Wednesday features a five-game slate starting at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Let’s dive into some of the top plays using the FantasyLabs Tools and metrics.
Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 150 lineups, or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.
Note: Projections and Leverages Scores/Ratings may change throughout the day after this article is posted. The NBA DFS landscape changes quickly.
Consult the Player Models directly for any updates as we get closer to lock.
Point Guard
Stud
The Kings have been extremely shorthanded recently, and they’re going to be without a bunch of key options again on Wednesday. De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell are out at point guard, so Tyrese Haliburton should be asked to carry a massive workload. He’s taken full advantage of their absences recently, scoring at least 42.0 DraftKings points in four straight games. He’s also racked up at least 51.5 DraftKings points in each of his past two.
Haliburton has gotten a bit more expensive over that time frame, but he’s still underpriced across the industry given his recent production.
Value
The Hawks are the latest team to be hit hard by COVID-19. They’ve placed a host of players in health and safety protocols, including Trae Young, Clint Capela, Danilo Gallinari, and Lou Williams.
That leaves Delon Wright as the team’s likely starting point guard. He’s a mediocre per-minute producer – he’s averaged 0.75 DraftKings points per minute this season – but that’s not a big deal at his current salary. He’s currently projected for 32 minutes in our NBA Models, and players with comparable salaries and minute projections have historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +2.71 (per the Trends tool).
Fast Break
Cole Anthony has missed the past two games for the Magic, and he’s questionable for Wednesday’s matchup vs. the Hawks. He stands out as one of the best pure values at the position on FanDuel if he’s able to suit up. His $7,400 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 98%, and his matchup vs. the Hawks results in an Opponent Plus/Minus of +2.72.
Darius Garland is also massively underpriced on FanDuel. His $7,200 price tag comes with a Bargain Rating of 99%, and he’s been the Cavaliers’ best player recently. He’s going to be asked to do even more on Wednesday given the team’s absences, and he leads the position with nine Pro Trends.
Shooting Guard
Stud
Let’s stick with the Kings at shooting guard. Buddy Hield has also seen a massive spike in playing time recently. He’s logged at least 36.8 minutes in three straight games, and he’s cracked 39.5 in each of his past two. Hield has responded with at least 35.75 DraftKings points in back-to-back games, which is not surprising given his average of 0.94 DraftKings points per minute. Like Haliburton, he’s gotten significantly more expensive recently, but he should still be able to pay off this price tag.
Value
Cam Reddish is another member of the Hawks who should take on a larger role on Wednesday. He’s currently projected for 26 minutes in our NBA Models, and that should be enough for him to return value at his current salary. His $3,700 price tag on DraftKings comes with a Bargain Rating of 86%, and players with comparable salaries and minute projections have historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +2.78.
Fast Break
Jaylen Brown has been eased back into the Celtics’ rotation, but he’s coming off 34.4 minutes in his last outing. He responded with 45.0 FanDuel points, and Brown has averaged 1.05 FanDuel points per minute this season. He’s underpriced at just $7,500 on FanDuel, resulting in a Bargain Rating of 99%.
Will Barton is an interesting buy-low target. His minutes have been down recently, but the Nuggets have played in back-to-back blowouts. Barton has served as the Nuggets’ No. 2 option with Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray out of the lineup, and he’s averaged 0.91 FanDuel points per minute this season. If his workload returns to normal on Wednesday, he should provide excellent value at just $5,700.
Small Forward
Stud
Khris Middleton has missed the past three games for the Bucks, but he’s not on the injury report for Wednesday’s matchup vs. the Rockets. That makes him an interesting option. His ownership could be down following his absence, and the Bucks are in an elite spot. Not only are they going to be without Giannis Antetokounmpo, but their implied team total of 117.0 ranks first on the slate.
Value
The Cavaliers are yet another team with plenty of absences on Wednesday’s slate. They’re extremely thin in the frontcourt, with Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen both out due to health and safety protocols.
Cedi Osman racked up 27.1 minutes in the Cavs’ last game, and he’s capable of doing a lot of damage with that much playing time. He’s averaged 1.01 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he racked up 39.25 DraftKings points in his last outing. He’s underpriced at just $4,500 on DraftKings.
Fast Break
Lauri Markkanen could be the preferred option for the Cavaliers on FanDuel. He hasn’t been nearly as productive as Osman recently – he’s averaged 0.73 FanDuel points per minute over the past month – but he’s expected to see significantly more playing time on Wednesday.
Harrison Barnes leads the position with 10 Pro Trends on FanDuel, where his $6,100 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 95%. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in each of his past four games, and his playing time has ramped up over that time frame. He’s played at least 36.4 minutes in each of his past three games, and he’s simply too cheap if he’s going to continue to play that much.
Power Forward
Stud
John Collins is another member of the Hawks with more appeal than usual on Wednesday. He should see some additional minutes and usage with Young and Capela out of the lineup, and he’s increased his production to 1.10 DraftKings points per minute with both players off the court this season. Collins has posted a positive Plus/Minus in three of his past four games, so you can make the argument that he’d be underpriced even if the team was at full strength. He was priced up to $7,600 just two games ago, so I’ll gladly pay $7,100 given the current roster.
Value
Kevin Love also has the potential to see a few additional minutes for the Cavaliers, and that should be extremely appealing to fantasy players. Love has been an absolute monster recently. He’s increased his production to 1.45 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he’s racked up at least 32.75 DraftKings points in three of his past five games. He hasn’t played more than 23.8 minutes in any of those contests, and he’s currently projected for 29 minutes in our NBA Models. That gives him an elite ceiling for his price tag.
Editor’s note: Love was recently listed as questionable with an foot injury.
Fast Break
The Kings could get Richaun Holmes back on this slate, but if he’s out, Chimezie Metu will be worth consideration once again. He’s been an excellent source of value recently, posting an average Plus/Minus of +6.18 over his past 10 games on DraftKings. He’s averaged 0.96 DraftKings points per minute this season, so he should continue to provide value as long as he’s playing heavy minutes.
Robert Williams has PF eligibility on FanDuel, and he’s one of the lone remaining center options for the Celtics. He’s racked up at least 29 minutes in back-to-back games, and he’s averaged 0.97 FanDuel points per minute this season. He’s underpriced at just $5,600.
Center
Stud
Nikola Jokic remains the top stud in fantasy basketball. He’s coming off a subpar 49.5 DraftKings points in his last outing, but he was limited to just 26.1 minutes in a blowout win. With that in mind, his production was actually still pretty impressive. He had scored at least 61.5 DraftKings points in each of his previous six contests, and he should return to that level of production if he plays his usual number of minutes on Wednesday. Jokic has averaged an absurd 1.86 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, which is easily the top mark in the league. He should do some serious damage vs. the Thunder, who have no real answer for him.
Value
DeMarcus Cousins has gotten a chance to shine for the Bucks recently. He racked up 27.2 minutes in their last game, and he responded with 41.0 DraftKings points. He’s averaged 1.21 DraftKings points per minute in limited playing time this season, and he should continue to see a few additional minutes given the team’s absences. He’s underpriced at just $4,400 on DraftKings given his Bargain Rating of 96%.
Fast Break
Gorgui Dieng is another potential source of value at the position. He’s priced at just $3,100 on DraftKings, and he should see a few additional minutes on Wednesday’s slate. He’s averaged 1.09 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, so he doesn’t need a ton of playing time to potentially return value.
Enes Kanter played more than 40 minutes for the Celtics on Monday, and that gives him an insane ceiling. He’s averaged 1.00 FanDuel points per minute this season, and he’s historically been one of the best per-minute producers in the league. His $4,300 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 92%.
