These fantasy basketball picks are your key to unlocking big winnings tonight!

These plays are intended to help you gain a solid return on salary (at least 2.5X, with the ideal level being 3x or higher) with each player you roster. Sometimes I will highlight a minimum salary player, and the intent is to maximize the number of roster spots where you have potential to hit 3X salary. Keep in mind that a minimum-priced player on DraftDay is even more valuable than a minimum-salary player elsewhere, due to the large gap in pricing with a $100,000 cap. Another key to remember is that in DFS, late injury news can be HUGE when deciding your final rosters. Just because someone was a great play in the morning doesn’t necessarily mean that better options won’t arise throughout the day. Monitor Twitter closely before locking in your lineups.

Today’s Top Plays

Guard:

Eric Bledsoe ($15,150) at Minnesota – Bledsoe is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the trade deadline moves, as Goran Dragic and Isiah Thomas have been shipped out of town. New acquisition Brandon Knight may cut into his production at some point, but it remains to be seen if he will suit up tonight. Bledsoe has a solid 24.9% usage rate without IT2 and Dragic on the court, and I expect him to shred the NBA’s worst defense tonight in a game with a 209.5 point total.

Jerryd Bayless ($6,600) vs Denver – Now that Brandon Knight has been shipped to Phoenix for Michael Carter-Williams, Bayless will see a nice uptick in minutes until MCW is able to return from his toe injury. A fast-paced game against the Nuggets is a great spot to target Bayless. He is capable of stuffing the stat sheet any time he sees extended minutes, and I love this price for him tonight.

Ricky Rubio ($12,400) vs Phoenix – One of my favorite players to watch in the NBA is Rubio. Tonight he’ll draw a matchup against the Suns’ #2 pace in the NBA in a game with a huge total. He finally saw extended minutes in the last game before the break, posting an 18/9/5 line against the Warriors. He has 40+ FP upside in this matchup.

John Lucas III ($5,250) vs Chicago - Brandon Jennings is out, D.J. Augustin has been traded, and it looks like Lucas is the next man up. He had 9 points and 6 assists against the Spurs in just 12 minutes last time out, and will likely be relied on to see extended minutes tonight. Monitor this situation and make sure Lucas is starting before going in too deep here.

Forward:

James Harden ($21,000) vs Dallas - DraftDay’s multi-positional eligibility allows me to slot Harden in at SF, so I’m taking advantage. I don’t need to tell you about his season averages of 27.4/5.7/6.8, but now that I did, just remember that Dwight Howard is still sidelined and get yourself some exposure to Harden’s 60 FP upside.

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($13,450) vs Denver - The “Greek Freek” has solidified himself as one of the brightest young stars in the league, and now Brandon Knight is no longer around to eat up usage. Giannis has a solid 23.7% usage rate without Knight this season, and I expect that number to rise tonight. This kid can do it all, which provides you with a tremendous floor and high ceiling (between 26 and 52.75 FP in last nine games).

Gerald Green ($6,600) at Minnesota - If you’re looking for a GPP lottery ticket, look no further. Green has shown tremendous upside at times, but has also managed to completely disappear at times. He has a usage rate of 31% with no Dragic or Thomas, and depending on whether he draws the start tonight or not, his upside is tremendous against a Minnesota team that struggles to defend any position.

Greg Monroe ($13,950) vs Chicago - Monroe is priced as the 15th most expensive option that can be rostered at PF, which screams value to me. The Bulls have struggled with big men lately, and Monroe will see some additional responsibility with Augustin out of the mix. Fire him up as a value play with elite upside tonight.

Center:

Rudy Gobert ($9,500) vs Portland - I was going to go contrarian with this one, but you just can’t afford to fade Gobert tonight. Enes Kanter was shipped to OKC at the deadline, opening the door for huge minutes for Gobert down low. He has elite upside, and comes in under 10K tonight. I’m not the only one who is waiting with bated breath to see him in his new role as the feature big man.

You can find me on Twitter @BigItaly42 and I’d love to help you out with any questions you have about determining salary, finding value, or any lineup construction tips!