Sorare NBA GW 43 Primer | Seeing Red
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Sorare NBA GW 43 Primer | Seeing Red
Featuring a Thrilling Bulls Weekend, the MVP Race Heating Up, Value Picks & More
Welcome to the Sorare NBA Game Week 43 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 ⏮
It hasn’t been often that I get to feature my Chicago Bulls this year. In the midst of a disappointing season, there have been very few bright spots — but this weekend ranks near the top.
Following the addition of Patrick Beverley in the buyout market following the trade deadline, the vibes in Chicago have changed dramatically — and the on-court product is starting to show signs of life.
This weekend saw two emphatic wins over the Miami Heat and Minnesota Timberwolves, including a DeMar DeRozan signature performance — exploding for 49 points, 14 rebounds, four assists and three steals in Saturday’s victory. His 82 Sorare Point week led the slate by a wide margin, also providing the highest value at +48 above his L10 cap. DeRozan was trailed by MVP candidates Joel Embiid (68) and Nikola Jokic (63) on the weekend Game Week.
Some other players that provided significant value relative to their cap:
Jonas Valanciunas (55 Sorare Points, +33)
Mike Conley (58 Sorare Points, + 32)
Kevon Looney (55 Sorare Points, +30)
Jusuf Nurkic (49 Sorare Points, +30)
Wendell Carter Jr. (58 Sorare Points, +28)
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.
Another Game Week with some serious variance between appearances — with a bunch of teams having only one contest with the New York Knicks having three:
📈 3 Games: New York Knicks
📉 1 Game: Boston Celtics, Denver Nuggets, Detroit Pistons, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, Portland Trail Blazers, Toronto Raptors
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 20, but can give broader insights for the rest of the Game Week.
Ruled Out ❌
Lauri Markkanen, UTA (back), Ja Morant, MEM (conditioning, ruled out Monday but could return Wednesday), Jalen Suggs, ORL (concussion), Cody Martin, CHA (knee), Norman Powell, LAC (shoulder), Jordan Clarkson, UTA (finger),
Doubtful 🤕
Jae’Sean Tate, HOU (injury maintenance), Jaylen Nowell, MIN (knee)
Questionable ❓
Tim Hardaway Jr., DAL (illness), Kevin Huerter, SAC (knee), Jaren Jackson Jr., MEM (calf), Kyrie Irving, DAL (foot), Luka Doncic, DAL (thigh), Chris Duarte, IND (ankle), Bennedict Mathurin, IND (ankle), Kevon Looney, GSW (back), Austin Rivers, MIN (back), Naz Reid, MIN (calf), Rudy Gobert, MIN (ankle), Anthony Edwards, MIN (ankle), Javonte Green, CHI (knee), Alex Caruso, CHI (foot), PJ Tucker, PHI (ankle), Kyle Kuzma, WAS (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 42 Performance
Jaden Hardy, 16 L10, 4 Sorare Points (-12) 🤢
Josh Green, 14 L10, 9 Sorare Points (-5) ❌
TJ McConnell, 20 L10, 28 Sorare Points (+8) 🆗
Andrew Nembhard, 18 L10, 26 Sorare Points (+8) 🆗
Tyus Jones, 27 L10, 54 Sorare Points (+27) 🔥🔥
Jusuf Nurkic, 19 L10, 49 Sorare Points (+30) 🔥🔥🔥
Kessler Edwards, 5 L10, 15 Sorare Points (+10) 🔥
Blake Wesley, 11 L10, 21 Sorare Points (+9) 🆗
There is one man to blame for those first two failures:
Game Week 43 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.
Jonas Valanciunas | 22 L10 — It’s been a rocky road for the Pelicans, who have been plagued by injuries for the majority of the season. While their center position has been a revolving door of late, JoVal is finally back and healthy and has been surging of late. After being eased back into the lineup, the veteran big man has now seen over 30 minutes in each of the last two games — with that court time translating into 43 and 55 Sorare Points. His cap is still lagging behind at 22, meaning Valanciunas is looking like quite the bargain given his current role.
While he can be inconsistent at times, I’m riding the hot streak and hoping his form continues with games against the Spurs and Hornets (two teams that get routinely killed by bigs) on tap.
Also Consider: CJ McCollum (35 L10)
TJ McConnell | 22 L10 and Andrew Nembhard | 21 L10 — With Tyrese Haliburton still out and Chris Duarte and Bennedict Mathurin both questionable, there still looks to be a good chunk of value in the Indiana backcourt. TJ McConnell is currently in my Tyus Jones category — if he’s getting big minutes, you play him.
Andrew Nembhard has more of a solidified role even at full strength, but has capitalized on the extra burn to become a serious part of the offense. At just a 21 L10, his 30+ minutes per game and 25+ Sorare Points in four of the last five stand out as a nice option — especially if the others end up sitting.
Also Consider: Aaron Nesmith (23 L10), Jordan Nwora (25 L10)
John Collins | 16 L10 — It is absolutely wild to see an L10 of just 16 for someone who we felt was a potential star heading into the season, but here we are.
Has John Collins been absolutely awful this year? Yes. Does this feel too low for his true value? Also yes.
Collins has been trending better of late, going for 20+ Sorare Points in six of his last seven contests. While he hasn’t had a truly massive game in months, a 30+ output at just a 16 cap is pretty nice value. Collins has steady minutes, and Trae Young could miss one of the next few games due to suspension — opening up a bit more usage in the offense. While it doesn’t feel great, this cap level feels like a nice value target.
Also Consider: DeJounte Murray (36 L10), Onyeka Okongwu (23 L10)
Bonus Picks:
Jusuf Nurkic | 20 L10 — Running it back with big Nurk, who is coming off a 49 Sorare Point outing. Tremendous upside at a midtier price.
Kelly Olynyk | 27 L10 — Lauri Markkanen is ruled out for Monday, opening the door for more Olynyk minutes in at least one contest this week
Jaden McDaniels | 25 L10, Mike Conley | 26 L10 and Nickeil Alexander Walker | 15 L10 — Minnesota has just about their entire lineup questionable heading into this week, and Anthony Edwards is in a walking boot. You’ll need to monitor the team’s lineup statuses, but there could be some serious value if Edwards, Nowell, and Rivers are all out. Additionally, Naz Reid and Rudy Gobert are both questionable — potentially opening additional value in the frontcourt.
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