Which players should you build around and which players should you fade in DFS as we tip off Wednesday's NBA action? Our experts have the answers.
Today's panel includes ESPN Fantasy's Joe Kaiser, Renee Miller and Kyle Soppe.
Players to build around
Joe Kaiser -- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
A ton of points will likely be scored in the Bucks-Suns game due to the struggles and, in some cases, complete lack of interest on the defensive side of the ball. Virtually every notable player on both teams is worth rostering, and for me that starts with the Greek Freak. Here are the players the Suns could use to defend him: Josh Jackson, TJ Warren and Marquese Chriss. Nope, nope and nope. This is the type of night where 70 DFS points is very much in range for the Bucks star.
Renee Miller -- Kenneth Faried, Denver Nuggets
With Paul Millsap set to be sidelined for a while, it's likely we see Faried in the starting PF role, as he was Monday night. In that game, he played 19 minutes, shot a ridiculous 1-of-7 from the field, and still turned in 6X value thanks to seven rebounds, a block, a steal and making all four of his free throws. His salary has not risen ($3,300 FD, $3,400 DK), and he is set to play in what should be a fast and high scoring game in Houston tonight. With a full slate of stars to pay up for, Faried provides excellent high floor, high ceiling salary relief.
Kyle Soppe -- JR Smith, Cleveland Cavaliers
No matter what I say, you're going to pick the star you feel most comfortable with for tonight's slate (for me, it's Giannis Antetokounmpo), so allow me to save you some of your bankroll with a strong value play. Rostering Smith is never going to inspire great confidence, but he's averaging over 33 minutes per game in November and that puts him in a great position to reach value against the fifth least efficient defense in basketball.
Smith's resume indicates that there is plenty of scoring potential, but I'm encouraged by the versatility he has shown this month. He has eight rebounds-plus-assists in three of his last four games and has multiple thefts in three of his last five games. If the Cavs approach the 114 points that the Nets are allowing per game (they have a Vegas implied total of 120 points), Smith and his consistent role have far more upside than downside at this price point, making him a great player for GPP's.
André Snellings -- Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder
I'm looking hard at the Thunder against the Golden State Warriors for potential building blocks. They were already rivals, then of course Kevin Durant went to the Dubs and entrenched the hate. If Durant sits, then Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson are both great building blocks. And of course, Russell Westbrook is routinely triggered when he faces the Warriors. But, I'm choosing George as my building block because his price is still reasonable, even though he has had four monster games in his past five outings. And, importantly, he showed last game that he could put up huge numbers even in a game in which Westbrook put up an explosive triple-double himself.
Players to fade
Joe Kaiser -- Gordon Dragic, Miami Heat
Dragic will need to score around 31 DFS points to reach his salary value on Wednesday and you can count on Boston's top-ranked defense making that a very difficult task for the Heat point guard. Fade Dragic and the rest of the Heat notables -- Hassan Whiteside, Dion Waiters, James Johnson and Josh Richardson -- tonight.
Renee Miller -- Hassan Whiteside, Miami Heat
Among all the stars on this slate in the $9,000-plus range, Whiteside is the least likely to make my lineups. First, he plays Boston in what Vegas has as one of the slowest, lowest scoring games of the night. Second, the Celtics have been the league's stingiest matchup for opposing centers, allowing the fewest fantasy points by far (FanDuel and DraftKings scoring). Whiteside provides a nice floor most of the time and has that 20-point, 20-rebound upside, but on a slate this big, with so many games bursting with fantasy potential, you're shooting for 7-8X value from everyone, and Whiteside has a tough path to get you there.
Kyle Soppe -- Devin Booker, Phoenix Suns
Booker is a fine player that can fill it up in a hurry, but I'm not looking his way with plenty of other options on the board tonight. The length of this Bucks team allows them to cover space and shut down opposing fast breaks (they are the most efficient fast break defense in the league), something that has me lowering Booker's ceiling tonight. The slow pace of Milwaukee (third lowest) is something I'm avoiding when possible, especially given Booker's spotty production in other categories (he has seven or fewer rebounds-plus-assists in seven of 11 November games).
With Eric Bledsoe likely in attack mode and the rest of this Bucks roster relying on penetration, the fact that Booker has committed at four fouls in the majority of games this month is just another red flag. Considering 28 teams are in action tonight, you can find a more stable option than Booker (heck, you can do better in this game, as I prefer Khris Middleton).
André Snellings -- Giannis Antetokounmpo, Milwaukee Bucks
The Greek Freak is one of my favorite players in the league and is currently atop my rest-of-season points-based fantasy rankings. But with that said, he is the highest-priced player in both FanDuel and DraftKings. And, if the general rule is that you need five fantasy points per thousand dollars of price, Antetokounmpo hasn't hit that threshold in either scoring format in his past four games. It is legitimate to question whether Eric Bledsoe's presence is contributing to that, and until that is answered and/or his price goes down a bit, Antetokounmpo is too risky to spend that much of your budget on.
