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The NBA is offering up a solid slate of basketball on Wednesday, with 10 different games to choose from. The DraftKings slate starts at 7:00 p.m. ET, so let’s break down some of the top studs and values at each position to help you build your DraftKings lineups.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $600K Shootaround [$150K to 1st]
Point Guard
Stud
James Harden, Brooklyn Nets @ Houston Rockets ($11,000) – Revenge game! The revenge narrative can definitely be overhyped at times, but Harden’s divorce from the Rockets was particularly contentious. He basically threw the whole team under the bus on his way out the door, so expect him to come out motivated in his return.
Regardless of the matchup, Harden has been a fantastic fantasy asset recently. He’s coming off 80.0 DKFP in his last game, and he’s scored at least 54.25 DKFP in seven of his past nine games. He should continue to carry an increased workload with Kevin Durant out of the lineup, and he could see even more playing time than usual with Jeff Green and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot doubtful.
Other Options – Luka Doncic ($10,900), Stephen Curry ($9,900)
Value
Dennis Schroder, Los Angeles Lakers @ Sacramento Kings ($5,900) – Schroder has the chance to provide stud-like production at a value price tag Wednesday vs. the Kings. LeBron James will miss his first game of the season for rest purposes, while Anthony Davis remains out of the lineup. Marc Gasol, Kyle Kuzma, and Alex Caruso could also be sidelined, which would leave Schroder as one of the Lakers’ only offensive options. Schroder has averaged 0.96 DKFP per minute with James and Davis off the court this season, so he has excellent upside in an elite matchup vs. the Kings.
Other Options – Alex Caruso ($4,000), Tyler Johnson ($3,000)
Shooting Guard
Stud
Norman Powell, Toronto Raptors vs. Detroit Pistons ($6,700) – The Lakers aren’t the only team that will be playing shorthanded on Wednesday. The Raptors are going to be without five players due to health and safety protocols: Fred VanVleet, OG Anunoby, Pascal Siakam, Patrick McCaw, and Malachi Flynn.
Powell and Kyle Lowry ($8,100) should be asked to handle most of the offensive responsibilities. Powell has increased his usage rate by 10 percentage points with VanVleet, Anunoby, and Siakam off the court this season, resulting in an average of 1.03 DKFP per minute.
Other Options – Kyrie Irving ($9,400)
Value
Terence Davis, Toronto Raptors vs. Detroit Pistons ($3,400) – Sticking with the Raptors, Davis should be asked to take on a larger workload given their current injury situation. He’s averaged just under 1.00 DKFP per minute with VanVleet, Anunoby, and Siakam off the court this season, so he doesn’t need a ton of minutes to potentially return value at his current salary.
Other Options – Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($3,600), Landry Shamet ($3,400)
Small Forward
Stud
Kelly Oubre, Golden State Warriors @ Portland Trail Blazers ($7,000) – Oubre got off to an abysmal start this season, but he’s been playing extremely well recently. The big difference was his ability to make some 3-pointers during February. He shot 43.0% from downtown over the past month, which pushed his fantasy scoring to 1.04 DKFP per minute. He’s coming off a poor performance in his last game – the Warriors were absolutely crushed by the Lakers – but he’s scored at least 38.0 DKFP in seven of his past 10 games. That makes him very reasonable at $7,000 in a strong matchup vs. the Blazers.
Other Options – Jerami Grant ($7,600), Gordon Hayward ($7,300)
Value
Talen Horton-Tucker, Los Angeles Lakers @ Sacramento Kings ($3,400) – There are going to be value options at virtually every position for the Lakers on Wednesday, but Horton-Tucker stands out as one of my favorites. He’s increased his usage rate by 7.1 percentage points with James and Davis off the court this season, resulting in an average of 1.11 DKFP per minute. He’s a candidate to move into the starting lineup vs. the Kings, and he’s going to smash his price tag if he plays around 30 minutes.
Other Options – DeAndre Bembry ($3,700), Wesley Matthews ($3,000)
Power Forward
Stud
Zion Williamson, New Orleans Pelicans vs. Chicago Bulls ($9,100) – Zion’s price tag has risen considerably of late, but I still don’t think he’s priced high enough. He’s taken on a new role for the Pelicans recently, operating more as a pick-and-roll ball-handler. That allows him to utilize two of his biggest strengths: getting to the rim and distributing. He’s racked up at least five assists in four straight games, and he’s scored at least 46.5 DKFP in seven of his past eight games.
Other Options – Domantas Sabonis ($9,700), John Collins ($6,900)
Value
Markieff Morris, Los Angeles Lakers @ Sacramento Kings ($3,700) – Morris is next on our tour of the Lakers. He’s coming off a strong performance yesterday, finishing with 25.5 DKFP over 33.7 minutes, and he finished with 30.0 DKFP two games ago vs. the Warriors. He obviously has the potential to provide big value at his current salary vs. the Kings.
Other Options – Yuta Watanabe ($3,100), Chuma Okeke ($3,100), Stanley Johnson ($3,000)
Center
Stud
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Charlotte Hornets ($10,000) – There’s so much value on today’s slate that you’re going to need to pay up at multiple positions. Pairing two of the stud point guards will probably be the preferred strategy – particularly pairing Harden and Doncic – but Towns also has some appeal vs. the Hornets. He’s still not playing a ton of minutes for the Timberwolves, but he’s averaged a stout 1.43 DKFP per minute this season. The Hornets could also be without starting center Cody Zeller for the fourth straight game, which would make them weaker than usual on the interior.
Other Options – Clint Capela ($8,100), Chris Boucher ($6,400)
Value
Montrezl Harrell, Los Angeles Lakers @ Sacramento Kings ($5,500) – It might be boring to read about so many different options for the Lakers, but they’re a team you simply cannot fade tonight. They have too much usage available, and the Kings rank dead last in defensive efficiency.
We saved arguably the strongest option for last. Harrell has seen a team-high usage bump of 7.4 percentage points with both Davis and James off the court this season, resulting in an average of 1.35 DKFP per minute. He played just 18.5 minutes yesterday vs. the Suns, but I would expect him to play much more tonight vs. the Kings. The Lakers are going to need to generate as much offense as possible, and Harrell is one of their best remaining sources of points.
Other Options – Myles Turner ($6,000), Aron Baynes ($4,000)
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $600K Shootaround [$150K to 1st]
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