RADIO
Wednesday’s massive, nine-game slate is headlined by the second meeting between the Thunder and the Warriors. Russell Westbrook ($12,100), Kevin Durant ($9,900) and Stephen Curry ($9,000) are all in line to put up monster numbers in the emotion-filled clash. James Harden, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins, all of whom are over $10,000, are also playing on Wednesday. However, in a slate loaded with top-tier talent, this article will focus on some of the cheaper plays.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 1/18/17. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays on DraftKings. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @hayudi18.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
John Wall- PG, vs. MEM ($8,600)
Memphis is ranked first against point guards this season, but some of the stronger point guards — Curry, Harden and Westbrook, in particular — have had enormous success against Mike Conley and company. Wall has posted at least 40 Draftkings points in nine of his last 10 games, including four outings with at least 50. He was not worth grabbing in the $10,000 price range in which he had been living just a week and a half ago, but down at $8,600, he offers a ton of upside. Wall is a strong option in tournament play.
Eric Gordon- SG, vs. MIL ($5,700)
Now with the Rockets, Gordon has finally been healthy, appearing in 41 of Houston’s 44 games to date and averaging 17.9 points per game— his most since 2011-’12. He has put up at least 30 fantasy points in five of his last six contests, proving to be a reliable option every night as he continues to hover around the mid-$5,000s. Guards Jonathan Simmons, Tyler Johnson, Mike Dunleavy and Gerald Henderson have all scored in double-digits off the bench against the Bucks in the last two weeks, and while Gordon does come off the bench most nights, he often gets starter minutes. He is a sure bet to return solid value Wednesday night, and should be heavily considered in cash games.
Jodie Meeks- SG, @ NO ($4,500)
Meeks averaged 13.2 points in 28 minutes per game over a five-game stretch in late December and early January in which Evan Fournier sat out with a heel injury. Fournier re-injured his heel and was originally expected to miss a significant amount of time, and while the 24-year-old swingman from France could now return sooner rather than later, there’s still a good chance he misses Wednesday’s game against the Pelicans. Meeks has managed over 20 Draftkings points in each of the last two games Fournier has sat out, and is certainly able to outperform his $4,500 price tag against a Pelicans team that has allowed big shooting nights to Tim Hardaway Jr, Marcus Smart, Sean Kilpatrick and Dwyane Wade over the last two weeks.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Rudy Gay- SF, vs. IND ($7,000)
Gay has posted back-to-back double-doubles against tough opponents, managing 48.5 and 46.5 Draftkings points in the process. His price has ticked up to $7,000, but he still offers a ton of upside against the Pacers given the way he has been filling up the stat sheet lately— in his last two games, he has accumulated 45 points, 20 rebounds, four assists, six blocks and two steals. While DeMarcus Cousins garners all the attention in Sacramento, Gay should have no problem walking away with another big game against a Pacers team that allows the eighth-most points in the league.
Tobias Harris- SF/PF, vs. ATL ($6,400)
Harris has been as consistent as they come lately, with at least 29 Draftkings points in seven of his last eight games. The ceiling hasn’t been off the charts — although he did manage 39.25 DK points against the Lakers on Sunday — but his floor has been incredibly high, and he is worth a look in cash play. Atlanta has given up 30 points to forwards in back-to-back contests heading into Wednesday night’s game. Harris is likely to produce no matter what, but Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Jon Leuer — both of whom are listed as questionable — missing the game would certainly be a boost.
Mindaugas Kuzminskas- SF, @ BOS ($4,300)
With two big games in Kristaps Porzingis’ absence (32.5 DK points on Thursday, 27.25 on Monday), Kuzminskas has seen his price jump up to $4,300. Still, with at least 30 minutes of action on Wednesday night against the Celtics, the 27-year-old rookie should be able to put up decent numbers across the board. Lance Thomas is also out for the Knicks, and Kyle O’Quinn has not played well of late. When these two teams met on Christmas Day, Porzingis dropped 22 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks, and while Kuzminskas is obviously not the player Porzingis is, the Celtics have been pretty vulnerable to the power forward position all season.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Myles Turner- C, @ SAC ($7,000)
This month, Turner has averaged 17.5 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in six games, with four double-doubles and one poor outing in which he had almost as many fouls as points or rebounds. He hasn’t been the most consistent performer, but a 25-point, 15-board showing (58.25 DK points) against the Nets on Jan. 5 proves just how massive his potential is on any given night. On Sunday, Enes Kanter put up 29 points and 12 rebounds against the Kings, who own the third-highest opponent adjusted field goal percentage and the eighth-lowest rebound percentage.
Zaza Pachulia- C, vs. OKC ($3,600)
Pachulia has now gone seven straight games with at least 19 Draftkings points (including 27.25 against the Kings on Jan. 8), providing incredible consistency and some decent upside at just $3,600. The 32-year-old future All-Star is averaging 9.0 points and 6.9 rebounds since the start of the new year, shooting 57.1% from the floor and 93.8% from the line over that span. He will look to continue his strong play on Wednesday when Golden State hosts the Thunder. Without Steven Adams, Oklahoma City is a much different defensive team— they yielded 19 points and 15 rebounds to DeAndre Jordan in a 120-98 loss to the Clippers on Monday.
*Also consider Boban Marjanovich at the minimum price for some nice cap relief in the event that Andre Drummond misses Wednesday’s game.
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