After yesterday’s two-game appetizer, the NBA is back in earnest on Wednesday. We have a 12-game main slate to choose from, starting at 7 p.m. ET.
Let’s dive into some of the top plays on the slate using the FantasyLabs tools and projections.
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 Leverage 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.
NBA DFS Point Guard Picks
Stud
The Pistons were overachievers last season, but expectations are higher heading into 2025-26. That’s largely due to the play of point guard Cade Cunningham. He averaged career highs in virtually every category across the board, resulting in a third-team All-NBA selection and a seventh-place finish in MVP voting.
Cunningham is going to have to do even more for the Pistons this season. The team is going to have to survive without Jaden Ivey for at least the next month, and Malik Beasley is gone after finishing third in the league in 3-pointers last year. They added Caris LeVert to help carry some of the offensive burden, but most of it will have to flow through Cunningham.
The good news is that Cunningham starts the year with a phenomenal matchup. He’ll square off with the Chicago Bulls, who were second in the league in pace last year. They were also second in pace during the preseason, so they figure to be a very fantasy-friendly opponent once again.
The Pistons currently have the third-highest implied team total on the slate (119.0), and Cunningham leads all point guards in median and ceiling projection. He has the third-highest ceiling projection overall, despite checking in at a modest $9,900 price tag. That makes him a solid building block in all formats.
Value
Is this the year where things finally go belly-up in Miami? The Heat haven’t been particularly relevant in recent seasons, but they’ve at least made the playoffs in six straight seasons. They enter this year with more question marks than usual, especially with Tyler Herro currently dealing with an injury. He underwent surgery on his foot roughly one month ago, and while he gave a positive update recently, he’s going to be sidelined on opening night.
The Heat acquired Davion Mitchell before the trade deadline last year, and he showed some upside in Miami. He averaged 10.3 points and 5.3 assists per game in roughly 31.6 minutes per contest, and he put together some solid fantasy performances during the postseason. Mitchell had 28.5 and 34.0 DraftKings points in Miami’s two play-in tournament wins, and he had at least 30.25 DraftKings points in three of four playoff games vs. the Cavaliers.
Mitchell is going to have to handle more of the offense with Herro sidelined, and he’s currently projected for 31 minutes in our NBA Models. That makes him an excellent value option, and he is eligible in both backcourt spots.
Fast Break
It feels like Ja Morant is at a crossroads. Can he prove that he’s ready – and healthy enough – to be the face of an NBA franchise? With Desmond Bane now in Orlando, Morant has the potential for a huge season. He averaged 1.66 DraftKings points per minute in games without Bane last season, and the Grizzlies have massive upside Wednesday vs. the Pelicans. They were 29th in defensive efficiency last year, and Memphis has the top implied team total on the slate.
The league is still making the Jazz field a basketball team, and while they are expected to be terrible once again this season, they at least have some interesting young guys. That includes Walter Clayton Jr. He’s priced at the absolute minimum on DraftKings, and while he’s not expected to see a ton of minutes, he was phenomenal during the preseason. He had 20 points, five rebounds, and five assists in the game where he saw the most extensive action, and he followed that up with 29.75 and 20.25 DraftKings points in his final two contests. He has the potential to be highly efficient in terms of fantasy points per minute, making him an intriguing punt play.
Don’t forget to check out our NBA SimLabs Lineup Generator to create advanced DFS lineups using the power of simulation:
NBA DFS Shooting Guard Picks
Stud
None of the highest-priced shooting guards on this slate stand out as particularly strong values. Every player priced above $6,100 at the position on DraftKings has a negative Plus/Minus projection, so going with a value option is probably your best bet.
However, Cam Thomas could be worth making an exception for. The Nets are going to be a disaster this season, but Thomas should have plenty of opportunities to put the ball in the basket. That’s what he does best. He played in just 25 games last season, but he averaged a career-high 24.0 points per game in those contests. He had a massive 32.6% usage rate in those outings, so he has some sneaky potential to be one of the top scorers in the league.
Thomas could also be forced to do a bit more distributing this season. The Nets have almost no experienced point guards on the roster, and Thomas handed out at least four assists in three of his four preseason outings.
If he can add just a smidge of distributing to his scoring profile, it should do wonders for his fantasy stock. The matchup vs. the Hornets also doesn’t hurt: Charlotte was 24th in defensive efficiency last season.
Value
Brice Sensabaugh stands out as another strong option for the Jazz on Wednesday. He’s priced at just $3,700 on DraftKings, resulting in a massive 98% Bargain Rating. That’s easily the top mark at the position.
Sensabaugh is currently projected for 25 minutes in our NBA Models, and he can do some damage with that much playing time. He’s historically had a comparable salary and minute projection in eight contests, and he’s responded with an average Plus/Minus of +10.17 (per the Trends tool).
Sensabaugh also had some huge performances for the Jazz during the preseason. He had games of 35.75 and 32.0 DraftKings points, despite playing 27.7 minutes or fewer in both contests. That gives him a nice combination of floor and ceiling, and he leads the position in projected Plus/Minus.
Fast Break
The Suns have the potential to be the Devin Booker show in 2025-26. Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal are gone, and they didn’t bring in a ton to replace them. Booker posted a 33.59% usage rate with both players off the floor last season, and he leads the position in ceiling projection by a pretty wide margin.
The Pelicans are currently healthier than they were basically all of last season, so it remains to be seen how the offense will be divided. However, Trey Murphy established himself as a rising star in 2025, so he should be a big part of the equation. He has the fourth-highest optimal lineup rate at the position in Sim Labs, so he could be a bit undervalued on this slate.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
Has anyone heard anything about Kawhi Leonard recently? Pretty uneventful offseason for him and the Clippers.
In all seriousness, Leonard put together another strong campaign for the Clippers last year. While he wasn’t available nearly as much as he was the previous season, the team steadily ramped up his production on their way to the postseason. They ultimately fell in seven games vs. the Nuggets, but Leonard was playing as well as anyone in basketball by the end of the year.
The Clippers will likely take it easy on Leonard once again to start this season, but he’s at least fully healthy. He missed the first 34 games of the season in 2024-25, so he might not need as extensive a ramp-up process.
We currently have Leonard projected for 34 minutes in our NBA Models, and if he can get anywhere close to that figure, he’s underpriced at just $8,100. He led the league in first-half preseason minutes, so he appears ready for a decent workload right out of the gates. He averaged a Plus/Minus of +2.68 in games with at least 30 minutes last year, so he’s another strong target to start the season.
Value
The Mavericks have one of the most interesting roster constructions in the league heading into opening night. Without Kyrie Irving, they essentially have a roster full of wings and centers. D’Angelo Russell is also around, but he’s not expected to be a starter. Rookie Cooper Flagg is likely going to be the team’s primary facilitator, which is a huge ask for a first-year player.
With Flagg essentially serving as a de facto point guard, it means that there are still opportunities for P.J. Washington in the frontcourt. He’s priced at the absolute minimum at $3,000, and that’s just a flat-out mistake. Washington was excellent for the Mavericks last year, averaging 1.00 DraftKings points per minute, and there’s no reason to expect a huge drop-off in 2025-26.
Washington was a big part of the team’s rotation during the preseason, scoring at least 20.5 DraftKings points in all four contests. We currently have him projected for 31 minutes in our NBA Models, making him an absolute slam-dunk. Even if that projection ends up being aggressive, he should still be a good bet to return value.
Fast Break
Jaylen Brown is going to get his chance to be the man in Boston. Even though Jayson Tatum is reportedly well ahead of schedule in recovery from his torn Achilles, he’s still going to miss most of the season. With Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday, and Al Horford also gone, Brown is going to have to carry a massive load for the offense. Brown saw a +7.49% usage bump with all four players off the floor this season, resulting in an average of 1.51 DraftKings points per minute. He’s currently priced below $9,000, but he could easily be a $10,000+ player this season.
Ziaire Williams is another intriguing min-priced punt on this slate. He’s projected for 23 minutes for the Nets on opening night, and he ended the preseason on a high note. He scored 15 and 20 points in his final two contests, knocking down four 3-pointers in both games. Ultimately, he ranks third at the position in projected Plus/Minus.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
Zion Williamson will always be linked to Morant. They were the top two picks in the 2019 NBA Draft, and both players have seemingly unlimited potential. However, both players have struggled to stay on the floor.
Williamson was limited to just 30 games last season, but he was still extremely productive when available. He averaged 24.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 5.3 assists per game, despite playing just 28.6 minutes per contest. As a result, he averaged an elite 1.58 DraftKings points per minute.
How much Zion will actually be able to play is always the big question, but there are at least reasons for optimism to start the year. He lost a ton of weight this offseason, and head coach Willie Green said the team has no hard minute restriction on opening night. He’s projected for 32 minutes in our NBA Models, and if he can stay on the court consistently in 2025-26, he could finally live up to his massive potential.
Value
The Knicks made the decision to move on from Tom Thibodeau this offseason. That stemmed primarily from his inability to utilize his bench, so expect new coach Mike Brown to make better use of them.
To be fair, Brown has a lot more at his disposal to work with. Even with Malcolm Brodgen’s surprise retirement before the start of the year, the Knicks have a much deeper collection of reserves than they did in past years.
Guerschon Yabusele figures to be one of their biggest additions. He should see work at power forward and center, and he was excellent in a similar role for the 76ers last season. He’s currently projected for 29 minutes in our NBA Models, and Yabusele averaged just under 25.5 DraftKings points with a comparable minute projection in 2024-25. That makes him a clear value at $3,800, and he trails only Washington in terms of projected Plus/Minus.
Fast Break
Saddiq Bey is another potential option for New Orleans. He missed all of last year while recovering from a torn ACL, but he’s back and ready to go to start this season. He put together an impressive preseason with the Pelicans, and he’s projected for 24 minutes in our NBA Models. Bey has historically been a solid per-minute contributor, so that should be enough to pay off his meager salary.
Paolo Banchero is a dark-horse MVP candidate entering his fourth professional season. He stands out as an elite contrarian tournament option on this slate. His $8,200 price tag comes with an 89% Bargain Rating, yet he’s projected for less than 5% ownership on DraftKings. He’ll have to navigate a tough matchup vs. the Heat, but Banchero has put together some monster ceiling performances in the past. He had two games with at least 58.75 DraftKings points in the playoffs last season, so he has plenty of upside at his current salary.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
Giannis Antetokounmpo was one of the biggest needle-movers this offseason. The Bucks have been stuck in mediocrity over the past few seasons, despite Giannis remaining one of the best players in basketball. The injury to Damian Lillard during the playoffs created a scenario where the Bucks needed to react to keep their biggest superstar happy. They ultimately waived Lillard and used the extra money to sign Myles Turner, which was enough to keep Antetokounmpo satisfied for the time being. However, if they get off to a poor start this season, expect the trade rumors to heat back up quickly.
For fantasy purposes, Antetokounmpo is an absolute monster. He averaged 1.73 DraftKings points per minute, and he has even more upside without Lillard this year. He increased his assist rate by +3.62% with Lillard off the floor, so he could add a bit more distributing to his elite scoring and rebounding production.
Ultimately, no one on this slate can match his ceiling. He leads all players in ceiling projection by roughly seven points, and he also has the best projected Plus/Minus in the stud tier. The only real downside is his projected ownership. He’s expected to be the second-highest-owned player on the slate, and his optimal lineup rate is well below that figure. Still, he’s a clear top target in cash games.
Value
Zach Edey is currently out of the lineup for the Grizzlies, and he’s not expected to return to the lineup until some point next month. Until then, Jock Landale will have to handle some of the responsibilities at center. He’s currently projected for 24 minutes in our NBA Models, and he leads the position in projected Plus/Minus. He also has the second-best optimal lineup rate at the position, trailing only Antetokounmpo.
Fast Break
Is there a bigger X-factor on this slate than Joel Embiid? On paper, it’s a potential smash spot against a weak Celtics’ frontcourt. Of course, Embiid barely played last season, and when he did, he wasn’t nearly the same dominant force that we saw in previous years. The good news is that Embiid is healthy for the time being, and he’ll get to play without Paul George on Wednesday. He also capped off the preseason with a dominant showing vs. the Timberwolves, finishing with 39.75 DraftKings points in just 18.6 minutes. If he’s back to being “Joel Embiid,” this price tag could look silly.
The Hornets don’t have an established center on their roster after trading away Mark Williams this offseason. That leaves rookie Ryan Kalkbrenner as their expected starter on opening night. Kalkbrenner wasn’t a highly touted prospect, but he held his own during the preseason. He averaged just over 1.08 DraftKings points per minute in those contests, and if he can maintain that level during the regular season, he has the potential to be one of the best values on the slate.
Pictured: Cade Cunningham
Photo Credit: Imagn
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