Editor’s note: Tonight’s game between the Memphis Grizzlies and Portland Trail Blazers has been postponed due to contract tracing.
We have a full, 10-game card on Wednesday’s NBA schedule. Games are set to commence at 7 p.m. ET.
This is what we have as our best player angles for matchups around the league.
Point Guard
Stud
Ja Morant made his return to the lineup two games ago, appearing to be back at full strength. He’s coming off 34.1 minutes and 41.75 DraftKings points in his last contest, and simply too cheap if he’s going to see that much playing time against the Blazers. Morant has averaged a stout 1.48 DraftKings points per minute this season, with the Blazers 27th in defensive efficiency.
Morant stands out as one of the best values at the position on DraftKings, where his $7,300 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 94 percent.
Value
Derrick Rose recently missed some time due to a knee injury, but he’s played in each of the Pistons’ past two contests. He’s played well in those games, scoring at least 33.75 DraftKings points in both, which is not surprising given his average of 1.17 DraftKings points per minute this season. That makes him very reasonably priced for tonight’s matchup vs. the Hawks. Atlanta ranks fifth in pace, which makes them an excellent matchup from a fantasy perspective.
Fast Break
Trae Young leads the position with 11 Pro trends on FanDuel, and he’s in an excellent spot vs. the Pistons. They’ve struggled defensively this season, giving Young an Opponent Plus/Minus of +3.13, and the Hawks will be playing shorthanded. Danilo Gallinari and Bogdan Bogdanovic remain out of the lineup, while Cam Reddish is questionable after missing the past two games. Young has increased his production to 1.37 FanDuel points per minute with all three players off the court this season.
Chris Paul got off to a rough start this year, but he’s started to turn things around. He’s scored at least 33.1 FanDuel points in five of his past seven games, yet his salary has decreased to $6,900 for tonight’s matchup vs. the Rockets. Paul owns an Opponent Plus/Minus of +2.2, and he’s historically posted an average Plus/Minus of +5.87 with a comparable salary (per the Trends tool).
Shooting Guard
Stud
DeMar DeRozan has quietly blossomed into a more complete player with the Spurs. He’s averaged 7.1 assists per game this season – which puts him on pace for a new career-high – and he’s also averaged 5.8 rebounds. DeRozan has always been an elite scorer, so adding some production in the peripheral categories has been excellent for his fantasy value. He’s averaged 42.01 FanDuel points per game this season, and he’s scored at least 44.4 FanDuel points in four of his past five games.
DeRozan is in a solid spot tonight vs. the Warriors. The total on that game sits at 228 points, which is the second-highest mark on the slate. DeRozan also owns an Opponent Plus/Minus of +1.39, and his 10 Pro Trends are tied for the most at the position on FanDuel.
Value
Eric Gordon should serve as the secondary playmaker behind Victor Oladipo against the Suns. He led the team with 33.9 minutes in their last outing, responding with 30.5 DraftKings points. He’s averaged 1.09 DraftKings points per minute with John Wall and James Harden off the court this season, so he has excellent upside at his current price tag.
Fast Break
If Oladipo’s first game with the Rockets is any indication, he’s going to carry a massive workload with his new team. He finished with 54.25 DraftKings points over 32.1 minutes in his first contest, and he posted a usage rate of 42.3% and an assist rate of 50.8%. Those were both easily his top marks of the entire season. Wall remains out of the lineup for the Rockets, so expect the offense to run through Oladipo again vs. the Suns.
Terrence Ross should continue to carry an increased workload for the Magic. They ruled out Michael Carter-Williams, plus Evan Fournier and Al-Farouq Aminu aren’t expected to play. Ross is priced at just $5,300 on FanDuel, resulting in a Bargain Rating of 71%, and he’s historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +2.27 with a comparable salary.
Small Forward
Stud
Kawhi Leonard hasn’t gotten off to the best start, but that’s not that surprising. He essentially treats the regular season like the preseason and just wants to make it to the playoffs. That said, he has still averaged a productive 1.31 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, so he’s still producing at an excellent level when he’s on the floor.
His price has come down a bit since its peak, which makes this a nice opportunity to target him. He’s taking on the Kings, who rank dead last in defensive efficiency by a wide margin. They’ve allowed a ridiculous 122.74 points per 100 possessions, and the Clippers’ implied team total of 120.0 points is unsurprisingly the top mark on the slate. The top of the SF position is also pretty weak today, so Leonard is the clear top option if you’re paying up.
Value
Cameron Johnson’s playing time has been pretty volatile. He’s logged 22.6 minutes or fewer in each of his past two games, but he played 27.4 or more in the previous two games. One thing that is certain is that Johnson has been productive when on the floor. He’s averaged 0.94 DKFP per minute over the past month, which is an excellent mark considering his price tag.
Johnson is currently projected for 28.2 minutes in our NBA Models, and he’s simply too cheap if he’s going to see that much playing time. He’s historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +5.39 with a comparable salary and minute projection.
Fast Break
Josh Okogie looks like another nice source of value at the position. He’s priced at just $3,500 on DraftKings, but he’s projected for 31.4 minutes in our NBA Models. He hasn’t been as productive as Johnson on a per-minute basis, but players with comparable salaries and minute projections have historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +4.15.
Kelly Oubre got off to a miserable start this season, but he’s coming off his best game of the season in his last outing. He finished with 39.8 FanDuel points, and he has a chance to build off that outing today. Andrew Wiggins is currently listed as questionable, and Oubre has increased his production to 0.95 FanDuel points per minute with Wiggins off the court. He would be one of the primary beneficiaries if Wiggins is ultimately ruled out, so make sure to monitor this situation using the Labs Insiders tool.
Power Forward
Stud
Domantas Sabonis is one of the most consistent producers in fantasy basketball. He’s averaged 49.3 DraftKings points over his past 13 games, and he’s posted a perfect 100% Consistency Rating over that time frame. In other words, Sabonis is almost never going to kill your lineups with a snowflake.
He also has plenty of upside. He’s gone for at least 50.5 DraftKings in three of his past five games, and he’s capable of filling the stat sheet in every category across the board.
Value
Xavier Tillman is going to garner massive ownership on today’s slate, but he’s difficult to avoid at his current salary. Jonas Valanciunas will miss his second straight game due to health and safety protocols, which means Tillman should draw his second-straight start. He’s averaged an excellent 0.96 DraftKings per minute this season, so he has the potential to take advantage of some additional playing time. He’s scored at least 25.0 DraftKings in three straight games, making him one of the best pure values on the slate.
Fast Break
Brandon Clarke is another member of the Grizzlies’ frontcourt that deserves your attention. He’s coming off 34.8 minutes in his last outing, and he’s played at least 30.2 minutes in four of his past six games. His playing time doesn’t figure to decrease with Valanciunas unavailable, and he’s capable of averaging well over a fantasy point per minute.
It didn’t take Kristaps Porzingis long to get up to speed. He’s played in each of the past four games for the Mavericks – including both legs of their recent back-to-back – and he’s logged at least 31.9 minutes in his past two contests. He’s currently projected for 33.9 minutes in our NBA Models, which makes him an excellent value at $7,500 on FanDuel.
Center
Stud
Nikola Vucevic doesn’t seem to get the respect he deserves as an elite center. He’s averaged 1.50 DraftKings points per minute this season – which trails only Joel Embiid and Andre Drummond among today’s centers – yet he costs at least -$1,000 less than both of those players. Overall, his $8,600 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 99 percent.
He should have no problem taking care of business tonight vs. the Timberwolves, who will be playing without Karl-Anthony Towns. Their defense has been dreadful with KAT off the court this season, allowing an average of 115.7 points per 100 possessions, and Vucevic owns an Opponent Plus/Minus of +3.76. He also leads the position with 13 Pro Trends, making him one of the safest options to pay up for on today’s slate.
Value
Enes Kanter may not qualify as a true “value” option at $6,300, but he still stands out as one of the best plays of the day. He’s moved into the starting lineup with Jusuf Nurkic out of the lineup, and Kanter has always been an elite producer on a per-minute basis. He’s played at least 27.0 minutes in each of his past two games, and Kanter has averaged 1.30 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. That gives him a safe floor and a massive ceiling against the Grizzlies.
Fast Break
Deandre Ayton is another center with a great matchup tonight. He owns an Opponent Plus/Minus of +3.07 vs. the Rockets, who rank 29th in team rebound rate this season. They’ve also allowed the fifth-most points in the paint per game, so Ayton should be able to have his way on the interior. He’s also one of the few centers that stands out as a better value on FanDuel, where his $6,700 salary comes with a Bargain Rating of 63 percent.
Clint Capela has gotten a bit pricier across the industry, but he’s been an absolute monster. He’s posted an average Plus/Minus of +8.18 over his past 10 games on FanDuel, and he’s scored at least 55.0 FanDuel points in back-to-back games. He’s in another great spot against the Pistons, resulting in an Opponent Plus/Minus of +3.29.
