Wednesday’s main slate includes the first nine 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 $300K Floor General [$100K to 1st]
Guard
Stud
Trey Murphy, New Orleans Pelicans at Denver Nuggets, $8,100
Murphy exposed the Nuggets up for 59.25 FPTS on Monday and he faces Denver again on Wednesday. The ascending wing has surpassed 50 FPTS in three straight games and Murphy is going to continue to put up huge numbers on a nightly basis with Dejounte Murray (Achilles) out for the season and Brandon Ingram (ankle) still sidelined without a timetable for a return.
With both Murray and Ingram off the court this season, Murphy’s usage rises a team-high 4.2 percentage points to 28% and he produces 1.2 FPTS per minute. The Nuggets rank 22nd in defensive efficiency and this game carries a huge 240-point total on DraftKings Sportsbook. Murphy should easily exceed five-times value in this situation and is an elite spend for all formats.
Other Options: Cade Cunningham ($10,500), Anthony Edwards ($9,800), CJ McCollum ($7,900), Jamal Murray ($7,700)
Value
Christian Braun, Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Pelicans, $5,500
Opposite of Murphy, Braun is also a stellar target in this high-scoring affair between the Nuggets and Pelicans. Russell Westbrook (hamstring) will miss his third in a row and with the former MVP unavailable for the last two, Braun has started and recorded 47.25 FPTS vs. the Hornets and 26.5 FPTS vs. the Pelicans. The 23-year-old has received a huge 39.1 minutes per game during this stretch and Braun should have zero issues surpassing five-times value with this type of volume in Wednesday’s rematch with New Orleans.
The Pelicans rank 28th in defensive efficiency and Braun is amassing 34.9 FPTS per game for the last five times he has logged at least 35 minutes.
Other Options: Jordan Clarkson ($5,600), Isaiah Collier ($5,100), Nick Smith Jr. ($5,000)
Forward
Stud
Jaren Jackson Jr., Memphis Grizzlies at Toronto Raptors, $8,300
With Desmond Bane (foot) sidelined, Jackson Jr. is an appealing option. With Bane out Monday vs. the Spurs, Jackson Jr. went off for 51.5 FPTS in a 19-point win over the Spurs. Jackson Jr. is now generating 42 FPTS per game with a 30% usage rate with Bane inactive this season (10 games).
The Raptors have improved defensively, but they are playing their second game in two nights on Wednesday and Jackson Jr. exploded for 50.25 FPTS when he faced Toronto in December.
Other Options: Scottie Barnes ($9,300), Miles Bridges ($9,200)
Value
Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Chicago Bulls, $6,300
Reid is an easy choice with Julius Randle (groin) out. Reid started in place of Randle on Monday and didn’t disappoint, posting 47.25 FPTS vs. the Kings. The big man logged a season-high 40 minutes, which is an enormous jump from the 25.3 minutes per game Reid is averaging this season.
Reid should continue to see huge minutes every night until Randle returns and on tap for Wednesday is an incredible matchup vs. the Bulls, who rank third in pace, 26th in defensive efficiency and are playing their second game in two nights. Reid is scoring 1.1 FPTS per minute with Randle off the court this season and is a core play at this affordable $6,300 price tag.
Other Options: Jaden McDaniels ($6,500), Ziaire Williams ($4,900), GG Jackson ($3,800), Jake LaRavia ($3,600)
Center
Stud
Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Pelicans, $12,800
Building around Jokic is a smart move in this beautiful spot vs. the Pelicans, who rank 28th in defensive efficiency. New Orleans is also giving up the second-most points in the paint and third-most rebounds in the NBA. In this perfect matchup for centers, Jokic is averaging 68.1 FPTS per game in two meetings with the Pelicans this season.
Jokic’s assist rate increases by 3.9 percentage points with Westbrook off the court this season and Jokic should finish as the slate’s leading scorer, possibly by a large margin. This game carries a 240-point total on DraftKings Sportsbook and in totals of 240 points or greater this season, Jokic supplying 71.25 FPTS per game (four games).
Other Options: Nikola Vucevic ($8,200), Bam Adebayo ($8,000)
Value
Jonas Valanciunas, Washington Wizards at Brooklyn Nets, $6,000
With Alex Sarr (ankle) missing the last two, Valanciunas has started at center for the Wizards and recorded 30.5 FPTS vs. the Timberwolves and 42.25 FPTS vs. the Hornets. The veteran logged at least 29 minutes in both of these games and Washington notably won both of these tilts with Valanciunas playing a large role.
The center should continue to see right around 30 minutes on Wednesday with Sarr still sidelined, which is plenty of time for Valanciunas to out-produce his price tag against this Nets defense that ranks 23rd in efficiency. This season, the big man is scoring 1.3 FPTS per minute with a 24% usage rate.
Other Options: Rudy Gobert ($6,800), Kel’el Ware ($6,200), Kelly Olynyk ($3,300, if Jakob Poeltl is out)
