Wednesday presents a huge nine-game NBA slate. DraftKings continues to offer huge contests for DFS players, and below, I break down some of my favorite NBA DFS options at each position for Wednesday’s NBA action.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $333K Zone Special [$100K to 1st]
Guard
Stud
Cade Cunningham, Detroit Pistons at Milwaukee Bucks, $10,600
Cunningham is off to an excellent start this season, generating 55 FPTS per game. The guard is handling a 31.4% usage rate and a 48.6% assist rate – both of which rank top-10 in the league – resulting in 1.5 FPTS per minute.
Tonight, Cunningham is facing the Bucks for the second time this season, after he posted 59 FPTS vs. the division rival two weeks ago. Milwaukee ranks 23rd in defensive rating this season and Cunningham is a worthy spend in this plus spot.
Other Options: Donovan Mitchell ($9,500), Tyler Herro ($7,700), Cooper Flagg ($7,100)
Value
Ryan Nembhard, Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat, $4,400
Nembhard moved into the Mavericks’ starting lineup three games ago, with Brandon Williams shifting to the bench, and Nembhard has scored 28, 13.75 and 50.25 FPTS with the first unit, in that order. That final performance came in an impressive road win over the Nuggets on Monday, in which Nembhard logged a career-high 34.5 minutes and finished a +9 in the box score.
Nembhard earned himself another large role tonight and coming to town is the Heat, who lead the NBA in pace this season after being one of the slowest clubs in the league for many years. As a result, this game carries the highest total on the slate at 240.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook. Nembhard is amassing 1.0 FPTS per minute with a 20% usage rate this season and in this high-scoring affair vs. Miami, he is the top value on the slate.
Other Options: Ayo Dosunmu ($5,800), Davion Mitchell ($5,100), T.J. McConnell ($4,800)
Forward
Stud
Anthony Davis, Dallas Mavericks vs. Miami Heat, $8,800
After being in-and-out of the lineup with a calf injury, Davis finally looked like himself again this past Monday vs. the Nuggets. The big man erupted for a season-high 62.75 FPTS across 32.3 minutes in the 10-point road win over Denver. This was the best win of the season for the Mavericks and now, they are hosting the Heat in a likely shootout.
As noted above, this game carries the highest total on the slate at 240.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook and in this setting, Davis should easily surpass five-times value, barring an injury. The ex-Laker is scoring 1.5 FPTS per minute with a 27.8% usage rate this season and Davis is the best high-end value on the slate at this season-low $8,800 price tag. Earlier this season, Davis’ salary peaked at $10,100 on DraftKings.
Other Options: Jalen Johnson ($10,100), Deni Avdija ($9,400), Kawhi Leonard ($8,100)
Value
Noah Clowney, Brooklyn Nets at Chicago Bulls, $5,500
With Cam Thomas (hamstring) sidelined, Clowney has been productive as one of the Nets’ main players, scoring at least 29 FPTS in five of his last six starts, including a season-best 43 FPTS vs. the Knicks. Clowney is logging 31.4 minutes per game and handling a 20.6% usage rate over his last 10, and this is a great spot vs. the Bulls, who rank second in pace and 22nd in defensive rating this season.
Over 30 FPTS is possible for Clowney in this matchup and he is likely to come with low ownership for this big slate.
Other Options: Norman Powell ($6,600), Andrew Wiggins ($6,100), Tim Hardaway Jr. ($4,400)
Center
Stud
Onyeka Okongwu, Atlanta Hawks vs. Los Angeles Clippers, $7,500
Kristaps Porzingis (illness) is out tonight and with the veteran absent, Okongwu will start at center for the Hawks and is a strong target vs. a soft Clippers defense that ranks 27th in rating this season.
Okongwu is amassing 40.4 FPTS in 35.7 minutes per game in the 10 starts he has made for Porzingis this season, and Okongwu is simply underpriced for this situation.
Other Options: Nikola Jokic ($13,400), Bam Adebayo ($7,700)
Value
Goga Bitadze, Orlando Magic vs. San Antonio Spurs, $3,500
Bitadze is fresh off a 28.25 FPTS performance vs. the Bulls, which is the fourth time in his last five that the center has topped 20 FPTS, but for some reason, his salary has dropped to a season-low $3,500.
Bitadze is only going to see around 15-20 minutes off the bench as the Magic’s backup center, but he is producing 1.1 FPTS per minute this season and this is a plus matchup vs. the Spurs, who are playing their second game in two nights and rank 20th in defensive rating with Victor Wembanyama (out, calf) sidelined for the last eight. Bitadze should effortlessly exceed five-times value in this spot and he is a necessary play with this large slate oddly lacking viable punt plays.
Other Options: Nic Claxton ($6,400), Steven Adams ($4,200, if he plays)
