There’s roughly five weeks left in the NBA’s regular season and, as per usual, they are going to be an absolute disaster. Teams are in the process of resting players for the playoffs and resting players to tank, which makes projecting rotations a little difficult. Still, there’s certainly going to be opportunities to find value — almost too many.
Let’s dive in and go through some of the places I’ll be looking to save on tonight’s eight-game slate.
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SF/PF Aaron Wiggins, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Portland Trail Blazers, $4,900
The Thunder beat the Grizzlies on Wednesday to pick up their 51st win of the season. That’s 11 more than any other Western Conference team, which means Oklahoma City can pretty much do whatever it wants to close out the regular season. Tonight, that means sitting every single starter from that victory in Memphis. Shai Gligeous-Alexander (rest), Jalen Williams (wrist), Isaiah Hartenstein (nose), Lu Dort (knee) and Cason Wallace (knee) have all been ruled out, while Chet Holmgren ($7,300; leg) is currently listed as questionable. Your guess is as good as mine for what Friday’s starting five will look like, but Wiggins will likely be the No. 1 offensive option. The wing has been in quite the groove dating back to the beginning of February. It’s a 16-game span where the former second-round pick is averaging 17.8 points and 4.8 rebounds. Wiggins is also producing 1.11 FPTS per minute. With every high-volume teammate in street clothes, I’d be shocked if Wiggins doesn’t flirt with a 25% usage rate on Friday night.
C Orlando Robinson, Toronto Raptors vs. Utah Jazz, $3,500
The Raptors made their intentions clear on Tuesday in Orlando: They do not want to push for the 10-seed in the Eastern Conference. Toronto was soundly beating the Magic early in the fourth quarter when the team pulled their starters and essentially asked Raptors 905 to close out the game. Ironically, Ja’Kobe Walter ($3,700) hit a game-winning three-pointer with just 0.5 seconds left — denying Toronto’s brass the much-coveted loss. Well, the Raptors have decided to up the ante on Friday. Jakob Poeltl (rest) and RJ Barrett (rest) have both been ruled out on the front-end of the team’s back-to-back set, which means they’ll join Gradey Dick (knee), Ochai Agbaji (ankle) and Jonathan Mogbo (nose) on the sideline. I’d also anticipate Toronto to cap the minutes of both Scottie Barnes ($7,900) and Immanuel Quickley ($6,600). So who does that leave? Walter remains viable, especially in a matchup with the Jazz, as Utah has surrendered the most FPTS per contest to opposing shooting guards in 2024-25. However, my No. 1 bargain is Robinson. With no Poeltl, Mogbo or Ulrich Chomche (knee), Robinson is the only true center Toronto has at the moment. I expect he’ll basically be asked to play until he’s exhausted or fouls out. At just $500 above the minimum, that’s a role I can not pass up.
PG/SG Keon Ellis, Sacramento Kings vs. San Antonio Spurs, $4,400
The Kings have actual injury woes on Friday — not manufactured ones. Domantas Sabonis (hamstring) and Malik Monk (toe) will both be missing in action once again this evening, just as they were in Wednesday’s loss to the Nuggets. In that contest, Doug Christie essentially resorted to a seven-man rotation, one that saw DeMar DeRozan ($7,500), Zach LaVine ($8,200) and Ellis all log over 38 minutes. I’d expect a similar game plan this evening against the Spurs. Ellis did not have a high-usage role in the defeat to Denver, yet he did take advantage of his opportunity, finishing the tilt with 11 points, seven rebounds, two steals, two blocks and 32.25 FPTS. He’s a swiss army knife that can contribute in almost every single category. San Antonio is an ideal matchup, too. Over their last 10 games, the Spurs rank in the bottom third of the league in defensive rating (117.8) and the top third in pace (101.6). It’s the perfect combo for DFS.
