Lineups across the NBA were shuffled ahead of the trade deadline, and this resulted in several teams being short-handed on Thursday’s four-game list. Trae Young led all fantasy performers with 36 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists despite flipping the ball nine times, and some other frequent league standouts weren’t far behind him. We’ll go over who’s hot and who’s not and give a DFS game value string ahead of Friday’s list of nine games.
Who is hot
Giannis Antetokounmpo
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Only Young surpassed Antetokounmpo on Thursday. The Milwaukee Bucks star led the Los Angeles Lakers without LeBron James with 38 points, 10 rebounds and six assists. He now has at least 33 points in double-doubles in seven of his previous eight games, while shooting 61.2% from the field. Antetokounmpo averaged 38.6 points and 14.3 rebounds per game since Bobby Portis went down with a knee injury late last month.
Aaron Gordon
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Gordon has been an absolute threat when Jamal Murray can’t get dressed this season. The Denver Nuggets point guard missed his second straight game with knee pain on Thursday, and Gordon responded with a season-high 37 points and 13 rebounds despite heading to the locker room early with a rib injury. in the first quarter. He is averaging 24.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.7 assists per game without Murray in 2022-23.
Spencer Dinwiddie
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Dinwiddie wasted no time becoming an influential player for the Brooklyn Nets during his second tenure with the team. He started February averaging 23.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists in his last two games with the Dallas Mavericks before averaging 25 points, five rebounds, six assists and four steals in his debut. season 2022/23 on Thursday. He averaged 23.4 points over his previous 10 games, and his numbers should improve after Kevin Durant was sent to Phoenix. His ceiling will go up after he separated from ball-dominant Luka Doncic.
Who is not
John Collins
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Collins’ scoring average is the lowest since his rookie season, and he doesn’t promise a strong start in February. The Atlanta Hawks forward scored 16 points on Thursday but grabbed just a couple of rebounds in 31 minutes. This month, he is averaging 11.2 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Atlanta added Saddiq Bey for frontcourt depth at the trade deadline, and there’s a good chance the former Detroit Pistons will cut Collins’ minutes.
DFS play
Colleen Sexton
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The Utah Jazz were big sellers at the trade deadline and were scoring 34.3 points per game in Malik Beasley and Mike Conley. Those moves could open the door for Sexton, who is averaging 17.5 points and 4.9 assists as a Jazz starter, to play alongside Jordan Clarkson. Sexton had 22 points, five rebounds and five assists in his only start without Conley or Beasley in 2023 earlier this month. Utah should be ready to see what he has after signing a $70 million deal this offseason.
Still deciding who to commit to your DFS list? Below we’ve identified a player to ban and one to avoid until cautioned, but you can check out my full selection of stud and value play in each position by heading over to SportsLine.
Source: www.cbssports.com
