Here are some plays that jump out on DraftKings at each position for Wednesday’s NBA slate, along with some strategy unique to this slate.
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Point Guard
Worth Paying Up For: Ja Morant, Memphis Grizzlies vs. Portland Trail Blazers ($8,200)
It’s always scary fading Russell Westbrook ($11,100), but give me the $2,900 savings as I think Morant could come close to Westbrook’s output. Over the last five games, Morant has gone for 44, 46, 62.75, 37.5, and 72.5 DKFP. The 46 and 62.75 DKFP games were against the Trail Blazers. Portland is 29th in defensive efficiency and boosts the FPPM to point guards by 6.07% above league average.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Lou Williams, Atlanta Hawks at Philadelphia 76ers ($4,500)
Trae Young is out while Kevin Huerter ($6,400) and Brandon Goodwin ($4,300) are not expected to play. Kris Dunn ($3,100) is in the mix but he just returned to action and played 13 minutes last game. The matchup isn’t a good one as the 76ers are 2nd in defensive efficiency but Williams should get as many minutes as he can handle due to all the injuries. Since arriving in Atlanta, he’s garnered a 26% usage rate and averaged 11 shots per game. There could be a spike in both of those numbers today.
Shooting Guard
Worth Paying Up For: Bogdan Bogdanovic, Atlanta Hawks at Philadelphia 76ers ($7,600)
In addition to Goodwin, Huerter, and Young likely being out, De’Andre Hunter, Cam Reddish, and Tony Snell have been ruled out already. Like Williams, Bogdanovic is going to see as much usage and playing time as he can handle. Over the last four games, the usage rate has been 26% and he’s averaged 18 shots per game.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Facundo Campazzo, Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Pelicans ($4,800)
Campazzo has played 31, 34, and 32 minutes over the last three games, contributing 24, 32.5, and 16.75 DKFP. He’s starting due to all the injuries in the backcourt. The usage rate is low so the points will rarely flow like the Nile, but he dishes out plenty of assists and gets steals. He’s the swap meet version of TJ McConnell.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $400K Shootaround [$100K to 1st]
Small Forward
Worth Paying Up For: Michael Porter Jr., Denver Nuggets vs. New Orleans Pelicans ($8,600)
Porter has gone for 47.25, 59, and 43.25 DKFP in the last three games. He’s played 36, 36, and 37 minutes while garnering a usage rate of 27%, 31%, and 25%, respectively. The Pelicans are 27th in defensive efficiency.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Cody Martin, Charlotte Hornets at Boston Celtics ($4,000)
Martin has started the last three games and played 30, 31, and 24 minutes. He’s contributed 28.5, 40.5, and 11.25 DKFP. With the injuries on the Hornets, Martin should start for at least one more game and play around 30 minutes. The 40.5 DKFP game he put up was against the Celtics. A replication of that performance shouldn’t be expected but it’s within the range of outcomes now.
Power Forward
Worth Paying Up For: Julius Randle, New York Knicks vs. Chicago Bulls ($10,300)
Randle is coming off a 33.5 DKFP performance. It was against the Suns, who are sixth in defensive efficiency. Prior to that, he went for 47, 67.25, 44, 64.75, and 74 DKFP. He’s averaged a whopping 41 minutes per game. In two earlier meetings against the Bulls, Randle went for 50.75 and 48.5 DKFP.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Chuma Okeke, Orlando Magic at Cleveland Cavaliers ($4,900)
The production is volatile because of the suspect shooting efficiency. There’s no denying the minutes and shot attempts, though. He’s attempted double-digit shots in eight straight games and averaged 29.7 minutes. He also chips in a little something in every statistical category. Over the last eight games, he’s scored over 20 DKFP six times with two games over 30.
Center
Worth Paying Up For: Jusuf Nurkic, Portland Trail Blazers at Memphis Grizzlies ($6,800)
He’s back, baby! Over the last three games, he’s played 29, 29, and 20 minutes, contributing 53.75, 59.75, and 33.5 DKFP. One of those games was a blowout or he likely would’ve gone for another 50-burger. The Grizzlies boost the FPPM to centers by 22.04% above league average. Well, well, well, what do you know? Those two 50-burger games were against the Grizzlies.
Best Bang For Your Buck: Robert Covington, Portland Trail Blazers at Memphis Grizzlies ($5,300)
The Grizzlies also boost the FPPM to power forwards by 8.1% above league average. While Nurkic feasted in the prior two meetings with Memphis, Covington wasn’t so fortunate, as he scored 28 and 17 DKFP. That’s the kind of season it’s been for Covington. Very inconsistent. With that said, he did put up 37.25 DKFP last night against the Pacers so maybe that’s the start of a new trend.
Overall Lineup Strategy
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As usual, injuries are going to rule the slate so make sure to follow all the actives and inactives. The POR/MEM game has the best environment while the UTA/SAC game is very intriguing. I usually try and squeeze in as many studs as possible but hanging out in the mid-range may be the way to go as there are some options who could match the high-priced guys.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA $400K Shootaround [$100K to 1st]
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I am a promoter at DraftKings and am also an avid fan and user (my username is sontzu) 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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