This article is part of our Category Strategy series.
Wednesday's NBA slate begins at 8:00 PM Eastern time and features five games. In a slate featuring a few of the league's most porous defenses as well as some of the stingiest, matchups and injuries go a long way in dictating which players are primed to provide the best value relative to their respective prices. FanDuel's format only counts the eight highest scores in your nine-player lineup, so keep that in mind when making your selections.
POINT GUARD
Damian Lillard, POR at CHI ($11,000): Lillard has had the ball in his hands even more than usual with C.J. McCollum sidelined by a knee injury. He's made the most of the extra opportunities, averaging 30.5 PPG, 4.8 RPG and 12.0 APG in the four games since McCollum went down. Portland's offense will once again rely heavily on Lillard against a Bulls team that's one of six in the league with a defensive rating worse than 112.0. Chicago will also be finishing out a back-to-back here. In a similar vein, teammate Enes Kanter is primed to start putting up bigger numbers at center with Jusuf Nurkic (leg) done for the season.
Shaquille Harrison, CHI vs. POR ($4,800): With the Bulls battling a litany of injuries, Harrison has stepped up big time over the past three games, averaging 32.8 fantasy points in 37 minutes per game. At just $4,800, the 25-year-old guard is a low-risk, high-reward option against a Portland team that's also far from healthy.
SHOOTING GUARD
Devin Booker, PHO vs. WAS ($10,700): Don't be afraid to go right back to Booker fresh off a 54-point masterpiece against the Jazz. That was the third time Phoenix's offensive juggernaut has poured in at least 40 points in his past 10 games, and Booker will have a great opportunity to do so again. The visiting Wizards offer a trifecta of bad defense (fourth-worst defensive rating), fast pace (ninth-fastest) and tired legs (second game in as many nights).
Dennis Schroder, OKC vs. IND ($5,900): Indiana's defense doesn't make life easy for opponents, but Schroder's shown the ability to overcome tough matchups, scoring 26 points in Toronto and 25 in Memphis in his past two games. Throw in a 20-point effort against Miami, and that's three strong performances for Schroder against teams with top-10 defensive ratings in his last four games. The combo guard is rounding out his stat line nicely with 4.8 RPG and 5.0 APG in these past four contests.
SMALL FORWARD
Bruno Caboclo, MEM vs. GS ($4,600): Caboclo exploded for 45.2 fantasy points thanks to 24 points and 11 rebounds Monday against the Thunder, but he remains extremely affordable at $4,600. Even if the injury-riddled Grizzlies get blown out here, someone has to do the scoring for Memphis. Why not the 20th overall selection from the 2014 draft?
Lance Stephenson, LAL at UTA ($3,900): With Brandon Ingram done for the year and LeBron James likely to take it easy on the second half of a back-to-back, there should be plenty of minutes available for Stephenson at the small forward position. While scoring won't be easy against the stifling Jazz defense, Stephenson's well-rounded game should still allow him to deliver a solid fantasy performance. With his price depressed to $3,900 since he just recently returned from a toe injury, this is the right time to target Lance.
POWER FORWARD
Domantas Sabonis, IND at OKC ($6,300): Sabonis seems to have worked himself back up to full speed, averaging a well-rounded 11.0 PPG, 13.7 RPG and 4.3 APG over the last three games. His ability to contribute even when his shot isn't falling makes Sabonis a nice value pick at $6,300, especially with his price likely to climb as he gets further removed from the ankle injury that knocked him out from Feb. 25 to March 10.
Draymond Green, GS vs. MEM ($6,800): The Grizzlies are tough to score on, but Green doesn't need to do much scoring to provide tremendous value. The versatile forward is averaging 7.3 rebounds, 6.9 assists, 1.3 steals and a block this season, and he's dipped under five rebounds just twice and under five assists once in his past 11 games. At $6,800, Green could well end up providing the best bang for the buck on the Warriors here.
CENTER
Rudy Gobert, UTA vs. LAL ($10,000): Gobert is averaging a double-double at 15.6 PPG and 12.9 RPG, and he's been even better over the past eight games with 17.9 PPG and 13.5 RPG. He has a great opportunity to build on his recent momentum against a Lakers team that's playing its second game in as many nights and has given up on its season, having been eliminated from playoff contention.
