This article is part of our DraftKings NBA series.
Wednesday's featured slate on DraftKings consists of six games as we draw closer to the trade deadline. Obviously, if teams begin to pull the trigger on some deals, the targeted players will not suit up, so it's especially important to keep an eye on the news for breaking developments.
Teams on tail end of back-to-backs: Cleveland, Brooklyn, Houston, Memphis and Phoenix. Houston definitely has the worst travel day as they continue a road stand in Miami after holding off a pesky Nets squad on Tuesday.
Before we delve into our high-priced players, I'll focus on a couple of interesting places to target, beginning with the Pacers. It seems like Cory Joseph ($4,600) will continue to start in place of Darren Collison (knee), and while I think that's a decent play, the better value could be had with Joe Young ($3,000), who has spelled both Collison and Victor Oladipo. Secondly, the MIN/CLE game is where I am jumping on the Timberwolves bandwagon, as this game sports a 221 O/U and the Cavs are, well, a mess. I'll hit some targets in that game below.
Only three players eclipse 10K on this slate, but my play of the night is a player just below this threshold, and that's Andre Drummond ($9,800) against the Nets. First off, he's averaged 55.1 DKFP per game over his last five games. Secondly, he's playing a Nets team that just dealt Tyler Zeller and will be sending out Jarrett Allen and Jamil Okafor at the five. Add in the possibility that both Rondae Hollis-Jefferson and Quincy Acy could be out, and you have a situation where guys like DeMarre Carroll need to step inside to provide resistance. If for some reason Drummond is held back by the sprain he sustained earlier in the week, I'll pivot immediately to Blake Griffin ($9,000). Elsewhere, James Harden ($10,300) faces a tough defense in Miami after a slim road win on Tuesday, so while fatigue might be a small factor for the Beard, better values can be found that might mirror Hardens' night.
Finally, there's LeBron James ($10,900) to round out this group. What can I say about the Cavs that hasn't already been said? I have a feeling there will be some news in Cleveland before tip-off about someone going somewhere, but I doubt anything will stop LeBron from trying to make another statement for a second straight night. LeBron has a floor of 40 DKFP and a ceiling of around 55, and there's no shame in starting him.
I'll now highlight three players at each position, with at least one player in each spot sporting a lower price point. I'll also supply an additional list of players at guard, forward and center that holds equal weight in my predictions.
GUARDS
Jimmy Butler, MIN at CLE ($9,500): I'm a fan of a Minnesota stack, and Butler leads the way. He put 51.5 points on the Cavs in their last matchup, and Cleveland's fortunes have only soured since, so it's reasonable to assume that they'll still have no answer for Butler. His numbers have ticked back up with each game since returning from injury, which makes Butler as good of a lock as Drummond, and potentially a more productive spot than Harden tonight.
Ricky Rubio, UTA at MEM ($6,700): With Donovan Mitchell ($7,000) potentially still shaking off an illness that severely compromised him on Monday, Rubio will continue to see increased minutes. A lot of the chalk plays I'm mentioning will be highly owned and I think Rubio will be up there too. Why am I mentioning him? For $300 more, I can pivot to Mitchell right before tip-off if I see that he's close to 100 percent, and chances are he won't see a lot of usage in lineups. If I don't get that information, Rubio will see more time and is a good candidate to hit value.
Reggie Bullock, DET vs. BKN ($4,600): If Bullock can see something similar to the 34 minutes he logged against Portland on Monday, sign me up! This is a favorable matchup against the Nets, and with dual eligibility at forward you have four slots available for him. If his minutes stay steady, I think 30 DKFP is a reliable floor.
Other guards to consider:Jrue Holiday, NO vs. IND ($7,500); Isaiah Thomas, CLE vs. MIN ($6,000); D'Angelo Russell, BKN at DET ($5,400); Andrew Harrison, MEM vs. UTA ($5,000)
FORWARDS
As noted above, LeBron will come through once again. I am not going to highlight Blake Griffin ($9,000), but it wouldn't be out of the question to stack Drummond and Griffin against the Nets, especially if Griffin runs hot.
Nikola Mirotic, NO vs. IND ($6,500): As I strive to look for contrarian picks to counter all the chalk out there, Mirotic is exactly the kind of player I want to add, especially when you consider his dreadful stat line in his second start as a Pelican. Most are probably not going to look twice at Mirotic, but in doing so they're letting one game of output bias them against what I think is an obvious play against the Pacers. In a supporting role as a Bull, he matched up well against Indiana, posting 25 DKFP and 35 DKFP games while averaging only 25 minutes over both outings. I prefer this play in tournaments, but he'll probably end up in some of my cash lineups as well.
Andrew Wiggins, MIN at CLE ($6,100): I'll continue to stack the Wolves as we move down, and while he's not a flashy pick, Wiggins is going to hit a reliable floor of 25-28 DKFP at the bare minimum, and he's a decent career history against LeBron. If you aren't comfortable with Wiggins at this price point, John Henson ($5,400) is a great candidate to beat value in this matchup.
Luc Mbah a Moute, HOU at MIA ($4,000): Ryan Anderson sprained his ankle and has a questionable tag heading to Wednesday's game, but the Rockets are probably in no hurry to push Anderson back out on the court as they have guys like Mbah a Moute to provide depth in their frontcourt. He's hovered consistently in the 20-25 DKFP range in his normal role, and could see a bit more than that if his minutes stay stable.
Other forwards to consider:LaMarcus Aldridge, SA at PHO ($8,400)' E'Twaun Moore, NO vs. IND ($4,500); Dillon Brooks, MEM vs. UTA ($4,400)
CENTERS
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN at CLE ($9,100): Yep, you guessed it. It's hard to fade this double-double machine against the Cavs, and he put up one of those in his only meeting with the Cavs this season. The Butler-Towns assist combo is hard to pass up as they've connected 94 times this season. The only question is affordability – we can't pick all the good spots.
Clint Capela, HOU at MIA, ($7,300): Despite toiling on the tail end of a back-to-back, there are few centers in the league as dependable as Capela, and though the Heat have been stingy against the five, they let the likes of Drummond and Embiid walk all over them in recent days. I think Capela is at a reliable floor of 30 in this one, and will likely have a low ownership.
Myles Turner, IND at NO ($5,600): Now if you want to talk about low ownership, I don't think many people will go to Turner. He's largely underperformed since returning from injury, but he has an excellent history against the Pelicans and over the last five games, New Orleans has let opposing centers outperform their season averages in every contest. He's a great bargain if you spent elsewhere.
Other centers to consider:Pau Gasol, SA at PHO ($5,900)
