This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
An active trade deadline should lead to a fun weekend on DraftKings, with viable minimum-priced options abound.
All of the activity will open up a ton of opportunities, and keeping an eye on news will be more important than ever, given that many of the traded guys won't be ready to play by Friday night.
Reggie Jackson, for example, will likely be a great option whenever he makes his Pistons debut, but if that doesnt happen Friday against the Bulls, John Lucas III ($3000) may start at point guard. Jodie Meeks ($3000) and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($3700) both figure to get plenty of minutes, with D.J. Augustin and Kyle Singler traded to the Thunder. Meeks is my favorite option of the bunch, but KCP and Lucas are also intriguing. Jackson actually isn't a part of Friday's contests, as his former squad in Oklahoma City is one of just four teams with the night off – the others being the Clippers, Bobcats and Grizzlies.
The MCW-less 76ers aren't one of those teams, with a game against the Pacers on Friday, followed by a game in Orlando on Sunday. Michael Carter-Williams (foot) was already expected to miss the next few games, but the team's deadline deals still have some DFS impact, with fellow point guard Isaiah Canaan ($3000) headed from Houston to Philly. Given that Tim Frazier ($4300) is working on three straight games of 35-plus minutes while playing on 10-day contracts, Canaan may immediately step into a starting role on Friday or Sunday. Depending on Canaan's status and the starting lineup, one of the two Philly point guards should be a good option for Friday's unusual game.
And, while this may not seem like a huge deal, a slew of Philly players get a slight boost from the departure of K.J. McDaniels. Guys like Robert Covington ($6000), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute ($4300) and Hollis Thompson ($4000) are a bit safer, while Jakarr Sampson ($3000) and Jerami Grant ($3200) become usable but are probably best saved for Sunday.
Looking elsewhere, I'm not sure whether Brandon Knight ($7500) will ultimately benefit from the trade to Phoenix, but he could be a decent option for Friday's game against the defensively inept Timberwolves. Of course, there's also some chance Knight doesn't play, in which case Gerald Green ($3000) would likely see significant run. Averaging just shy of one DK point per minute this season, Green will be a fantastic option if Knight cannot play. Eric Bledsoe ($8000) would also figure to benefit greatly from that scenario, with Isaiah Thomas and Goran Dragic both off the roster.
Over in Milwaukee, things should get interesting for Friday's game against the Nuggets, with recent acquisition Michael Carter-Williams (foot) still sidelined by an injury. Jerryd Bayless ($3600) thus becomes the temporary favorite to start and play 30-plus minutes at point guard, except that he's dealing with a hip injury of his own. If Bayless can't play this weekend, the Bucks will likely need O.J. Mayo ($4300) and new-acquisition Tyler Ennis ($3000) to step up in the backcourt.
Elsewhere, the deadline deal with the best shot to impact this year's championship picture was a bit overshadowed, but Aaron Afflalo-to-Portland could open up some immediate opportunities on the Nuggets. Danilo Gallinari ($3800) is expected to take over as Denver's starting shooting guard, with Randy Foye ($3000) also a strong candidate to take on added minutes. I actually prefer Foye for Friday's game in Milwaukee, as a bench role could still lead to 30-plus minutes. I'm going to avoid Portland's Wes Matthews ($5700) and Nic Batum ($5200), both of whom figure to lose a few minutes to Afflalo.
Over in obviousville, Rudy Gobert ($4500) no longer has to compete with Enes Kanter, making the Frenchman a top option for Friday's game against Portland, and beyond. While some of the initial luster has worn off, Gobert is still averaging 23 DK points over 21.5 minutes, and he's now a decent bet to reach 30 minutes each night. Derrick Favors ($7000) may also get a slight boost, but he already played 33 or 34 minutes in each of the last four games, so there isn't much room to go up. Favors has a tough matchup with the Blazers on Friday, negating much of the appeal from the combination of his friendly price tag and Kanter's absence.
The Celtics will be one of the more interesting teams to keep an eye on for Friday's game in Sacramento, with Tayshaun Prince and Marcus Thornton both headed out of town, while Isaiah Thomas ($5600) may not be ready to play. Thomas is a decent GPP option if he gets the start, but otherwise, the trades will just leave a few more minutes for Evan Turner ($4800), Marcus Smart ($4800) and Avery Bradley ($4500). Can't say I love any of those guys, but Turner looks like the best option in the event Thomas doesn't suit up.
More interesting is the Boston frontcourt, with Jared Sullinger (foot) joining Kelly Olynyk (ankle) among the ranks of the injured. Brandon Bass ($4200) and Tyler Zeller ($4000) may both get the chance to top 30 minutes, and Jae Crowder ($3400) will likely get extra run as a stretch four. Zeller is most intriguing of the bunch, even though a matchup with DeMarcus Cousins ($10,600) could lead to foul trouble.
Boogie figures to have a huge night against Boston, and a plethora of cheap options will make it easy to roster the big man. The Kings should have another excellent play in the form of point guard Ray McCallum ($3000), as Darren Collison (hip) is listed as doubtful, and Ramon Sessions was traded for Andre Miller, who may not be ready by Friday night.
One trade that shouldn't have much immediate DFS impact is the Thaddeus Young-Kevin Garnett swap, as committees will likely cover both departures. I'm still keeping an eye on the Timberwolves in Friday's game against Phoenix, seeing as Young is leaving a ton of minutes behind. Unfortunately, Minnesota won't play again until Monday, but it will be interesting to see how Gorgui Dieng, Anthony Bennett and others might benefit. While I like Young's prospects in his new home, there should be better options to use this weekend.
Lastly, there's the Goran Dragic trade, which gave the Heat a gorgeous starting lineup for about five seconds, until it was announced that Chris Bosh may be dealing with a blood clot in his lung. With Bosh ruled out for Friday's game at Madison Square Garden, the perilously thin Heat frontcourt will be tested. Luol Deng ($5100) figures to play a ton of minutes, with a bunch of those coming as the power forward in small lineups. Chris Andersen ($3000) could get far more run than the Heat are really comfortable with, and Hassan Whiteside ($7600) can only be slowed down by foul trouble. If Dragic ($6100) suits up, he's a viable GPP option, as the Heat may immediately ask him to take on a heavy workload. Either way, I like Dwyane Wade ($7200), who seems to have made a full recovery from his hamstring injury over the break. Mario Chalmers ($4500) is also intriguing, but only if Dragic doesn't play.
While the Knicks didn't make a big splash at the deadline, there's still plenty of potential for bargain-bin plays. In the absence of Carmelo Anthony (knee), Shane Larkin (illness) and Pablo Prigioni, all of Langston Galloway ($5200), Jose Calderon ($4200), Tim Hardaway ($4400) and Lance Thomas ($3000) have good chances to reach 30 minutes. Thomas is probably my favorite of the bunch, but he's dealing with an undisclosed injury.
In other non-trade news, Milwaukee's John Henson (ankle) is questionable for Friday against the Nuggets, while Zaza Pachulia ($3700) already carries an attractive price tag. There's no shortage of options at center for Friday, but Pachulia should be among the four or five best, if Henson is unable to play.
With everything so dependent on the news, it's rather difficult to highlight the best player options, so I'll just provide a list of guys worth watching.
Here are some of the top choices for the upcoming weekend (Fri.-Sun.) on DraftKings…
Point Guard
Steph Curry, GS (Fri. vs. SA, Sun. at IND), $9900
John Wall, WAS (Fri. vs. CLE, Sun. at DET), $8600
Ricky Rubio MIN (Fri. vs. PHO), $6100
Patrick Beverley, HOU (Fri. at DAL, Sat. vs. TOR) $4300
Tim Frazier/Isaiah Canaan, PHI (Fri. vs. IND, Sun. at ORL), $4300/3000
Jerryd Bayless, MIL (Fri. vs. DEN, Sun. vs. ATL), $3600
Ray McCallum, SAC (Fri. vs. BOS, Sat. at LAC), $3000
John Lucas III, DET (Fri. vs. CHI, Sun. vs. WAS), $3000
Shooting Guard
James Harden, HOU (Fri. at DAL, Sat. vs. TOR), $10,500
Eric Bledsoe, PHO (Fri. at MIN, Sat. at CHI), $8000
Dwyane Wade, MIA (Fri. at NY, Sat. vs. NO), $7200
Joe Johnson, BKN (Fri. at LAL), $5700
O.J. Mayo, MIL (Fri. vs. DEN, Sun. vs. ATL), $4300
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, DET (Fri. vs. CHI, Sun. vs. WAS), $3700
Randy Foye, DEN (Fri. at MIL, Sun. at OKC), $3000
Jodie Meeks, DET (Fri. vs. CHI, Sun. vs. WAS), $3000
Gerald Green, PHO (Fri. at MIN, Sat. at CHI)
Small Forward
LeBron James, CLE (Fri. at WAS, Sun. at NY), $10,200
Tobias Harris, ORL (Fri. vs. NO, Sun. vs. PHI), $6400
Trevor Ariza, HOU (Fri. at DAL, Sat. vs. TOR), $5700
Luol Deng, MIA (Fri. at NY, Sat. vs. NO), $5100
Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, PHI (Fri. vs. IND, Sun. at ORL), $4300
Danilo Gallinari, DEN (Fri. at MIL, Sun. at OKC), $3800
Power Forward
Anthony Davis, NO (Fri. at ORL, Sat. at MIA), $10,800
Brandon Bass, BOS (Fri. at SAC, Sun. at LAL), $4200
Patrick Patterson, TOR (Fri. at ATL, Sat. at HOU), $4100
Lance Thomas, NY (Fri. vs. MIA, Sun. vs. CLE) $3000
Center
DeMarcus Cousins, SAC (Fri. vs. BOS, Sat. at LAC), $10,600
Al Horford, ATL (Fri. vs. TOR, Sun. at MIL), $7800
Hassan Whiteside, MIA (Fri. vs. NY, Sat. vs. NO) $7600
Andrew Bogut, GS (Fri. vs. SA, Sun. at IND), $4900
Rudy Gobert, UTA (Fri. vs. POR), $4500
Tyler Zeller, BOS (Fri. at SAC, Sun. at LAL), $4000
Zaza Pachulia, MIL (Fri. vs. DEN, Sun. vs. ATL), $3700
