This article is part of our Yahoo DFS Basketball series.
That trade deadline was wild! We had Russell Westbrook, Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving all moved before Thursday, and it felt like every role player in the NBA was traded on deadline day. It also felt like teams were trading away every second-round pick they had, and it'll be interesting to see how these rotations play out. It does open up an immense amount of value going forward, though, and we have a few of those guys here!
Guards
Trae Young, ATL vs. SAS ($38)
San Antonio has been the best matchup in DFS all year. They rank last in points allowed and defensive efficiency while surrendering the most fantasy points in the NBA. That makes Young one of the best options on the board, averaging 45 Yahoo points per game. He's been even better recently, scoring at least 39 Y! points in six straight outings while generating a 49-point average in that span. Trae is also coming off a season-high 60 fantasy points in his most recent outing and averaged 48 Yahoo points per game in two matchups with the Spurs last year.
Collin Sexton, UTA at NYK ($14)
Sexton was one of the big acquisitions in the Donovan Mitchell trade, but he was stuck behind Mike Conley all year. Utah decided to part ways with Conley at the deadline, though, handing Sexton the keys to the Jazz car. That means he should be looking at 30-35 minutes, 15-20 shots and a 25-30 percent usage rate from here on out. We saw Sexton be a $25 player with the Cavs in that sort of role in the past, averaging 32 Yahoo points per game when he plays at least 30 minutes this year. We also don't mind that Jordan Clarkson (illness) sat on Friday, which allowed Sexton to score a season-high 46 Y! points across 37 minutes of play!
Guard to Avoid
Caris LeVert, CLE vs. CHI ($21)
LeVert was incredible as a starter earlier in the year when Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland were injured, but he's been terrible coming off the bench since their returns. In fact, Caris has compiled a 29-point average in his 26 starts this year but has a 20-point average in his 25 games coming off the bench. That's scary since he's come off the bench in 10 of the Cavs' last 16 games. Seeing him at $21 in this role is truly terrifying, especially when there are so many better options well below $20.
Forwards
Andrew Wiggins, GS vs. LAL ($22)
Wiggins has been inconsistent at times this season, but Golden State needs him to step up with Stephen Curry (leg) injured. That should bump Wiggins' shot attempts and usage, averaging over 31 Yahoo points per game with Chef Curry on the court. We expect that to be his floor in this expanded role, making it hard to understand why Wig remains at just $22. A matchup with the Lakers makes it even more baffling, with LA ranked 27th in total defense. In their one matchup earlier this season, Andrew amassed 38 Y! points if you needed more incentive to use him.
Keita Bates-Diop, SAS at ATL ($12)
This San Antonio team carries an 11-game losing streak into this matchup, but it's easy to understand why. They're playing without Keldon Johnson, Tre Jones and Devin Vassell right now and just shipped Jakob Poeltl to Toronto. That should guarantee KBD a 35-minute role from here on out, playing at least 25 minutes in nine straight games. He's also averaging over 25 Y! points per game in that span, dropping 35 Yahoo points across 42 minutes in the Spurs most recent loss on Friday. That makes it hard to believe that Bates-Diop is still just $12, especially since Atlanta allows the third-most fantasy points to opposing power forwards.
Forward to Avoid
Saddiq Bey, ATL vs. SAS ($21)
There's some thought that Bey could make his debut here, but it's also possible that this trade gets rescinded altogether. There's an issue with Gary Payton's physical, but we wouldn't like this deal for Bey even if the trade went through. Bey would be asked to be a bench player for this Hawks team and likely wouldn't play more than 20-25 minutes, with Bogdan Bogdanovic coming off the bench as well. He'd also have to compete with Trae Young and Dejounte Murray for shots while ceding rebounds to guys like Clint Capela and John Collins. There's not much fantasy value to be had here, and we consider Saddiq a drop in season-long leagues, too.
Centers
Nikola Jokic, DEN at CHA ($58)
Fade Jokic at your own risk. This guy is the safest bet for 50 fantasy points on this slate, scoring at least 49 fantasy points in 24 of his last 27 games. The big man is also averaging 26.2 points, 12.3 rebounds, 11.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game in that span and could see a usage bump with Jamal Murray and Aaron Gordon both nicked up. That would make Jokic an easy option against any opponent, but Charlotte is surrendering the most fantasy points to opposing centers this season. The Joker had 40 points, 27 rebounds and 10 assists in their one matchup earlier in the year. No, that's not a typo!
Mark Williams, CHA vs. DEN ($10)
This is one of those price tags that needs to be adjusted after the trade deadline. Charlotte shipped Mason Plumlee to LA, and it looks like Williams will be their starting center for the remainder of the season. That's massive when looking at his per-minute numbers, averaging 17 Y! points per game across just 14 minutes a night. We expect both of those totals to double, which was on full display when Mark amassed 31 Yahoo points across 31 minutes in his first career start on Friday. This price tag needs to double along with those averages, and you know he'll play big minutes to oppose Jokic.
Center to Avoid
Christian Wood, DAL at SAC ($27)
We could be dead wrong about this one, but there's something strange going on with Wood. The big man just returned from a hand injury earlier in the week but has been held under 20 minutes in his first three games back. He's also combined for just 37.5 Yahoo points in those first two games, and it's scary to think how few touches he'll get now that Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are sharing the ball. Those two will swallow up all of the usage in Dallas, and we don't want to trust Wood until we know he's back to a 25-minute role. All of that doesn't even take into consideration the measly 12 minutes he played on Friday, which is the front end of a back-to-back set.
