NBA DraftKings & FanDuel DFS Primer: Wednesday (12/14)

We’ve gotten off to a slow start this week in terms of scheduling, but we’re back to a full card here. We have 10 games making up this Wednesday card, and it could be chaotic. The Warriors are playing the second half of a back-to-back set, and that always causes mayhem. The good news is that Sacramento is the only other team in a B2B, and we’re hoping there’s not too much resting going on!

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

Schedule and Odds

• GSW at IND (NA) O/U: NA
• ATL at ORL (ATL -3) O/U: 224.5
• DET at CHA (CHA -3) O/U: NA
• NYK at CHI (CHI -4) O/U: 224.5
• SAC at TOR (TOR -5.5) O/U: 228
• POR at SAS (POR -6.5) O/U: 231
• MIA at OKC (MIA -2.5) O/U: 227
• CLE at DAL (DAL -2) O/U: 213.5
• WAS at DEN (DEN -9.5) O/U: NA
• MIN at LAC (LAC -6) O/U: 223.5

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

Injury Report

• Draymond Green (B2B) Questionable
• Stephen Curry (B2B) Questionable
• Klay Thompson (B2B) Questionable
• Andrew Wiggins (adductor) OUT
• Trae Young (bak) Questionable
• Dejounte Murray (ankle) OUT
• Clint Capela (Achilles) Questionable
• John Collins (ankle) OUT
• Wendell Carter Jr.(foot) OUT
• Cade Cunningham (shin) OUT
• LaMelo Ball (ankle) OUT
• Gordon Hayward (shoulder) OUT
• Lonzo Ball (knee) OUT
• De’Aaron Fox (foot) Questionable
• OG Anunoby (hip) Questionable
• Jakob Poeltl (knee) OUT
• Bradley Beal (hamstring) Questionable
• Monte Morris (groin) Questionable
• Michael Porter Jr.(heel) Questionable
• Karl-Anthony Towns (calf) OUT
• Jimmy Butler (knee) OUT

Core Plays

Luka Doncic (PG – DAL): $12,600 DraftKings, $12,500 FanDuel
Luka has been the best play on every slate. The Slovenian is leading the NBA with 63 DraftKings points per game, thanks to his league-leading 38 percent usage rate. He’s also scored at least 52 fantasy points in all but two outings this year and should keep that trend chugging against Cleveland. In their two matchups last season, Luka averaged 30 points, 9.5 rebounds, and 11.5 assists per game.

Damian Lillard (PG – POR): $10,300 DraftKings, $9,700 FanDuel
Lillard is feeling it right now. He was on his way to a masterpiece on Monday but was held to just 38 points across three quarters because of the blowout nature of that game. In any case, he’s got at least 40 DK points in 12 of 15 games this year, with two of those being shortened due to an injury. That means he’s a lock for 40 fantasy points and a good bet to match his 50-point average. Squaring off with San Antonio is the best part of this, though, with the Spurs sitting dead last in both points allowed and defensive efficiency.

Jordan Poole (PG/SG – GSW): $7,800 DraftKings, $6,700 FanDuel
The Warriors are playing the second half of a back-to-back set, which means there’s likely going to be some resting. Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Klay Thompson are all prime candidates to be rested, and Poole always goes nuts in these circumstances. He’s started eight games this year, scoring at least 29 DraftKings points in all of those. He’s also got a 38-point average across 33 minutes a night and loves having this expanded role. Indiana is an incredible matchup, too, sitting 27th in points allowed and 25th in defensive efficiency.

Cash Game Considerations

Nikola Jokic (C – DEN): $11,800 DraftKings, $11,800 FanDuel
The Joker has been the best cash game player for three years now. The two-time MVP has scored at least 39 DraftKings points in all but six games since the start of 2020, averaging 61 fantasy points per game in that span. He’s also coming off a season-high 81 DK points in his most recent outing and has a 65-point average across his latest five fixtures. Washington won’t slow him down, with Jokic averaging 68 fantasy points per game against them last year!

Myles Turner (C – IND): $7,000 DraftKings, $7,700 FanDuel
It’s hard to understand why Indiana wanted to trade Turner. The versatile big man is averaging 36 fantasy points per game and has at least 38 DraftKings points in 12 of 22 games this year. He’s simply getting better by the day and shouldn’t have any issues exploiting a 26th-ranked Warriors defense.

Rudy Gobert (C – MIN): $7,900 DraftKings, $8,000 FanDuel
Gobert had a terrible 10-day stretch a few weeks ago but has been amazing aside from that. He averaged nearly 40 fantasy points per game through his first 17 games and has at least 40 fantasy points in four straight outings. That 47-point average is no surprise since he’s being asked to do more in the absence of Karl-Anthony Towns, seeing a bump in usage, rebounds, and shot attempts.

GPP Targets

Fred VanVleet (PG/SG – TOR): $7,500 DraftKings, $7,800 FanDuel
It’s weird to see FVV in this price range. This All-Star is one of the most talented guards in the NBA, and it’s just a matter of time before he’s above $8K on both sites. We’re seeing glimpses of him breaking out of it, averaging 41 DK points per game across his last three outings. He should keep that run going against the Kings, with Sacramento sitting 27th in points allowed.

Jalen Duren (C – DET): $4,100 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel
We’re excited about this rookie. Duren has finally seen a bump in playing time over recent weeks, scoring at least 24 DK points in three straight outings. He’s also averaging 27 DraftKings points per game across 26 minutes a night and has presented an elite per-minute average all season. The sky is the limit for this 19-year-old, and we love that he faces a Charlotte team surrendering the most fantasy points to opposing centers.

Jonathan Kuminga (PF – GSW): $5,200 DraftKings, $4,400 FanDuel
This is risky, but Kuminga has always been great when given the opportunity. He’s played at least 26 minutes four times this year, with all of those being games where one of the starters was rested. Kuminga has scored at least 31 DraftKings points in all of those, averaging 36 DK points per game. If he gets those 25-plus minutes against this 27th-ranked defense, Kuminga should be in every optimal lineup out there.

Value Plays

Josh Hart (SG/SF – POR): $5,900 DraftKings, $6,500 FanDuel
The Spurs are the best matchup in fantasy, and it’s the perfect matchup for a player like Hart. This wingman stuffs the stat sheet at ease, averaging 9.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1,5 steals per game. That gives him a 25-point floor while flirting with a 30-point average. He also had 27 DK points in their one matchup earlier this year and only took four shots in that game!

Coby White (PG/SG – CHI): $3,700 DraftKings, $3,900 FanDuel
This Bulls guard rotation has been obliterated by injuries. They could be without Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, and Ayo Dosunmu, leaving White as one of the only guards remaining. That’s allowed Coby to play 57 combined minutes over the last two games while scoring 53 fantasy points. Getting 27 fantasy points from a player in this price range would be a godsend, but we saw White average even more than that in a 30-minute role in the past!

Zach Collins (PF/C – POR): $5,100 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel
The Spurs have one of the worst rosters in the NBA, but Collins is proving to be a valuable piece. The big man has played at least 27 minutes in three straight games, getting a start in six consecutive games. The role is rising by the day, and ZC would be a $6K player if he plays 25-30 minutes a night. He’s played at least 23 minutes in 11 games since the start of last year while averaging nearly 30 fantasy points per game. It’s also a revenge game for Collins against Portland, who rank 23rd in defensive efficiency this season.

Advantageous Pricing

• Jordan Poole (PG/SG – GSW): $7,800 DraftKings, $6,700 FanDuel
• Jalen Duren (C – DET): $4,100 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel
• Bol Bol (PF/C – ORL): $5,500 DraftKings. $6,400 FanDuel
• Bogdan Bogdanovic (SG – ATL): $5,000 DraftKings, $6,000 FanDuel
• Stephen Curry (PG – GSW): $11,000 DraftKings, $9,900 FanDuel
• Isaiah Hartenstein (PF/C- NYK): $3,900 DraftKings, $5,000 FanDuel
• Aleksej Pokusevski (PF/C – OKC): $4,300 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel
• Justise Winslow (SF – POR): $4,200 DraftKings, $5,200 FanDuel
• Charles Bassey (PF/C – SAS): $4,100 DraftKings, $5,100 FanDuel
• Corey Kispert (SG/SF – WAS): $4,700 DraftKings, $3,900 FanDuel

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts | Stitcher | RadioPublic | Breaker | Castbox | Pocket Casts