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 13-game slate as the NBA prepares for the All-Star break.
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
James Harden, HOU (at LAC), $9300 – The front runner for the 2014-15 NBA MVP, Harden is also MVP of the daily fantasy world, slightly ahead of Anthony Davis, DeMarcus Cousins, Russell Westbrook and LeBron James. At 48.7 fantasy points per game, Harden is the highest scoring player on FantasyScore, edging out Davis, Cousins and Westbrook. Coming off back-to-back performances of 70-plus fantasy points, The Beard will likely find himself in another shootout Wednesday night, as the game in Los Angeles carries an over/under of 213.5. If there were such a thing as a safe bet to reach 50 fantasy points, it would be Harden in Wednesday's game. I also like Chris Paul on the other side, as the two All-Star guards will likely have to carry their respective banged-up teams.
Gordon Hayward, UTA (at DAL), $6000 – Hayward remains a steal at $6000, having topped 40 fantasy points in six of his last 10 games, including two performances above 55. The in-season improvement mostly seems legitimate, with Hayward forced to shoulder the ball-handling load for a team that sorely lacks talent at both guard spots. Facing an up-tempo, offensive-minded opponent Wednesday night, Hayward is an excellent bet to provide six-to-seven fantasy points per $1000 of salary. With Tyson Chandler (ankle) sidelined, getting to the rim against Dallas should be much easier than usual.
J.J. Barea, DAL (vs. UTA), $2600 – With Monta Ellis (hip) and Rajon Rondo (face) expected to sit, Barea and Devin Harris are candidates to top 30 minutes, after both did so during Monday's game against the Clippers. While Harris is a perfectly viable option, Barea is clearly the better play, due to a combination of price and role. Barea already has five straight games with 23 or more fantasy points, and he'll have a real shot to reach 30 on Wednesday. Harris may be the better real-life player, but Barea's aggressive style on offense leads to fantasy points, while his struggles on the other side of the ball are irrelevant to our purposes.
Other Options: Stephen Curry, GS (at MIN), $9000; John Wall, WAS (at TOR), $8500; Giannis Antetokoumpo, MIL (vs. SAC), $5000; Victor Oladipo, ORL (vs. NYK), $5300; Devin Harris, DAL (vs. UTA), $3400
Forwards
LeBron James, CLE (vs. MIA), $9100 – I actually don't love James in terms of expected points per $1000 of salary, but with the upper-tier forward options looking rather limited, LBJ sticks out as best of the bunch. Kevin Durant is the only other healthy forward with a price tag above $7600, and he'll have to deal with the Grizzlies on Wednesday night. James does carry some risk, as it's possible that the Wade-less Heat aren't able to keep the game reasonably close.
Kawhi Leonard SA (at DET), $6000 – Despite disappointing in his last two outings, Leonard is still averaging 33.24 fantasy points, which makes him a bargain at just $6000. He averages 32.1 minutes per game, but he often sees close to 40 when the matchups and score dictate heavier run. That creates a much higher ceiling than the mid-range price would seem to indicate, and with the All-Star break approaching, Leonard could see some extra minutes. I wouldn't normally consider any Spurs to be safe options, but Leonard does seem to have a reasonable floor in this spot, along with a tantalizing ceiling.
Josh Smith, HOU (at LAC), $5600 – The Rockets obviously want to utilize smaller lineups in Dwight Howard's absence, and the recent matchups have mostly allowed them to do so. Wednesday's game will be no exception, with Blake Griffin (elbow) out for the Clippers. Even if Terrence Jones (illness) suits up for Houston, all of Smith, Trevor Ariza and Donatas Motiejunas should have a shot at 30-plus minutes. I didn't think Smith would find a prominent role so soon, but he shockingly has 35 or more fantasy points in five of his last seven games. While an obvious sell-high candidate in season-long leagues, Smith should have at least a few more big games over the next couple of weeks.
Other options: Paul Millsap, ATL (at BOS), $7200; Thaddeus Young, MIN (vs. GSW), $4500; Matt Barnes, LAC (vs. HOU), $3100; Patrick Patterson, TOR (vs. BKN), $2200; Charlie Villanueva, DAL (vs. UTA), $2200
Centers
DeAndre Jordan, LAC (vs. HOU), $6800 – Everyone thought Spencer Hawes would be the beneficiary of Blake Griffin's staph infection, but in the Clippers' first game sans-Griffin, it was Jordan who had his best outing of the season. Not that I'm entirely giving up on Hawes, but Jordan does figure to benefit from a few added minutes and touches in Griffin's absence. Of course, even in a favorable matchup, Jordan probably won't approach his ridiculous performance of 63.75 fantasy points from Monday against Dallas. However, the boost from Griffin's absence should still be enough to give him a shot at 40-to-50 fantasy points.
Alexis Ajinca, NO (vs. IND), $2200 – Ajinca has produced a bit more than one fantasy point per minute this season, so we'll give him a pass on Monday's 17.5-point showing over 27 minutes against Utah. With Ryan Anderson (elbow) sidelined and Anthony Davis (shoulder) questionable, Ajinca may again log 25-to-30 minutes. It's another tough matchup, but at this price, you don't exactly need the world from Ajinca. It's worth noting that Ajinca might have topped 30 minutes Monday night, if not for early foul trouble.
Other options: DeMarcus Cousins, SAC (at MIL), $9200; LaMarcus Aldridge, POR (vs. LAL), $8100; Chris Bosh, MIA (at CLE), $7100; Al Horford, ATL (at BOS), $6800
