Wednesday features an 11-game slate starting at 7 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
Trae Young has played some of his best basketball of the season recently. He’s racked up at least 55.5 DraftKings points in three of his past four games, and he’s increased his production to 1.48 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. That trails only Dejounte Murray and LeBron James among Wednesday’s point guards, but Young is significantly cheaper than both players.
He takes the floor in a favorable spot on Wednesday. He’s facing the Magic, who rank merely 23rd in defensive efficiency. The Hawks’ implied team total of 117.75 is also the fourth-highest mark on the slate.
Value
Ish Smith was acquired by the Wizards before the trade deadline, and he’s wasted little time making an impact for his new squad. He’s played at least 19.6 minutes in his first two contests, and he’s responded with at least 21.0 DraftKings points in each. Smith is an excellent per-minute producer, averaging 0.92 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, so he should continue to pay off his minimal salary.
Fast Break
Derrick White was a massive addition for the Celtics before the trade deadline, and he has the potential to provide value for DFS players as well. He’s been priced down to $5,800 on DraftKings, and he’s currently projected for 34 minutes in our NBA Models. White has averaged 1.02 DraftKings points per minute this season, so that should be enough for him to return value.
Josh Giddey is coming off a monster performance in his last outing, finishing with 55.2 FanDuel points thanks to a triple-double. He leads the point guard position with 14 Pro Trends on FanDuel, where his $7,200 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 96%.
Shooting Guard
Stud
The Suns are a tough team to figure out on Wednesday. On one hand, they’re in an absolute smash spot vs. the Rockets. The Rockets rank second in pace and last in defensive efficiency, making them the best possible matchup from a DFS perspective. The Suns’ implied team total of 124.75 is the top mark on the slate by a sizable margin.
On the other hand, the Suns have the potential to run the Rockets out of the gym. They’re listed as 15.5-point favorites, which makes targeting their star players a bit risky. If they can build up a big lead early, it could result in reduced minutes.
Still, I’m willing to roll the dice on Devin Booker in this spot. His price has come down a bit from its peak, decreasing by -$1,200 over the past 11 games on DraftKings. If this game is more competitive than expected, Booker has the potential to be one of the top scorers on the slate.
Value
Aaron Wiggins is coming off nearly 34 minutes in his last contest, and while he finished with just 12.25 DraftKings points, that’s a lot of playing time for someone priced at the absolute minimum. He’s currently projected for another 33 minutes in our NBA Models, and min-priced players have historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +6.46 with a comparable minute projection (per the Trends tool). In other words, expect a stronger showing from him vs. the Spurs.
Fast Break
Quentin Grimes has started to earn more playing time for the Knicks. He’s coming off more than 40 minutes in his last outing, and he’s racked up at least 31.1 minutes in three straight games. His price has jumped to $4,100 on DraftKings, but that still results in a Bargain Rating of 94%.
The Celtics are expected to be a bit thinner than usual on Wednesday. Marcus Smart and Robert Williams are both doubtful, so Jaylen Brown could be looking at a few additional minutes. Brown has three performances with at least 40.9 FanDuel points over his past five games, so his $7,800 salary is very reasonable.
Small Forward
Stud
Kyle Kuzma’s price tag has skyrocketed recently, and he’s up to $8,600 on DraftKings. There’s definitely a bit of sticker shock with Kuzma at that number, but it’s hard to argue that he doesn’t deserve it. He’s scored at least 46.5 DraftKings points in two of three games since the trade deadline, and he’s averaged 1.20 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. He should continue to carry a monster workload for the Wizards with Bradley Beal injured and Spencer Dinwiddie in Dallas.
Value
The Nets are playing on the road on Wednesday, but they will not have Kyrie Irving available. The game is being played at Madison Square Garden, so Irving is still ineligible to suit up. That’s going to leave them with a small crew to try and secure a victory.
Bruce Brown is someone who should be able to pick up the slack. He’s priced at just $4,000 on DraftKings, resulting in a perfect 100% Bargain Rating. Brown racked up 52.0 DraftKings points in nearly 38 minutes in his last outing, giving him tantalizing upside.
Fast Break
Jaden McDaniels has played at least 30.2 minutes in three of his past four games, and he’s taken advantage of the additional playing time. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in each of them, and he erupted for 41.5 DraftKings points in his last outing. He remains underpriced across the industry.
OG Anunoby has failed to return value in each of his past four games, which has caused his salary to drop to just $5,700 on FanDuel. He’s a very appealing buy-low candidate at that price tag. He continues to play all the minutes he can handle – he’s currently projected for 37 minutes vs. the Timberwolves – and he would see a boost in value if Fred VanVleet is forced to miss his second-straight game. He’s increased his usage rate by +2.4% with FVV off the floor, resulting in an average of 1.02 FanDuel points per minute.
Power Forward
Stud
The top options at power forward are a bit uninspiring on Wednesday’s slate. With that in mind, I don’t mind paying down a bit for Jerami Grant. His production has been mediocre since rejoining the Pistons’ rotation, but he’s still averaged 0.98 DraftKings points per minute for the year. He’s coming off 32.3 minutes in his last outing, which was his top mark over the past eight games. If he continues to see that much playing time moving forward, the results should come.
Value
Jalen Smith fouled out in just 17.1 minutes in his last outing, but that didn’t stop him from scoring 25.25 DraftKings points. He managed 36.0 DraftKings points over 23.2 minutes in his previous contest, so he’s capable of doing plenty of damage in limited minutes. Smith also moved into the Pacers’ starting lineup in their last game, so he has the potential for more playing time moving forward. He’s a steal at just $3,900 on DraftKings.
Fast Break
Al Horford has been a bit of a rollercoaster this season. There are some games where he plays more than 30 minutes and others where he plays less than 20. However, it seems like the Celtics will need him on Wednesday with Williams doubtful. If Horford hits the high-end of his minute projection – he’s currently projected for 29 minutes in our NBA Models – he’s underpriced across the industry. Horford has averaged 1.01 DraftKings points per minute this season.
Wendell Carter Jr. has played some excellent basketball recently, and he’s averaged 1.17 FanDuel points per minute over the past month. He went for 52.4 FanDuel points in his last outing, but he remains very reasonably priced at just $6,900 given his Bargain Rating of 87%.
Center
Stud
Clint Capela isn’t priced like a stud at just $5,300 on DraftKings, but he has stud-like upside vs. the Magic. He has historically been an excellent per-minute producer, and he’s averaged 1.15 DraftKings points per minute this season. He’s also seen more playing time following the injury to John Collins. Capela has logged at least 30.5 minutes in back-to-back games, and while his production in those contests has been lacking, the upside is clearly there.
Value
Isaiah Roby stands out as an excellent source of value at just $3,400. He’s started each of the Thunder’s past two games, and he’s logged at least 22.1 minutes in both. Roby has averaged 0.91 DraftKings points per minute this season, so he should continue to provide value at such a cheap price tag.
Fast Break
There are very few true studs on Wednesday’s slate, so paying up for Nikola Jokic is definitely a viable strategy. His fantasy production has been down recently, posting an average Plus/Minus of -5.05 over his past 10 games on DraftKings, but that’s been due more to a lack of playing time than poor production. He’s still averaged a stout 1.86 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, but the Nuggets have played in some uncompetitive contests of late. No one on this slate can match his ceiling, even in a tough matchup vs. the Warriors.
Jusuf Nurkic leads the position with 12 Pro Trends on FanDuel, where his $7,600 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 96%. He’s been forced to take on a slightly larger role for the shorthanded Blazers recently, and he’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in six of his past seven games. The only game he failed to return value was a blowout loss where he played just 25.2 minutes.
