RADIO
Wednesdays continue to be one of the marquee nights on the NBA calendar, with this week’s midweek slate sporting ten games featuring some of basketball’s biggest names. With so many games on the board, there is even more room to find sleepers or the value plays that can clinch a win.
The entire Wednesday night schedule has some intriguing matchups, but peaks with a late night meeting between the Jazz and Clippers. Utah takes the NBA’s best record to Staples Center for what might be a playoff preview.
This post will be recommending daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 2/17/20. You can also check out today's DraftKings lineup picks. Keep an eye on Rotoballer’s injury news to stay up to date before lineups are locked.
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FanDuel DFS Guards
Kemba Walker, PG – BOS vs ATL ($6,200)
The struggling Celtics are in desperate need of a victory, though they’ll be hampered by playing their second game in as many nights. While the Boston offense has sputtered of late, Kemba Walker has to like his chances when matched up with Atlanta’s Trae Young.
While Young continues to post video game type offensive numbers, he’s been toyed with defensively. Walker appears poised to capitalize with hot shooting in his rearview mirror. In two games this past weekend, he made 9-17 from beyond the 3-point arc.
Jamal Murray, PG – DEN @ WAS ($6,500)
With the Wizards leading the league in tempo, the slow-paced Nuggets should have a chance to put up higher levels of fantasy points that what we typically see from Denver. That includes Murray, who should be due for some regression from outside the arc in the coming weeks.
He’s a 35 percent shooter from beyond the 3-point line in his career, though in recent games that hasn’t been the case. He’s made just 31 percent of his attempts in his 12 games dating back to January 17. Against a Washington backcourt that is inconsistent defensively, he’s a good bet to score on Wednesday.
Tyler Herro, SG – MIA at GSW ($6,100)
With Avery Bradley sidelined due to injury, there’s more room for Herro to contribute to the Miami backcourt. In the Heat’s last four games, he’s seen his minutes and shot attempts increase over his season averages. In that stretch, Herro is posting 17.5 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per contest.
Against the fast-paced and hot shooting Warriors, he should have plenty of chances to fire away from long range. In his sophomore season, he’s become the Heat’s primary perimeter shooter, with Jimmy Butler sitting on just three made 3-pointers all season.
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FanDuel DFS Forwards
Evan Fournier, SF - ORL vs NYK ($6,400)
While Fournier may seem like an unconventional play after missing five straight games with a back injury, he brings some real value on Wednesday if his health has returned. He’ll face a Knicks team that is ripe for some defensive regression in a big way, that he could take advantage of.
New York has allowed the worst 3-point percentage in the NBA, at just 31.5 percent. No other team has allowed under 34 percent. While part of that is due to Tom Thibodeau’s defensive philosophy, it’s likely going to bounce back at least to the same neighborhood as the rest of the NBA. In this case, take the player who leads the Magic roster in 3-point attempts per night and wait for the regression to kick in.
Josh Hart, SF – NO vs POR ($7,400)
The Blazers attempt the third most field goals per game in the NBA, just a hair behind the league leaders, so it makes sense too look for a reliable rebounder facing Portland in DFS. Josh Hart has established himself as one of the craftiest and smartest rebounders in the NBA. Despite standing just 6-foot-5, he nabs 7.5 rebounds per game.
That places him second on the Pelicans, ahead of taller players like Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram. While other names might catch headlines for scoring, Hart has slid under the radar and filled up box scores in other ways.
Saddiq Bey SF – DET @ CHI ($5,800)
With news that Detroit would remove Blake Griffin from the lineup until the Pistons could move the former All-Star, there are plenty of minutes to be had in the frontcourt. Enter: the suddenly surging rookie, Saddiq Bey.
The Villanova product has scored in double figures in four straight, including a 30-point, 12 rebound outburst two nights ago. In fact, it’s not hard to connect Griffin’s sidelining with Bey’s emergence. The Pistons are looking to get the shooter more attempts. In his past two games, they have been able to do so, with Bey clearing double-digit shot attempts. Look for that to continue Wednesday against the speedy Bulls.
FanDuel DFS Centers
Joel Embiid, C - PHI vs HOU ($10,700)
As the Sixers big man continues to garner MVP buzz, he remains a viable option in DFS every time he steps on the court. He has cleared 40 fantasy points in each of his last eleven games played. In each those eleven games, Embiid has scored at least 25 points and grabbed at least 5 rebounds.
He’ll be facing Houston for the first time this season, as the Rockets continue to figure out life without James Harden. Embiid sat out Philly’s most recent game, the final contest on a four game West Coast swing in Utah. With the extra rest, the Sixers will be keen to find Embiid on the post. Embiid posts a higher usage rate and more field goal attempts when coming off three days of rest, than with a shorter time to recover.
It might be tempting to take Nikola Jokic against the Wizards, who lead the league in pace. The Sixers and Rockets both rank in the top ten of tempo in the NBA, with the Nuggets in the bottom three of that statistic. It doesn’t take a statistician to guess which game will play faster.
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