Wednesday features a 13-game slate starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Let’s dive into some of the top plays on the slate 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
Steph Curry has been fantastic to start the year, leading the Warriors to a 15-2 record and vaulting himself to the top of the MVP discussion. He’s been fantastic from a fantasy perspective as well, leading all point guards with an average of 1.44 FanDuel points per minute.
He’s coming off a rare down performance in his last game, but he had posted a positive Plus/Minus in each of his previous four contests. That caused his salary to dip to just $10,500 on FanDuel for Wednesday’s matchup vs. the 76ers, resulting in a Bargain Rating of 95%. He’s an excellent bounce-back target.
Value
The Magic have ruled out Cole Anthony for the third straight game, which means Jalen Suggs should be looking at another expanded workload. Suggs has increased his usage rate by a team-high +8.1% in games without Anthony, and he leads the team with a 34.4% usage rate in those contests. He’s averaged 0.94 DraftKings points per minute in those games despite an effective field goal percentage of 30.4%, so he has room for improvement moving forward. Perhaps that will happen against the Hornets, who rank merely 22nd in defensive efficiency.
Suggs stands out as an excellent value at $4,800 on DraftKings given his Bargain Rating of 86%.
Fast Break
Cory Joseph is another nice source of value at the point guard position. The Pistons are playing shorthanded at the moment, with Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart, and Kelly Olynyk all out of the lineup. Joseph is coming off 34.3 minutes with all three players out on Wednesday, and he responded with 29.5 DraftKings points. He’s underpriced across the industry, especially given his Opponent Plus/Minus of +2.4 vs. the Pacers.
Darius Garland is questionable for the Cavaliers, and his status is going to be vital on this slate. If he’s active, Garland stands out as a strong option at just $7,000 on FanDuel. He’s carried a large workload for the Cavs since the injury to Collin Sexton, scoring at least 44.5 FanDuel points in two of his past three games. If he’s out, Ricky Rubio becomes a much stronger play. Rubio has increased his usage rate to 33.8% with Garland, Sexton, and Evan Mobley off the court this season, resulting in an average of 1.20 DraftKings points per minute.
Shooting Guard
Stud
There are plenty of strong options to consider at the top of the shooting guard position on Wednesday, but C.J. McCollum stands out as one of the best. He’s fairly priced across the industry, and he benefits from an excellent matchup vs. the Kings. They rank just 26th in defensive efficiency, and the Blazers’ implied team total of 114.75 ranks first on the slate. McCollum is coming off 46.1 FanDuel points in his last outing, and he should continue to pick up the slack for Damian Lillard. Lillard is playing through an injury, which has limited his effectiveness to start the year.
Value
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss his second straight game for the Thunder, so Josh Giddey should serve as the team’s primary playmaker. Giddey hasn’t seen much of a usage bump with SGA off the court this season, but he has increased his assist rate by +6.8% and his rebound rate by +2.7%. He thrived in his first game with Gilgeous-Alexander, racking up 40.25 DraftKings points over 31.1 minutes.
Giddey owns a tough matchup vs. the Jazz, but he’s simply too cheap at $6,000 on FanDuel given his Bargain Rating of 91%. His 13 Pro Trends also rank first on FanDuel regardless of the position.
Fast Break
Dejounte Murray has gotten most of the attention for the Spurs this season, but Derrick White has also provided solid fantasy value at times. He’s averaged 0.88 DraftKings points per minute this season, and he’s coming off 38.5 DraftKings points over 39.5 minutes in his last outing. He’s currently projected for 33 minutes in our NBA Models, and he’s underpriced if he’s going to continue to see that much playing time.
I don’t think anyone expected DeMar DeRozan to have this large of an impact on the Bulls. He’s coming off a down performance in his last game, but he posted a positive Plus/Minus in each of his five previous contests. He’s a strong target on FanDuel given his Bargain Rating of 91%.
Small Forward
Stud
Kevin Durant’s season has probably been a bit overlooked. He’s had to deal with the absence of Kyrie Irving and the ineffectiveness of James Harden, and Durant has responded by leading the league in scoring. Overall, he’s averaged 1.31 FanDuel points per minute.
Durant is a viable stud target at $10,300 on FanDuel given his Bargain Rating of 95%. His matchup vs. the Celtics is also solid, resulting in an Opponent Plus/Minus of +1.87.
Value
Josh Hart has been a consistent source of value for the Pelicans recently. He’s scored at least 34.9 in four of his past five games, yet his salary has played pretty stagnant. His ability to rack up rebounds makes him a better per-minute producer than the typical wing in this price range, and he’s seen plenty of minutes recently.
Fast Break
Franz Wagner is another nice source of value for the Magic on Wednesday. He’s coming off two straight poor games, but he’s seen reduced minutes in each of those contests. Prior to that, he had logged at least 28.25 DraftKings points in three straight games. He should see more minutes if today’s game is more competitive, making him an elite option at just $3,900 on DraftKings.
Cody Martin is even cheaper on DraftKings, and he’s seen a solid handful of minutes for the Hornets recently. He’s played at least 26.5 minutes in five straight games, and he’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in four of them.
Power Forward
Stud
Rick Carlisle challenged his starters to play with more effort recently, and so far, the results are promising. The team has recorded two straight blowout wins, and Domantas Sabonis has been elite on a per-minute basis in those contests. He’s racked up at least 40.2 FanDuel points in both games, and he’s played 26.3 minutes or less in both contests. He’s also posted a usage rate of at least 32.1% in both contests, which represents a significant increase from his regular-season average.
If Sabonis can combine his increased per-minute efficiency with a few additional minutes on Wednesday, he could put together a massive performance. He’s underpriced across the industry.
Value
Chuma Okeke is one of the Magic’s most promising young players, and he’s coming off his best performance of the year in his last outing. His playing time should continue to increase moving forward, so he’s an appealing option at just $4,000 on FanDuel.
Fast Break
Bam Adebayo has dual PF/C eligibility on FanDuel, and he’s a much more appealing option on that site. He’s priced at just $8,000, resulting in a Bargain Rating of 87%. He also owns an elite matchup vs. the Timberwolves given his Opponent Plus/Minus of +3.87.
Jaren Jackson Jr. is coming off his best game of the season in his last outing. He racked up 46.0 DraftKings points over 33.8 minutes, and his rare combination of perimeter shooting and defensive prowess was on full display. He racked up four 3-pointers and four steals + blocks, and very few players are capable of hitting both of those thresholds. That gives him excellent upside.
Center
Stud
Karl-Anthony Towns seems a bit underpriced compared to the other studs on Wednesday’s slate. Guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Durant, and Curry are all priced at $11,400 or greater on DraftKings, which makes Towns feel like a Bargain at $9,400. Of course, Towns hasn’t been nearly as productive as those players this year, averaging 1.31 DraftKings points per minute. Towns has historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +2.13 with a comparable salary (per the Trends tool), so he’s worth consideration even in a tough matchup vs. the Heat.
Value
Daniel Gafford has been a reliable producer for the Wizards recently. He’s averaged a solid 1.00 DraftKings points per minute this season, and he’s coming off 21.2 minutes in his last outing. He was routinely playing more minutes than that before getting injured, so there are reasons to expect his playing time to continue to increase moving forward. We currently have him projected for 23 minutes in our NBA Models, and he should be able to return value at $4,200 with that much playing time.
Fast Break
Jusuf Nurkic’s playing time has decreased recently, but so has his salary on DraftKings. He’s down to just $6,200, and Nurkic has the potential to pay off that price tag in around 20 minutes. He’s averaged 1.29 DraftKings points per minute this season, and his matchup vs. the Kings results in an elite +3.11 Opponent Plus/Minus.
Christian Wood’s salary is down to $6,700 on FanDuel, and he has massive upside at that price tag. He’s averaged 1.06 FanDuel points per minute this season, and he has the potential to take on a larger workload if Kevin Porter Jr. is ruled out. Wood also has PF/C eligibility on FanDuel, so he’s easy to fit into your lineup.
