Joel Bartilotta | Wed, Jan 26th 2022, 6:47am EST

NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Wednesday (1/26)

I suffered one of my worst beats of the season on Monday when the Bulls blew my 1.5-point spread. Chicago led that game by 17 points with six minutes remaining and ended up winning by one. In any case, it had me motivated to do well on Tuesday, and we did just that!

After nine games on Tuesday, we have another 10 for this Wednesday card! It’s rare to see 19 games in a two-day span, and it’s going to lead to some chaotic things in terms of back-to-backs. We have Brooklyn, Charlotte, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles Clippers, Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio, and Toronto all playing the second half of a B2B. That means you need to keep an eye on the news because there will surely be some players rested!

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Schedule and Odds

MIL at CLE (MIL -4) O/U: 217
CHA at IND (CHA -2) O/U: 225.5
LAC at ORL (LAC -1) O/U: 210
SAC at ATL (ATL -8) O/U: 233
NYK at MIA (MIA -6.5) O/U: 200
TOR at CHI (CHI -4.5) O/U: 216.5
DEN at BKN (BKN -1) O/U: 227
MEM at SAS (MEM -3) O/U: 227.5
DAL at POR (DAL -4) O/U: 217
PHX at UTA (PHX -4.5) O/U: 220.5

Check out our consensus game odds as well as the odds from each sportsbook at BettingPros

Injury Report

Brook Lopez (back) OUT
Collin Sexton (knee) OUT
Lauri Markkanen (ankle) OUT
Ricky Rubio (knee) OUT
Gordon Hayward (foot) Questionable
Domantas Sabonis (ankle) OUT
Myles Turner (foot) OUT
Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles) OUT
Kawhi Leonard (knee) OUT
Paul George (elbow) OUT
De’Aaron Fox (ankle) Questionable
Bogdan Bogdanovic (knee) OUT
Derrick Rose (ankle) OUT
Mitchell Robinson (ankle) Questionable
Kyle Lowry (personal) OUT
Tyler Herro (COVID) Probable
Lonzo Ball (knee) OUT
Alex Caruso (wrist) OUT
Jamal Murray (knee) OUT
Michael Porter Jr (back) OUT
Kevin Durant (knee) OUT
Kyrie Irving (vaccine) OUT
Desmond Bane (COVID) Questionable
Kyle Anderson (COVID) Questionable
Dillon Brooks (ankle) OUT
Damian Lillard (abductor) OUT
Deandre Ayton (ankle) Questionable
Donovan Mitchell (concussion) Questionable
Bojan Bogdanovic (hand) Questionable
Rudy Gobert (calf) Questionable

Core Plays

Trae Young (PG – ATL): $10,400 DraftKings, $9,500 FanDuel
Is it too bold to say that Trae could have 40 points and 15 assists here? That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but Young is my favorite play of the day. Ice Trae has scored at least 38 DraftKings points in 39 of 42 games this season, getting his average north of 49 fantasy points. He’s been even better recently, scoring at least 41 fantasy points in eight of his last 11 games while dropping 55-plus in five of those. We believe that’s in play in a matchup like this, with the Kings ranked 29th in both points allowed and defensive efficiency.

Caris LeVert (SG/SF – IND): $8,600 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel
With Sabonis, Turner, McConnell, and Brogdon all out here, LeVert should run things for the Pacers. He’s actually got a 34 percent usage rate with all those guys off the floor, averaging 43 fantasy points per game in those circumstances. That makes him an easy play in this price range, especially with Charlotte surrendering the second-most fantasy points to opposing shooting guards.

C.J. McCollum (SG – POR): $7,300 DraftKings, $7,900 FanDuel
This pricing is criminal! McCollum has been a $9K player in the past when Lillard has been out, and it’s just a matter of time before he returns to that player. He actually averaged over 40 fantasy points per game when Dame was out last year and generally posts a 35 percent usage rate in these spots.

Cash Game Considerations

Nikola Jokic (C – DEN): $12,400 DraftKings, $11.800 FanDuel
I’ve said this before, and I’m going to keep saying it. JOKIC IS THE BEST CASH GAME OPTION IN FANTASY! Sometimes it’s that simple because there’s no better bet on any slate. The big man has his season average north of 60 DraftKings points per game, scoring at least 41 fantasy points in all but one game this season. It’s not like Brooklyn will have anyone to slow him down either.

James Harden (PG/SG – BKN): $11,500 DraftKings, $10,200 FanDuel
With KD injured and Kyrie sitting home games, Harden should feast every time he plays at home. That was certainly the case on Tuesday, with James providing yet another 30-point triple-double. We expect him to continue to do that regularly, providing about 25 shots, 40 minutes, and a 40 percent usage rate in these circumstances.

Goga Bitadze (C – IND): $6,500 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel
Goga had a rough time with foul trouble in his most recent game, but the Pacers need this big man to stay on the floor. He’s the only one left with Turner and Sabonis sidelined, scoring 33 DK points in his first two starts. He did that in 33 minutes a night, and dropping 21 DK points across 22 foul-riddled minutes on Monday shows that he’s the same player. We love all of that against a Charlotte team that ranks 26th in defensive efficiency, 28th in points allowed, and second in pace.

GPP Targets

Reggie Jackson (PG – LAC): $6,500 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel
We had Jackson in this section on Tuesday, and while he burned us, we’re going right back to the well. This dude has been hot in the absence of Kawhi and PG13, posting a 45-point average in the four fixtures before that dud on Tuesday. Having a terrible game like that shows why he’s a GPP option, but we’re going to trust the larger sample size here! One reason we want him is this matchup, with Orlando ranked 22nd in points allowed and 24th in defensive efficiency.

Hassan Whiteside (C – UTA): $6,600 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel
Anyone who’s played DFS for more than one season knows this guy can be a beast when given the opportunity. He was actually a $9K player at times in Portland as a starter, regularly providing 1.5 DK points per minute. We love that since he’s starting for Gobert, averaging 31 DK points per game across 30 minutes in his four starts this season.

Mo Bamba (C – ORL): $5,400 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel
Bamba is the definition of a GPP play. This guy is just as likely to score 10 DK points as he is to drop 40, but we think this could be one of his upside games. We say that because he faces a Clippers team surrendering the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing big men. That’s big news for a guy with 50-point potential, especially since his price has dipped below $6,000 on both sites. If Mo does end up sitting, Wendell Carter and Chuma Okeke are excellent pivots!

Value Plays

Richaun Holmes (C – SAC): $4,500 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel
This $4.500 price tag is baffling. This guy was $8K this time last season, and he played at that level through the first month of the season. Injuries have derailed his numbers and pricing, but we can’t overlook his 35-point average through the 20 games. His minutes have slowly been creeping up, too, playing at least 24 minutes in six of his last seven games. If he gets to 25-30 minutes against a 27th-ranked Hawks defense, Holmes should cruise to 8X value.

Bismack Biyombo (C – PHX): $5,500 DraftKings, $6,400 FanDuel
This is probably the easiest play of the day. Biyombo has been a sensation filling in for Phoenix this year, but he’s likely looking at 30-35 minutes and a start here. He was already playing 20-25 minutes with Ayton out, but with McGee out as well, there’s no one to take Biyombo off the floor. That’s scary with how productive he’s been, scoring at least 37 DK points in three of his last four games, despite playing a reserve role!

Nerlens Noel (C – NYK): $4,000 DraftKings, $4,300 FanDuel
Noel is always a stud when given the opportunity, and it looks like he could get another start for Robinson here. If you look at the 11 games Noel has played at least 24 minutes this season, he’s averaging 25 DraftKings points per game. That’s an astounding total from a guy barely cracking $4K, and it makes him tough to avoid if Mitch-Rob is out yet again.

Advantageous Pricing

James Harden (PG/SG – BKN): $11,500 DraftKings, $10,200 FanDuel
Goga Bitadze (C – IND): $6,500 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel
Hassan Whiteside (C – UTA): $6,600 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel
Richaun Holmes (C – SAC): $4,500 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel
Derrick White (PG/SG – SAS): $5,900 DraftKings, $6,900 FanDuel
Coby White (PG – CHI): $7,300 DraftKings, $5,800 FanDuel
Norman Powell (SG/SF – POR) $6,300 DraftKings, $7,400 FanDuel
R.J. Barrett (SG/SF – NYK): $7,800 DraftKings, $6,400 FanDuel
Buddy Hield (SG/SF – SAC): $6,400 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel
Jaren Jackson Jr (PF/C – MEM): $6,600 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel
Chuma Okeke (PF – ORL): $4,300 DraftKings, $5,300 FanDuel
Steven Adams (C – MEM): $4,500 DraftKings, $5,500 FanDuel
Jakob Poeltl (C – SAS): $6,200 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel