There are six NBA games on Thursday’s slate. Houston, San Antonio, and Toronto are playing on the second night of a back-to-back. The trade deadline is also at 3 p.m. ET.
This article was written on Wednesday night. Any changes will be updated. Keep track of all the injury news at DK Network.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $200K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st]
Guard
Stud
Cooper Flagg, Dallas Mavericks vs. San Antonio Spurs ($8,700)
There was an adjustment period early in the season for Cooper Flagg, who started his NBA career out of position at point guard. But it didn’t take long for him to get his bearings. Over his last three games, Flagg has put up 70, 59.5, and 60.8 fantasy points against Charlotte, Houston, and Boston — all of which rank top ten in defensive rating over their last 15 games.
Flagg’s usage rate has spiked to 33.4% over those three games, considerably above his season mark of 25.8%. He stuffs the stat sheet on a nightly basis, providing a high floor and a potentially lofty ceiling.
Other Options: Cade Cunningham ($10,200), Anthony Black ($7,100), Nickeil Alexander-Walker ($7,000), Immanuel Quickley ($7,000), Isaiah Collier ($6,900), Naji Marshall ($6,500), Tari Eason ($6,300), CJ McCollum ($6,100)
Value
Ziaire Williams, Brooklyn Nets at Orlando Magic ($4,300)
I am not enamored with the value at the position, so Williams it is — a ringing endorsement! Williams is primarily a 3-and-D player, but he’s dished out a total of eight dimes over the last two games. He received 24 and 28 minutes and finished with 22.8 and 27 FPTS. Williams hasn’t reached the 30 fantasy-point threshold this season, so his ceiling seems limited. He’s pretty much priced at a fair value. Once again, a ringing endorsement!
Other Options: Ja’Kobe Walter ($3,400)
Forward
Stud
Jalen Johnson, Atlanta Hawks vs. Utah Jazz ($10,500)
Johnson truly has leveled up, as his nine triple-doubles are second only to Nikola Jokic’s 16. As a result, Atlanta traded away Trae Young, cementing the Hawks as Johnson’s squad. Over the last two games, he’s put up 64.2 and 71.8 FPTS. On the season, he’s eclipsed 60 FPTS 11 times, including six over 70 FPTS. Now he faces a Jazz team that is third in pace and dead-last in defensive rating.
Other Options: Alperen Sengun ($9,400), Scottie Barnes ($9,100), Cooper Flagg ($8,700), Michael Porter Jr. ($8,600), Brandon Miller ($7,300), Nickeil Alexander-Walker ($7,000), Naji Marshall ($6,500)
Value
Patrick Williams, Chicago Bulls at Toronto Raptors ($4,100)
Williams had been relegated to playing limited minutes off the bench. Over the last three games, though, he’s received 34, 28, and 27 minutes, finishing with 25.5, 25.5, and 32.8 FPTS. Both Nikola Vucevic and Jalen Smith were out three games ago, so Williams got the start and played 34 minutes. Now that Vucevic is over in Boston, Williams’ playing time should be even more secure moving forward.
Other Options: Julian Champagnie ($5,800), Ausar Thompson ($5,700), Collin Murray-Boyles ($5,600), Devin Vassell ($5,500), Tobias Harris ($5,200), Will Riley ($4,700), Ziaire Williams ($4,300), Caleb Martin ($4,200)
Center
Stud
Victor Wembanyama, San Antonio Spurs at Dallas Mavericks ($10,000)
I’ve been reluctant to click on Wembanyama’s name for a while because he wasn’t playing more than 26 minutes a night. But his minutes have picked up, and he’s cleared 50 FPTS in five of his last eight games — including two performances with 60+ FPTS. Wemby provides fantasy goodies in every statistical category and is such a per-minute beast — averaging 1.61 fantasy points per minute — that if he’s anywhere around 30 minutes, he’s in play.
Other Options: Alperen Sengun ($9,400), Jalen Duren ($7,700), Jusuf Nurkic ($7,400), Jalen Smith ($6,200)
Value
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Charlotte Hornets at Houston Rockets ($4,700)
Ryan Kalkbrenner and Moussa Diabate have been handling most of the center minutes for Charlotte this season. It’s been a yo-yo experience, as Diabate has had stretches where he received more playing time and flourished. With Alperen Sengun on the other side for this matchup, I think Kalkbrenner’s size will be needed, so the minutes pendulum will likely swing to his side. Kalkbrenner averages only 0.84 FPTS per minute, but he’s gone over 30 FPTS twice this season.
Other Options: Collin Murray-Boyles ($5,600), Sandro Mamukelashvili ($5,400), Day’Ron Sharpe ($5,300), Daniel Gafford ($5,100), Patrick Williams ($4,100)
