NBA Fantasy Picks Today: DraftKings & FanDuel Fantasy Basketball Rankings

The NBA trade deadline has come and gone. There were some crazy and interesting trades that happened as each team now tries to build chemistry with their new players. Tonight features another seven-game slate and this article has four great options driven by Awesemo’s NBA DFS Rankings. Some players who were traded are available to make their debuts and some are not, so make sure to stay up to date on the Awesemo NBA Starting Lineups page to see who is in and out tonight. Check out the NBA DFS advice below before building your fantasy basketball lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel today.

DraftKings & FanDuel NBA Fantasy Basketball Rankings

*Grades are ordered DraftKings, FanDuel. The initial grade indicates a player’s strength of output, with the value grade indicating their strength as a play in relation to their salary.

PG LaMelo Ball — Grades: A, A | Values: B, A

After posting over 60 DraftKings points in his last game, the salary for LaMelo Ball barely moved. He still remains a great option as he has the best grade and value on both DraftKings and FanDuel tonight in our Fantasy Basketball Rankings. Ball had 33 points, nine rebounds, five assists and four steals in his last game against the Bulls. It was his third game with over 60 DraftKings points in his last eight games. The problem with Ball is his inconsistency. In those other five games, he is averaging 34.8 DraftKings points per game. It is difficult to know which Ball will show up to play.

Tonight features a great matchup for the Hornets against the Pistons. They are 7-point road favorites with a game total at 226.5 points. The Pistons rank 26th in defensive rating and points allowed with 112.3 per game. With Ball’s inconsistencies comes a very reasonable salary. He is leading the slate with the highest boom percentage on both DraftKings and FanDuel according to our Boom/Bust Tool. Ball will also be extremely popular tonight as he is coming in as the second-highest owned player on both sites in our ownership projections. He is arguably the best play on the slate.

PF Jerami Grant — Grades: B, B | Values: B, A

It was shocking to see power forward Jerami Grant not get traded yesterday, but he remains with the Pistons at least until the end of the season. Grant has only played 30 games this season, but he leads the Pistons in scoring with 19.1 points per game. Awesemo projects Grant to be the best value play on FanDuel tonight where he also has the third-highest boom percentage. His discounted salary is drawing attention as Grant is the third-highest owned player on FanDuel in our ownership projections. Prioritize Grant on FanDuel tonight.

Despite being pretty heavy home underdogs, this matchup against the Hornets is a gold mine. They rank 24th in defensive rating and second in pace this season. The Hornets also allow 114.3 points per game, which ranks third-highest in the league. The Pistons will likely be without Cade Cunningham for the sixth-straight game as he battles a hip injury. They are implied for 109.75 points and Grant will be heavily involved in that total. The Pistons also dealt their backup power forward Trey Lyles, which will solidify the minutes for Grant tonight. He is a good source of value in this great matchup.

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SF Devin Vassell — Grades: C, C | Values: A, A

The Spurs were sellers at the trade deadline, as they are currently on the outside looking in for the playoff picture. They dealt Derrick White, who was second on the team in scoring and assists while playing over 30 minutes per game. Without White there will be more production and playing time to go around. Enter second-year player Devin Vassell, who Awesemo projects to be the best value option on DraftKings tonight. In only three games without White this season, Vassell seen a 2.2% usage rate increase. He has also scored over 30 DraftKings points in two of his last four games.

Similar to Ball but to a lesser extent, Vassell has had an inconsistent season. Over half of his field-goal attempts come from behind the arc, so that can lead to some inconsistencies, but he has shown upside. It will help that White is gone and his salary remains very cheap on DraftKings. The Spurs did get Josh Richardson in the White deal, but he will not be available tonight. According to our ownership projections, Vassell will be highest owned player on DraftKings. The matchup against the Hawks is also nice as they rank 26th in defensive rating, allowing 111.4 points per game.

C Karl-Anthony Towns — Grades: A, A | Values: C, B

Getting exposure to this Timberwolves and Bulls game seems critical on this slate. Both teams are relatively healthy, but this total is by far the highest on the slate at 240.5 points. Go with the road team and Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns because he has the best grade and value of anyone in this game. Towns is also healthy, while he has several teammates who are listed as questionable including Anthony Edwards and D’Angelo Russell. Expect both to play, but Towns still leads the team in points, rebounds and usage rate this season even when they all are on the floor.

Towns has also been extremely consistent. He has not scored fewer than 40 DraftKings points in 11-straight games while averaging 48.9 DraftKings points per game during that time, with a high of 69.3 DraftKings points. Despite being one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, the Bulls rank 20th in defensive rating and 23rd in points allowed in the paint this season. This is the first year in which Towns has averaged fewer than double-digit rebounds per game. Although that is concerning, he still has double-double upside and will be the focal point of the Timberwolves offense in this massive game total.

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