This article is part of our FantasyScore NBA series.
FantasyScore.com is an up-and-coming player in the world of daily fantasy sports, offering a trio of different game types on a website that's as user-friendly as they come.
I previously discussed the site back around the holidays, and I'll now offer up player picks for salary-cap contests based on Wednesday night's 11-game slate in the NBA, followed by some suggestions for Thursday's short slate.
You can check out the first article for a more comprehensive overview, but before we get down to the top choices for Wednesday night, let's quickly review some basics for the website's salary-cap contests.
Scoring, as follows, is fairly simple:
1 point = 1 point
1 rebound= 1.25 points
1 assist = 1.5 points
1 block = 2 points
1 steal = 2 points
1 turnover= -0.5 points
There's a $50,000 budget for eight roster spots, with three guards, three forwards, a center and a flex (any position). The lack of differentiation between point guards and shooting guards (or small and power forwards) is nice, as it allows for increased flexibility when building your lineup,
Further adding to flexibility, the cheapest players for Wednesday are priced at $2200, while the most expensive (Anthony Davis) costs $9400. The large price range makes it possible to load up a roster with three-to-five superstars, if you're willing to take a risk on some of those sub-$3000 guys.
The so-called "stars-and-scrubs" approach may not always be viable, but with a full slate like Wednesday's, there will be plenty of strong, cheap options.
Here are some of my favorite players for Wednesday night…
Guards
Stephen Curry, GS (vs. DAL), $9000 – Warriors-Mavs easily projects as Wednesday's highest-scoring contest, and I like all of the big-name players from the game. Curry tops that list, as the main thing limiting his production is the Warriors' propensity to blow opponents out. The Mavs should keep it close enough for Curry to log around 35 minutes, and Dallas isn't known for playing strong defense. While I also like Klay Thompson at $7800, I prefer to pay up for Curry.
Monta Ellis, DAL (at GS), $6300 – With Rajon Rondo (orbital fracture) likely sidelined for what figures to be a shootout, Ellis will take on added ball-handling responsibility, as he's done the past couple of games. I like Ellis' chances of getting a double-double, seeing as Golden State plays at the league's fastest pace. Devin Harris (ankle) appears to be in some danger of missing Wednesday's game, which makes J.J. Barea a very intriguing choice at $2200, in addition to further boosting Ellis' appeal.
D.J. Augustin, DET (at IND), $4900 – Augustin draws a difficult matchup with a slow-paced team that plays solid defense, but he's still an excellent option at this price. He's logged 34 or more minutes in each game since Brandon Jennings (Achilles) went down for the season, with 50-plus fantasy points in three of those five contests. Even with one dud mixed in, Augustin is averaging 40.65 fantasy points in Jennings' absence. Long-term expectations shouldn't be quite that high, but 35 points is a reasonable projection for Wednesday.
Other Options:Russell Westbrook, OKC (at NOR), $9000; Giannis Antetokoumpo, MIL (vs. LAL), $4200; Jordan Clarkson, LAL (at MIL), $3200; Jared Dudley, MIL (vs. LAL), $3200
Forwards
Pau Gasol, CHI (at HOU), $8200 – With Anthony Davis drawing a tough matchup against Oklahoma City, Gasol is comfortably the best option among top-tier forwards. I'd still slightly prefer Davis if the prices were equal, but Gasol comes $1200 cheaper, heading into a matchup with the banged-up Houston frontcourt. It'll be interesting to see how the Rockets handle this game, as they've largely relied on very small lineups in Dwight Howard's absence. Gasol and Joakim Noah would likely feast on most of those lineups, but Houston may not have any other options.
Jared Sullinger BOS (vs. DEN), $5000 – Sullinger hasn't exactly been a picture of consistency this season, with Brad Stevens' rotations largely to blame. Not to say that he's totally safe, but with Kelly Olynyk (ankle) sidelined, Sullinger does carry a bit less risk. Wednesday night is the perfect time to use Sullinger, coming off a big game Tuesday night, in a matchup that's extremely favorable. The Nuggets have been eaten alive by opposing big men this season, and Sullinger should get 30-plus minutes.
Khris Middleton, MIL (vs. LAL), $3500 – With Zaza Pachulia (calf) and Ersan Ilyasova (groin) sidelined for the past week, Milwaukee has made greater use of small lineups, which has led to Middleton averaging 38 minutes over his last three games. Middleton averages 21.47 fantasy points over 26.4 minutes on the season, making him a solid bet to hit 30 points, if he continues to get increased run. Even if Pachulia and/or Ilyasova play(s) Wednesday night, Middleton should get minutes in the low 30s, which is plenty to provide a nice return on this salary.
Other options:Thaddeus Young, MIN (vs. MIA), $4500; Donatas Motiejunas, HOU (vs. CHI), $4000; John Henson, MIL (vs. LAL), $3000; Patrick Patterson, TOR (vs. BKN), $2200
Centers
Hassan Whiteside, MIA (at MIN) , $6500 – While the center position doesn't have value plays to match those at the forward and guards spots, there's no shortage of mid-price options with the potential to turn in a huge game. Whiteside arguably has the highest ceiling of that bunch, given that he's averaging a ridiculous 24.53 fantasy points over just 18.5 minutes per game. There's some chance he'll only log 20-to-25 minutes Wednesday night, but if he does get into the 25-to-35 range, a huge game should be coming. Also, the Timberwolves rank seventh in pace and 22nd in rebounding rate, so Whiteside should have plenty of chances to snag boards.
Other options:Al Horford, ATL (vs. WAS), $6800; Brook Lopez, BKN (at TOR), $6000
Looking Ahead To Thursday
The four games on Thursday are Washington at Charlotte, LA Clippers at Cleveland, Dallas at Sacramento and Phoenix at Portland.
I'll mostly be avoiding players from Wizards/Hornets matchup, as it figures to be very low scoring affair, while the other three contests all look like potential shootouts. The slow-paced Hornets have played some really ugly games the past two weeks, and Tuesday's contest between the same two teams ended with a surprising 92-88 Charlotte win.
All of the big names for the other six teams should be solid options, but I'll probably avoid DeMarcus Cousins in a matchup with Tyson Chandler, instead looking for LaMarcus Aldridge to feast on the middling Phoenix frontcourt. This could be the rare matchup that warrants using both Aldridge and Damian Lillard, but I'm also interested in spending big on Monta Ellis and/or Chris Paul.
For something on the lower end of the spectrum, whoever starts at point guard for the Mavs – presumably Devin Harris or J.J. Barea – should be a nice value option. This isn't a slate that will provide a ton of great low-end plays, but guys like Nic Batum, Wes Matthews, Chandler Parsons and Jamal Crawford should all offer plenty of upside at mid-range prices.
