The All-Star break was a great time to recharge the batteries, and I feel rejuvenated for this second half. I’m in the midst of one of my best weeks of the season, and I hope my recommendations helped you guys as well. We have another great slate ahead of us with a ton of value, so let’s go ahead and get into it!
If you have any comments or questions, reach me on Twitter @Bartilottajoel
Check out today’s NBA Tip-Off from DraftKings 
Most Value Per Dollar
The position scarcity on this slate is fascinating. Once again, the point guard and center positions are stacked, while the shooting guard and forward positions are extremely weak. That’s become way too common on these slates, but we do have two elite forwards in the studs section later on. That means we want to find value through point guards and centers while building around those studs we’ll discuss later in the article!
If you’d like to see more information on how the betting landscape will be for this slate, check out BettingPros.
Below is a list of the top-10 players of the day expected to generate the most value relative to their salary. These are ranked in order.
Rudy Gobert (UTH) $8,200
If you missed the day game that Utah had on Sunday, Gobert was absolutely majestic. He finished that gem with 24 points, 28 rebounds, two steals, and four blocks. That’s a good week for most people! A game like that makes it hard to believe Gobert remains so affordable, and a matchup with Boston only adds to his value. The Celtics are one of the smallest teams in the NBA and currently rank 21st in defensive efficiency.
Tomas Satoransky (CHI) $3,600
If Sato gets another start here over Coby White, he’s hard to fade in this price range. We say that because Tomas had 10 points, six rebounds, and seven assists across 25 minutes as the starting point guard on Sunday, which is pretty much the stat-stuffing guy we saw in Washington when he was starting there.
Steven Adams (NOR) $5,500
Adams has been a nice value on DraftKings for months now and, weirdly, he remains well below $6K. The big Kiwi has scored at least 22 DK points in each of his last four games, which has brought his season average to 25 fantasy points a night. That’s really all you can hope for from someone this cheap, and we don’t anticipate a 29th-ranked Portland defense to slow him down at all either.
Kevin Porter Jr. (HOU) $7,000
With the Rockets in rebuild mode, it’s clear they want to see what KPJ can do. He’s now played at least 29 minutes in all three games since being called up, averaging an absurd 37 fantasy points per game. That’s a huge total from someone at $7K, and he’s going to continue to be fed with so many Rockets still out of the lineup.
Robert Williams (BOS) $5,600
Williams is nicknamed The Time Lord, and it’s easy to understand why when you see his per-minute production. He’s currently averaging 22.7 DK points per game in just 16.3 minutes a night. That makes him one of the best per-minute producers around, which is big news with his playing time on the rise recently. Over his last six games, Williams is averaging 33 fantasy points per game, and one has to believe his minutes will be up here with someone needing to match up with Gobert.
Dennis Schroder (LAL) $6,300
Schroder was in this section on Monday, and we’re going right back to the well. The former Atlanta point guard has scored at least 27 DK points in 11 of his last 15 games, averaging 35 fantasy points per game in those 12 outings. That’s really no surprise when you see his usage bump with Anthony Davis out of the lineup, and he should be able to continue that against a 26th-ranked Minnesota defense here. If LeBron happens to sit in the second half of a B2B, Schroder would be the lock of the day!
Robert Covington (HOU) $6,200
Roco has been a regular in my articles recently, and we’re ecstatic with his recent form. He’s scored at least 24 fantasy points in 14 of his last 19 games, reaching at least 27 DK points in five of his last six fixtures. That’s led to a 36-point average in that most recent span, which is obviously stupendous from a player sitting around $6K. Facing New Orleans is simply a bonus, with the Pelicans ranked 28th in defensive efficiency.
Al Horford (OKC) $6,300
Big Al has been down a bit recently, but it’s keeping his price way too low. We’re still talking about a guy who’s averaging 35 fantasy points per game since coming off maternity leave a month ago, which alone is 6X value at this price. The reason we want to use him today is the matchup with Chicago, though, with the Bulls ranked fifth in pace and 24th in total defense. UPDATE: Horford has been ruled out. Moses Brown and Isiah Roby are fantastic fill-ins for him!
Goran Dragic (MIA) $6,100
Dragic just had a nightmarish 1-for-11 shooting night on Sunday, but he still collected 24 fantasy points. That gives him a 23-point floor over his last seven outings, averaging 28 DK points per game in 30 minutes a night in that span. That’s the bubble stud we remember, and it’s scary to think how good he could be if he’s actually hitting some shots. Cleveland is a great matchup, too, owning one of the worst defensive ratings since the beginning of February.
Tony Bradley (PHI) $3,700
With Joel Embiid out for at least two weeks, Bradley is the starting center in Philly. He’s been great when given the opportunity, too, averaging 28 DK points per game across 23 minutes a night in the four games he’s played at least 20 minutes. We have to believe 20 minutes is his floor, and if we get that average at this price, we’re way ahead of the pack!
Check out our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet for the top bets of the day
Studs Worth Their Salary
- Damian Lillard (POR) $10,800: It’s hard to fade Lillard right now. With C.J. McCollum and Jsuuf Nurkic both out, Lillard is in beast mode every night. That’s evident by the fact that he’s scored at least 47 fantasy points in 21 of his last 25 games, posting a 53-point average over his last four fixtures. That should be easy to duplicate here, with the Pelicans surrendering the second-most fantasy points to opposing point guards.
- LeBron James (LAL) $10,500: LeBron is another guy who’s stepping up because of injury, running the show with Anthony Davis sidelined. LBJ has a usage rate north of 30 percent with him out of the lineup while averaging 50 fantasy points per game. That’s bad news for a subpar T’Wolves defense.
- Trae Young (ATL) $10,200: Young had a terrible game on Sunday, but we’re going with him again. Before that dud, Trae had at least 38 fantasy points in each of his last 11 games, averaging over 47 DraftKings points per game in that span. We like him to match that against a Houston team that enters this matchup in the midst of a league-worst 16-game losing streak.
- Jimmy Butler (MIA) $9,800: Butler is turning Miami’s season around single-handedly. Since returning from injury a month ago, Jimmy is averaging 23.2 points, 7.9 rebounds, 8.8 assists, and 2.2 steals over his last 19 games played. We certainly don’t expect a crappy Cleveland defense to stop those sort of averages.
Notable Players to Fade
- Kemba Walker (BOS) $7,100: Kemba was struggling before Marcus Smart returned, and one has to believe his usage will only fall from here on out. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are stealing a ton of touches and shots as well, and it’s led to Walker averaging fewer than 27 fantasy points per game across his last three outings.
- R.J. Barrett (NYK) $6,200: Barrett just had a career-high 32 points on Sunday, but we want to avoid him with this price creeping up. He actually never cracked 36 fantasy points in any of his previous 22 games before that, averaging just 25.7 DK points per game. That’s particularly concerning here, with Philly ranked third in defensive efficiency.
- Joe Ingles (UTH) $5,300: Ingles is a different player when Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell are healthy. With both of them in the lineup, he’s averaging just 21 DK points per game. He’s got a 30-point average when one of them is out, and that’s inflating his price a bit too much.
Create DraftKings lineups using our DFS Lineup Optimizer tool
Beyond our daily fantasy basketball content, be sure to check out our Daily Fantasy Basketball Tools. Our Lineup Optimizer allows you to build winning DFS lineups in seconds for Cash and GPP contests – to our DFS Cheat Sheets – that helps you get a quick read on the day’s players. We’ve got you covered this fantasy basketball season.
Joel Bartilotta is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Joel, check out his archive and follow him @Bartilottajoel.
