Fantasy Basketball Week 18: Who's hot and who's not, and an All-Star DFS target

Ameer Tyree goes over three studs and a dud from Thursday alongside a desirable All-Star break DFS target

This year's final slate before the 2022 All-Star break took place on Thursday. Five teams hit the hardwood ahead of Friday and a trio of All-Star participants led the way in Fantasy production. Luka Doncic's hot streak continued against the New Orleans Pelicans, and we'll go over two other studs with a dud before discussing an ALl-Star break DFS standout. 

Who's hot

Donic is playing at a ridiculous level ahead of the All-Star break. The Mavericks superstar tallied 49 points, 15 rebounds, eight assists, and seven triples against the Pelicans on Thursday. He's scored at least 45 points in three of his past five games and averaged 35 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 7.0 assists per game in Week 18. Kristaps Porzingis's departure appears to have raised Doncic's Fantasy potential.

McCollum's wasted no time stepping in as a dynamic scorer with the Pelicans. The former Trail Blazers combo guard totaled 38 points against the Mavericks on Thursday and is averaging 28.4 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game with New Orleans. He's taken at least 21 shots in four of the five games he's spent with the Pelicans. His rising shot volume could help him improve his Fantasy standing in the back half of the season.

The Hornets are loving what Harrell has provided as a scoring big off the bench, and his amazing productivity has contributed to his increase in playing time. He amassed 24 points and eight rebounds in 43 minutes in a loss to the Heat on Thursday. He's averaged 17.8 points and 7.5 rebounds on 65.1 percent shooting. No other reserve big will return as much value as Harrell if Charlotte continues to play him 32 minutes per game. 

Who's not

Dinwiddie's perceived Fantasy value hasn't been this low in a long time. Dallas acquired the former Wizards guard to unload Porzingis's massive contract, and he's taken a back seat to Doncic and Jalen Brunson through his first two games with the Mavericks. While Dinwiddie's averaged nearly 27 minutes per game since being traded, he has tallied just 6.0 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per contest through two outings. 

DFS Target

Allen was an injury replacement, but shouldn't be slept on in this year's All-Star game. Nikola Jokic is set to start for Team LeBron, but the four-time All-Star has never even played 20 minutes on All-Star Weekend. He's carrying a heavy workload for the Nuggets and clearly prioritizes the regular season over exhibitions. James hasn't eclipsed 20 minutes in two years either, so there should be plenty of opportunities for reserve frontcourt players to contribute. Giannis Antetokounmpo often goes all out, but I love the odds of Allen playing a major role against an opposing team that can deploy Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns off the bench.