Wednesday features a 12-game slate starting at 7 p.m. ET. Using the FantasyLabs NBA Player Models tool, here’s a break down of the top DFS plays for each position on tonight’s slate.
Point Guard
Stud
Stephen Curry has been on an absolute tear recently. He’s scored at least 59.0 DraftKings points in five of his past six games, and he’s played well enough to emerge as a dark horse MVP candidate.
He gets a dream matchup vs. the Wizards on Wednesday. They’ve played at the fastest pace in the league this season, and they also rank tied for 21st in defensive efficiency. The Warriors have played at the second-fastest pace, so this game should feature tons of fantasy points. The total on this game sits at 238.5, and the Warriors’ implied team total of 120.25 is the second-highest mark on the slate.
Value
The game between the Kings and Timberwolves is another elite target in DFS tonight. The total on this game is actually slightly higher than Warriors-Wizards at 239.0, and the Kings lead all teams with an implied team total of 122.0.
Delon Wright is way too cheap at $4,100 on DraftKings, resulting in a Bargain Rating of 99%. He’s scored at least 28.25 DraftKings points in three straight games, and he’s cut into Tyrese Haliburton’s playing time significantly.
Fast Break
Russell Westbrook is definitely deserving of consideration on Wednesday. Curry has the slightest of edges in our NBA Models, but both players stand out as elite options. Westbrook has been one of the best producers in fantasy recently, posting an average Plus/Minus of +4.86 over his past 10 games on FanDuel. His price has also dropped from $11,500 on FanDuel in his last matchup to just $10,800 on Wednesday.
Donovan Mitchell remains out of the lineup for the Jazz, and Jordan Clarkson is one of the players who has been asked to pick up the slack. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in all three games since returning to the lineup following a brief injury absence. He’s also in a great spot vs. the Rockets, resulting in an Opponent Plus/Minus of +1.71 on FanDuel.
Shooting Guard
Stud
Kyrie Irving only has PG eligibility on FanDuel, which puts him in the same conversation as Curry and Westbrook. However, he has SG eligibility on DraftKings, which makes him the clear top option at the position.
Irving led the shorthanded Nets to a victory over the Pelicans on Tuesday, but his 47.5 DraftKings points were slightly disappointing. He should get a chance to redeem himself on Wednesday. James Harden and Kevin Durant remain out of the lineup, and Irving has increased his usage rate by +5.0% with both players and LaMarcus Aldridge off the court this season. He’s averaged 1.51 DraftKings points per minute in that situation, which gives him immense upside vs. the Raptors.
Value
Let’s stick with the Nets. There’s a scenario where they have just eight active players vs. the Raptors, which would obviously make them an ideal team to target. That would require Blake Griffin getting the night off, but he’s currently not on the injury report on the second leg of the back-to-back. Still, they should provide some value on Wednesday.
Landry Shamet is someone who has stepped up recently given all their injuries. He’s logged at least 33.8 minutes in back-to-back games, and he’s finished with at least 31.75 DraftKings points in both contests. He’s increased his production to 0.89 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, so he has the potential to be one of the best values on the slate.
Fast Break
Reggie Bullock is one of the best pure values at the position on FanDuel, where his $3,800 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 86%. He’s currently projected for 34.5 minutes in our NBA Models, and players with comparable salaries and minute projections have historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +4.64 (per the Trends tool).
Bradley Beal continues to stand out as a strong buy-low option on FanDuel. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in five straight games, but his salary has barely budged over that time frame. He’s priced at just $8,500 for tonight’s matchup vs. the Warriors, and Beal has the potential to smash that price tag. Beal has played 10 games this season with a comparable salary, and he’s posted an average Plus/Minus of +6.00 in those contests.
Small Forward
Stud
Small forward stands out as one of the weaker positions to pay up at on Wednesday. If you do want to go in that direction, Anthony Edwards is a nice option at $6,900 on FanDuel. He’s increased his fantasy production to 1.02 FanDuel points per minute over the past month, and he’s coming off 46.3 FanDuel points vs. the Kings yesterday. The Kings rank dead-last in defensive efficiency, so there’s no reason he can’t repeat that performance tonight.
Value
Garrett Temple is another player who is way too cheap tonight on DraftKings. He’s priced at just $3,300, giving him a Bargain Rating of 98%. His playing time has ramped up since returning to the lineup four games ago, culminating in more than 31 minutes in his last contest. He responded with 28.0 DraftKings points, yet his salary has actually decreased for tonight’s matchup vs. the Cavaliers. The Cavs rank tied for 21st in defensive efficiency, so Temple can find success in this matchup.
Fast Break
Michael Porter Jr. is going to have to carry a larger workload for the Nuggets moving forward with Jamal Murray out of the lineup, and while he’s disappointed in back-to-back outings, he did score at least 37.5 DKFP in six of his previous seven games. He also draws a nice matchup vs. the Blazers, who rank just 29th in defensive efficiency.
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot is another potential value option for the Nets. He played 22.3 minutes yesterday vs. the Pelicans, and he’s currently projected for 23.8 minutes in our NBA Models. He hasn’t been the best producer on a per-minute basis recently – he’s averaged just 0.61 DraftKings points per minute over the past month – but he doesn’t need to do much to pay off his minimum salary.
Power Forward
Stud
Kristaps Porzingis has quietly played some solid basketball recently, posting an average Plus/Minus of +4.57 over his past 10 games on FanDuel. His price has come up by $1,300 over that time frame, but his current $8,300 salary still comes with a Bargain Rating of 84%. That makes him a solid target vs. the Pistons given his Opponent Plus/Minus of +3.4.
Value
Oshae Brissett has played on two 10-day contracts this season, and he’s been impressive enough that the Pacers rewarded him with a three-year deal. He’ll have his chance to prove his worth Wednesday vs. the Thunder. The Pacers’ frontcourt has been depleted, with Domantas Sabonis and Myles Turner out with injuries and JaKarr Sampson serving a one-game suspension. Even Goga Bitadze is questionable, so the Pacers have very little depth at the moment.
Fast Break
Julius Randle has been an absolute monster for the Knicks this season, and his play is a big reason why they’re currently sitting in fifth place in the Eastern Conference. He’s coming off a disappointing 44.0 DraftKings points in his last game, but he had scored at least 49.5 DraftKings points in seven of his previous eight contests.
He’s averaged 1.30 DKFP per minute over the past month, and Tom Thibodeau clearly has no concerns about load management. Randle is routinely playing more than 40 minutes per game, and he’s currently projected for 40 minutes in our NBA Models.
Aleksej Pokusevski has returned to the Thunder’s lineup after missing a few games with an arm injury, and he could be looking at an expanded workload on Wednesday. Lu Dort is currently questionable, and Dort has served as the Thunder’s offensive focal point with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Al Horford out of the lineup. His absence would make Pokusevski an appealing target on FanDuel given his Bargain Rating of 86%.
Center
Stud
This just in: Nikola Jokic is really freaking good at basketball. He will almost certainly win the MVP award this season barring an injury, and he’s also been a monster from a fantasy perspective. He’s been at his best this season in games with Murray out of the lineup, averaging just under 60 DraftKings points in nine contests. He’s increased his usage rate by +2.7% and his assist rate by +9.7% in those games, so he should continue to deliver huge performances with his star running mate sidelined.
Value
If Bitadze is active, he’s going to be tough to avoid at just $4,200 on DraftKings. He scored 28.25 DraftKings points over 22.8 minutes on Monday before exiting with an injury, and he averaged 28.63 DraftKings points in his first two games with Sabonis and Turner out of the lineup. He’s averaged a stout 1.30 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, so he can do some serious damage with extended playing time.
Make sure to monitor Bitadze’s status using the Labs Insiders tool.
Fast Break
DeAndre Jordan is obviously not the same player that he was in his prime, but he’s still averaged a very respectable 0.99 DKFP per minute over the past month. The Nets’ center depth has taken a real hit recently, and Jordan is coming off nearly 21.5 minutes yesterday vs. the Pelicans. He’s projected for a similar workload today, which makes him an appealing target.
Nikola Vucevic leads the position with 15 Pro Trends on FanDuel, and he should continue to lead the Bulls’ offense with Zach LaVine sidelined. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in five straight games on FanDuel, and his $8,800 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 87%.
Pictured above: Stephen Curry #30 of the Warriors, Russell Westbrook #4 of the Wizards
Photo credit: Noah Graham/NBAE via Getty Images
