We’ve got nine games on the board tonight without a ton of high price tags floating around and a few nice value plays! Here are some lineup building blocks for you here early on this fine Wednesday.
Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel 
Guards
James Harden (SG – HOU): $11,700 vs. Grizzlies
This is a very exciting game for fantasy purposes, as these two teams play very fast and do not play much defense. Harden is a bit risky at this exorbitant price tag, but nobody can match his upside on this particular slate. He has been cruising along lately, and has attempted 15 or more shots in six straight games, with double-digit three-point attempts in all six. The shot attempts should be there again tonight with how fast the Grizzlies play, so I am all aboard the Harden upside train tonight.
Terry Rozier (PG – CHA): $5,000 vs. Knicks
A few down games from Rozier have brought his price down to $5,000 in this spot. The Knicks have not been a gracious defense to guards, allowing just a 5.1x return to them, but the value here is too much to ignore. He is coming off of a game where he made just two of thirteen shot attempts. Prior to that dud, Rozier had scored double-digit points in ten straight games. For the year, he is much closer to a $6,000 player than a $5,000 player, so there is a big-time opportunity for a 6x+ return here tonight.
We’ve got nine games on the board tonight without a ton of high price tags floating around and a few nice value plays! Here are some lineup building blocks for you here early on this fine Wednesday.
Check out today’s NBA Shot from FanDuel
Guards
James Harden (SG – HOU): $11,700 vs. Grizzlies
This is a very exciting game for fantasy purposes, as these two teams play very fast and do not play much defense. Harden is a bit risky at this exorbitant price tag, but nobody can match his upside on this particular slate. He has been cruising along lately, and has attempted 15 or more shots in six straight games, with double-digit three-point attempts in all six. The shot attempts should be there again tonight with how fast the Grizzlies play, so I am all aboard the Harden upside train tonight.
Terry Rozier (PG – CHA): $5,000 vs. Knicks
A few down games from Rozier have brought his price down to $5,000 in this spot. The Knicks have not been a gracious defense to guards, allowing just a 5.1x return to them, but the value here is too much to ignore. He is coming off of a game where he made just two of thirteen shot attempts. Prior to that dud, Rozier had scored double-digit points in ten straight games. For the year, he is much closer to a $6,000 player than a $5,000 player, so there is a big-time opportunity for a 6x+ return here tonight.
Dillon Brooks (SG – MEM): $4,100 @ Rockets
The Grizzlies offer a couple of really nice value plays tonight, as the prices on these guys is really low and you can expect some solid minutes in a good matchup. For the year, the Rockets have added on seven points to their opponent’s average fantasy point totals, and they allow big-time average salary value returns to every position. This game will have a very high total when the line comes available, and the FanDuel prices are just too low. Brooks is averaging a 24% usage rate on the year with nearly a fantasy point per minute, so you should be all over him in this spot at $4,100.
Forwards
Jimmy Butler (SF – MIA): $7,900 vs. Timberwolves
You need to keep an eye on the injury report here, as Butler is listed as questionable after missing a couple games for personal matters. If he does return for this game, he is a superb play at less than $8,000 here. The Wolves are a much different team after the trade deadline, so we cannot really rely on the defensive metrics they have gathered – but we do know that they are not a good defense. If Butler plays, there is no reason to think his minutes will be limited, and he is more of a $9,000 player than a $7,900 player this year, so you are getting a discount for really no good reason. Take advantage.
Josh Jackson (SF – MEM): $3,500 @ Rockets
This is an interesting play for the same reasons as Dillon Brooks above. Jackson has played 26 and 23 minutes in his last two games with the Grizzlies and projects for another total in the mid-twenties tonight. He has been a solid enough fantasy contributor this year, averaging 0.9 fantasy points per minute. The Rockets are a great matchup for a wing player, as they give up an average return of 5.7x to small forwards this year. I like the idea of pairing Brooks and Jackson together, as I do not see a ton of situations where one of these two does not have a really nice game for the price tonight, and the low prices really open up a ton of opportunity.
Centers
Nikola Vucevic (C – ORL): $9,300 @ Hawks
I’m not seeing a ton to get excited about at the center position tonight, so why not spend a little bit of money on the safe bet in Vuc against the weak Hawks defense. Atlanta has allowed an average salary return of 5.6x to centers, and the Magic center has been piling up the stats recently. He has double-doubles in four of his last five games while averaging more than five assists per game in those games. This is a really high ceiling to go with a safe floor, even at a bit of an increased price tag.
Jonas Valanciunas (C – MEM): $6,800 @ Rockets
The price is dropping as the minutes drop, as J-Val has failed to reach 30 minutes in four straight games now. As we have already discussed, this is a great spot for the Grizzlies against the Rockets. That is particularly so for Valanciunas, as the Rockets have allowed an average salary return of 5.8x to centers this year. As one of the highest fantasy point per minute centers in the league, the big man can easily pay off this salary in 25 minutes, and it is just a total smash if his minutes balloon back up over 30. Valanciunas is my favorite center on the board tonight.
Jakob Poeltl (C – SAS): $4,000 vs. Mavericks
LaMarcus Aldridge is set to miss tonight’s game, which opens up some opportunity for Poeltl to get some extra run. For the year, he has been a 1.1 fantasy point per minute player, so you only really need 20 minutes for him to beat this price tag, and he is really, really cheap. There is not a ton of upside, as the Spurs are reluctant to play him big minutes regardless of the circumstance, but he is another nice cheap option if you want to really pay up elsewhere.
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Jon Anderson is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Jon, check out his archive and follow him@JonPgh.
