NBA

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Wednesday 1/20/21

With 10 games to choose from on Wednesday's slate -- which locks at 7:00 p.m. EST -- let's look at the top options across all five positions for NBA DFS.

Be sure to check out our projections, which are updated throughout the day as news breaks, and our other DFS tools such as advanced stats and a matchup heat map.

Here are some of the top plays on today's DraftKings slate. As always, good luck.

[Editor's note: The Portland Trail Blazers and Memphis Grizzlies game has been postponed.]

Point Guard

Damian Lillard ($10,400) -- In Portland, the story is no C.J. McCollum or Jusuf Nurkic, meaning even more Dame. Per NBA Wowy, Lillard's fantasy points per-minute and usage increase by 0.09 and 5.1%, respectively, over a small sample this season. But in last year's larger sample Dame saw a 37.1% usage rate on his way to a massive 1.50 DK points per minute in the absence of their starting two-guard and center. At that rate, he would require 34.7 minutes to reach or exceed his salary-implied total, but with him averaging more than 39 minutes over the last five he should have no trouble doing just that.

Ja Morant ($7,300) -- In a matchup of offensively-gifted point guards, Morant will go up against Lillard, who could be lacking on the defensive side as he picks up more slack offensively. That bodes well against a Blazers team that already ranks sixth-worst against point guards, according to FantasyPros' positional data. Oh -- and did I mention that in limited time the sophomore floor general is averaging a cool 46.1 DK points a game in his four full contests? You could easily make him your top priority at the position tonight.

Shooting Guard

Victor Oladipo ($7,800) -- Things got off to a slow start in Oladipo's Houston debut, but in the second quarter and beyond it went just as expected. The versatile combo-guard stepped in to demand a ridiculous 42.1% usage rate which led to both a 45.0% assist rate and 23 shot attempts. It would appear he has something to prove as heads to a new city as the top guy alongside Christian Wood (until John Wall returns, as well). Phoenix has been good against most backcourt options, but this is one of those times you can feel good looking past the matchup for a guy with a sky-high ceiling below $8,000.

Edmond Sumner ($3,800) -- Sumner has been stepping into minutes at Indiana's vacated shooting guard and small forward spots, as a result of the Oladipo trade, Caris LeVert's absence, and T.J. Warren's injury. Now, Jeremy Lamb has been listed as questionable for the first time, but he hasn't played in nearly a full year. Sumner is going to remain the first man up, particularly with the Pacers potentially being without Myles Turner to boot. Sumner getting 30 minutes in a competitive game is the likeliest of scenarios, putting him in play for tournaments and GPPs only.

Small Forward

Jerami Grant ($7,700) -- Tonight, the Detroit Pistons get one of the biggest bumps in value thanks to the defense and pace of the Atlanta Hawks. While Detroit averages 108.9 points and just under 99 possessions a game, Atlanta allows 109.2 but on a 101.85 pace that ranks eighth. Grant is already around 40 DK points on a consistent basis, and he's managed two performance above 50 in the past 10 contests. His usage rate has also progressed from 23.1% in December to 27.7% in January, as he's fully grown into his top-dog role for his new team. He's someone you can roster in all formats tonight.

Anthony Edwards ($4,500) -- On Wednesday night, the Minnesota Timberwolves will be without Karl-Anthony Towns, Juan Hernangomez, and Ricky Rubio as they face the Orlando Magic. between the three of those players, there are two starting spots and nearly 78 minutes per game to go around. In the team's last game Edwards garnered 30 minutes for the third time this season, turning 16 shots into 12 points and 21.75 DK points. His 31% shooting was below his season average, so there's reason to think there is a turnaround coming versus a bottom-10 defense. If he's knocking down shots Edwards could end the night as a top-five point-per-dollar play.

Power Forward

Carmelo Anthony ($4,700) -- Though there are some solid options in the upper tier, paying down at power forward looks like a wise way to go this evening. Anthony is one of the more intriguing high-upside plays on the board, as he too should benefit from the holes in the Blazers' lineup. He already did to some extent last game when he went for 14 points on 13 shots and for 27.25 DK points. Anthony's averaging 0.85 DK points per minute on a 20.5% usage, but that increases to 0.87 on a much more desirable 24.8% usage (second to Lillard) without McCollum and Nurkic.

Xavier Tillman ($3,500) -- Memphis is home to one of the COVID-related situations flying too much under the radar. Jonas Valanciunas has been ruled out for health and safety purposes, meaning more time for Brandon Clarke but also for Tillman. The second-round pick has played nearly 28 and 29 minutes in the last two games, the latter of the two coming in a start and a win over the Phoenix Suns. In addition to 12 points, he grabbed 6 boards and wrapped up the game with 23.0 DK points. That is more than enough to justify his low salary versus the Blazers, who regularly struggle against big men and on the boards.

Center

Nikola Vucevic ($8,600) -- For my money, Vooch is a no-brainer tonight. While his salary ranks just sixth at the position, his 47.3 DK points per game are 5.5 above Bam Adebayo, who shares the same salary as the Orlando big man. There's no reason to be off Vucevic in this spot, facing a Minnesota team that ranks 28th in defensive rating and is without its only formidable force down low in Towns. His efficient game should allow him to take full advantage of the Wolves' inexperienced frontcourt.

Enes Kanter ($6,300) -- Like Lillard and Anthony, Kanter is getting the benefit of more minutes and looks for the hurting Blazers. He's remained a nightly threat for an efficient double-double, but over the last two, he's received 29 and 27 minutes, putting up 50.75 and 26.0 DK points in the process. He was undoubtedly hurt by a 21-point loss (and a low-scoring one at that) versus the San Antonio Spurs, so he might come with a lower roster rate than you'd expect. With all the great center options on this slate, he could be a sneaky way to 50-point upside in tournaments and GPP formats.



Brett Oswalt is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Brett Oswalt also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username BRO14THEKID. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in his articles are the author’s alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.