Top NBA DFS core plays at each position on DraftKings on Jan. 15

There are 10 games on the NBA slate on DraftKings for Wednesday night, so we’ve got a lot of options to choose from (duh). There are a few injury spots we’ll have to monitor, particularly in the frontcourt with Anthony Davis (glut) and Karl-Anthony Towns (knee) both questionable to play. AD is more of a game-time decision, so with that being the 10:30 p.m. ET lock, it’d be risky to have Davis in your lineup. Obviously, stick with DK Nation for all your injury news and analysis throughout the day and if you have any questions, feel free to hit me up on Twitter @BenZweimanDKN.

Point Guard

Ben Simmons, PHI vs. BKN, $8,700 — With Joel Embiid sidelined, this price is just too low for someone with Simmons’ upside. My colleague Nick Whalen over at RotoWire (check out their content) mentioned Simmons on DK Live’s The Sweat this morning. I agree with Nick, Simmons is taking on a Nets team on the second of a back-to-back, not very good defensively. The Sixers’ offense has been lax without Embiid, but I think they get it together tonight. Simmons is basically being projected for close to a triple-double against Brooklyn.

Other Options: LeBron James, LAL vs. ORL, $10,400; Kemba Walker, BOS vs. DET, $7,200

Shooting Guard

Buddy Hield, SAC vs. DAL, $6,500 — I miss Buddy Hield, man. I feel like it was only yesterday he was consistently dropping 25 points a night with De’Aaron Fox out of the lineup. The Sacramento Kings were also playing much better basketball. What happened? Anyway, the Mavericks are on the second of a road back-to-back and this game should be up in pace. Dallas is middle of the pack recently in 3PT% to opponents (34.1 over past 10 games). Hield has a pretty safe floor at this price, plus he’s locked in for 35+ minutes.

Other Options: Zach LaVine, CHI vs. WAS, $9,300; CJ McCollum, POR @ HOU, $6,800

Small Forward

Will Barton, DEN vs. CHA, $7,000 — It’s early, so we still need to wait on the status of Jamal Murray and Gary Harris. If one or both are out, I think Barton will be the chalk play of the night. Even with both healthy, Barton can fill it up and he generally plays over 30 minutes. He’s a great rebounder with PG eligibility on top of SF. I think if Murray is out at the least, Barton should get 20-25 shot attempts and flirt with 30% usage.

Other Options: Tobias Harris, PHI vs. BKN, $6,900; Gordon Hayward, BOS vs. DET, $6,300

Power Forward

Kyle Kuzma, LAL vs. ORL, $5,800 — Assuming Anthony Davis (glut) remains sidelined, I think Kuzma is in another great spot despite the Magic being a tough defensive team. He’s been up and down with AD out, but we saw him post a season-high 36 points over the weekend. He’s played upwards of 39-40 minutes recently and his usage has been below 20% just once in the past 11 games. At this price, if AD is out, we’re getting a high-upside play for GPPs.

Other Options: Pascal Siakam, TOR @ OKC, $7,800; Lauri Markkanen, CHI vs. WAS, $6,400

Center

Hassan Whiteside, POR @ HOU, $8,200 — Whiteside has been getting over an illness, so hopefully the past two games have been a result of him not being 100%. If that is the case, we’re getting Whiteside at a pretty nice discount considering the type of floor he’s had this season. The Rockets don’t have much size in the frontcourt outside of Clint Capela, so I think a double-double should be easy for Whiteside. If he can get back to playing 30+ minutes, returning value on this mid-range salary should be easy.

Other Options: Andre Drummond, DET @ BOS, $9,400; Bam Adebayo, MIA vs. SAS, $8,300