Wednesday night presents a six-game NBA DFS slate that begins at 7:00 PM EST. 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 $200K Fadeaway [$50K to 1st]
Guard
Stud
Jamal Murray, Denver Nuggets vs. Houston Rockets, $8,400
After spraining his ankle Friday vs. the Knicks, Murray suited up Wednesday vs. the Thunder and looked like himself, delivering 42 FPTS across 36.5 minutes. This was a strong performance vs. Oklahoma City’s No.1 rated defense and Murray faces another tough matchup tonight, as the Rockets rank sixth in defensive rating this season.
Still, this $8,400 price tag is slightly too low for Murray in a likely competitive tilt and he is the best high-end guard to roster for this slate, as almost all the other lucrative guards are overpriced. Murray is scoring 1.3 FPTS per minute with a 29.1% usage rate this season and he scored 46.25 FPTS vs. Houston back in December.
Other Options: Trey Murphy ($7,600)
Value
Darius Garland, Los Angeles Clippers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, $6,200
Garland moved into the Clippers’ starting lineup two games ago and he has been great in his first two starts with the club, scoring 35 and 40.25 FPTS. In that latter showing, Garland faced a Knicks’ defense that ranks eighth in rating this season and he logged 30 minutes, which is the most he has seen in a Los Angeles uniform.
While a limited sample of just four games, Garland is producing 1.2 FPTS per minute with a 29.2% usage rate with the Clippers. The Timberwolves are a subpar matchup, ranking ninth in defensive rating this season, but Garland is way too cheap and this very well could be the lowest we see him priced for the rest of the season.
Other Options: Bennedict Mathurin ($6,100), Brice Sensabaugh ($5,600)
Forward
Stud
Paolo Banchero, Orlando Magic vs. Cleveland Cavaliers, $9,400
The Magic are all the sudden playing very well and Banchero has been one of the primary reasons why. In his last seven starts, Banchero has scored at least 43 FPTS six times. Franz Wagner (ankle) remains out and with him off the floor this season, Banchero leads Orlando with 1.2 FPTS per minute and a 29% usage rate.
The forward is facing the Cavaliers tonight, who rank 13th in pace this season and who Banchero destroyed for 57 FPTS in January. The Magic are fighting hard right now to move up the standings and avoid the Play-In Tournament, and Banchero should put up a big fantasy score tonight.
Other Options:
Value
Derrick Jones Jr., Los Angeles Clippers vs. Minnesota Timberwolves, $4,600
Jones Jr.’s numbers have been strong recently, despite the Clippers’ acquisitions of Garland and Mathurin. Jones Jr. has improved in each of his last three starts, scoring 23.75, 24.5 and 39.25 FPTS. Since the All-Star break, the veteran is logging a team-high 31.9 minutes per game and he has topped 20 FPTS in seven of nine games.
Jones Jr. is scoring 0.8 FPTS per minute with an 18.5% usage rate during this time and he is the best cheap forward on the slate.
Other Options: RJ Barrett ($6,800), Tristian da Silva ($4,400), Blake Hinson ($3,300)
Center
Stud
Karl-Anthony Towns, New York Knicks at Utah Jazz, $8,700
The Knicks just faced the two Los Angeles teams in the City of Angels and Towns was a beast in these matchups, scoring 53 FPTS vs. the Lakers and 64 FPTS vs. the Clippers. Since the All-Star break, the big man has been much more efficient, shooting 61% from the field and 47% on three pointers. Before the layoff, Towns was shooting 46% from the field and 35% from beyond the arc.
With the improved shooting, Towns is generating 1.4 FPTS per minute since the All-Star break. Facing the Jazz and their No.29 rated defense, the Knicks present the highest implied team total on the slate at 122.5 points on DraftKings Sportsbook and Towns should feast in this beautiful spot. When playing behind an implied team total of at least 120 points this season, Towns is amassing 47.3 FPTS per game (18 games).
Other Options: Nikola Jokic ($12,100)
Value
Ryan Kalkbrenner, Charlotte Hornets at Sacramento Kings, $3,300
The Hornets are in the midst of a west coast road trip and Kaklbrenner has been strong in the first two stops, posting 20.75 FPTS vs. the Suns and 26 vs. the Trail Blazers last night. The rookie has surpassed 20 FPTS in five of 10 games since the All-Star break and he is scoring 1.0 FPTS per minute over this stretch.
Kalkbrenner should approach 20 minutes tonight and he has 20 FPTS upside vs. the Kings, who rank 28th in defensive rating this season and are playing their second game in two nights.
Other Options: Jakob Poeltl ($5,500, if he plays), Brook Lopez ($4,700), Sandro Mamukelashvili ($4,600, if Poeltl is out),
