There eight games on tap this Wednesday and no shortage of elite talent. Yet I’ve avoided any of the top five salaries in favor of some more modest options. As I do every week, I make sure the total salary comes in under the FanDuel $60k budget. This week there is $1,800 left over. Take some of these suggested players and combine them with your preferred top-tier options.
Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel
Point Guard
Stephen Curry (GS): $10,000 vs. NO
Call this a gut feel, but I think that Curry will come out with the most fantasy points of the Warriors Big Three against the Pelicans. You’ll want to get at least one of Curry, Durant and Thompson in your lineup, as the game has an over-under of 240 points. Curry is my pick in part because of his volume on trebles, in which he was 8-for-13 on Tuesday and is hitting at 55.8 percent over his last three games.
Jalen Brunson (DAL): $3,700 vs. SA
Brunson will have opportunity on Wednesday, with J.J. Barea (Achilles) out and Dennis Smith Jr. (back) questionable. Barea’s absence is the key factor here. When Barea sat out on 12/5, Brunson tallied 39.5 FPTS, largely due to a boost in rebounds (11) and assists (8). He’s been trending upwards, and the game sets up well for him.
There eight games on tap this Wednesday and no shortage of elite talent. Yet I’ve avoided any of the top five salaries in favor of some more modest options. As I do every week, I make sure the total salary comes in under the FanDuel $60k budget. This week there is $1,800 left over. Take some of these suggested players and combine them with your preferred top-tier options.
Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel
Point Guard
Stephen Curry (GS): $10,000 vs. NO
Call this a gut feel, but I think that Curry will come out with the most fantasy points of the Warriors Big Three against the Pelicans. You’ll want to get at least one of Curry, Durant and Thompson in your lineup, as the game has an over-under of 240 points. Curry is my pick in part because of his volume on trebles, in which he was 8-for-13 on Tuesday and is hitting at 55.8 percent over his last three games.
Jalen Brunson (DAL): $3,700 vs. SA
Brunson will have opportunity on Wednesday, with J.J. Barea (Achilles) out and Dennis Smith Jr. (back) questionable. Barea’s absence is the key factor here. When Barea sat out on 12/5, Brunson tallied 39.5 FPTS, largely due to a boost in rebounds (11) and assists (8). He’s been trending upwards, and the game sets up well for him.
Shooting Guard
Donovan Mitchell (UTA): $9,000 @ LAC
Mitchell has played very well lately. The 28 points he scored on Monday against the Pistons were a game-high, and he scored 33 points in the three games prior to that. He’s been consistently seeing minutes well into the 30’s, and with Joe Ingles (ankle) now questionable, he could be leaned on even more.
Austin Rivers (HOU): $5,000 vs. BKN
Opportunity is the name of River’s game, and he still has it for a little while longer. Eric Gordon (knee) remains questionable, and Chris Paul (hamstring) won’t return for at least another week. Rivers has double-digit points in his last four games, but it’s his minutes that are enticing, as they’re frequently in the 40’s. The window will be closing on the starting role, but Rivers will be wanting to show well while it’s still open.
Small Forward
Evan Turner (POR): $4,500 vs. CLE
Turner represents a good value pick. He’s averaged 24 FPTS over 23.5 minutes in his last four games and could see an uptick on Wednesday. Jake Layman may start if Maurice Harkless (knee) remains sidelined, but it’s Turner who has been seeing the minutes and is easily the better fantasy option.
Rodney Hood (CLE): $4,100 @ POR
This is a leap of faith, given the small sample size of just two games since returning from injury; but Hood looked good in Sunday’s game against the Lakers, in which he tallied 18 points, three rebounds, and one steal over 24 minutes, for a total of 27.1 FPTS. The Cavaliers will likely keep featuring him since he’s shown well and is over his injury.
Power Forward
Tobias Harris (LAC): $7,600 vs. UTA
Harris is a good option to slot into lineups as a consistent mid-range option with a solid floor. He’s scored double-digit points in nine of his last 10 games, with 30+ minutes in all but one. Harris has two point-rebound double-doubles his last three games; and over that span has averaged 34.0 minutes, 16.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.0 blocks and 0.7 steals.
Pascal Siakam (TOR): $6,500 @ BOS
Siakam has five double-doubles in his last eight games, even if the latest was in double-OT on Sunday. His strong point and rebound totals keep him in constant contention as a good DFS play; especially with the upside potential for 40+ FPTS, which Siakam has hit twice in his previous six games (not counting the double-OT).
Center
Julius Randle (NO): $7,800 @ GS
Randle will continue to see around 33 minutes per game and has been trending upwards during his last four games. This is primarily due to his points production, which has risen from 15 to 27 over that span. He’s also a very reliable source of rebounds. I like him as an option for those without the budget for Rudy Gobert, in what is predicted to be a high-scoring game.
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Jason Micklewright is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Jason, check out his archive and follow him @FantasyPonder.