Hello Razzball, back again here to break down some NBA DFS. We have a large but not crazy slate on Wednesday with nine games. #1 piece of advice as always is to be up to date on injuries, as the info in this article will only be up to date as of Tuesday night. There is unfortunately not a lot of great value on this slate with the current injury news. To get up to multiple spend up options, we’ll need some value to open up via injuries.
Let’s get down to it. Pricing is always (Fanduel/DraftKings). I mostly play tournaments and my picks will always bias towards volatility and upside.
Guards
Spend ups (9k and over)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($10,100/$10,000)
SGA is in a matchup against the Pacers, who are not great on defense and play at a fast pace. I expect this game to close at a high total, with an early line of 240.5. SGA’s price isn’t crazy especially for the matchup.
LaMelo Ball ($9,600/$9,600)
LaMelo has a really nice matchup against a Houston team near the bottom of the league in defense. Charlotte and Houston are both so bad that I expect this game to be a lot of scoring, zero defense from either side, and close in the 4th quarter. LaMelo’s in a really nice environment for a ceiling game.
Middle-to-High (7k-8.9k)
De’Aaron Fox ($8,300/$8,300)
Fox is in a good matchup against the Lakers here and his price is slightly down from where it has been recently. The last time these two teams met it was a 136-134 shootout and Fox had 34/2/9. I expect this to be another high total game.
Jordan Clarkson ($7,300/$7,200)
This is an injury play only. If Lauri is still out, then Clarkson is the #1 option. Don’t love the matchup against the Clippers, but Clarkson could get a ton of usage in this game.
Middle (5k-6.9k)
T.J. McConnell ($7,600/$5,500)
Wowee! That is certainly a price difference! T.J. just had a 29/5/9/3 game, good for about 56 FP on both sites. FD adjusted his price dramatically and DK did not. He’s been the biggest beneficiary of Haliburton being out and should continue to outplay a mid 5K price point. I would not play him on FD with that price, but he’ll be very popular on DK for good reason.
Dennis Schroder ($5,100/$5,500)
I like Schroder’s price on FD, but don’t like it on DK. If I want a 5.5K PG on DK I’ll just play McConnell instead. Schroder had 27/4/2 in the last matchup against the Kings and I’d expect him to beat a $5.1k price point in what should be another high scoring game.
Value Town (Under 5k)
I can’t really recommend anyone I actually like in this range for guards. Dyson Daniels can be a desperate punt play if you’re in a pinch.
Forwards
Spend ups (9k and over)
Paul George ($8,500/$9,200)
All of the other spend-up forwards are either too expensive or injured, so the highest price I’m considering here is George. Kawhi should be sitting the second game of the B2B, which leaves George as the main guy against the Jazz. George is coming off an injury and it is possible he also sits the second game of the B2B knowing how the Clippers operate. If both Kawhi and George are out, look to play Marcus Morris, Terance Mann, and Nicolas Batum.
Middle-to-High (7k-8.9k)
I don’t like any forwards between 7k and 8.9k on this slate. Doesn’t mean you can’t play anyone in that range, but they aren’t players I’m targeting.
Middle (5k-6.9k)
Buddy Hield ($6,700/$6,400)
Hield benefits from what should be a good game environment and Haliburton being out. He’s not someone I need to have in every lineup but he’s a good play and I’ll have some exposure.
Bennedict Mathurin ($5,500/$5,600)
Same as everyone else on the Pacers. Good matchup and no Haliburton. He’s been starting and getting a ton of shots up without Tyrese. Mathurin is a tournament play as he doesn’t give many stats outside of points and can burn you if he has an off shooting night. He’s had two floor games in a row where he hasn’t eclipsed 20 FP, but that should keep ownership down for him.
Jalen Williams ($6,000/$5,000)
I won’t be playing him on FD, but I love this price for the Thunder rookie on DK. He’s in a great matchup against the Pacers and he’s been a good play (5x his value) in nine of his last 11 games. I’m surprised DK hasn’t raised his price, on FD his price is correct.
Value Town (Under 5k)
Jaden McDaniels ($5,700/$4,700) and Jalen McDaniels ($5,700/$4,900)
I get these two mixed up constantly, but for this segment it doesn’t matter! Both are only plays on DK where they’re under 5k. Neither are priority plays but they can be plugged in to save some salary and have a good floor and ceiling for where they’re priced.
Centers
Spend ups (9k and over)
Nikola Jokic ($11,500/$11,400)
Jokic is always in play, but I especially want to play him if Rudy Gobert, who is currently questionable, is out. That would leave Naz Reid and Luka Garza as the only Centers on the Wolves and, frankly, neither of those guys has a prayer of guarding Jokic. The risk in that situation would be a blow out, but if the game is close and Gobert is out Jokic could break the slate.
Middle-to-High (7k-8.9k)
Alperen Sengun ($7,500/$7,700)
While Sengun’s price has gone up dramatically since the last slate I’d still want some pieces of him. He’s coming off a career best 33/15/6/4 and has taken on the majority of the playmaking responsibilities for this team with KPJ out. KPJ is questionable and if he returns I probably will not want to play Sengun at the elevated price. If KPJ is out, he’s in a great spot against Charlotte who is terrible on defense and awful against centers.
Middle (5k-6.9k)
Thomas Bryant ($6,100/$6,100)
His minutes have been down the past few matchups as the Lakers have gone smaller with Wenyen Gabriel at center. I think this has just been matchup based as the Lakers and Kings played recently and Bryant managed a 29/14 game. He should get back to 30 minutes in this matchup and be able to be a solid midrange option. If the Gabriel move ends up being more permanent, well, I’m sorry.
Value Town (Under 5k)
Naz Reid ($5,200/$4,800)
If Gobert is out, Naz Reid will start and do the best he can against Nikola Jokic. In real life, I think he’ll struggle hard against Jokic, but he should be able to beat this price tag with 25+ minutes. There is a chance he fouls out early or this game blows out. You have been warned.
