This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
With a whopping 12 games on the schedule for Wednesday's slate, there's a ton of options to sort through at all levels of the price scale. The following list should provide a handful of players to consider building your lineup around:
GUARDS:
Chris Paul, HOU at ORL ($9,900): The Rockets are set to be without James Harden for at least the next two weeks with a strained hamstring, and it could end up being closer to six weeks when all is said and done. That means it's officially Paul's team to run and he should see increased usage and scoring responsibility moving forward. With the ball in his hands even more and the potential for higher scoring totals, I'm jumping all over him for Wednesday's slate, especially considering he's going up against the Magic, who have given up the second most FanDuel points to point guards so far this season.
Ricky Rubio, UTA vs NOP ($5,300): Rubio is also drawing a great matchup, as he'll be facing off with a Pelicans squad that has given up the most FanDuel points to the point guard position so far this season. However, Rubio himself has also put together a few strong outings of late, including Saturday's game against the Cavaliers, where he had 16 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, a steal and a block across 32 minutes. That was good enough for 42 FanDuel points, so with Rubio sitting at $5,300, that's a great price for the upside and matchup that he presents.
Dejounte Murray, SAS at PHI ($3,500): The Spurs are set to be without the bulk of their regular starting lineup, with the likes of Tony Parker, Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard and Manu Ginobili all sitting out. The last time Parker sat out, Murray saw 27 minutes of action and he should once again see big minutes Wednesday with the same situation occurring. At a minimum price of $3,500, Murray because very intriguing as a guy who could push for a 30-minute workload. That sort of playing time, combined with that price, typically results in some great value.
FORWARDS:
Kevin Durant, GS at DAL ($10,500): Of all the more expensive options, Durant is one of a few that jump out right away. While there's always the chance the Warriors rest guys against a much inferior team, they may not necessarily have that opportunity with a guy like Durant, as they're already set to be without Omri Casspi (back) and Andre Iguodala (back), and could also be without Draymond Green (ankle) and Zaza Pachulia (illness). That's already a lot of bodies down, so it likely wouldn't make sense for Durant to be rested. In the two team's previous meeting earlier this season, Durant went off for 60.7 FanDuel points, and that sort of production should be realistic once again.
T.J. Warren, PHO at DEN ($7,500): Warren has really turned it on of late, averaging 36.5 FanDuel points over his last eight outings. That includes three games surpassing the 40-FanDuel-point mark, which exemplifies Warren's overall upside. An uptempo matchup against the Nuggets only adds to the intrigue for Warren, making him one of the more desirable mid-to-upper-tier small forwards for Wednesday's slate.
Serge Ibaka, TOR at CHI ($5,800): You have to like the price for Ibaka, who is coming off a performance against the Bucks on Monday where he posted 11 points, eight rebounds, two assists, two steals and four blocks across 38 minutes. That was good enough for 39.6 FanDuel points, which is great value for a salary less than $6,000. Ibaka once again has a great matchup against the Bulls, who give up the ninth most FanDuel points to the power forward position, so that sort of production that he put up against the Bucks should be within reach once again against the Bulls.
CENTERS:
Nikola Jokic, DEN vs PHO ($9,900): Jokic's price is the highest it's been since early in the season, which is always something I try and avoid. However, the combination of Jokic's recent performance and the matchup is hard to resist. He's coming off back-to-back performances where he posted 53.6 and 45.8 FanDuel points, and will be facing off with a Suns defense that isn't prided for its frontcourt defense. The Suns also play at the third highest pace in the NBA, so it should be an uptempo game filled with plenty of opportunities to rack up statistics.
Pau Gasol, SAS at PHI ($6,000): Gasol is certainly a risky pick due to the chance that coach Gregg Popovich could limit his minutes. However, Popovich is already holding Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green out, so if Gasol does play a full workload, he should see his usage skyrocket. Gasol has also played really well of late, surpassing the 30-FanDuel-point mark in five of his last seven games, including three 40-plus showings. For that reason, I'm willing to take the risk on Gasol as an option if you can't afford a higher priced player like Jokic.
