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Here are some plays that jump out on DraftKings at each position for Wednesday’s massive 11-game NBA slate, along with some strategy unique to this slate.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $700K Shootaround [$150K to 1st]
Point Guard
Worth Paying Up For: Trae Young, Atlanta Hawks vs. Charlotte Hornets ($9,600)
Paying up at PG is a competitive position on this slate. I think a lot of eyes will go to the red-hot Stephen Curry ($9,800), but Young brings the same kind of upside into a better matchup against the Hornets. Charlotte ranks 25th in DKFP allowed to PG this season, leaving Young with a high ceiling. The sharpshooter even brings a safe floor into matchups like this on off nights — he finished with 54.5 DKFP in his last game, while shooting just 1-of-6 from downtown.
Best Bang For Your Buck: LaMelo Ball, Charlotte Hornets at Atlanta Hawks ($6,000)
The youngster had a tough time in his first few NBA games, but that’s to be expected. He actually caught on pretty quickly, and after playing 20 or fewer minutes in his first three games, Ball’s played at least 27 in each of his last four. The production has come along with the playing time, as LaMelo is averaging 37.6 DKFP over his last four games. The rookie scored a career-best 44.5 DKFP just before the New Year, and finished three boards and one assist shy of his first triple-double on Monday. A paced up matchup as road dogs against the Hawks sets up nicely for his fantasy outlook.
Shooting Guard
Worth Paying Up For: Paul George, Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors ($8,900)
PG got the night off on Tuesday, and while he was listed with an ankle, he presumably will return on Wednesday. On the flip side, we assume Kawhi Leonard will be taking the night off this time around, because the dude hasn’t played a back-to-back in four years. George gets a solid matchup against an improving Warriors defense, but there’s still shootout potential here. George was awful in the two games Kawhi missed in December, but the Clippers were on the wrong side of a 50-point blowout, and then came back by blowing out the Timberwolves. This time around should be significantly different.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Lou Williams, Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors ($4,400)
The Kawhi trickledown effect should set us up with plenty of value on the Clips’ side. Lou-Will hasn’t done much this season, but at some point we have to expect a breakout. There’s very little risk at this price point compared to what we’re used to paying for Williams, and without Kawhi, there’s a lot of slack to pickup on offense. Lou went for 31.25 DKFP in just 20 minutes the last time Kawhi sat.
Small Forward
Worth Paying Up For: Khris Middleton, Milwaukee Bucks vs. Detroit Pistons ($7,500)
We’ll see how the news shakes out with 11 games, but SF is likely a value position. There just aren’t that many top-end stars with a price/matchup worth going after, and the biggest name that’s out on the slate will likely be at this position, creating value plays for us on the Clips. Middleton is a high-floor play at a fair price. While the blowout risk is there, we just saw him finish with 34.25 DKFP in this exact spot last game. Middleton’s scored no fewer than 31 DKFP this season, but still brings 40-50 DKFP upside.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Nicolas Batum, Los Angeles Clippers at Golden State Warriors ($4,900)
More Clippers, I know. Batum stepped up big with PG out against the Spurs on Tuesday night, finishing with a 21-9-3 line (40.75 DKFP) in 36 minutes. While we should expect some regression, it’s still a strong spot for Batum, assuming he’s a full-go. If not, or if you just want to pivot to a different value, Luke Kennard ($4,100) started in place of PG on Tuesday. While he only finished with 21.5 DKFP, he shot just 3-of-10 and did play 38 minutes. He’s in a good spot once again.
Power Forward
Worth Paying Up For: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks vs. Detroit Pistons ($10,900)
Giannis rolled over the Pistons on Monday, finishing with 43 points on 17-of-24 shooting. The 61.75 DKFP outing was kind of a light night for him with all the scoring, leaving an even bigger game on the table. He brings a super high ceiling into this game, and is easily one of the top anchors at any position.
Best Bang For Your Buck: PJ Washington, Charlotte Hornets at Atlanta Hawks ($5,000)
Washington’s been stepping up for the Hornets since Cody Zeller went down on opening night. He brings a low floor with a couple of whiffs on the fantasy side, but he’s also scored 30-40 DKFP in three of his last six games. He should see plenty of run in this one, which has the highest total on the board by the slight margin.
Center
Worth Paying Up For: Andre Drummond, Cleveland Cavaliers at Orlando Magic ($8,600)
Drummond’s coming off a weird string of poor fantasy outings, but it levels off his salary at a fair price for a rematch against Orlando. The 20 minutes against Atlanta were kind of inexplicable, but the other two down games were clearly blowout related. Cleveland was down two at halftime to the Magic before the wheels fell off on Monday, so look for them to hang tough this time, giving Drummond a shot at a much bigger game.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Clint Capela, Atlanta Hawks vs. Charlotte Hornets ($6,700)
Capela’s price is starting to reflect his growing role, but he’s still a bit underpriced and in a good spot here on this slate. Since we saw the 20-minute restriction lifted, Capela’s played at least 30 minutes in all three games, finishing with a double-double in each one, and averaging 37.4 DKFP in those contests. This is a spot he should be able to crash the glass against a thin Charlotte frontcourt.
Overall Lineup Strategy
11-game slates take away the very thin positions like we saw on Tuesday, and come down more to making sure you invest in the positions that standout most. Paying up for guards will likely be the biggest strength on this slate, so don’t be afraid to invest a majority of your salary there.
I do think Giannis makes for an exception, and is worth rostering over some of those elite PGs. Giannis and George are probably the first two studs you slide into a cash lineup, so if playing GPPs, try to pivot off of that combo.
Value on the Clippers will be super popular. In cash there’s no problem playing three of four Clips, but in GPPs you’ll want to find your way off most of them.
Injury Report
OUT
Darius Garland (shoulder)
Dante Exum (calf)
Lauri Markkanen (protocols)
Tomas Satoransky (COVID)
Pat Connaughton (groin)
Alec Burks (ankle)
Danuel House (back)
Killian Hayes (hip)
QUESTIONABLE
Christian Wood (knee)
Reggie Bullock (knee)
Marcus Smart (thumb)
Jeff Teague (ankle)
Bogdan Bogdanovic (ankle)
Josh Jackson (ankle)
Evan Fournier (back)
Tyrese Haliburton (wrist)
DOUBTFUL
None
PROBABLE
Derrick Favors (knee)
Kevin Knox (knee)
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $700K Shootaround [$150K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is jedlow) 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 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.
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