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This article aims to highlight some of the best NBA DFS Plays at every position for your cash game lineups. Keep in mind that the following player write-ups were constructed earlier in the day, and sometimes injury/rest situations can alter the fantasy landscape. Monitoring our NBA News & Headlines Feed throughout the day will keep you in the loop while giving you the subsequent DFS consequences of each information piece.
We’ll take a look at Wednesday’s 13-game slate starting at 7:00 ET.
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POINT GUARD
Cole Anthony – Orlando (at Sacramento) - DK: $7,600 / FD: $8,200 / Yahoo: $28
With 13 games on tap – yes, I hate the uneven scheduling! – there are endless possible lineups to build. I’m laying the groundwork for a solid core that allows a lot of personal flexibility with the remaining salary. You can go super cheap with the Bulls’ wings or Nets center, and super high with Joel Embiid, Giannis Antetokounmpo or Steph Curry. I love starting a solid build with Anthony, and love it even more in a great matchup. This game features almost no defense, fast pace, and should be one of the higher scoring of the slate. Anthony scored over 24 points in his first two games back, but is coming off a mega-dud in which he shot just 27 percent from the field with one rebound and one assist vs. the Warriors. He should bounce back in a big way tonight, but that recency bias will keep him off a lot of lineups.
Also Consider: Steph Curry, Luka Doncic, James Harden, Tyus Jones, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, De’Aaron Fox
SHOOTING GUARD
Caris LeVert – Indiana (vs. New York) - DK: $5,900 / FD: $5,100 / Yahoo: $20
LeVert is coming off consecutive performances that are more indicative of the player he used to, and can, be. Scoring an average of 23 points per game in the last two, along with three steals and three blocks put him firmly in consideration for this low salary. Anything over 30 fantasy points is great and it’s worth noting that LeVert, despite his ups and downs this season, is averaging 34 fantasy points per game in two vs. the Knicks.
Also Consider: Cody Martin, Desmond Bane, Franz Wagner, Eric Gordon, Gary Trent, Ayo Dosunmu
SMALL FORWARD
Lauri Markkanen – Cleveland (vs. Chicago) - DK: $5,700 / FD: $5,300 / Yahoo: $17
Note that this will be a revenge game for Markkanen, and one he is positioned to take advantage of. The Bulls are a good defensive team but they rank fifth in fantasy points allowed to small forwards. Usually, I’d consider Markkanen more of a GPP play, but I like his price and matchup enough to use him in any format tonight. He’s struggled a bit in recent outings against really tough defensive teams like Utah and Miami, but this shouldn’t be that hard on him.
Also Consider: Scottie Barnes, Gordon Hayward, Brandon Ingram, Kelly Oubre,
POWER FORWARD
Kristaps Porzingis – Dallas (at Memphis) - DK: $8,100 / FD: $8,500 / Yahoo: $35
It can be a stretch to fit Porzingis here, but there are good reasons to try to make it work. Porzingis was as good as ever, or better, in his first game back after a minor knee injury forced him to miss some time. His 17-point, 12-rebound, 5-assist complete game wasn’t enough to beat the Nets last night, but it was good enough for fantasy fans. Memphis plays at a faster pace than Dallas, and gives up the sixth-most overall fantasy points. Alternatives to Porzingis if you’re worried about the back-to-back, and I am a little bit, are Mobley, Harris or Washington, who should be in a similar range tonight (40-45 fantasy points).
Also Consider: Evan Mobley, Pascal Siakam, Tobias Harris, Giannis Antetokounmpo, PJ Washington, Isaiah Stewart
CENTER
Steven Adams – Memphis (vs. Dallas) - DK: $4,900 / FD: $5,600 / Yahoo: $18
Adams is temporarily on my nice list, thanks to three of his last five games netting at least 30 fantasy points, including the recent bout with Dallas. His last two have been decent double-doubles, he has a steal in each and a couple assists to boot. Dallas ranks 28th in rebounding rate, giving him a definite chance to repeat the feat tonight.
Also Consider: Joel Embiid, Rudy Gobert, Mo Bamba, Nicolas Claxton
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Joel Embiid (C – PHI) is a high priority fit for me tonight, especially on DK and Yahoo where I can roster two centers. He has as much upside as anyone, and has been playing lights out, especially in Charlotte. The Monday night battle between these teams went to overtime, and Embiid finished with over 70 fantasy points. It’s always dangerous to chase points, but in Embiid’s case 55-60 is a reasonable expectation. Charlotte is still short-handed and one of the best fantasy matchups in the league. They allow the fourth-most overall fantasy points, play at the second-highest pace, rank 30th in rebounding rate and 29th in defensive rating.
Tyus Jones (PG – MEM) and Desmond Bane have both been solid value plays lately with the Grizzlies being without a few key starters. Kyle Anderson is still doubtful for tonight’s game, and Jones has been good in Ja Morant’s absence. His best game was vs. the Mavs last Saturday. Yahoo has him at the best value, but he’s usable everywhere for solid savings. Bane is more expensive, but is averaging like 1.5 fantasy points per minute in the last two games, for over 40 fantasy point lines.
Cody Martin (G – CHA) wasn’t spectacular in the overtime game Monday night, but he’s still very cheap, and anything in the 25-fantasy point range is worth having for the price. He’s producing double-digit points, six rebound and four assists per game with basically all the other guards out. He’s $5000 on DK and FD, $16 on Yahoo. I have a feeling the 76ers don’t let this one get as close as Monday, but the minutes will still be there for Martin given his teams’ shorthandedness.
