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
Kyle Soppe -- Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
Jokic is the straw that stirs the Nuggets' drink, something that is obvious by his average stat line in victories (16.2 points, 11.4 rebounds and 5.4 assists), and with them being heavily favored against the hapless Hawks on the last game of a five-game road trip, I like the Nuggets to win and Jokic to dominate. Atlanta is a bottom-five team in terms of both defensive efficiency and rebounding rate, not a bad matchup for a player in Jokic that is fresh off of his first triple-double of the season. The Joker is averaging a double-double this season, and that gives him a nice production floor, and when you combine that with the ceiling that he reminded us of on Monday, his fringe top-10 overall price tag tonight is a bargain and the place where I am beginning all of my lineups.
Andre Snellings -- Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
It's very tempting to pick DeMarcus Cousins here, since Anthony Davis is questionable (leaning toward doubtful) to play tonight, which sets up Cousins for an explosion. But he's playing a strong Memphis Grizzlies interior, so instead I'll focus on Towns. Towns is facing the Oklahoma City Thunder for the fourth time this season, and in the first three he averaged 27.7 points, 13.3 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1.3 3-pointers and 0.7 steals. Add in that this is a home game, that the Thunder are on the second half of a back-to-back and that the Thunder have given up at least 114 points in four of their last five games and everything shapes up for Towns to have a big game on Wednesday.
Renee Miller -- Domantas Sabonis, Indiana Pacers
There are a lot of injury questions at this position tonight, especially near the top of the salary scale. Sabonis is a stable player who has been returning very fair value in 28-32 MPG. In the past three games, he's averaging over 20 real points per game and nearly always pads his lines with a block or steal or three. He's posted double-digit rebounds in two of the last four games and takes on the Bulls tonight, a top-10 PF matchup and team in the bottom 10 in rebound rate. ​He's affordable enough to allow you to spend on point guard and/or center tonight, with the high floor/ceiling combo that works for any lineup. Another player that fits the profile is Trey Lyles, but Sabonis will cost you less and could enjoy higher usage if Myles Turner sits out tonight.
Jim McCormick -- Nikola Jokic, Denver Nuggets
With at least eight dimes in three of his past four outings, the Joker is in a great spot to exceed value against a soft Atlanta frontcourt. The Hawks have allowed the most fantasy points per game to centers this season, and over the past 10 games Atlanta ranks 29th in rebounding percentage. I'm not just hyped on Jokic because of his recent offensive opus against Golden State, but rather this awesome blend of triple-double talent and ideal matchup metrics.
Players to avoid
Kyle Soppe -- Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors
I expect far too many people to click on Curry, look at his game log, notice not only that he is scorching-hot but that he hung 45 points on the Clippers Saturday while sitting out the fourth quarter and lock him in. All of those things are true, but his DraftKings price tonight is 8 percent higher than it was for that game, and Kevin Durant is expected back from his calf injury. Speaking of KD, he is just 25 points shy of hitting the 20,000-point plateau for his career ... maybe the Warriors try to get him to achieve that at home (they head on the road for five straight after tonight)? Even if that's not the case, I worry about the flow of this game, and that means if Curry isn't hyperefficient, and as good as he is, you can only count on so much, he's going to struggle to return value. So yes, this is almost too good a matchup, and with tonight being a full slate, I'll spend elsewhere.
Andre Snellings -- Bradley Beal, Washington Wizards
Beal has been on a hot streak that has his price rising in DFS leagues, but he has a tough matchup on Wednesday against a Utah Jazz defense that has allowed the third-fewest fantasy points to opposing shooting guards this season. Beal has faced the Jazz once this season and struggled to only 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting from the field with 1 rebound, 1 assist, no 3-pointers and a turnover in that contest.
Renee Miller -- Harrison Barnes, Dallas Mavericks
A lot is being made of the schedule faux pas that allowed Dallas to play three games in four days while opponent Charlotte hasn't played since last Friday night. That's one reason to lower expectations for Dallas, but overall this isn't a team I'm ever overly high on. They play at a slow pace and rank dead last in rebounding rate and in the bottom half of the league in offensive efficiency. Barnes is priced at the high end of his typical output, but against a team that has defended opposing SFs reasonably well lately, I think he's more of a 25 fantasy point play tonight. It doesn't help that he's averaging around six fewer fantasy points on the road, where the Hornets are notoriously better.
Jim McCormick -- Klay Thompson, Golden State Warriors
The impressive point total for tonight's tilt with the Clippers is less exciting when we realize how huge the spread is, as there is real potential for a blowout win for the Warriors. Thompson has failed to meet value in two straight games and has less on his plate now that Curry is back in full wizard mode. I'm mostly not a fan of paying the price for Thompson in a game that could see the starters' minutes compromised. Cheaper shares of Will Barton or even Spencer Dinwiddie, who is eligible at shooting guard on DraftKings, are more intriguing tonight.
