Deandre Ayton and the Suns travel to face the Hawks.
The NBA trade deadline has arrived. We’ve already seen some big names dealt, including Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. We still have a DFS slate to digest, but be sure to monitor the trade news throughout the day as it could have a significant impact on things. As we currently stand, here are some players to consider for your Yahoo lineups, as well as a few to potentially avoid.
Guards
Spencer Dinwiddie, BKN vs. CHI ($30): Sending Durant to the Suns further shakes things up for the Nets. They could still make more moves, so they will be an important team to monitor. If Dinwiddie is still on the team, he is expected to make his debut after being brought over from the Mavericks in the Irving trade. Mikal Bridges and Cameron Johnson likely won’t be ready to play yet, and Seth Curry (thigh) is out again. If he’s still on the team, Dinwiddie should take on a leading role right away.
Damion Lee, PHX at ATL ($10): The Suns improved their chances of winning a championship by adding Durant, but they could be in trouble for this game. They dealt away two of their top players in Bridges and Johnson, and Devin Booker has been ruled out for this first game of a back-to-back set. That should leave plenty of minutes for Lee, who has averaged 17.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists across seven games in which he has logged at least 30 minutes.
Guard to Avoid
Cole Anthony, ORL vs. DEN ($18): The Magic have a wealth of forwards, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them make a move to clear up that logjam. They have some young talent at guard, too, which has contributed to Anthony averaging more than six fewer minutes per game than he did last season. His smaller role has resulted in him scoring 21.8 Yahoo points or fewer in four of his last five games.
Forwards
Cam Thomas, BKN vs. CHI ($25): Thomas has been a last man standing for the Nets since they traded away Irving. He used his leading role to score at least 52.3 Yahoo points in each of the last three games. The potential debuts of Dinwiddie and Finney-Smith could eat into his scoring opportunities, but with how well he has played, he should still receive plenty of shot attempts while the team waits for Johnson and Bridges to arrive.
Torrey Craig, PHX at ATL ($10): Craig is another player who should be forced into heavy minutes because of the Durant trade. As things currently stand, he could even be a starter for them for the rest of the season. While his upside isn’t all that high, he has scored at least 25.4 Yahoo points in four of the last seven games in which he has logged at least 20 minutes.
Forward to Avoid
Khris Middleton, MIL at LAL ($21): There hasn’t been any indication that the Bucks are ready to move Middleton back into the starting five. In fact, he hasn’t played more than 22 minutes in any of his eight games since returning from injury. In what could be a blowout against a short-handed Lakers squad that was involved in a three-team trade Wednesday, Middleton is likely to play limited minutes again.
Centers
Nikola Jokic, DEN at ORL ($58): Talk about a hot streak. Jokic has 10 triple-doubles over his last 12 games. During that stretch, he averaged 23.2 points, 13.2 rebounds, 12.3 assists and 1.1 steals. A few cheap value play options have opened up on this slate because of trades leaving teams shorthanded, which may make Jokic’s hefty salary easier to squeeze into your budget.
Deandre Ayton, PHX at ATL ($32): The Suns were able to pull off a trade for Durant without having to give up Ayton. In the long run, playing alongside Durant and Booker probably means fewer scoring opportunities for Ayton. However, with both of them out for this game, Ayton should take on a leading role alongside Chris Paul.
Center to Avoid
Clint Capela, ATL vs. PHX ($22): The Hawks have an interesting situation at center with Capela and Onyeka Okongwu. They can eat into each other’s playing time, which has contributed to Capela scoring 27.1 Yahoo points or fewer in four straight games. There are plenty of other value options at guard and forward for this slate. It might be best to roll with a top center like Jokic and Ayton, rather than take a chance on Capela.
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Mike started covering fantasy sports in 2007, joining RotoWire in 2010. In 2018, he was a finalist for the 2018 FSWA Basketball Writer of the Year award. In addition to RotoWire, Mike has written for Sportsline, Sports Illustrated, DK Live, RealTime Fantasy Sports, Lineup Lab and KFFL.com.
