Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) drives around Utah Jazz guard Raul Neto, left, in the first quarter during an NBA basketball game Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2015, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
After one of the biggest slates of the season on Wednesday, we have just four games here. It's going to be a fun one though because we have so much value out there. Whether it's injuries or COVID protocol, there are a ton of great players not playing among these eight teams. That will surely be a major theme in this article with so many guys stepping in, so, let's go ahead and get into it!
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Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 52.4 DK - 54.87
There's always one big-name player who's owned in every lineup on a four-game slate and it should be Dame here. We say that because he is the Trail Blazers offense right now. Portland is currently missing Jusuf Nurkic, Robert Covington and C.J. McCollum which leaves Lillard to feast. With those three off the floor this season, Lillard has a usage rate approaching 40 percent while averaging 1.4 DK points per minute. That's certainly evident when you see that Lillard has at least 50 fantasy points in four-straight coming into this matchup. We haven't even talked about that matchup yet either, with Houston sitting seventh in pace and middle of the road defensively.
Opponent - MIA
Proj Pts FD - 33.12 DK - 34.12
While this DraftKings price is a bit lofty for us, this FanDuel price is ridiculous. The simple fact is, Jackson is the go-to guy in Los Angeles right now. We say that because they're currently without Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Patrick Beverley. That forced Reggie into the starting lineup on Tuesday, providing 20 points, seven rebounds, eight assists and two steals across 39 minutes of action. That's the guy we remember from his Detroit days and his usage should continue to be monstrous with so many big-name players out of the lineup. Miami is not the defense we used to be scared of either, ranked 21st in defensive efficiency.
Delon Wright has been the primary ball-handler in Detroit and remains a good value around $6K.
Opponent - LAC
Proj Pts FD - 30.86 DK - 31.82
Speaking of guys stepping in for injured players, Nunn is just that. Miami is currently without Jimmy Butler, Tyler Herro and Goran Dragic. That leaves Nunn as their only true ball-handler left and it's forced him into the best week of his career. In fact, Nunn is averaging 19.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.4 steals over his last five games played. That equates to 34 DK points per night which is obviously a special total from someone priced so reasonably. While facing Los Angeles might look tough on the surface we already talked about how many elite defenders they're going to be missing, surrendering 38 points to Trae Young on Tuesday.
Opponent - MIA
Proj Pts FD - 27.21 DK - 26.7
We already discussed how Jackson is the primary ball-handler in Los Angeles with all of these guys missing but Mann has walked into a big role himself. He actually got a rare start on Tuesday, collecting 10 points, nine rebounds and four steals across 33 minutes of play. This is a guy who can stuff the stat sheet and as long as he's playing 30 minutes, Mann should provide value in the $5K-range. We already talked about how all of the guards in Miami are sidelined too and that just makes things easier on all of these fantasy assets we've discussed.
Gary Trent Jr is seeing a lot more shots and usage with so many Blazers injured.
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 46 DK - 46.19
As someone who lives in Denver and watches a ton of Nuggets games, it's crazy to see how much this guy has improved this year. He looked like a hustling role player throughout his Denver career but he's proven in Detroit that he can be the man. That's really evident when you see his averages, posting 24.3 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.3 blocks per game this season. Those fantastic averages have led to one of the best floors in the league too, dropping at least 32 DraftKings points in all 16 games since the opener. Good luck finding a 32-point floor from another $8,400 player, especially on a four-game slate!
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 31.22 DK - 31.59
The aforementioned injuries to Nurkic and McCollum have opened up a ton of shots, minutes and usage for all of these Blazers, and that's clearly widened Melo's already big eyes. What adds to his value even more is the Robert Covington concussion, opening up the starting PF job for Anthony. With all of those guys off the floor, Melo has a 26 percent usage rate while averaging a fantasy-point-per-minute. He's actually scored at least 26 DK points in all three games since those injuries, averaging 32 fantasy points per game in that span. We also love that he gets a revenge game against the team that never really gave him a chance earlier in his career.
Cameron Johnson is likely looking at another start with Devin Booker dealing with a hamstring issue.
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 52.38 DK - 52.07
My jaw dropped when I saw this DraftKings price. Have you ever seen AD below $9,000 on either site? While he hasn't quite been playing at an MVP level, this $8,900 price tag is insulting. We're talking about a dude who's scored at least 43 fantasy points in six-straight games, averaging nearly 50 DK points per game since the opener. That's the stud we've been accustomed to and it honestly makes no sense what DraftKings is thinking here. What makes it even more bizarre is the fact that Detroit surrenders the most fantasy points in the NBA to opposing centers. The only concern is that this is the second half of a back-to-back set but as long as AD suits up, he needs to be in your DK lineups. If he does sit, don't forget about LeBron and Kyle Kuzma.
Opponent - GS
Proj Pts FD - 28.15 DK - 29.26
With Devin Booker and Dario Saric both out of the lineup right now, Crowder should be looking at another start. He did just that on Wednesday, providing 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals. More importantly, he played 33 minutes and took 15 shots, showing just how valuable he'll be with Booker out. That's actually the fifth time he's played at least 33 minutes, scoring at least 30 DraftKings points in each of those en route to a 32-point average. That's all you can ask for from a player barely cracking $5K on both sites and we adore the matchup against the 24th-ranked Warriors defense too.
If you have the salary, Bam Adebayo is an excellent pick with so many Miami players out.
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 42.87 DK - 44.92
While Christian Wood is expected back here, something tells us this is the game these two big men play together. The simple fact is, they can't keep Boogie off the floor the way he's playing right now. Over the last three games played, Cuz is averaging 17.3 points, 14.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 1.0 blocks per game. That equates to 46 DK points per outing as well and it's really no surprise when you consider the fact that he's averaging 1.5 DK points per minute for the season. Our favorite part about this play might be the matchup though, with Portland ranked 29th in defensive efficiency this season.
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 26.57 DK - 26.04
No one is going to get excited about putting Plumlee into their lineup but he's been too good to be this cheap. This dude actually had eight turnovers on Wednesday night but the fact that he was handling the ball that much is encouraging on its own. He finished that game with 15 points, 12 rebounds and three assists, bringing his season average to 27 fantasy points per game. Go look and see how many players below $5K on DK are averaging 27 fantasy points per game. Anyone averaging 6X value is hard to fade and his big body will be needed against this stout Lakers frontline.
Enes Kanter is starting for Nurkic and is a walking double-double in this expanded role.
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