Wednesday presents an eight-game schedule to work with as we enter the final weeks of the NBA regular season. This is shaping up as a tricky slate to navigate, but there are still good situations to target when building your lineups.
As a friendly reminder, be sure to keep an eye on the news throughout the day, as injury/rest situations can be very prevalent this time of year. Let’s take a look at a tournament lineup for DraftKings.
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Point Guard
Kemba Walker (CHA): $8,000 @ ORL
Walker has been struggling over the past week, having scored 31 DKP or less in three straight games, but I’m going to continue targeting him in tournaments. This is a plus matchup for Walker, and in a game that is pegged as a close one, I look for a full workload on the road this evening. He has upside of six times his salary on any given night, and his recent tough stretch should keep ownership levels depressed.
Other Notables:
- Russell Westbrook (OKC): $13,100 vs. PHI
- John Wall (WAS): $9,300 vs. ATL
- Elfrid Payton (ORL): $7,500 vs. CHA
- George Hill (UTA): $6,400 vs. NY
Shooting Guard
Bojan Bogdanovic (WAS): $4,600 vs. ATL
The Hawks do not defend the perimeter well, and despite Bogdanovic not being a starter, he still is a good bet to see 25-28 minutes most nights. His ability to hit three-point shots gives him an added boost in DraftKings’s scoring system, and upside of five to six times his current salary is not out of reach.
Other Notables:
- Jimmy Butler (CHI): $8,900 vs. DET
- Will Barton (DEN): $7,500 vs. CLE
- Avery Bradley (BOS): $6,100 vs. IND
- Evan Fournier (ORL): $5,800 vs. CHA
- Buddy Hield (SAC): $5,000 vs. MIL
- Nik Stauskas (PHI): $4,100 @ OKC
Small Forward
Khris Middleton (MIL): $6,200 @ SAC
With Middleton rounding back into full health, the Bucks appear to be settling into a groove in terms of their rotation as they chase down a playoff spot. This is a good spot for Middleton to keep things rolling, as the Kings are a poor defensive squad. Assuming Middleton continues to produce at this rate, his price won’t stay at these levels for long.
Other Notables:
- LeBron James (CLE): $11,100 @ DEN
- Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL): $9,200 @ SAC
- Paul George (NY): $8,300 @ BOS
- Gordon Hayward (UTA): $7,400 vs. NY
- Terrence Ross (ORL): $4,600 vs. CHA
Power Forward
Thaddeus Young (IND): $4,600 @ BOS
Young should be a good bet to see 30 minutes tonight, but the key with him is efficiency, as he can get lost in terms of production at times. The matchup doesn’t get much better for him tonight, so I like utilizing him as a source of salary relief in hopes that he can breach the 30 DKP threshold.
Other Notables
- Kevin Love (CLE): $7,800 @ DEN
- Dario Saric (PHI): $7,300 @ OKC
- Willie Cauley-Stein (SAC): $6,100 vs. MIL
- Tobias Harris (DET): $6,000 @ CHI
- Nikola Mirotic (CHI): $4,600 vs. DET
Center
Al Horford (BOS): $6,600 vs. IND
Don’t look now, but Horford has scored at least 40 DKP in four straight games, which means his salary will likely continue to rise. This is a phenomenal matchup at home against the Pacers, so I look for Horford to keep things rolling this evening.
Other Notables
- Nikola Jokic (DEN): $10,000
- Andre Drummond (DET): $7,900 @ CHI
- Dwight Howard (ATL): $7,000 @ WAS
- Richaun Holmes (PHI): $6,200 @ OKC
Guard
Gary Harris (DEN): $6,300 vs. DEN
The Nuggets could be without the services of Danilo Gallinari and/or Wilson Chandler, which would likely open up plenty of run for the likes of Will Barton and Harris. I am going to side with Harris as he’s not only cheaper, but he also likely won’t be tasked with guarding LeBron James at times during this game. He’s a virtual lock for 35-38 minutes at home tonight, thus affording him plenty of chances to produce against the Cavaliers.
Forward
Ersan Ilyasova (ATL): $5,500 @ WAS
Paul Millsap is expected to be out again tonight, which likely means some extra run for Ilyasova tonight. He’s too risky for cash games, but at this price I don’t mind taking a flier in tournament play, as the upside is certainly present. His ability to hit three point shots is an added bonus for a big man, and power forward is one of the positions that you can attack the Wizards.
Utility
Nikola Vucevic (ORL): $7,900 vs. CHA
Vucevic has averaged 43 DKP over the last five games, as he continues to carry the Magic, despite an injury concern with his Achilles heel. He’s scored at least 41 DKP in five out of the last six games, and I’m going to continue riding the hot streak at home tonight against the Hornets.
My Lineup
- PG – Kemba Walker (CHA): $8,000 @ ORL
- SG – Bojan Bogdanovic (WAS): $4,600 vs. ATL
- SF – Khris Middleton (MIL): $6,200 @ SAC
- PF – Thaddeus Young (IND): $4,600 @ BOS
- C – Al Horford (BOS): $6,600 vs. IND
- G – Gary Harris (DEN): $6,300 vs. CLE
- F – Ersan Ilyasova (ATL): $5,500 @ WAS
- UTIL – Nikola Vucevic (ORL): $7,900 vs. CHA
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.
