Wednesday features an eight-game main slate starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.
You can also use our SimLabs Lineup Generator, a tool that creates the most user-friendly lineup generation process.
Note: Projections and Leverage Scores/Ratings may change throughout the day after this article is posted. The NBA DFS landscape changes quickly.
Consult the NBA Player Models directly for any updates as we get closer to lock.
Stud
Tyrese Haliburton got off to a poor start this season, but he has completely turned things around since then. He’s actually elevated his game recently, averaging 1.45 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. He’s posted an average Plus/Minus of +4.09 over his past 10 contests, and he’s finished with a double-double in 12 of his past 14 games.
Haliburton is an interesting option on Wednesday. On paper, it’s a phenomenal spot. The Hornets are an excellent matchup – Haliburton owns a +3.72 Opponent Plus/Minus – and the Pacers are implied for 118.75 points. Haliburton is also a bit underpriced at $8,700, resulting in an 82% Bargain Rating.
However, there’s also plenty of blowout risk in this contest. The Pacers are favored by nearly 15 points, so Haliburton could end up playing a bit less than usual. It makes him more of a tournament option than a cash game one.
Value
We’re still waiting on the Knicks’ official injury report on the second leg of a back-to-back, but there’s a good chance that they’re without their top three point guards once again. Jalen Brunson, Miles McBride, and Cam Payne have all missed the past three contests for the Knicks, which has allowed Delon Wright to move into the starting lineup. He’s taken full advantage, posting a positive Plus/Minus in three straight games, and he’s had at least 23.0 points in all three outings.
Wright is up to $4,500 for Wednesday’s matchup vs. the Cavaliers, but that’s still way too cheap. He’s currently projected for 32 minutes in our NBA Models, and players with comparable salaries and minute projections have averaged a Plus/Minus of +2.65 (per the Trends tool). Wright has personally fit that trend on five previous occasions, and he’s averaged a Plus/Minus of +4.95.
Fast Break
Trae Young has the top ceiling projection at the position, and he’s played extremely well of late. He’s racked up at least 55.5 DraftKings points in three straight games, and he’s increased his output to 1.43 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. Wednesday’s matchup between the Hawks and Mavericks has the highest total of the day at 240 points, so Young is in a good spot to keep the production flowing.
The Spurs are playing for nothing at this point, so there’s no real need for them to push Chris Paul. That said, that hasn’t stopped him from playing at least 27.6 minutes in three of his past four games. He’s responded with a positive Plus/Minus in all three outings, including 34.25 DraftKings points in his last game. There’s no guarantee he plays that much on Wednesday, but he’s a great bet to return value if he does.
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NBA DFS Shooting Guard Picks
Stud
Sticking with the Spurs, Stephon Castle is coming off a poor performance in his last outing. He had just 34.0 DraftKings points against a tough Magic defense, and he had just 14.25 in 22.5 minutes vs. the Warriors in the game prior.
Still, Castle has seen a nice uptick in production since the team lost Victor Wembanyama and De’Aron Fox. He’s increased his output to 1.18 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he’s turned in some big performances over that stretch. He had returned positive value in six of eight games before his recent two-game stretch, including two games with more than 50 DraftKings points.
That gives him an excellent ceiling at just $6,900 vs. the Nuggets. He’s showing up in the optimal lineup simulations at the second-highest frequency at shooting guard, and he has eligibility at both guard spots.
Value
Julian Champagnie might be the best option to target on San Antonio. He’s seen an uptick in minutes recently, logging at least 22.5 minutes in five of his past six games. He’s responded with a positive Plus/Minus in all five outings, and he’s generally productive when he’s on the floor: he’s averaged 0.85 DraftKings points per minute over the past month.
Champagnie saw an even bigger bump in playing time on Tuesday. The team was without Jeremy Sochan, and Champagnie finished with more than 32.3 minutes. He’s currently projected for another 27 minutes in our NBA Models, making him one of the best values of the day at just $3,400.
Fast Break
A.J. Johnson should continue to play all the minutes he can handle for the shorthanded Wizards. They’re without most of their top veterans at this point, with Jordan Poole being the lone exception. Still, that’s left plenty of work for Johnson recently. He’s played at least 34 minutes in three of his past four games, and he’s been at 36.8 or higher in two straight. Johnson isn’t an elite per-minute producer, but that’s a ton of playing time for someone who costs just $5,000.
Cade Cunningham remains out for the Pistons, which means Dennis Schroder should continue to start in the backcourt. He’s taken full advantage of that role recently, scoring at least 34.0 DraftKings points in back-to-back games. The Pistons are expected to get Tobias Harris back in the lineup after missing the past two games, but that shouldn’t have a huge impact on Schroder’s workload.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
The Knicks are on the second leg of a back-to-back on Wednesday, and their injury report will be important to monitor. In addition to all the point guard injuries they’ve been dealing with, Karl-Anthony Towns missed Tuesday’s win over the 76ers. New York is pretty comfortably lodged in the No. 3 spot in the East, so it’s possible he gets another day off on Wednesday.
If that happens, OG Anunoby would see a solid boost in value. He’s already played well recently, scoring at least 35.25 DraftKings points in six straight games, and he’s seen a team-high +8.46% usage bump with Towns, Brunson, and McBride off the floor this season. He’s averaged 1.03 DraftKings points per minute in that split, and he’s projected for 37 minutes vs. the Cavaliers.
Value
Ausar Thompson disappointed in his last contest, but it wasn’t due to a lack of opportunities. He played more than 33.6 minutes vs. the Timberwolves; he was just far less productive than usual. Thompson has averaged more than a fantasy point per minute for the season, so he should be able to bounce back with a comparable workload.
Thompson may lose a few minutes to Harris, but he’s still projected for 29 minutes in our NBA Models. He’s also available at a discount on DraftKings, where his $5,900 salary comes with a 93% Bargain Rating.
Fast Break
Mikal Bridges is another potential option for the Knicks. He’s not expected to be nearly as popular as Anunoby – he’s projected for less than 15% ownership in our NBA Models – especially after posting a clunker on Tuesday. That said, he’s seen a +6.15% usage bump with Brunson, Towns, and McBride off the floor this season, and he’s displayed plenty of upside recently. He’s gone for at least 37.0 DraftKings points in four of his past six games, and he’s had at least 41.25 in three of them.
Jaylen Martin has logged at least 30.3 minutes for the shorthanded Wizards in two of his past four games, and he’s scored at least 24.5 DraftKings points in both outings. He’s disappointed in his other two games in that stretch, but it gives him some upside at just $3,800. Only Champagnie is showing up in the optimal lineup simulations at a higher frequency at small forward.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
Miles Bridges has been added to the Hornets’ injury report as questionable, and given how their season has gone, it should surprise no one if he’s out of the lineup.
That said, Bridges would be a fascinating tournament option if he’s able to suit up. He’s seeing all the shot attempts he can handle at the moment, with both LaMelo Ball and Brandon Miller shut down for the rest of the year. He had 55.5 DraftKings points in his last outing, and he draws a solid matchup vs. the Pacers on Wednesday. They’ve played at the sixth-fastest pace in the league this season, so Bridges has more scoring upside than usual if he’s in the lineup.
Bridges is currently projected for roughly 6.5% ownership on this slate, but he’s showing up in the optimal lineup simulations more than 12.5% of the time. That’s one of the bigger discrepancies in Sim Labs.
Value
If Bridges is unable to go, it would give a big boost in value to Tijdane Saluan. The No. 6 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft hasn’t had a ton of opportunities to make an impact this season, but he’s played well down the stretch. He’s scored at least 21.75 DraftKings points in three straight games, despite failing to crack 24.7 minutes in two of them.
If Bridges is sidelined, Salaun has the potential to see more minutes and increase his per-minute productivity. He’s increased his usage rate by +2.89% with Bridges, Ball, and Miller off the floor this season, and he’s already averaged a healthy 0.89 DraftKings points per minute over the past month.
Fast Break
Harrison Barnes’ minutes have been all over the place recently. However, with Sochan out of the lineup on Tuesday, Barnes ended up playing 28.8 minutes vs. the Magic. He responded with 30.25 DraftKings points, and Barnes is currently projected for another 25 minutes on Wednesday. It remains to be seen if he’ll actually get to that figure, but he offers minimal downside at just $3,600.
If Bridges is unavailable, Evan Mobley would become the top pay-up option at the position. He’s a bit cheaper than usual at $8,300, and the Knicks stand out as an excellent matchup. They’ve struggled to keep up with the best teams in the league this season, and that’s with Brunson and Towns in the lineup. Ultimately, he owns the top optimal lineup rate for all power forwards priced above $7,400.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
It remains to be seen if Nikola Jokic is available for the Nuggets on Wednesday. He’s coming off a grueling double-overtime loss where he played more than 52.6 minutes. He also had to carry an increased scoring burden with Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. out of the lineup, and he did exactly that. He finished with a ridiculous 61-point triple-double, resulting in 98.0 DraftKings points.
At this point, we all know what Jokic is capable of. He’s the best player in basketball – real or fantasy – and he has the potential to go off every single time he takes the floor. He’s averaged 1.86 DraftKings points per minute for the year, and his upside is even higher with Murray and Porter off the floor. Jokic has averaged 1.97 DraftKings points per minute across 283 minutes without both players, so he would be extremely tough to fade in that scenario.
Of course, it’s possible that both players return to the lineup on Wednesday, and in that case, maybe it’s Jokic who gets the night off. The Nuggets are battling with the Lakers for the No. 3 seed in the West, and the teams that finish second and third in the conference get to avoid the Thunder until the Western Conference Finals. That’s worth playing for, so make sure to keep an eye on the team’s injury report.
Value
Sandro Mamukelashvili is coming off just 3.0 DraftKings points on Tuesday after putting up 36.75 the game prior. That’s disappointing, but the fact that he played 19 minutes is actually a good sign for his fantasy prospects moving forward. If he’s going to continue to play that much, there should be more big games on the horizon. Despite the poor showing in his last contest, he’s still averaged 1.24 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. That gives him a ceiling that very few players in this price range can match.
Fast Break
While Mamukelashvili is the upside value at center, Paul Reed is the safe floor play. He isn’t quite as good as Mamukelashvili on a per-minute basis, but he’s no slouch in that department. He’s averaged 0.95 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he should serve as the Pistons’ backup center with Isaiah Stewart out of the lineup. He’s historically averaged 26.93 DraftKings points in 10 games with between 17 and 21 projected minutes, making him a fantastic target at $3,100.
Domantas Sabonis hasn’t had his best season, but he’s still capable of stuffing the stat sheet on a nightly basis. That’s particularly true on Wednesday against the Wizards. They’ve been one of the best matchups in fantasy all season, giving Sabonis more upside than usual. He would be an interesting pivot off Jokic in GPP lineups.
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