective, given Chris Paul ($4,700)‘s size and Castle’s inconsistent defense. Schröder just has to imagine he’s wearing a German national team jersey.
