The NBA regular season is in the books, and we’re on to day two of the play-in tournament. We have two more games on tap for Wednesday, and the action gets underway at 7 p.m. ET.
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Point Guard
Stud
Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks vs. Charlotte Hornets ($10,600) – Young has been playing some excellent basketball recently. He’s scored at least 50.5 DKFP in five of his past seven games, and he was limited to just 28.5 minutes in one of the only exceptions. Overall, Young has increased his production to 1.50 DKFP per minute over the past month. That’s the top mark among Wednesday’s players. Young has the potential to play more than 40 minutes in this contest, giving him the top ceiling on the slate.
Other Options – Dejounte Murray ($10,800), LaMelo Ball ($9,700)
Value
Delon Wright, Atlanta Hawks vs. Charlotte Hornets ($3,200) – Even though Young figures to handle most of the PG minutes for the Hawks, Wright should still see a solid handful of minutes off the bench. Lou Williams remains out of the lineup, leaving Wright as their primary backup. That’s enough to make him a viable option in the postseason, especially considering his average of 0.80 DKFP per minute over the past month.
Other Options – Josh Primo ($3,400)
Shooting Guard
Stud
Terry Rozier, Charlotte Hornets at Atlanta Hawks ($6,800) – You’re not going to be able to pay up at every position on Wednesday, and Rozier stands out as an outstanding midrange option for the Hornets. He’s scored the ball well for the Hornets recently, resulting in at least 39.75 DKFP in two of his past three games. He did that despite logging 31.6 minutes or fewer in both of those games, and he should play closer to 36 minutes on Wednesday. Rozier has been priced above $8K at times this season, so this is an excellent price tag for him as well.
Other Options – CJ McCollum ($9,000)
Value
Devin Vassell, San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Pelicans ($6,000) – The biggest difference between the playoffs and the regular season is that cheaper players with sizable workloads are few and far between. Vassell fits that description at just $6,000. He’s also a strong per-minute producer, averaging 0.90 DKFP per minute this season, making him one another very reasonable option at shooting guard.
Other Options – Bogdan Bogdanovic ($5,700)
Small Forward
Stud
Brandon Ingram, New Orleans Pelicans vs. San Antonio Spurs ($8,300) – Ingram might be my favorite stud option on this slate. He’s priced at a discount compared to the other top studs on Wednesday, but he provides comparable upside. He’s averaged 1.26 DKFP per minute over the past month, and he should approach 40 minutes in this contest. Historically, Ingram has historically logged at least 38 minutes in 23 previous games with a comparable salary, and he’s averaged 44.87 DKFP in those outings.
Other Options – Miles Bridges ($7,100)
Value
De’Andre Hunter, Atlanta Hawks vs. Charlotte Hornets ($4,300) – Hunter is another cheaper option that deserves consideration. He’s the Hawks’ best defender, and that role has value in the postseason. He was instrumental in shutting down Julius Randle in the playoffs last season, and he should play a similar role as the Hawks’ defensive stopper this season. The Hawks are also still without John Collins, which opens up even more minutes for Hunter.
Other Options – Kevin Huerter ($4,900)
Power Forward
Stud
Keldon Johnson, San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Pelicans ($7,000) – There really aren’t many choices if you’re looking to pay up at power forward. It basically comes down to Johnson or Miles Bridges.
Johnson probably won’t get a ton of attention at $7,000 – most people will likely go stars-and-scrubs on this slate – but he has been a phenomenal source of value recently. He’s managed to return value in 10 straight games, and he’s scored at least 37.75 DKFP in seven of those contests. That makes a $7,000 price tag actually quite reasonable.
Other Options – Danilo Gallinari ($5,200)
Value
Herbert Jones, New Orleans Pelicans vs. San Antonio Spurs ($4,500) – Jones is not someone who entered the season with many expectations, but he has been a revelation for the Pelicans. He’s displayed excellent defensive ability, which has earned him a prominent role in their rotation. Jones has also increased his fantasy production of late, averaging 0.81 DKFP per minute over the past month. He should see plenty of minutes vs. the Spurs, making him one of the best pure values on the entire slate.
Other Options – P.J. Washington ($5,100), Larry Nance Jr. ($3,600)
Center
Stud
Jakob Poeltl, San Antonio Spurs at New Orleans Pelicans ($6,600) – Poeltl has quietly had a fantastic season for the Spurs. He’s averaged 1.17 DKFP per minute, including 1.20 DKFP per minute over the past month. The Spurs gave him plenty of rest down the stretch, but he should be ready to play big minutes in the play-in tournament. He’s logged at least 32 minutes in 22 games this season, and he’s averaged 38.57 DKFP in those contests. That makes this a great price tag to target him.
Other Options – Clint Capela ($6,900)
Value
Mason Plumlee, Charlotte Hornets at Atlanta Hawks ($4,000) – If you’re spending down at center, your best bet is trying to decipher the Hornets' three-man rotation. Plumlee, Montrezl Harrell, and P.J. Washington will all get minutes, and all three have the potential to be relevant.
Still, Plumlee is my favorite option of the bunch. He’s expected to see a few more minutes than Harrell, and he’s a slightly better per-minute producer than Washington. He’s also more than $1,000 cheaper than Washington, which is a big deal on a slate with limited value.
Other Options – Onyeka Okongwu ($3,800), Montrezl Harrell ($3,500)
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $400K Play-In Special [$100K to 1st]
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