Sorare NBA GW 41 Primer | Buying the Bottom Feeders
Featuring a Giant Joker Performance, Mining Tanking Teams for Value, Top Slate Plays & More
Welcome to the Sorare NBA Game Week 41 Primer!
The next round of action kicks off today, and we're here to break down all the relevant information for the upcoming slate. Lineups lock at 6:50 p.m. EST — with the upcoming contests running Monday-Thursday.
Let’s get into all the action for this week of hoops:
Game Week Rewind ⏮
The Denver Nuggets are on a bit of a skid right now — but even a rough loss to the Nets didn’t stop Nikola Jokic from putting up a stat line fitting for a back-to-back MVP. His 35-point, 20-rebound, 11-assist effort on Sunday was good for 84 Sorare Points, topping the weekend slate by a large margin.
While not as gaudy as Jokic, another eye-popping stat line came from a more unexpected place — with Pelicans’ wing Trey Murphy exploding for a career-high 41 points, 9 3PT, and 7 rebounds on Sunday. That performance (64 Sorare Points) was the third-highest on the weekend, and continued an impressive six-game run for the budding star in New Orleans. At just a 23 L10 cap, Murphy’s +41 in Game Week 40 ranks as one of the top value plays of the year.
Some other players that provided significant value relative to their cap:
Isaiah Livers 47 Sorare Points, +34)
Talen Horton-Tucker (59 Sorare Points, + 34)
David Roddy (38 Sorare Points, +30)
Rudy Gobert (62 Sorare Points, +30)
Isaiah Jackson (47 Sorare Points, +29)
Multi-Game Monitor 🗓
In Sorare NBA, having a player with several games during a competition can be a big advantage — with an extra chance at a ceiling performance.
This week is a pretty strange one from a schedule perspective, with a lot of variance in the amount of contests. Several teams have three games, while plenty of others have just one — which should factor greatly into managers’ lineup decisions.
📈 3 Games: Detroit Pistons, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, Sacramento Kings
📉 1 Game: Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Chicago Bulls, Los Angeles Clippers, New Orleans Pelicans, New York Knicks, Philadelphia 76ers, Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards
Injury & Roster Info 🏥
Here are some notable (not all-inclusive) injury/lineup situations to monitor and plan for ahead of this week's games.
The information below is as of Monday, March 13, but can give broader insights for the rest of the Game Week.
Ruled Out ❌
Luka Doncic, DAL (thigh), Marvin Bagley, DET (ankle), Jaden Ivey, DET (health protocols), Jaylen Nowell, MIN (knee), Austin Rivers, MIN (back), Rudy Gobert, MIN (ankle), Myles Turner, IND (back), TJ McConnell, IND (back), Tyrese Haliburton, IND (knee)
Doubtful 🤕
Jalen Brunson, NYK (foot)
Questionable ❓
Duncan Robinson, MIA (illness), Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL (hand), Kyrie Irving, DAL (foot), Buddy Hield, IND (foot), Kyle Lowry, MIA (knee), Jordan Clarkson, UTA (finger), Bogdan Bogdanovic, ATL (back), Jonathan Kuminga, GSW (ankle)
As injury information is breaking at all hours prior to lineups locking, an excellent resource for up-to-date news is the Underdog NBA Twitter account.
Value Plays 🤑
Last Game Week's Value Pick Performances:
Player | L10 | GW 40 Performance
Tyus Jones, 18 L10, 36 Sorare Points (+18) 🔥🔥
Eugene Omoruyi, 4 L10, 17 Sorare Points (+13) 🔥🔥
Kelly Oubre, 26 L10, 41 Sorare Points (+15) 🔥🔥
Nick Richards, 16 L10, 41 Sorare Points (+25) 🔥🔥
Christian Wood, 24 L10, 16 Sorare Points (-8) ❌
Jaden Hardy, 12 L10, 29 Sorare Points (+17) 🔥🔥
Trey Murphy, 23 L10, 64 Sorare Points (+41) 🔥🔥🔥🔥
A pretty great weekend for value picks, other than a MASSIVELY disappointing outing from Christian Wood — who somehow got only 15 minutes despite both Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic missing the contest. Sad!
Game Week 41 Value Picks:
*Note — these selections are based purely on L10 value in lineups — and do not consider the auction or market prices of the players listed.
Killian Hayes | 22 L10, Isaiah Livers | 18 L10, and James Wiseman | 22 L10 — The lowly Pistons continue to be a goldmine for Sorare value. The revolving door of starters seems to be continuing this week, with both Marvin Bagley and Jaden Ivey already ruled out for Monday. Those two out means big role increases for Killian Hayes and James Wiseman, who both provided stellar production this weekend and should be in line for even more minutes.
The player who logged the most court-time on Saturday was Isaiah Livers (37 minutes), putting up 20 shots en route to a 47-point Sorare performance. At that usage and price point, Livers provides an excellent value as long as the minutes continue. Honestly, most of the Detroit rotation is currently at attractive L10 levels, and could all be in play with three games on the slate.
Also Consider: Cory Joseph (18 L10), Eugene Omoruyi (9 L10), RJ Hampton (10 L10), Rodney McGruder (10 L10)
Jaden Hardy | 13 L10 and Josh Green | 13 L10 — The Dallas Mavericks continue to flail, and Luka Doncic looks to remain sidelined with a thigh injury and is already ruled out for Monday. Kyrie Irving is questionable, but even if he returns there should be ample usage up for grabs in Doncic’s absence.
The biggest beneficiaries this weekend were Jaden Hardy and Josh Green, who saw over 30 minutes each and posted excellent lines in absence of the two Dallas stars. Both should be in play again, with an opportunity for big minutes at a cap of just 13 each.
Also Consider: Maxi Kleber (19 L10)
Andrew Nembhard | 16 L10 and Isaiah Jackson | 15 L10 — Like the Pistons, another team dealing with a rash of injuries is the Indiana Pacers — who have already ruled out Tyrese Haliburton, TJ McConnell, and Myles Turner for Monday’s contest (and Buddy Hield is questionable). That accounts for the vast majority of their usage, meaning we have a serious chance for others to step into the spotlight.
Two players who took advantage of the extra touches this weekend were Andrew Nembhard and Isaiah Jackson, and both should find themselves with ample opportunities this week. Nembhard went for 33 Sorare points and has now gone for 20+ in three straight, while Jackson is coming off a 47-point Sorare Performance and should handle the bulk of the center duties.
Also Consider: Chris Duarte (17 L10), Jalen Smith (13 L10)
Bonus Picks:
Trey Murphy | 24 L10 — Mentioned above, but on an absolute tear at a very affordable cap.
Tyus Jones | 24 L10 — Riding him for as long as Ja Morant remains out of the lineup!
Nick Richards | 17 L10 — Continues to see big minutes with Mark Williams nursing a thumb injury, and is producing with 41 and 37 in his last two.
Terrence Ross | 17 L10 — Has taken on more responsibility in the last two games since Kevin Durant went down, with 41 and 27 Sorare Points.
Live Before Lock 🔒
Got last-minute lineup questions? I'll be on Mike Zakarian / Team Hold's Live Before Lock stream every Monday and Friday at 5:30 PM EST (Thursday instead of Friday this week due to the ASB), breaking down all the news, lineup questions and value plays right before the Game Week locks. Join us for some fun (and giveaways) tonight!
Thanks for reading! — Ghost