Core Four Thursday 3/25

Core Four Thursday 3/25

We have a five-game slate tonight and normally, that means that we have a full cash breakdown. Tonight is different because of the Trade Deadline. Of the 10 teams on the slate, at least five have been prominent in trade rumors for weeks. Three or even four others could be in the running to make a deal. With that being said, this article will focus on the four players at the time of this writing. Everything could change by the deadline tomorrow but I’ll be in Discord around lock to help guide who we need to play. Let’s get the ball rolling before the NBA ruins whatever thoughts we have in the Core Four Thursday 3/25! 

Core Four Thursday 3/25

Core Four Thursday 3/25 – Member One 

Russell Westbrook ($10,900 DK/$11,100 FD) – We typically kick this off with the player that we think has the highest odds at the most fantasy points on the slate. To my eye, Westy has to be front and center for that. Sure, he played like junk last game against these very Knicks but find me a Wizard that played well. He shot terribly, barely recorded any rebounds, and played under 30 minutes. He still hit 40 DK points. I have a hard time believing that he goes 3-14 from the field again and the Wizards will be ready to play after getting humbled the old country way on Tuesday night. Westbrook has mostly been on a tear and I’m looking to go right back to him. The 1.45 FPPM and 31.5% usage will be right back to the forefront tonight. 

Core Four Thursday 3/25 – Member Two

Mitchell Robinson DK/James Wiseman FD – On DK, I very well might go with a dual center approach but regardless, I’m interested in both big men. Let’s start with Robinson. He’s coming off an injury and in the first game back, he played just 16 minutes. That ballooned to 30 this past game and he smashed the Washington interior for 40 DK points. That shouldn’t be a huge surprise because Washington is last in paint points allowed and 28th in paint rebounds. Robinson is a limited player but this spot is tailor-made for him. 

Wiseman also flashed some potential last game that we should be very interested in. He’s been difficult to peg this year but Coach Steve Kerr did play him 25 minutes. That’s encouraging in and of itself. Now we add in that these teams both play at a top 12 pace and Sacramento is dead last in defensive rating. We saw last night that Clint Capela ripped up the interior of the Kings like it has been all season. They continue to be bottom-five in points allowed in the paint and 27th in rebounding. Don’t get me wrong, Wiseman is NOT Capela at this juncture. He’s also still an elite athlete at the center position and sports a 26.5% usage rate when Steph Curry is off the court. 

Core Four Thursday 3/25 – Member Three 

Trevor Ariza ($3,100 DK/$4,400 FD) – Alright, this one might look out of place with some of the other players so far. However, if we’re not playing cash games tonight we want to have a scrub to afford some serious star power. Ariza fits the bill for a couple of reasons. First off, he’s just flat out seeing minutes for the Heat. Ariza has only been there for three games and he’s played six, 19, and 23 minutes so far. He took nine shots last game and the matchup against Portland is great since they rank 29th in defensive rating. On top of all that, I’d be somewhat surprised if Miami didn’t make some kind of trade. They’re basically the same team that gave the Lakers a run for their money in the Finals last year. The window is right now for them and Pat Riley won’t sit on the sideline. I’ll take 24-ish minutes at this price tag all day, especially when that player is approaching 10 shots. 

Core Four Thursday 3/25 – Member Four 

De’Aaron Fox ($8,700 DK/$8,900 FD) – This game overall is the most appealing to me and although he is last on the list, any stack of it starts with Fox. The Warriors play at a top-three pace in the NBA and anytime we get Fox in a pace-up spot, we have to pay attention. He’s under $9,000 on both sites and even on FD, the investment of he and Westbrook at the PG position has my eyes (hence Wiseman at the center spot). With Bagley off the floor for the Kings, Fox sees a usage bump of 2.5% all the way up to 32.8%. Fox also sits sixth in drives per game and fourth in field goal attempts off drives to the hoop. Golden State is fourth-worst in paint points allowed. The usage rate for Fox is a massive number and the game should have the highest O/U of the evening. 

Thank you for reading my Core Four Thursday 3/25 and make sure you follow me on Twitter at @bucn4life! Be sure to sign up for an ALL ACCESS GOLD ACCOUNT account here at Win Daily Sports. Gain access to our Projection Models and jump into our Discord where we will have our experts talking plays across every sport and slate!