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.
Players to build around
Joe Kaiser: LeBron James, Cleveland Cavaliers
James is one of the elite DFS options and Sacramento is a team with the worst defensive rating in the league, a combination that served the Cavs star well in the first meeting of the season when he went off for 32 points, 11 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 blocks and 3 steals. With Cleveland having played only one game since last Thursday, James' legs should feel more fresh than usual on Wednesday night.
Jim McCormick: Derrick Favors, Utah Jazz
It's not often that I identify a player on the Jazz, a team known for a slow pace and sluggish offense, as my building block during a 10-game slate, yet here we are. Favors' size could prove imposing against the small-ball Warriors, while Golden State's pace and prolific offense aid his upside on the glass. With a reasonable path to 30 fantasy points, and upside for more given his strong production sans Rudy Gobert this season, Favors is an affordable forward to target for tonight.
André Snellings: Russell Westbrook, Oklahoma City Thunder
Westbrook has been playing at a level similar to the one he established in his MVP season a year ago. He's averaging a monster triple-double over his last eight games, with 26.5 points, 10.4 rebounds, 10.4 assists and 2.4 blocks per game in that stretch. He has ramped it up even more of late, scoring 29.3 points with 12 assists, 7.7 boards and 2 assists over his last three outings. His Wednesday opponents, the Raptors, have been strong against opposing point guards on the season but are on the second half of a back-to-back and were unable to slow Westbrook at all in their two meetings last season, when he popped for 30 points, 11.5 assists and 8.5 rebounds per game.
Kyle Soppe: Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies
Gasol is priced too far from the elite tier and I'm going with full exposure tonight as a result. He won't come cheap, but Gasol ranks fourth in usage and third in minutes among centers, so the floor is high enough to justify paying up. That extended time with the ball in his hands figures to be well-used, as the Lakers give up the third most fantasy points to centers and are allowing a league-high 49.9 paint points per game. I think the scoring comes easy for him tonight, making his versatility simply a bonus, as you can typically rely on a handful of assists to go along with multiple blocks-plus-steals. With Mike Conley still sidelined, Gasol profiles as the safest of the top-priced bigs and the price isn't too prohibitive from building a solid roster around him.
Players to avoid
Kaiser: Nicolas Batum, Charlotte Hornets
Batum's inconsistency and inefficiency on the offensive end of the court makes him a very risky play on any night, but that rings even truer tonight with the Celtics coming to town. Boston ranks second in defensive rating, allowing 101 points per 100 possessions, and this isn't the matchup to expect Batum to come through with a big game.
McCormick: Michael Beasley, New York Knicks
It's been fun to see Beasley consume Wesbtrookian usage rates in recent outings, but he's entirely dependent on his shot dropping to meet value given an inflated and demanding price tag. The Bulls have allowed the 11th-fewest fantasy points per game to small forwards, so even the matchup isn't entirely inviting.
Snellings: DeMarcus Cousins, New Orleans Pelicans
Cousins is my fade candidate on pretty much a game-by-game basis, for as long as Anthony Davis is healthy and the DFS systems don't revise their pricing. Cousins is the second-highest priced player in DraftKings and the fourth-highest priced on FanDuel, and he hasn't lived up to that price tag of late with Davis on the floor. He has only reached his season DFS average once in the last five games that Davis has been back. And even though he has a good matchup against a weak Brooklyn Nets defense on Wednesday, he's just not reliable enough to depend on at his super-max price tag.
Soppe: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
KAT is priced ahead well ahead of Marc Gasol on FanDuel tonight and I think that is indicative of public perception. Yes, Towns is a great player and the matchup with Denver would appear to be a solid one, but is he really worth paying up for? Over his last two games, Towns has managed just 22 total field goal attempts despite playing 78 minutes against two of the three fastest-paced offenses in the Association. And you want me to get excited about him facing a Nuggets team that ranks 18th in pace of play and second in rebound rate? I'm not suggesting KAT can't give you 25 and 10 like he did last Wednesday in this matchup, but the price point tonight doesn't give you a lot of wiggle room, and with his average distance of shot up 12.3 percent from last season, there is some risk involved if he can't find the range.
