NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Wednesday (2/2)

These scores have been nuts recently. I remember the good old days when 300 would win you a GPP, but that’s likely not even good enough to cash anymore. That’s a good indicator of how much things have changed, but we’re hoping that this article can sway you in the right direction!

We have nine games making up this Wednesday card and more question marks than usual. The back-to-backs are what could make this really frustrating, with Brooklyn, Denver, Orlando, and Washington all playing the second half of a B2B set. That means we could have some players rested, and it’ll be interesting to look at injury reports closer to lock!

View the best player prop bets for tonight’s slate with our NBA Prop Bet Cheat Sheet

Schedule and Odds

• ORL at IND (IND -5) O/U: 219.5
• WAS at PHI (PHI -9) O/U: 217.5
• CHA at BOS (BOS -5) O/U: 220.5
• MEM at NYK (MEM -2) O/U: 217
• CLE at HOU (CLE -3) O/U: 220.5
• OKC at DAL (DAL -11.5) O/U: 209.5
• BKN at SAC (BKN -4) O/U: 230.5
• DEN at UTA (UTA -2) O/U: 226
• POR at LAL (LAL -3.5) O/U: 222

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

Injury Report

• Domantas Sabonis (COVID) OUT
• Myles Turner (foot) OUT
• Malcolm Brogdon (Achilles) OUT
• Bradley Beal (wrist) OUT
• Kelly Oubre (ankle) Questionable
• Gordon Hayward (foot) OUT
• Dillon Brooks (ankle) OUT
• Derrick Rose (ankle) OUT
• Darius Garland (back) OUT
• Lauri Markkanen (ankle) OUT
• Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (ankle) OUT
• Kristaps Porzingis (knee) Questionable
• Kevin Durant (knee) OUT
• James Harden (hand) Questionable
• LaMarcus Aldridge (ankle) Questionable
• De’Aaron Fox (ankle) Questionable
• Jamal Murray (knee) OUT
• Michael Porter (back) OUT
• Donovan Mitchell (concussion) Questionable
• Rudy Gobert (calf) OUT
• Damian Lillard (abductor) OUT
• LeBron James (knee) Questionable

Core Plays

Joel Embiid (C – PHI): $12,000 DraftKings, $10,900 FanDuel
Embiid was my highlight player on Monday, and we’re going right back to the well. The big man was rested for that game, but all the same rules apply. He still has at least 52 DraftKings points in eight of his last nine games, averaging over 60 fantasy points per game in that span. That should be easy to duplicate here, with Washington owning a 25th OPRK against opposing centers.

Russell Westbrook (PG – LAL): $9,400 DraftKings, $8,500 FanDuel
With LeBron likely out and Anthony Davis also questionable, Russ should be in for a big night. We had him as our highlight player in this same circumstance last week, and the former MVP rewarded us with 49 DK points. That’s the fourth time he’s scored at least 47 fantasy points in his previous six outings, and that looks like his floor against a 28th-ranked Portland defense.

Isaiah Jackson (PF/C – IND): $5,400 DraftKings, $6,000 FanDuel
With Sabonis, Turner, and Goga all expected to sit here, Jackson should get another start at center. He had a career game in this role on Monday, tallying 28 points and 10 rebounds en route to 46.5 DraftKings points. That makes him tough to fade around $6K, especially with Orlando surrendering the sixth-most fantasy points to opposing centers.

Cash Game Considerations

Nikola Jokic (C – DEN): $12,600 DraftKings, $11,400 FanDuel
I may as well copy and paste this every day. The Joker is the best cash game option on every slate, scoring at least 41 DK points in all but one game this season. He’s done that in numerous blowouts, too, leading the NBA with 60.4 DK points per game. He’s traditionally crushed the Jazz over recent years, too, and that looks even better with Gobert expected to miss this game.

Jarrett Allen (C – CLE): $7,700 DraftKings, $7,600 FanDuel
Using centers against Houston is a cheat code. They surrender the most fantasy points to opposing centers, and it’s easy to understand why. The Rockets rank first in pace and dead-last in points allowed and defensive efficiency. That’s a centers dream, and Allen has had a dream season. The Fro is averaging a career-high 37 fantasy points per game and could be asked to do more with Garland out as well.

C.J. McCollum (SG – POR): $8,100 DraftKings, $7,700 FanDuel
These sites are languid to react on C.J. This dude runs the Trail Blazers offense in the absence of Lillard, generating a 35 percent usage rate with him off the floor since the beginning of last season. He’s also averaging over 40 fantasy points per game in these circumstances, scoring at least 35 DraftKings points in seven of his last eight games. The matchup with LA is the icing on the cake, though, with the Lakers ranked third in pace and 27th in points allowed.

GPP Targets

Kyrie Irving (PG – BKN): $10,100 DraftKings, $9,800 FanDuel
It’s always tough to know which Brooklyn player to trust, but something tells me Irving is going off here. Durant and Aldridge both being out boosts Irving’s intrigue, but with Brooklyn playing the second half of a B2B, it’s possible James Harden will sit here as well. If that’s the case, Kyrie could be in line for 25-30 shots, 40 minutes, and a 40 percent usage rate. If he has that sort of role against a 29th-ranked Kings defense, Kyrie will be the play of the day!

Hassan Whiteside (C – UTA): $6,600 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel
Whiteside has actually been a disappointment filling in for Gobert, but this is a per-minute monster. He’s averaging nearly 1.4 DK points per minute for his career, averaging 21 DK points per game across 17.5 minutes a night this season. That’s right on par with what we just mentioned, and it means he has 40-50 DK points in his arsenal if he continues to play the 30-minute center role.

Rajon Rondo (PG – CLE): $3,200 DraftKings, $4,200 FanDuel
This one is risky, but this is the GPP section for a reason. Rondo has played at least 17 minutes in seven straight outings, and we believe he’ll get closer to 25 here with Garland out. We know he can stuff the stat sheet, averaging 19 DK points per game across 20 minutes a night in that stretch. That alone would be good value from a guy flirting with the minimum, and we love the potential boost in playing time against the worst defense in the NBA.

Value Plays

Spencer Dinwiddie (PG – WAS): $5,800 DraftKings, $5,900 FanDuel
Dinwiddie just had his worst game without Beal on Tuesday, but we’re going to trust the larger sample size. He had at least 30 DK points in the first eight games without BB and is averaging 45 fantasy points per game in those circumstances. Those are the numbers you see from $9K players, and it makes Dinwiddie one of the best plays on the board.

Richaun Holmes (C – SAC): $5,000 DraftKings, $5,700 FanDuel
Holmes averaged 35 DK points per game through the first 20 games before an injury derailed his season. It’s kept his minutes limited over the last two months, but Richaun is playing 29 minutes a game over the previous three fixtures. He’s proven to be a $7K player in a 30-minute role in the past, and we’re going to keep riding him until his production and price inevitably rise. We also don’t mind that Brooklyn has one of the worst center rotations in the NBA.

Cedi Osman (SF – CLE): $4,600 DraftKings, $4,400 FanDuel
We weren’t sure who the primary ball-handler in Cleveland would be without Sexton and Garland, but Cedi showed us who’s the boss on Monday. Osman dished out a season-high 12 assists in that game, dropping 27 DK points. That fantasy total is low because he shot 3-of-16 from the field, but if he’s in line for primary ball-handling duties and takes 15-20 shots, Cedi should be at least $6,000. Not to mention, Houston is the most fantasy-friendly matchup in the NBA.

Advantageous Pricing

• Nikola Jokic (C – DEN): $12,600 DraftKings, $11,400 FanDuel
• Joel Embiid (C – WAS): $12,000 DraftKings, $10,900 FanDuel
• Rajon Rondo (PG – CLE): $3,200 DraftKings, $4,200 FanDuel
• Josh Giddey (SG – OKC): $7,900 DraftKings, $6,000 FanDuel
• Mike Conley (PG – UTA): $7,000 DraftKings, $6,000 FanDuel
• De’Anthony Melton (PG/SG – MEM): $4,400 DraftKings, $5,600 FanDuel
• Patty Mill (SG – BKN): $5,800 DraftKings, $6,800 FanDuel
• Chume Okeke (PF – ORL): $4,500 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel
• Jaren Jackson Jr (PF/C – MEM): $6,900 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel

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