As usual, the NBA is offering up a sizable slate of games on Wednesday. The game between the Wizards and Pistons has been postponed, but that still leaves an eight-game main slate starting at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Let’s dive into some of my favorite plays at each position.
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Guard
Studs
De’Aaron Fox, Sacramento Kings at San Antonio Spurs ($8,200) – Wednesday’s matchup between the Kings and Spurs should be a fantasy goldmine. Neither of these teams play a lick of defense — Sacramento ranks 21st in defensive efficiency, San Antonio ranks dead last — and both teams rank in the top seven in pace. Unsurprisingly, this game leads the slate with a 244.0-point total, while the Kings’ implied team total of 125.75 ranks first by a wide margin.
Fox should be one of the primary sources of fantasy points for the Kings. He’s been on a solid run recently, scoring at least 45.25 DKFP in five of his past seven games, and he’s averaged 1.22 DKFP per minute for the year. There’s no reason he should be priced at just $8.2K in such an elite matchup.
Chris Paul, Phoenix Suns vs. Atlanta Hawks ($8,300) – CP3 is going to have to continue to do some heavy lifting for the shorthanded Suns. They’re still playing without Devin Booker, Cam Payne and Landry Shamet, leaving Paul as the team’s clear top facilitator. He’s increased his usage rate by 2.7 percentage points and his assist rate by 0.8 percentage points with all three players off the floor this season, resulting in an average of 1.15 DKFP per minute.
Paul has exceeded salary-based expectations in five straight games, and he displayed a ceiling of 63.75 DKFP two games ago vs. the Spurs. The Hawks rank eighth in pace and 20th in defensive efficiency, so this is another good spot to target the veteran point guard.
Other Options – Fred VanVleet ($8,100), D’Angelo Russell ($7,100)
Value
Jaylen Nowell, Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Golden State Warriors ($3,300) – Nowell got off to a fast start this season, and while he’s cooled down a bit of late, he’s still averaged a respectable 0.87 DKFP per minute over the past month. That’s an excellent figure for someone who is priced at just $3.3K.
Nowell isn’t going to see a ton of playing time most nights, but he has logged at least 18.0 minutes in three straight games. There’s a chance he could see a few additional minutes vs. the Warriors, who have played at the fastest pace in the league this season.
Other Options – Seth Curry ($5,000), Malik Monk ($4,500)
Forward
Studs
Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz vs. Toronto Raptors ($8,400) – The Jazz have been a nice surprise this season, largely due to the play of Markkanen. The former seventh overall pick struggled to establish himself in Chicago and Cleveland, but he has flourished as the centerpiece of the Jazz’s offense. He’s averaged a career-best 24.9 points per game while shooting 52.0% from the field and 43.2% from three-point range.
Markkanen has also delivered the goods from a fantasy perspective, particularly of late. He’s increased his production to 1.32 DKFP per minute over the past month, which trails only Jayson Tatum ($11,100) among Wednesday’s forwards.
Markkanen has also seen a significant price reduction over the past few weeks. He was priced as high as $9.7K, but he’s down to just $8.4K for Wednesday’s matchup vs. the Raptors. This is a nice time to buy low on the talented big man.
Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic at Philadelphia 76ers ($6,700) – Banchero has had an up-and-down rookie season, but he’s flashed plenty of promise. He put his skill set on display on Monday, dropping 29 points with nine rebounds and three assists in an upset win over the 76ers. He ultimately finished with 49.25 DKFP, and he’ll draw the same opponent on Wednesday.
I wouldn’t expect a repeat performance, but Banchero is capable of returning value at this price tag. He’s averaged 1.08 DKFP per minute this season, and his salary has decreased by $1,300 over the past month. He’s another nice buy-low target on Wednesday’s slate.
Other Options – Keldon Johnson ($7,200), Klay Thompson ($6,900)
Value
Harrison Barnes, Sacramento Kings at San Antonio Spurs ($5,000) – Barnes is not the sexiest DFS option, and he’s failed to return value in each of his past three games. However, it hasn’t been due to a lack of playing time. The veteran forward has played all the minutes he can handle recently, including 40.6 minutes in his last contest. That’s not an outlier: Barnes has played at least 36 minutes in seven of his past nine games.
Barnes has averaged 0.80 DKFP per minute this season, so he should be looking at better production moving forward. Add in a juicy matchup vs. the Spurs, and Barnes stands out as one of the better values on the slate.
Other Options – Josh Hart ($5,100), Doug McDermott ($3,000)
Center
Stud
Alperen Sengun, Houston Rockets vs. Oklahoma City Thunder ($8,800) – You can go with a few different options at center on Wednesday, but Sengun stands out as one of the best. The big man has flourished in his second year in the league, particularly since Kevin Porter Jr. went down with a foot injury. He’s racked up at least 54.0 DKFP in four of his past six games, and he played reduced minutes in a blowout in one of the two exceptions. That means he’s basically produced like a $10K center for the better part of two weeks.
The Rockets are going to be even thinner on Wednesday, with Jalen Green joining KPJ on the sidelines. Sengun has increased his usage rate (1.9 percentage points), assist rate (2.8 percentage points) and rebound rate (1.2 percentage points) with both players off the floor this season, so he has the potential for even more production than usual.
Other Options – Deandre Ayton ($7,800), Rudy Gobert ($6,800)
Value
Precious Achiuwa, Toronto Raptors at Utah Jazz ($5,700) – Achiuwa’s price tag is up to $5.7K on Wednesday, but it’s hard to argue against it. He has absolutely thrived since the injury to O.G. Anunoby. Achiuwa has logged at least 33.4 minutes in three straight games, and he’s responded with at least 32.5 DKFP in each contest. That includes 50.25 DKFP against the Blazers two games ago.
He should be able to deliver another strong value performance vs. the Jazz. They’ve struggled against opposing big men all season, allowing the most DKFP per game to opposing centers. They rank 27th in the league in points in the paint allowed per game, so Achiuwa should be able to cruise to another double-double in this spot.
Other Options – Jakob Poeltl ($5,500), Jabari Smith Jr. ($5,600)
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $350K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is mlamarca) and may sometimes play on my personal account in the games that I offer advice on. Although I have expressed my personal view on the games and strategies above, they do not necessarily reflect the view(s) of DraftKings and do not constitute a representation that any particular strategy will guarantee success. All customers should use their own skill and judgment in building lineups. I may also deploy different players and strategies than what I recommend above. I am not an employee of DraftKings and do not have access to any non-public information.