Wednesday features a nine-game NBA slate starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.
You can also use our SimLabs Lineup Generator, a tool that creates the most user-friendly lineup generation process.
Note: Projections and Leverages Scores/Ratings may change throughout the day after this article is posted. The NBA DFS landscape changes quickly.
Consult the NBA Player Models directly for any updates as we get closer to lock.
Stud
The 76ers are on the second leg of a back-to-back on Wednesday, but they have no choice but to lean on Tyrese Maxey at the moment. They’re dealing with a host of key injuries to their top options, including Joel Embiid, Paul George, and Jared McCain. It’s possible that they get George back on Wednesday – we’re still waiting on their official injury report – but Maxey is going to have to carry a large workload one way or another.
Maxey has played some of his best ball of the season sans Embiid recently. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in six of his past seven games, including at least 55.25 DraftKings points in two straight. Overall, Maxey has increased his usage rate by +4.6% in four games without Embiid, George, and McCain, and he’s averaged 38.66 minutes and 48.94 DraftKings points in those contests.
Maxey has the top ceiling projection at the position on Wednesday, and his $9,800 salary is still too cheap for the value he’s provided of late.
Value
The Mavericks are another team dealing with a ton of injuries at the moment. They’re still playing without Luka Doncic, and he’ll be joined on the sidelines by Dereck Lively, Dwight Powell, and Maxi Kleber on Wednesday. Dante Exum is also expected to miss – he’s currently listed as doubtful – while Naji Marshall is questionable.
That leaves Spencer Dinwiddie as one of their top remaining options. He’s averaged 0.89 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he’s currently projected for 32 minutes in our NBA Models. That makes him too cheap at $5,500. Dinwiddie has historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +2.27 with a comparable salary and at least 30 projected minutes, including a +6.06 mark so far this season (per the Trends tool).
Fast Break
Ty Jerome is another potential value option worth considering. He’s been awesome on a per-minute basis this season, averaging 1.16 DraftKings points per minute, and he could pick up a few minutes given the Cavs’ current injury situation. They’re going to be without Caris LeVert and Dean Wade on Wednesday, and Jerome is projected for 23 minutes as a result.
Jordan Poole is a prototypical “boom-or-bust” GPP option. He has the potential to provide some of the highest upside in his price range, and he’s increased his output to 1.27 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. Poole also benefits from an excellent matchup vs. the Raptors. They’re merely 25th in defensive efficiency, and they’ve also played at a top-10 pace. The Wizards have also played fast this season, so this contest has the potential for plenty of scoring on both sides.
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NBA DFS Shooting Guard Picks
Stud
The Celtics boast the top implied team total on this slate. They’re taking on the Bulls, who have played at the third-fastest pace this season. The Celtics can score the ball with the best of them but are just 25th in pace, so they have significantly more upside than usual. They lead the slate with a 123.0 implied team total, which represents an increase of nearly six points from their season average (117.2).
Jaylen Brown’s price tag has also dipped to just $7,600 on DraftKings, which makes him an excellent buy-low target. He’s been priced as high as $8,800 so far this season, and Brown has averaged a Plus/Minus of +4.01 with a comparable price tag in 2024-25. Brown doesn’t even enter this contest in poor form – he’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in five of his past seven games – so I’m not sure why he’s available at such a discount. Let’s take advantage.
Value
You can add the Hornets to the list of teams playing at far less than full strength. They’ve already ruled out eight players for this contest, including LaMelo Ball, Brandon Miller, and Mark Williams. It leaves the team with a ragtag group of options to carry the load.
Nick Smith stands out as one of the best. He’s increased his production to 0.96 DraftKings points per minute with Ball and Miller off the floor this season, and he’s currently projected for 32 minutes in our NBA Models. Smith scored 34.25 DraftKings points the last time he cracked 30 minutes, so he’s definitely in play at just $5,000.
Fast Break
Kelly Oubre is another option for the shorthanded 76ers. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in three straight games, and he’s had at least 46.0 DraftKings points in two of them. He’s increased his production to 0.94 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he should continue to provide value for as long as Embiid, George, and others are out of the lineup.
D’Angelo Russell continues to stand out as a high-risk, high-reward option for the Nets. He’s playing limited minutes, but he’s typically stuffing the stat sheet when he’s on the court. He’s averaged a massive 1.44 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he’s gone for at least 40.5 DraftKings points in three of his past five games. That includes one outing with more than 50 DraftKings points, giving him an outstanding ceiling for his $6,600 salary.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
Scottie Barnes has put up some big numbers recently. He’s averaged 1.30 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he’s racked up at least 56.25 DraftKings points in back-to-back games.
Those outings came in favorable matchups vs. the Pelicans and Hawks, and he draws another excellent opponent Wednesday vs. the Wizards. The Raptors are implied for 118.5 points, which represents a massive increase compared to their season average (111.3). If they’re going to do more scoring than usual, there’s a good chance that Barnes will be involved in one way or another. He has a diverse skill set, so he’s capable of racking up fantasy points in a variety of ways.
Barnes ultimately has the highest ceiling projection at the position – higher even than Jayson Tatum – but he’s projected for just 16.7% ownership. He’s a strong stud target to build around in an elite matchup.
Value
Josh Okogie stands out as arguably the best value on the slate regardless of position. He was acquired by the Hornets in exchange for Nick Richards, and he’s taken on a sizable role since being acquired. Okogie has posted a positive Plus/Minus in four straight games, and he’s projected for more than 30 minutes on Wednesday.
If he’s going to play that much, he stands out as massively underpriced at $4,300. Okogie has averaged better than a fantasy point per minute over the past month, and he scored 40 DraftKings points in his only game with 30+ minutes as a member of the Hornets. His current price tag comes with a 94% Bargain Rating, so he’s an extremely tough fade vs. the Nets. He’s projected for a massive 63.5% ownership, but his optimal lineup rate suggests that it’s warranted.
Fast Break
R.J. Barrett is another potential option for the Raptors. He has been nearly as productive as Barnes of late, averaging just 1.14 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. However, that’s caused his salary to dip to just $7,800. He was priced as high as $9,200 earlier this month, so there’s definitely some buy-low appeal with Barrett vs. the Wizards.
Mikal Bridges has played some of his best basketball since being acquired by the Knicks recently. He’s scored at least 44.25 DraftKings points in back-to-back games despite logging 34.5 minutes or fewer in both. He’s someone who typically plays closer to 38-40 minutes, so if he can maintain that level of efficiency, he has the potential for even bigger performances moving forward.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
Miles Bridges is another member of the Hornets who should benefit from their current injury situation. He’s been the biggest winner from a usage standpoint with Ball and Miller off the floor this season, increasing his usage rate by +6.44%. He’s averaged 1.28 DraftKings points per minute in that split, and he’s coming off 46.0 DraftKings points in his last outing.
The only downside with Bridges is his price tag. He’s up to $8,200 on DraftKings, which represents a pretty significant increase over the past week. Still, the Nets are a matchup that Bridges can exploit, ranking 27th in the league in defensive efficiency. Overall, Bridges still ranks second at the position in projected Plus/Minus, trailing only Okogie.
Value
The hot stove is officially on as we approach the NBA trade deadline. Some names have already been rumored to be available – Jimmy Butler and De’Aaron Fox are two of the biggest – but some role players will also change teams in the coming weeks. That will likely include Kyle Kuzma. He’s on a reasonable deal by NBA standards, and he’s not a big part of the team’s future.
With that in mind, it makes sense for the Wizards to showcase him a bit before the deadline. We saw that a few games ago, with Kuzma erupting for 52.25 DraftKings points vs. the Suns. He hasn’t been able to follow up on that success in his past two contests, but he’s just 6-23 from the field in those outings. With some better shooting luck on Wednesday, he has the potential provide solid upside at his $6,200 salary.
Fast Break
Unlike Kuzma, Justin Edwards is a low-risk, low-reward type of option for the 76ers. He’s locked into a decent role for the squad at the moment, and he’s projected for 29 minutes on Wednesday’s slate. That’s a lot of playing time for someone with a $3,900 salary, and players with comparable salaries and minute projections have historically averaged a Plus/Minus of +3.28.
P.J. Washington is another midrange option with plenty of upside. He’s posted a positive Plus/Minus in six of his past seven games, and he had 40.75 DraftKings points in just 24.8 minutes in his last outing. He had played more than 40 minutes in his previous two contents, so he has the potential to play significantly more on Wednesday. His per-minute production is way up with Doncic out of the lineup, so he’s still too cheap.

NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
What else is there to say about Nikola Jokic at this point? Even though he’s not the favorite for the MVP right now, it’s hard to argue that he’s not the best player on the planet. He’s somehow taken his game to another level this season, averaging 30.0 points, 13.1 rebounds, and 10.2 assists per game.
Jokic has been even more dominant of late. He’s averaged an eye-popping 2.08 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and the only thing that has been able to slow him down has been playing time. When Jokic sees his full complement of minutes, he’s dominating. He’s averaging more than 75 DraftKings points in games with at least 35 minutes, so you simply cannot price him high enough at this point.
The best part? Jokic is projected for less than 10% ownership on this slate. He doesn’t stand out as the best pure value at the position, but no one can match his ceiling. There’s more than enough value to fit him in your lineups.
Value
Speaking of value, Moussa Diabate is an excellent target for the Hornets with Williams getting the night off. He didn’t start the last time that Williams was inactive – Taj Gibson got that distinction – but Diabate was still the bigger beneficiary. He logged 28.9 minutes off the bench, and he responded with 33.25 DraftKings points.
Diabate is currently projected for 28 minutes in our NBA Models, and he’s averaged 0.85 DraftKings points per minute for the year. That makes him an excellent bet to pay off his $3,700 salary.
Fast Break
Jalen Duren has seen a big uptick in per-minute production recently. He’s averaging 1.27 DraftKings points per minute over the past month, and he’s gone for at least 35.5 DraftKings points in four of his past six outings. He’s underpriced at $5,800 for an excellent matchup vs. the Pacers.
Daniel Gafford can continue to be started for the Mavericks with Lively out of the picture. He’s handled the majority of the center minutes in Dallas recently, and he’s racked up at least 41.0 DraftKings points in three of his past four games. His salary is getting up there, but he’s still too cheap at $7,400 vs. the Pelicans.