Wednesday features plenty of NBA action to choose from, and DraftKings is offering up a 13-game main slate starting at 7:00 p.m. ET. Let’s break down some of the top studs and values at each position to help you build your lineups.
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Point Guard
Stud
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors vs. Philadelphia 76ers ($11,400) – Curry has been fantastic to start the season, leading the Warriors to a 15-2 record and vaulting himself to the top of the MVP discussion. He’s been fantastic from a fantasy perspective as well, leading all point guards with an average of 1.53 DKFP per minute.
He’s coming off a rare down performance in his last game, but he had returned value in each of his previous four contests.
Other Options – Malcolm Brogdon ($7,600), D’Angelo Russell ($7,300)
Value
Cory Joseph, Detroit Pistons @ Milwaukee Bucks ($4,400) – Joseph is an elite source of value at the point guard position. The Pistons are playing shorthanded at the moment, with Killian Hayes, Isaiah Stewart, and Kelly Olynyk all out of the lineup. Joseph is coming off 34.3 minutes with all three players out in the Pistons’ previous game, and he responded with 29.5 DKFP. He’s too cheap at $4,400, especially in a plus-matchup vs. the Bucks.
Other Options – Derrick White ($5,300), Jalen Suggs ($4,800)
Shooting Guard
Stud
CJ McCollum, Portland Trail Blazers @ Sacramento Kings ($7,600) – There are plenty of strong options to consider at the top of the shooting guard position on Wednesday, but McCollum stands out as one of the best. He’s fairly priced at $7,600, and he benefits from an excellent matchup vs. the Kings. They rank just 26th in defensive efficiency, and the Blazers’ implied team total of 114.75 ranks first on the slate. McCollum is coming off 46.75 DKFP in his last outing, and he should continue to pick up the slack for Damian Lillard. Lillard is playing through an injury, which has limited his effectiveness to start the season.
Other Options – Donovan Mitchell ($8,300), Anthony Edwards ($7,400)
Value
Josh Giddey, Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Utah Jazz ($6,600) – Shai Gilgeous-Alexander will miss his second straight game for the Thunder, so Josh Giddey should serve as the team’s primary playmaker. Giddey hasn’t seen much of a usage bump with SGA off the court this season, but he has increased his assist rate by 6.8 percentage points and his rebound rate by 2.7 percentage points. He thrived in his first game with Gilgeous-Alexander out, racking up 40.25 DraftKings points over 31.1 minutes.
Giddey draws a tough matchup vs. the Jazz, but he’s simply too cheap with SGA out of the lineup.
Other Options – Cam Reddish ($3,700), Cody Martin ($3,400)
Small Forward
Stud
Josh Hart, New Orleans Pelicans vs. Washington Wizards ($5,900) – Hart has been a consistent source of value for the Pelicans recently. He’s scored at least 36.75 DKFP in four of his past five games, yet his salary has been pretty stagnant. His ability to rack up rebounds makes him a better per-minute producer than the typical wing in this price range, and he’s seen plenty of minutes recently.
Other Options – Kevin Durant ($11,200), Cedi Osman ($5,800)
Value
Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Hornets ($3,900) – Wagner is another nice source of value for the Magic on Wednesday. He’s coming off two straight poor games, but he’s seen reduced minutes in each of those contests. Prior to that, he had logged at least 28.25 DKFP in three straight games. He should see more minutes if today’s game is more competitive, making him an elite option at just $3,900.
Other Options – Terrence Ross ($3,600), Rudy Gay ($3,300)
Power Forward
Stud
Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers vs. Los Angeles Lakers ($8,500) – Rick Carlisle challenged his starters to play with more effort recently, and so far, the results are promising. The team has recorded two straight blowout wins, and Domantas Sabonis has been elite on a per-minute basis in those contests. He’s racked up at least 42.75 DKFP in both games, and he’s played 26.3 minutes or less in both contests. He’s also posted a usage rate of at least 32.1% in both contests, which represents a significant increase from his regular-season average.
If Sabonis can combine his increased per-minute efficiency with a few additional minutes on Wednesday, he could put together a massive performance.
Other Options – Josh Jackson ($3,600), Wendell Carter Jr. ($5,500)
Value
Chuma Okeke, Orlando Magic vs. Charlotte Hornets ($4,000) – Okeke is one of the Magic’s most promising young players, and he’s coming off his best performance of the season in his last outing. His playing time should continue to increase moving forward, so he’s an appealing option at just $4,000.
Other Options – Darius Bazley ($4,800), Trey Lyles ($3,200)
Center
Stud
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Miami Heat ($9,400) – Towns seems a bit underpriced compared to the other studs on Wednesday’s slate. Guys like Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant, and Stephen Curry are all priced at $11,400 or greater, which makes Towns feel like a bargain at $9,400. Of course, Towns hasn’t been nearly as productive as those players this season, averaging 1.31 DraftKings points per minute. Towns has historically exceeded salary-based expectations by 2.13 points with a comparable salary, so he’s worth consideration even in a tough matchup vs. the Heat.
Other Options – Clint Capela ($7,400), Christian Wood ($7,400)
Value
Daniel Gafford, Washington Wizards @ New Orleans Pelicans ($4,200) – Gafford has been a reliable producer for the Wizards recently. He’s averaged a solid 1.00 DKFP per minute this season, and he’s coming off 21.2 minutes in his last outing. He was routinely playing more minutes than that before getting injured, so there are reasons to expect his playing time to continue to increase moving forward.
Other Options – Jusuf Nurkic ($6,200), Mason Plumlee ($4,700)
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