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This article aims to highlight some of the best NBA DFS Plays at every position for your cash game lineups. Keep in mind that the following player write-ups were constructed earlier in the day, and sometimes injury/rest situations can alter the fantasy landscape. Monitoring our NBA News & Headlines Feed throughout the day will keep you in the loop while giving you the subsequent DFS consequences of each information piece.
We’ll take a look at Wednesday’s 11-game slate starting at 7:00 ET.
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POINT GUARD
Damian Lillard – Portland (vs. Sacramento) – DK: $10,100 / FD: $10,000 / Yahoo: $45
With the real opening night of the NBA comes a huge main slate with more options than I know what to do with. With the fresh new season comes all kinds of new possibilities, players in new situations, rookies, now healthy guys we’ve missed, how to choose? When I look at PG, I can’t get away from Dame tonight. He’s expensive, but feels more ‘worth it’ than others who are similarly priced. This game carries the highest over/under of the day, at 232.5 points. The Trail Blazers are favored over what was one of last year’s most generous fantasy opponents. The pace should be fast, Lillard’s usage should be high, and I see him pretty easily being one of the best plays of the slate.
Also Consider: Dejounte Murray, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chris Paul, Ja Morant, Tyrese Maxey, Kevin Porter (FD)
SHOOTING GUARD
OG Anunoby – Toronto (vs. Washington) – DK: $6,100 / FD: $7,400 / Yahoo: $25
Anunoby is set to be a key cog in the Raptors’ game plans on both sides of the ball. He is very reasonably priced for a 30-plus MPG role against an opponent who has traditionally been fast-paced, but not very defensive-minded. He averaged over 25 MPG, 19 points, and 30 fantasy points per game in the preseason, and is the player who can stuff the stat sheet in so many categories that I always love his floor/ceiling combination. He’s the perfect cash game fit at SG or SF tonight.
Also Consider: Tyrese Haliburton, Jordan Clarkson, Fred VanVleet, Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Jalen Green (FD and DK)
SMALL FORWARD
Josh Giddey – Oklahoma City (at Utah) – DK: $3,800 / FD: $4,400 / Yahoo: $17
It’s opening night, Part 2, so you kind of have to get some rookie exposure somewhere, don’t you? I’m looking at Giddey, who has been stellar in the preseason for a Thunder team that will showcase a lot of young talent. The stabilizing presence of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander should help the rookie on both sides of the court. So far, we’ve seen Giddey contributing across the board, averaging about 13 points, seven rebounds, and five assists while playing nearly 30 MPG in the preseason. Yahoo’s pricing might give me some hesitation, but you probably can’t go wrong with Giddey on DraftKings or FanDuel.
Also Consider: Anthony Edwards, Kyle Anderson, Jaylen Brown
POWER FORWARD
Jaren Jackson Jr. – Memphis (vs. Cleveland) – DK: $5,900 / FD: $7,000 / Yahoo: $18
I’ve loved Jackson Jr. so long it’s hard to believe he’s still only 22 years old. When healthy, he’s a fantasy gold mine for the price. Now good to go, he played an average of 27 MPG in the preseason, averaging 18 points per game with a few rebounds, steals and blocks to boost his fantasy lines. The Grizzlies are looking to improve on last year’s impressive run, and having a healthy Jackson will go a long way toward that goal. Tonight, I am in love with his DK and FD salary, but I’m fitting him in on all three sites.
Also Consider: Domantas Sabonis, Tobias Harris, Julius Randle, Daniel Theis
CENTER
Joel Embiid – Philadelphia (at New Orleans) – DK: $10,600 / FD: $11,000 / Yahoo: $49
The 76ers are spicy this week. With the Ben Simmons drama comes all kinds of potential complications for this talented team. I wonder if a lot of people will stay away from this game because of it. Not I. Look, Embiid was a legitimate MVP candidate last year, as well as a defensive player of the year candidate. He’s great with or without Simmons, but he seems fired up and even personally offended by Simmons’ recent behavior. Look for him to make a statement on the court tonight. The fact that New Orleans is traditionally a favorable fantasy matchup and that this game has a high point total (226 points) are bonus factors in the decision to spend up on him.
Also Consider: Rudy Gobert, Karl-Anthony Towns, Christian Wood, Jarrett Allen, Steven Adams
ADDITIONAL NOTES
Tyrese Maxey (PG – PHI) is looking like a primary beneficiary of Simmons’ absence tonight. He averaged about a fantasy point per minute in the preseason and without Shake Milton tonight, should see 30-plus minutes in the Sixers’ backcourt rotation. He’s a very cheap way to round out your second PG or G slots tonight.
Christian Wood (C – HOU) is one of my favorite bigs and after missing most of the 20-21 season, looks ready to make an impact for Houston’s young team. Daniel Theis is a nice bargain play tonight, and season-long players are super-high on the rookie center Alperen Sengun, which might reduce Wood’s roster percentages tonight. This game should be a good one for DFS; with a high point total and neither side known for its defensive prowess, expect a fast paced and stat-filled opportunity for Wood, Kevin Porter Jr. and Jalen Green as well.
