This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
SLATE OVERVIEW
Knicks at Magic (+4) -- O/U 210.0
Hawks at Celtics (-3.5) -- 224.0
Rockets at 76ers (-10.5) -- O/U 226.5
Nuggets at Wizards (+3.5) -- O/U 234.0
Pistons at Bulls (-3.0) -- O/U 219.0
Pacers at Timberwolves (+5.5) -- O/U 225.5
Thunder at Grizzlies (-7.0) -- O/U 226.0
Trail Blazers at Pelicans (-2.5) -- O/U 235.5
Heat at Warriors (-1.5) -- O/U 222.5
Jazz at Clippers (+3.5) -- O/U 227.5
INJURIES
NYK: Mitchell Robinson (hand) - OUT
Julius Randle ($9.000) continues to make a case for All-Star consideration and adds to his already considerable usage with Robinson out. Nerlens Noel ($5,300) is a little north of where we'd like to see his salary, but he will also continue to pick up the slack in New York's frontcourt.
ORL: Aaron Gordon (ankle) - OUT
ORL: Evan Fournier (back) - QUESTIONABLE
ORL: Cole Anthony (rib) - OUT
ORL: James Ennis (groin) - QUESTIONABLE
The team just signed Chasson Randle to a two-way contract, which gives you an idea of how desperate the backcourt situation is right now. Randle isn't in Orlando's player pool yet on FanDuel, but Michael Carter-Williams ($4,400) certainly is. He played well with 30 minutes in a starting role, and I like going back to him tonight. If Ennis remains out, Terrence Ross ($5,600) remains in the starting lineup and is in another favorable spot.
BOS: Marcus Smart (calf) - OUT
BOS: Daniel Theis (finger) - QUESTIONABLE
I won't be too high on Boston in this back-to-back, but Robert Williams ($3,600) came out of nowhere with nine rebounds and five steals, outplaying Tristan Thompson ($4,500). Thompson is still the more stable option, but Willams'' upside is great for tournament lineups.
PHI: Joel Embiid (back) -- PROBABLE
HOU: Christian Wood (ankle) - OUT
HOU: Victor Oladipo (foot) - DOUBTFUL
HOU: Eric Gordon (groin) - QUESTIONABLE
HOU: P.J. Tucker (quad) - QUESTIONABLE
While Oladipo's absence almost required a John Wall ($8,500) endorsement, the questionable status for Gordon and Tucker muddle the waters elsewhere. David Nwaba ($5,100) played 41 minutes and broke the slate with 19 points in place of Gordon, so he would be a safe pivot if Gordon doesn't play. DeMarcus Cousins ($6,100) is still a place to go in Wood's absence, but Danuel House ($4,700) will also provide frontcourt assistance with Jae'Sean Tate ($5,800).
MIN: D'Angelo Russell (knee) - OUT
With Rusell out for a while, Rickety Rubio ($5,300) will man the point guard spot, but expect Malik Beasley ($6,900) to put up career numbers in his absence. Additionally, Anthony Edwards ($6,000) will add to his highlight rail and continue to make a ROY case.
DEN: Will Barton (personal) - QUESTIONABLE
DEN: Paul Millsap (knee) - QUESTIONABLE
DEN: Monte Morris (shoulder) - QUESTIONABLE
DEN: Gary Harris (thigh) - QUESTIONABLE
Facundo Campazzo ($3,500) and R.J. Hampton ($3,900) were DFS value darlings of the night on Tuesday, but the status of Monte Morris will determine if they are viable options again.
DET: Blake Griffin (inactive) - OUT
The team won't play Griffin until they work out a way to deal him. Griffin's impending departure opens up things a lot for Saddiq Bey ($5,800), who should start at the three while Jeraai Grant pivots down. Josh Jackson ($5,700) should also see more run.
CHI: Lauri Markkanen (shoulder) - OUT
Wendell Carter ($5,800) is back and appears to be healthy, as he went for 11 points and nine rebounds in his last game.
OKC: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (knee) - QUESTIONABLE
It's always possible that SGA returns, but Hamidou Diallo ($5,900) is my primary endorsement if there's a scratch at shooting guard.
MIA: Goran Dragic (ankle) - OUT
Kendrick Nunn ($5,100) took a huge dive yesterday, so it may be time to place all our faith back in Tyler Herro's ($6,100) hands in the backcourt.
UTA: Mike Conley (hamstring) - QUESTIONABLE
Go with Jordan Clarkson ($5,900) here, and give all of the starters a moderate boost if Conley is out again.
LAC: Kawhi Leonard (leg) - QUESTIONABLE
LAC: Paul George (toe) - OUT
LAC: Nicolas Batum (concussion) - OUT
At least we know George is out, but Leonard is anyone's guess right now. In George's absence, Lou Williams ($6,700) gets a bump, and it could be a good night for Terence Mann ($4,000) if Leonard misses.
ELITE PLAYERS
While Joel Embiid ($10,700) tops the slate, Nikola Jokic's ($10,500) video-game numbers make this an attractive salary for the potential MVP. Despite the back-to-back, a Jokic vs. Moritz Wagner battle won't be even close, so I love him against Washington. The third and final 10K story is Stephen Curry ($10,000). It may be a night to take a breather from Curry, although he may post value-meeting numbers. Miami will drive down the pace of this game.
We have plenty of great options in the 9K range, and I think Jimmy Butler ($9,400) and Russell Westbrook ($9,200) are my favorite options.
ELITE PLAYS
Bradley Beal, Wizards ($9,900): Beal is priced this high for a reason, as he enters Wednesday having posted 50.9 and 57.1 FanDuel points in his last two games, respectively. While the Nuggets come in on the second night of a back-to-back, Beal and the Wizards had a day off after back-to-back wins over Boston and Houston. With Gary Harris and Will Barton both potentially out for Denver, the Nuggets could be down their two best options to defend Beal.
Damian Lillard, Trail Blazers ($9,500): You can save a few hundred bucks pivoting off of Beal to Lillard, who is also coming off of back-to-back 50-plus-FanDuel-point games. Lillard has 30 assists over his last three games, and he's worked his way up to 29.3 points per game on the year. Like Portland, the Pelicans also come in on a back-to-back after throwing up 144 points against Memphis on Tuesday. New Orleans ranks third in offensive rating over its last 10 games, but the Pels also have the league's fourth-worst defense in that span. In the last week alone, they've surrendered 129 points to Chicago, 143 to Dallas and 123 to Detroit.
Zion Williamson, Pelicans ($8,300): Sticking with the Blazers-Pelicans matchup, Williamson should be able to feast on a banged-up and undersized Portland frontcourt. Enes Kanter is a major mismatch against Williamson, and the Blazers may need him to stick to Steven Adams, anyway. Beyond that, the options are bleak. Williamson enters Wednesday coming off of a hyper-efficient 31-point, seven-rebound, six-assist, two-steal (51.4 FDPT) outing against the Grizzlies in just 28 minutes. He's been an elite scorer all season, but Williamson's assists numbers have improved of late -- 4.4 APG over his last 10 games -- and he's finally beginning to rack up steals and blocks at a higher rate.
Malcolm Brogdon, Pacers ($8,000): Minnesota has been a surprisingly decent defensive team over its last 10 games, but this is still a matchup Brogdon can exploit. The Wolves allow the fourth-most FanDuel points per game to opposing point guards, though the absence of D'Angelo Russell may help improve that figure. Still, Brogdon enters Wednesday having totaled 35.8, 41.2 and 49.5 FanDuel points in his last three games, headlined by a 23-point, 15-rebound, five-assist performance in Monday's overtime loss to Chicago. Look for Brogdon to remain locked in against the league's worst rebounding team over the last 10 games (47.0 REB%).
Also consider: Rudy Gobert ($8,000); Clint Capela ($8,000)
VALUE PLAYS
Jamal Murray, Nuggets ($6,500): Murray's up-and-down season lands him in value play territory, but he's strung together three consecutive 20-point efforts for the first time all season. In fact, prior to this week, he'd only had one instance of at least 20 points in back-to-back games. Murray is averaging 5.0 assists and just over 5.0 rebounds in his last three games, and he would've had a gaudier FanDuel point total Tuesday night, had it not been for a season-high nine turnovers in the Nuggets' loss in Boston. Washington has been better on defense lately, but the Wizards are still one of the teams to target on a near-nightly basis.
T.J. McConnell, Pacers ($6,200): McConnell's price is starting to catch up, but he remains an appealing value after proving Monday that he can add value as a scorer, defender and high-volume assist man. Passing is where McConnell has derived most of his value this season, but he finished Monday's game against Chicago with 19 points, four rebounds, three assists, two blocks and three steals. Over his last three games alone, McConnell has racked up 22 assists, five blocks and a whopping nine steals. The minutes look like they should continue to be there, so McConnell makes for an appealing pairing alongside Brogdon on Wednesday.
Jordan Clarkson, Jazz ($5,900): The rub with Clarkson has always been that he's incredibly points-dependent, but considering how consistently he's been able to score off the bench this season, that's not necessarily a bad thing. The Sixth Man of the Year frontrunner went for a season-high 40 points against Philadelphia on Monday, as he continues to help pick up the slack in the absence of Mike Conley. If Conley misses another game Wednesday, Clarkson will be asked to again step up against a banged-up Clippers team that's been just OK on the defensive end this season.
Nerlens Noel, Knicks ($5,300): Noel's limited offensive impact does put a cap on his upside, but as the new full-time starter at center, he should be a high-level source of defensive stats, with some rebounding and scoring sprinkled in. Noel didn't attempt a field goal until midway through the second half of Monday's win over Atlanta, but he still managed a respectable six points, four rebounds, two assists, three blocks and two steals for 28.8 FanDuel points in 27 minutes. The Knicks have an excellent matchup Wednesday in Orlando. Over the last 10 games, the injury-riddled Magic are a bottom-10 defense and a bottom-10 rebounding team, while ranking 28th in offensive rating and 29th in effective field goal percentage. Translation: Noel should have plenty of rebound opportunities to supplement his blocks and steals.
Also consider: Josh Hart ($4,700); Isaiah Roby ($4,700); Derrick Jones Jr. ($4,200), Seth Curry ($4,000)
