It's a question that many fantasy managers have already been asking themselves: which players are worth targeting for the post-trade deadline portion of the season? By then, the ambitions of most teams will be clear. While the Play-In Tournament has kept some teams from shifting into "tank mode," there are still some that will go all-out to improve their draft lottery odds.

And trades open the door for others to step up, especially if we're talking about a young player whose opportunities increase once a veteran player is moved elsewhere. Below are some players who are worth using a transaction on to stash ahead of the February 5 trade deadline.

PF/C Collin Murray-Boyles, Toronto Raptors

Murray-Boyles is one of the few players on this list playing for teams that still harbor legitimate postseason ambitions. At the time of publishing, the Raptors were 29-20, sitting in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. However, due to the uncertainty surrounding Jakob Poeltl and his lingering back injury, the rookie out of South Carolina has been given a role more critical than many anticipated when training camp opened.

Murray-Boyles, who returned from a left thumb injury in a January 28 loss to the Knicks, has started the last 10 games he's appeared in, averaging 9.9 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.6 blocks in 30.5 minutes while shooting 56.8 percent from the field. While category-league managers won't get any three-point production from CMB, he does just about everything else. And given the current role, Murray-Boyles is a much safer option than stashing a player with the hope that minutes will be freed up after the trade deadline.

SG/SF Max Christie, Dallas Mavericks

Sure, it has been reported that the Mavericks want to see Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving on the court together at some point this season. But the reality of the situation is this: they trail the scalding hot Clippers by five games in the loss column for the final play-in spot in the Western Conference, and the 2026 first-round pick is the last that Dallas has complete control over until 2031. Adding a promising young talent who would be on Flagg's timeline should be the priority, but we'll see.

Christie, who turns 23 just a few days after the trade deadline, should be safe from having the plug pulled on his season if the Mavericks decide to prioritize their draft lottery odds. And he's been productive when on the floor, averaging 17.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 2.9 three-pointers in 32.2 minutes since New Year's Day. Age-wise, he's closer to aligning with Flagg's timeline than Davis or Irving, and the same can also be said for Dallas' 2026 draft pick.

C Moussa Diabaté, Charlotte Hornets

Given how well they've played recently, the Hornets have no reason not to try to make a run at a postseason spot. Charlotte has won its last five games and now trails 10th-place Chicago by three games in the loss column. Diabaté, who played well enough last season to earn a standard contract, has been a factor in the middle, holding onto the starting job after rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner returned from a left elbow injury.

Diabaté has started every game that he's been available for since December 23, averaging 9.5 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.2 blocks in 29.6 minutes, shooting 68.8 percent from the field. The energy that he brings to the floor has made a difference for Charlotte, and playing time should not be an issue for Diabaté as the Hornets look to earn a play-in spot.

PG/SG Bub Carrington, SF/PF Justin Champagnie and SG/SF Tre Johnson, Washington Wizards

Given how young the Wizards' roster is, multiple players stand to gain value in the post-deadline portion of the schedule. Of the three listed here, Johnson offers the highest upside for managers seeking scoring. The rookie out of Texas, who sprained his left ankle during a January 29 win over the Bucks, entered that game having averaged 16.1 points and 2.8 three-pointers in his previous ten games.

Carrington's case is an interesting one, in that his fantasy prospects did not look good in the immediate aftermath of Washington acquiring Trae Young from the Hawks. However, Young has yet to appear in a game as he continues to recover from knee and quad injuries, and his playing time may be limited once he's cleared to play. Carrington's production hasn't been the best, but he'll continue to have opportunities to play rotation minutes. Also, he started the second half of that win over Milwaukee following Johnson's ankle injury. As for Champagnie, he has been close to a top-100 player over the past two weeks and can fill multiple roles for the Wizards.

SG/SF/PF Ace Bailey and SF/PF Brice Sensabaugh, Utah Jazz

Like the Wizards, the Jazz are in a position where the clear priority during the post-deadline portion of the season will be to get their young players as much playing time as possible. Bailey has been in the starting lineup since mid-November, with the only two non-starts in his last 32 appearances being games in which his playing time was restricted for injury management reasons. He's averaged 12.8 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.8 three-pointers during this stretch, shooting 47.5 percent from the field. Hopefully, Bailey will bring more consistent production in categories other than points.

Sensabaugh has been used mainly in a reserve role since mid-January, but that hasn't stopped him from putting up some gaudy numbers. His 43-point outburst in a January 14 loss to the Bulls began a three-game stretch in which he scored 95 points on 61.4 percent shooting. Unfortunately, he would miss the next two games, but the Jazz forward has averaged 19.3 points and 3.0 three-pointers over his last three. Like Bailey, category league managers will want to see more from Sensabaugh in the other categories, but there's no denying that he can put up points and three-pointers.

PG Egor Dëmin, PF/C Noah Clowney and C Day’Ron Sharpe, Brooklyn Nets

Brooklyn made its priorities clear before the season began, with team governor Joe Tsai saying in October that the team hoped to get a good pick in the 2026 draft. Of the five players the Nets selected in the first round of the 2025 draft, Dëmin has been the most valuable to fantasy managers and the only one able to lock down a spot in the starting lineup. While back-to-backs are a concern due to the foot injury that limited him during the preseason, the guard out of BYU has averaged 11.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 0.8 steals and 3.0 three-pointers since the beginning of January.

Clowney had been a fixture in the Nets' starting lineup since the beginning of the season, but he's missed the last three games with a back injury. That said, he's averaging career-highs in points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and three-pointers. With there still being plenty of room for Clowney to grow, however, he should be safe from a late-season shutdown. Last but not least is Sharpe, who could benefit immensely if the Nets were to lighten starting center Nic Claxton's workload. He has averaged 9.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 steals in 21.9 minutes since New Year's Day, shooting nearly 60 percent from the field.

SG/SF Nique Clifford and C Maxime Raynaud, Sacramento Kings

If the Kings were to move a few of their veterans before the deadline, 2025 draft picks Clifford and Raynaud would be first in line to benefit in terms of playing time. With Zach LaVine missing two games with a back injury, Clifford has started the Kings' last three games. While the production hasn't been great, the opportunity is what stands out. As for Raynaud, he's returned to the bench after starting for well over a month as the Kings were without Domantas Sabonis. The 7-foot-1 center recorded six double-doubles as a starter, averaging 11.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.3 assists in 27.2 minutes while shooting 55.2 percent from the field.

SF/PF Saddiq Bey, New Orleans Pelicans

The Pelicans trail the Clippers by 13 games in the loss column for the final play-in spot; it's not impossible, but it's doubtful the Pelicans get into the mix. Bey, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL, has started every game that he's been available for since November 5. During this stretch, he's averaged 17.2 points, 6.3 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 1.0 steals and 1.8 three-pointers in 31.3 minutes, shooting 44.8 percent from the field. And given the pecking order in New Orleans, the team may prioritize lightening the workloads of players like Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy and Herb Jones down the stretch rather than Bey.

SF/PF Jarace Walker, Indiana Pacers

While Walker's first three seasons have been mainly underwhelming, his production and opportunities have increased in recent weeks. A double-digit scorer in four straight and five of his last six appearances, the Pacers' forward has averaged 11.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 2.1 three-pointers since January 1, shooting 48.7 percent from the field and 5.18 percent from three. Also, Walker has averaged 26.7 minutes per game over his last six appearances, making four starts. Even if Obi Toppin were to return from foot surgery at some point, that should not hurt Walker's opportunities to earn minutes.