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)
This Wednesday card could be wild. We have the trade deadline in the next 48 hours, and it'll be fun to see what happens until then. We already had the first domino fall in the Kyrie Irving blockbuster trade, which could be the first sprinkle in a tasty sundae.
We're hoping there's not too much trading going on before this slate takes off because that causes chaos from a DFS perspective. It's unlikely that we have any trades during the games, but that would be even crazier. In any case, let's take a look at this final card before the trade deadline.
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Opponent - GS
Proj Pts FD - 49.46 DK - 52.33
Dame gets in these stretches where he can make 30-foot stepback fadeaways and make them look like lay-ups. He's amid one of those right now, averaging 37.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 7.4 assists across his last 14 games. He's being asked to do everything for this offense with Jusuf Nurkic out, and that's terrible news for this 27th-ranked Warriors defense. They're also allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing PGs, and Dame has always destroyed them throughout his career. Lillard's childhood team is Golden State, averaging 28.9 points and 6.1 assists in their 32 career matchups.
Opponent - SA
Proj Pts FD - 39.03 DK - 39.64
VanVleet got off to a rough start this year, but this guy is cruising right now. The former All-Star has scored at least 41 DraftKings points in 10 of his last 11 games, averaging 26 points, 5.2 rebounds, 7.5 assists, and 1.7 steals per game in that span. That's the stat-stuffing we've been waiting to see, and he should slice right through this subpar Spurs defense. Calling them subpar is unfair to everyone else because San Antonio sits dead last in both points allowed and defensive efficiency. They're also surrendering the third-most fantasy points to opposing PGs, and FVV averaged 47 DK points per game against them last year.
De'Aaron Fox (FD $8900 DK $9000) is averaging over 40 fantasy points per game and should go nuts against a Houston team allowing the most fantasy points to opposing PGs.
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 39.72 DK - 42.21
Poole has been one of the most volatile players in a bench role this season, but he's been sensational as a starter. He's not just a starter right now, Poole is the starting point guard for Stephen Curry. With Chef Curry off the floor, Poole leads the team with a 36 percent usage rate. He's also averaging 40 fantasy points per game with this opportunity, seeing a massive boost in minutes, shot attempts, assists, and usage. That bump makes him impossible to fade in this matchup, with Portland ranked 26th in defensive efficiency ratings. In their one matchup, Poole provided 55 fantasy points in one of the best games of his career.
Opponent - GS
Proj Pts FD - 27.43 DK - 27.88
Hart has been up and down all season, but the Nurkic injury has made him a fantastic fantasy option. It's strange that a center's absence would help a guard, but it's boosted Hart's rebounding by a ton. He's actually one of the best rebounding guards in the NBA and is pulling down nearly 10 boards a night when Nurk is out. That's led to Hart scoring at least 26 DK points in four of his last five games, dropping 34 or more in three of those. His stat-stuffing gives him a nice floor, and we saw that when he had 12 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists across 41 minutes in his last matchup with this woeful Warriors defense.
Donovan Mitchell (FD $8300 DK $8500) has been struggling a bit, but his 43-point average should be his floor against this 29th-ranked Detroit defense.
Opponent - SA
Proj Pts FD - 36.16 DK - 35.47
Barnes has regressed a bit in his sophomore season, but he's still one of the best all-around small forwards in the NBA. The Rookie of the Year winner has scored at least 26 DraftKings points in 23 consecutive games, averaging 42 DK points per game in that span. That's absurd with how he looked through the opening months, but the absence of OG Anunoby has added a ton to his game. We also love that he's playing nearly 40 minutes a night, which should bode well against the worst defense in the NBA. San Antonio is also surrendering the most fantasy points to opposing forwards, and Barnes should flirt with a triple-double in this magical matchup, as long as the game stays relatively close.
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 34.86 DK - 35.17
Wig has been all over the map in terms of consistency, but we have to assume he has a higher floor with Curry out for the next few weeks. That should guarantee Wiggins 35 minutes and 15-20 shots a game, and this guy can be a stud in that sort of role. The former top pick was averaging 35 DK points per game across his first 22 outings before getting injured, doing that damage with Curry healthy. We love that because Wiggins ranks third on the team with a 24 percent usage rate when Curry is off the floor. Facing the Trail Blazers is tremendous, too, with Portland posting some of the worst defensive numbers in the NBA over the last month. All you need is 30-35 DK points for Wiggins to be an immense value, and we believe that's his floor in this expanded role.
Jonathan Kuminga (FD $4500 DK $3800) has been starting since Curry went down and can be a $6K player in this 30-minute role.
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 37.78 DK - 36.96
It's funny that we have Barnes and Mobley in here together because I genuinely believe Mobley should have been the 2022 Rookie of the Year. In any case, Barnes took it down, but Mobley is looking like the more valuable player. The big man is dominating on both ends of the floor right now, scoring at least 29 DraftKings points in 17 straight games. He's also got at least 33 DK points in seven consecutive outings, averaging nearly 40 fantasy points per game in that span. That fantastic form should keep flowing against the Pistons, with Detroit ranked 29th in both points allowed and defensive efficiency. He's faced them six times in his career, scoring at least 37 DK points in five of those.
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 32.84 DK - 33.1
The Time Lord hasn't been providing the elite per-minute averages we've become accustomed to, but it's possible he's been slow to get going in his return from a knee injury. This guy would regularly average 1.5 DK points per minute in the past, and we have to assume he'll get closer to that sooner rather than later. That's big news with his workload on the rise, playing at least 29 minutes in four of his last five games. He's also coming off a 44-point masterpiece in his most recent outing, and games like that will be more common as we advance. That makes this $6K price tag too cheap, and you know Rob-Will will play 30-35 minutes to oppose Joel Embiid. Williams amassed 34 DK points across 31 minutes in their most recent matchup.
Jerami Grant (FD $6600 DK $6700) has been terrible over the last two weeks, but he's too good to be below $7K against one of the worst defenses in the NBA.
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 46.52 DK - 49.35
The Rockets have been one of the best matchups in NBA DFS over the last five years. That's the case again this year, ranked 28th in defensive efficiency and 25th in points allowed. They're also surrendering the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing centers, with Domas averaging 20.3 points, 12 rebounds, 11.7 assists, and 1.3 steals in their three matchups this year. That might look outlandish, but it's less surprising when you see that Sabonis has scored at least 41 DraftKings points in 28 of his last 31 games. He's also flirting with triple-double averages in that span and should roll this rubbish Rockets defense once again.
Opponent - GS
Proj Pts FD - 24.44 DK - 23.38
Let's cap off our Portland-Golden State game stack with Eubanks. He's the best cheap option of the bunch, starting for the injured Jusuf Nurkic. He actually did that for half of the year last season, averaging 28 DK points per game across 28 minutes a night in his 31 starts last year. We've seen glimpses of that recently, with Drew averaging 23 DK points per game across 23 minutes a night over his last nine outings. Most of those were bench appearances, and this fantasy-point-per-minute producer should get 30 minutes from here on out. We've already discussed how bad Golden State's defense has been, and their center position is one of their weakest spots.
Pascal Siakam (FD $8600 DK $9400) is another excellent Toronto option in the most fantasy-friendly matchup in DFS. If this game stays close, Sia should score 50 fantasy points at ease.
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