I’m not going to sugarcoat things. This eight-game featured slate is going to be an absolute mess. A real nightmare. Not only are we in the final two weeks of the NBA’s regular season, but there are six teams on the second night of a back-to-back on Wednesday. Welcome to injury report Hell.
Still… If there’s one thing this slate won’t be lacking, it’s value options. Let’s find some, shall we?
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C Tristan Vukcevic, Washington Wizards vs. Los Angeles Lakers, $3,000
We’ve reached the point in the season where I am recommending dudes who started the season playing in Serbia. What a time to be alive. Vukcevic had been used sparingly heading into Tuesday night’s meeting with the Bucks, but after Marvin Bagley III ($5,800; knee) was forced to leave the game mid-way through the second quarter, Vukcevic was thrust into action. It went pretty well! Washington pulled out a surprising victory, while the rookie big man registered 14 points, seven rebounds and 29.25 DKFP in over 30 minutes of action. Richaun Holmes ($4,600; toe) has missed the Wizards’ last three contests with his own ailment. There’s a decent chance Vukcevic is the team’s lone center available on Wednesday, which would obviously make him a massive target at a bare minimum price tag.
PF/C Jabari Walker, Portland Trail Blazers at Charlotte Hornets, $4,900
The Blazers simply do not have that many healthy bodies remaining, which leads to situations like we saw on Monday night in Orlando. Walker, making his second straight start thanks to a season-ending injury to Toumani Camara (rib), logged a team-high 40.3 minutes in Portland’s 104-103 nail-bitting loss. It wasn’t empty run, either. Walker scored 18 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out five assists. All and all, the forward would finish the contest with 37.75 DKFP — the eighth time in 2023-24 he’s managed to exceed 35.0 DKFP. There’s no reason to assume Walker’s role with change all that substantially on Tuesday and he draws about as tantalizing a matchup as one could hope for. No team is surrendering more DKFP per game to opposing power forwards than the Hornets this season.
PG/SG Nick Smith Jr., Charlotte Hornets vs. Portland Trail Blazers, $3,000
Call it a hunch, but it feels like the Hornets are not going to be putting out their best possible lineup on Wednesday. Exhibit A: Charlotte only has one fewer loss this season than Portland in the all-important tank. Exhibit B: The Hornets are listing everyone on their injury report. Miles Bridges ($8,100; wrist), Brandon Miller ($6,800; ankle) and Grant Williams ($5,100; ankle) are all questionable, while Vasilije Micic ($5,700; shoulder) is doubtful. It’s currently unclear who will eventually end up inactive, which obviously impacts who becomes viable at the end of this roster, but I’m prepared for maximum chaos. Aleksej Pokusevski ($3,900) will be quite popular and he likely carries the highest floor of Charlotte’s value assets, yet I have my eye on Smith. If Miller and Micic are sidelined, this roster has almost no other guard depth. Smith Jr. should play a ton.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $150K Micro-Max [$25K to 1st, 150 Entry Max]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is theglt13) 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.
