For Wednesday’s main NBA DFS slate, DraftKings has featured the first eight games of the night. DraftKings continues to offer huge contests for DFS players and below, I break down some of my favorite options at each position.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $400K Zone Special [$100K to 1st]
Guard
Stud
Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons at Philadelphia 76ers, $8,700
Cunningham has had an excellent start to his season and his impressive play should continue to against the depleted 76ers. With a career-high 33.6% usage rate – which ranks sixth in the NBA – Cunningham is generating 48.2 FPTS per game. Philadelphia remains without both Joel Embiid (knee) and Paul George (knee), and with these two stars yet to play this season, the 76ers have been a favorable matchup, ranking sixth in pace and 17th in defensive efficiency.
Cunningham should effortlessly exceed five-times value in this spot and the guard must be rostered at this sub-$9K salary.
Other Options: Trae Young ($9,900), LaMelo Ball ($9,600), Jordan Poole ($7,500)
Value
Davion Mitchell, Toronto Raptors at Charlotte Hornets, $5,000
The Raptors will be very shorthanded Wednesday, with Scottie Barnes (eye) out and Immanuel Quickley (doubtful, pelvic contusion) also not expected to play. Both players have seen huge usage rates this season and in their absences, Mitchell should be thrust into a large role. While it’s a limited sample of only 33 minutes with both Barnes and Quickley off the court this season, Mitchell has scored 1.1 FPTS per minute thanks to his usage and assist rates rising 8.2 and 13.7 percentage points, respectively.
Even with Barnes active, Mitchell posted 29 FPTS across 35 minutes Monday vs. the Nuggets, and he should have an even better showing Wednesday with Barnes absent against a Hornets’ defense that ranks 20th in efficiency.
Other Options: Scottie Pippen Jr. ($5,900, if Ja Morant is out), Jamal Shead ($3,700), Garrison Matthews ($3,300)
Forward
Stud
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics at Indiana Pacers, $9,800
After posting only 36 FPTS vs. the Bucks on Monday, Tatum should bounce back in a big way vs. the Pacers. The superstar was generating 57.3 FPTS per game this season before Monday and his success has been mostly attributed to his improved shooting. So far, Tatum is a career-best 51% from the field, including 42% from beyond the arc.
The forward is providing 1.6 FPTS per minute this season and Tatum was an absolute menace vs. Indiana last season. In eight matchups with the team, the Duke product averaged 57.9 FPTS per game.
Other Options: LeBron James ($9,000), Jalen Johnson ($7,900), Pascal Siakam ($7,900)
Value
Bilal Coulibaly, Washington Wizards vs. Atlanta Hawks, $5,200
Coulibaly has shown great improvement in his second season, averaging 28.3 FPTS in 33.6 minutes per game in the Wizards’ starting lineup. Coulibaly finished with 27 FPTS vs. the Hawks on Monday and he brings much better upside for Tuesday’s rematch with Atlanta, with Kyle Kuzma (groin) out for Washington. The ex-Laker has handled a 28% usage rate this season but when Kuzma is off the court, Coulibaly’s usage has increased 5.7 percentage points to 23.9% and he has scored 1.0 FPTS per minute.
The Hawks rank sixth in pace and 28th in defensive efficiency, and Coulibaly is an awesome, cheap way to gain a share of this expected shootout. On DraftKings Sportsbook, this matchup between the Wizards and Hawks carries the highest total on the board at 234.5 points.
Other Options: RJ Barrett ($6,600), Santi Aldama ($5,400), Gradey Dick ($5,200), Caleb Martin ($5,100), Sam Hauser ($3,800), David Roddy ($3,500)
Center
Stud
Andre Drummond, Philadelphia 76ers vs. Detroit Pistons, $7,000
After a quiet season opener, Drummond has been solid, amassing 34.5 FPTS per game in his past two starts. The veteran is averaging 28.1 minutes per game as Embiid’s replacement in the 76ers’ starting lineup and Drummond should approach the 30-minute mark in a matchup with the Pistons that requires size, especially with Jalen Duren as the opposing center. The big man is only drawing 2.3 fouls per game this season, putting Drummond in a strong position to avoid foul trouble and post a large double-double.
For more of a reason to select him, when he was a member of the Bulls, Drummond recorded a double-double of 36.75 FPTS when he last faced Detroit in February.
Other Options: Nikola Vucevic ($7,800)
Value
Jay Huff, Memphis Grizzlies vs. Brooklyn Nets, $4,000
Huff has been a great spark off the bench for the Grizzlies, so much so that the club converted his two-way contract into a four-year standard deal Monday. The big man is producing 22.8 FPTS in 18.5 minutes per game, and he is averaging 1.23 FPTS per minute this season. Huff has eclipsed 20 FPTS in three of his four games, and Wednesday presents a terrific spot for him to reach this feat again, with a Nets’ team in town that is playing their second game in two nights.
Huff is clearly underpriced for his recent production and is a viable option for all formats at this cheap price tag.
Other Options: Nick Richards ($4,800)
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $400K Zone Special [$100K to 1st]
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is Hunta512) 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 skills 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.
