Chris Paul has a great matchup at a reasonable price Wednesday
We have a solid slate to work with on Wednesday, as nine of the 10 contests have spreads of less than eight points. There are plenty of contests that have point totals that are projected to be high, so I look for a good night of fantasy production. With that in mind, let’s take a look at a lineup for DraftKings.
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Point Guard
Chris Paul (LAC): $8,800 vs. GSW
The Clippers and Warriors renew their rivalry tonight, and this should be a fun one to watch. This game features a projected total of 224.5 points, with the spread currently under five. This is a healthy boost in terms of pace for the Clippers, and Paul draws a strong individual matchup at home. Paul’s price is actually pretty favorable, and he’s a great player to anchor your lineups with tonight.
Other Notables:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL): $9,800 vs. POR
- Eric Bledsoe (PHO): $7,400 vs. IND
- Goran Dragic (MIA): $7,300 @ ATL
- Deron Williams (DAL): $5,700 vs. SAC
Shooting Guard
Wayne Ellington (MIA): $4,300 @ ATL
Provided Josh Richardson remains on the shelf, Ellington could be looking at heavy minutes yet again tonight. He’s played at least 32 minutes in each of the last four games, and while his production has been erratic, he draws a decent enough matchup to warrant consideration tonight. His value derives from the three-point shot, and that’s an added bonus in DraftKings’ scoring system.
Other Notables:
- James Harden (HOU): $11,400 vs. LAL
- C.J. McCollum (POR): $6,800 @ MIL
- Will Barton (DEN): $6,200 @ BKN
- Wesley Matthews (DAL): $5,200 vs. SAC
Small Forward
Danilo Gallinari (DEN): $5,700 @ BKN
The Nuggets draw a dream matchup on the road against the Nets who rank second in pace but 29th in team defensive efficiency. The Nuggets rank fifth in pace, which has led to this contest quietly having the second-highest total of the evening at 221 points. This should create a favorable atmosphere for fantasy production, and I expect Gallinari to benefit.
Other Notables:
- LeBron James (CLE): $9,900 @ NY
- Kevin Durant (GS): $9,700 @ LAC
- Wilson Chandler (DEN): $6,300 @ BKN
- Jae Crowder (BOS): $5,600 @ ORL
Power Forward
Paul George (IND): $7,800 @ PHO
George has played 34 and 31 minutes in each of his first two games since returning from injury, and the results have been encouraging. He’s scored at least 38.75 DKP in each of those two contests, and he’s in a good spot to continue his recent success tonight. The Suns rank first in terms of pace, but they are a weaker defensive squad, which should lead to plenty of chances to produce for George tonight.
Other Notables
- Blake Griffin (LAC): $8,600 vs. GS
- Kristaps Porzingis (NY): $7,900 vs. CLE
- Serge Ibaka (ORL): $6,400 vs. BOS
Center
John Henson (MIL): $4,700 vs. POR
Henson is one of my wild cards tonight, as I expect him to fly under the radar. While he has yet to crack 30 minutes of playing time this season, his per minute production remains strong (1.01 DKP/minute). He’s been even better over the last five games, as he’s averaged 31.1 DKP in 25.2 minutes per game. This is an incredible individual matchup for Henson tonight, and if he can get right around 30 DKP, he will boost your lineup quite a bit.
Other Notables
- DeMarcus Cousins (SAC): $11,000 @ DAL
- Brook Lopez (BKN): $6,400 vs. DEN
- Jusuf Nurkic (DEN): $4,300 @ BKN
Guard
Marcus Smart (BOS): $4,500 @ ORL
This play is pretty dependent on the status of Isaiah Thomas, who is currently questionable with a groin injury. The thought process behind this is not that Smart’s minutes will change much (he already plays around 30 per game), but rather the jump in usage with Thomas off of the court. With Thomas on the floor, Smart’s usage is 18%, but it jumps to 26.3% when Thomas is out (per NBAwowy). It’s also important to note that his production follows the usage boost, as he averages 1.04 DKP/minute with Thomas out, as opposed to 0.78 DKP/minute when playing with Thomas.
Forward
Carmelo Anthony (NY): $7,400 vs. CLE
Anthony will host LeBron James and the Cavaliers tonight, and this is a good spot to target the veteran, especially if Derrick Rose misses tonight’s contest (left last night with back spasms). Over the last five years (14 games) in this matchup, Anthony has averaged 43.4 DKP per game, and I don’t think that is an unrealistic expectation tonight. This is one of those situations where the narrative comes into play, as Anthony loves this matchup against his old pal.
Utility
Harrison Barnes (DAL): $6,500 vs. SAC
The continued absence of Dirk Nowitzki has caused the Mavericks to lean on Barnes more on offense, and I look for this trend to continue tonight. Barnes is logging heavy minutes, having averaged 38.5 over the last five contests, while scoring 35.3 DKP per game during that span. This game has the lowest projected total of the evening at 194.5 points, but the spread is under four right now. I expect this to be a close, albeit possibly ugly, game. This should afford Barnes plenty of run yet again, and thus all sorts of chances to produce.
My Lineup
- PG – Chris Paul (LAC): $8,800 vs. GS
- SG – Wayne Ellington (MIA): $4,300 @ ATL
- SF – Danilo Gallinari (DEN): $5,700 @ BKN
- PF – Paul George (IND): $7,800 @ PHO
- C – John Henson (MIL): $4,700 vs. POR
- G – Marcus Smart (BOS): $4,500 @ ORL (if Isaiah Thomas out)
- F – Carmelo Anthony (NY): $7,400 vs. CLE
- UTIL – Harrison Barnes (DAL): $6,500 vs. SAC
Help yourself out by checking out our NBA Optimal Lineup for today’s slate
Adam Sutton is a correspondent at FantasyPros. To read more from Adam, follow him @DraftStars_Adam. You can find more of Adam’s work at DraftStars.net.
