It’s a six-game, twelve-team slate of NBA action on Wednesday. That includes marquee matchups such as LeBron James and the Lakers visiting the Heat in South Beach. With plenty stars across the association taking the floor, narrowing down a select group of big names to start in season-long fantasy and DFS formats is no easy task. Here are the three centers at the top of tonight’s board:
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $333K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
1. Anthony Davis, Los Angeles Lakers at MIA ($10,500)
Since Joel Embiid has been ruled out once again, Anthony Davis is the clear-cut top dog on tonight’s slate. In spite of a miserable 12-point outing against the Timberwolves on Monday, AD has been nothing short of dominant this season. The center has put up 27.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 3.3 assists on 54.2% shooting over the course of 20 games. His talent isn’t limited to one end of the floor; the nine-time All-Star has also tallied 2.0 blocks and 1.3 steals on defense.
With so many different statistical contributions, Davis remains one of the safest bets in fantasy basketball. The Heat play solid defense, but this matchup usually isn’t a problem for Los Angeles’ best player. The Brow has notched a double-double in four of his last five games against Miami in addition to a combined 4.0 steals and blocks. There aren’t many quality centers available tonight, so it makes sense to pay up for a proven superstar.
2. Kristaps Porzingis, Boston Celtics vs. DET ($7,000)
Just when you thought the defending champs couldn’t get any scarier, they welcomed back an All-Star big man. Kristaps Porzingis, sidelined since last spring with a leg injury, made his much-anticipated return to action on November 25th. Even though the Celtics have played it safe, the sharpshooting center hasn’t needed much time to get going. Through three games, he’s averaged 19.3 points and 7.3 rebounds in just 26.7 minutes played.
Porzingis’ talent will always make him a difficult name to pass up, especially at such a reasonable price. There is a chance he doesn’t play much more than half of tonight’s game, as Boston enters as 13.5 point favorites over the Pistons. Still, KP is a key piece of this Celtics offense, and it’s not hard to imagine him nabbing 20 points in a hurry.
3. Bam Adebayo, Miami Heat vs. LAL ($8,000)
Now that Jimmy Butler is day-to-day with knee soreness, Miami’s offense has been forced to look elsewhere for production. The initial results against the Celtics on Monday weren’t great: the Heat scored just 89 points in a blowout loss. Starting center Bam Adebayo should be the one picking up the scoring load, but he’s had a down year, putting up 15.6 points, 9.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists on a lackluster 41.9% field goal percentage.
Despite having the second-highest cost at the position tonight, Bam isn’t someone I’d be rushing to pick up. A date with the Lakers is no picnic, as getting points inside on Anthony Davis is quite the challenge. To make things more difficult, there’s also a chance Butler returns, which would eat into the workload for every other Miami player. Bam’s defense and passing skills give him plenty of avenues to produce other than scoring, but his offensive game hasn’t looked right for most of the season.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $333K Fadeaway [$100K to 1st]
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All odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook, lines and odds subject to change.
I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is barmy) 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.
