For this week’s breakdown, I’ll be grabbing the top-5 games by overall points (DraftKings) and then diving a bit deeper into some potential value plays along the week. We all know the big names are going to get their bread, so you don’t need to me break it down for you.

TOP DFS Performers by points

1. Luka Doncic  had another hall of fame level performance against the Kings early in the week. He dropped a 34-20-12 line with two blocks and two triples as the Mavs took a win over the Kings. They’re now resting Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis in an effort to keep their stars 100 percent healthy heading into the playoffs, but whenever Doncic is playing, he’s almost a lock for top-3 production for that night’s slate, regardless of the opponent. He’s destined for greatness and even though it might not seem like it, he still has levels of improvement that can be made this offseason that can further improve his stock.
2. Damian Lillard has been one of the most consistent and high scoring players in the bubble and his game against the Nuggets was just another day in the office for Dame. He made headlines when he uncharacteristically missed a pair of free throws in crunch-time against the Clippers, but he’s still been spectacular. In a 10-point must-win game over the Nuggets, Dame dropped 45 points with 12 assists and hit 11 3-pointers. He’s an elite talent that should continue to post these gaudy numbers as the Blazers practically need to win every game from here on out to survive.
3. T.J. Warren is the bubble God. His best DFS game was against the Wizards, when he scored 34 points with 11 boards, four assists, three steals, four blocks and a 3-pointer. In five games played in the bubble, Warren has been the No. 2 fantasy player behind James Harden, averaging 34.8 points (the highest scorer in the bubble), 4.0 3s, 6.6 boards, 2.4 dimes, 1.6 steals and 1.4 blocks on .605 shooting. He’s not only scoring at an insane rate, he’s getting it done on defense. It’s time to believe in Warren (for now).
4. Anthony Davis destroyed Rudy Gobert on primetime to the joy of Lakers fans and the despair of Jazz fans. Yes, Rudy Gobert is a great defender, but it’s an offensively driven league and Davis is one of the top talents in the league. He’s an MVP-level player that impacts the game on both ends of the floor. The issue with him is that the Lakers (and previously the Pelicans) have trouble getting Davis into a rhythm. Although he’s a big man, feeding him in the post is not the way to get him going and without LeBron James in the lineup, you can essentially fade Davis as the Lakers role players don’t know how to feed him the ball. Against the Jazz with LeBron James, Anthony Davis posted a 42-12-3-4-1 game with four triples. In his outing against the Rockets without LeBron he posted a measly 17-12-3 line with zero 3-point attempts.
5. James Harden will always find his way on to the top performers list in fantasy basketball in any format because he’s an offensive engine by himself. He’s actually played superb defense in the bubble (and not just by his own standards) and with Ben Simmons out for the remainder of the year, Harden will finish the season as the NBA’s steals leader. His line against the Kings was 39-8-12-3-1 with five triples. All near his averages and the Rockets are boasting one of the best defenses in the bubble thanks to his extra focus on that end. Harden is No. 2 in deflections and elite in post-defense. This season he’s averaging 1.8 steals and 0.9 blocks while allowing some of the fewest points per play on post-ups. Time to kill the narrative.

Value Plays

Teams are going to be resting their star players in the final week of the bubble to ensure their guys are fully healthy. This opens up a ton of value plays for every slate. Keep an eye out on Boban Marjanovic if Kristaps Porzingis is going to miss time. He’s a flier level pick, but still worth keeping an eye on for your last roster spot.

A player I really like is Jevon Carter, who is an absolute dog on defense. The Suns are thriving in the bubble and Carter has been instrumental on the defensive end of the floor, hounding players and making life miserable for his opponents. It’s translating to the box score as well. Cameron Johnson is another value play I like as well with Kelly Oubre Jr. still sidelined. Johnson has earned his minutes and has been making plays off the dribble as well which has given the Suns a much needed second dimension from their wing players not named Devin Booker, who has also been phenomenal.

Ben McLemore has been one of the best catch-and-shoot players in the league and Russell Westbrook makes his return to the lineup on Tuesday with James Harden sitting. I like McLemore at that spot as Russ generates a ton of open 3-point looks. This means that the Rockets will likely sit Westbrook for Wednesday’s game and play Eric Gordon and James Harden. I’m going to fade Eric Gordon for Wednesday and play Jeff Green who has been one of the best short-roll partners for the Beard.

Michael Porter Jr. is being priced up again and I still think he’s got a lot of room to develop, but in the bubble, the Nuggets are better when they give him the ball so I expect him to be a much more consistent play than he was prior to the resumption. This is of course considering the the fact that Will Barton and Gary Harris are still going to be out for a bit.

Keldon Johnson and Drew Eubanks are the latest names you can add to the ever growing list of Spurs players that come out of no where and deliver value. When Derrick White exited with a knee injury, Johnson stepped up and hit some big free throws to help take the game over the lethargic Pelicans. I like both of them as cheap plays to fill in your roster.

The Pelicans are going to be resting most of their core guys after being eliminated by the Spurs. This opens up minutes for guys like Nickeil Alexander-Walker to give us some solid streaming and plug-in value.

Timothte Luwawu-Cabarrot is going to have to get some more buckets now with the Sixers playing without Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. We all know how good Shake Milton can be, but add TLC to that list as well.

Also, he’s not a value play, but Caris LeVert is the truth and is going to be an All-Star level player sooner rather than later. The Nets are surprising opponents thanks to the effort from all of their guys, but LeVert has been the driving force for many of their big Ws in the bubble. He’s been great.