This article is part of our FantasyScore NBA series.
FantasyScore is an up-and-coming player in the world of daily fantasy sports, offering a trio of different game types on a website that's as user-friendly as they come.
You can check out my first article for a more comprehensive overview, but today we're going to focus on NBA salary-cap game player picks for Wednesday night.
I'm feeling pretty good about my lineup, so feel free to send a contest to JD0505, if you dare. While there's always a chance that late injuries/scratches will change things, I plan to exclusively use players mentioned in this article.
Before we get to the best options at each position, let's quickly review some basics for the website's salary-cap contests.
Scoring, as follows, is fairly simple:
1 point = 1 point
1 rebound= 1.25 points
1 assist = 1.5 points
1 block = 2 points
1 steal = 2 points
1 turnover= -0.5 points
There's a $50,000 budget for eight roster spots, with two guards, two forwards, a center and three flex spots (any position). The lack of differentiation between point guards and shooting guards (or small and power forwards) is nice, as it allows for increased flexibility when building your lineup.
Further adding to flexibility, the cheapest players are priced at $2200, while the most expensive typically cost $9000-9500. The large price range makes it possible to load up a roster with three-to-five superstars, if you're willing to take a risk on some of those sub-$3000 guys.
Anyway, here are some of my favorite players for Wednesday night…
Guards
James Harden, HOU (at NOR), $9300 – There are plenty of sub-$4000 options available Wednesday night, so after you put Russell Westbrook ($9500) into your lineup, there should still be room to fit Harden, who topped 65 fantasy points in two of his last three games. While Houston's MVP candidate has admittedly been a bit inconsistent over the past few weeks, he brings tremendous upside to the table in even the toughest of matchups. The Pelicans' slow pace shouldn't be too much of a problem, as the team still lacks perimeter players capable of keeping up with Harden. I'm also not worried about the expected return of Dwight Howard (knee), seeing as he's only expected to play about 20 minutes, which shouldn't have much impact on Harden's usage.
George Hill, IND (at WSH), $5000 – Although John Wall and the Wizards have done a nice job against opposing point guards this season, Hill just has too much working in his favor to be passed up. Pacers coach Frank Vogel is finally letting Hill get minutes into the 30s, and with the Pacers trying to end a six-game losing streak while desperately clinging to their playoff hopes, Hill could get 35-plus minutes Wednesday night. Further adding to the appeal here, Rodney Stuckey (calf) will miss a second straight game, which should help Hill in terms of both minutes and usage. C.J. Watson ($2900) and C.J. Miles ($3000) also get a boost because of Stuckey's injury, with both looking like solid choices for Wednesday.
Zach LaVine, Min (vs. LAL), $3200 – Ricky Rubio (ankle) and Gary Neal (ankle) are both doubtful, giving LaVine another opportunity to get heavy run as the starting point guard. While there is some chance Kevin Martin (hamstring) could return, Lorenzo Brown ($2200) would take a bigger hit than LaVine, who recently put together some big games while sharing a backcourt with Martin. The rookie had 32 or more fantasy points in three of his past six games, with 21 or more points in each of the five games Rubio missed. I'd be willing to roster LaVine in a tough matchup, and while the Lakers have improved in this regard throughout the season, they should still be viewed as a favorable opponent for point guards.
Other Options: Russell Westbrook, OKC (at SAN), $9500; Eric Bledsoe, PHX (vs. SAC), $7100; George Hill, IND (at CHI), $5000; Victor Oladipo, ORL (vs. ATL), $6300; Elfrid Payton, ORL (vs. ATL), $5000; J.J. Redick, LAC (at NYK), $3500; C.J. Watson, IND (at WSH), $2900; Randy Foye, DEN (vs. PHI), $2200; Elijah Millsap, UTA (vs. POR); Lorenzo Brown, MIN (vs. LAL), $2200; C.J. McCollum, POR (at UTA), $2200
Forwards
Anthony Davis, NOR (vs. HOU), $9400 – It's slim pickings at the forward spots in comparison to the guard spots, with most of the expensive forwards either overpriced, injured, or dealing with a difficult matchup. One of the exceptions is the night's highest-priced forward, and we're lucky to have enough cheap options that it's not too hard to roster Davis, James Harden and Russell Westbrook. Given the projections for a close contest and the fact that New Orleans has to treat every game like the playoffs, Davis could easily get 40 minutes. He could also get a usage bump, as Tyreke Evans (ankle) may be absent or somewhat limited.
Markieff Morris PHX (vs. SAC), $5000 – The other Morris brother has been making more noise in the fantasy world lately, and while I still like Marcus for Wednesday night, the potential return of Brandon Knight (ankle) does somewhat diminish the lesser twin's outlook. Markieff, on the other hand, wouldn't be too affected by Knight's return, as he gets all of his minutes at power forward or center. Markieff has been excellent recently, with 28 or more fantasy points in each of his last six games, including 34 or more points in each of his last three. Given that the Suns are facing a fast-paced, no-defense Kings team, Markieff should find his way north of 30 points again.
Chase Budinger, MIN (vs. LAL), $2200 – Another beneficiary from Minnesota's endless string of injuries, Budinger is averaging 14.4 points, 5.2 boards, 2.4 assists and 1.4 steals over 33.8 minutes in his last five games. While he may not have a whole lot to offer in real-life terms, he's getting a ton of playing time on a team that doesn't have a healthy ball-dominant player. Budinger might see his minutes slip back into the mid-to-high twenties if Kevin Martin (hamstring) and Justin Hamilton (head) both return, but the former Arizona Wildcat would still be a solid option in such a favorable matchup.
Other options: Danilo Gallinari, DEN (vs. PHI), $5200; Evan Turner, BOS (vs. MIA), $4400; Tiago Splitter, SAN (vs. OKC), $3200; Marcus Morris, PHX (vs. SAC), $3000; Omri Casspi, SAC (at PHX), $2200
Centers
Enes Kanter, OKC (at SAN), $6000 – Kanter has feasted on some weak opponents over the past couple of weeks, but he's also more than held his own in the tougher matchups. He enters Wednesday riding a streak of six consecutive double-doubles, with more than 36 fantasy points in each of those games. Westbrook rightfully continues to get most of the attention, but Kanter has quickly seen that life is very fruitful as the second option on a team with no third, fourth or fifth option. The Turkish center has averaged 17.7 points and 10.9 rebounds over 30.3 minutes through his first 15 games with Oklahoma City, and he's a candidate to get 35-plus minutes Wednesday night. While Tim Duncan and Tiago Splitter have been playing well lately, I expect Kanter's minutes and high usage rate to make up for any shortcomings in terms of efficiency.
Jusuf Nurkic, DEN (vs. PHI), $3600 – Nurkic was eased back into action upon first returning from a sprained ankle, but he logged 30 and 25 minutes in his last two games, suggesting the leash is off for good. He's averaging about 1.1 fantasy points per minute this season, and with a favorable matchup coming up Wednesday, few players offer a better upside-to-price ratio. There is always some risk with Nurkic because of the dumb fouls he commits, but on the other hand, it helps that he often gets to stay on the court in the fourth quarter of blowouts. As much as I like the Russian rookie for Wednesday night, I'm even more excited to see what he can do next year, assuming he gets the fouls under control.
Other options: DeMarcus Cousins, SAC (at PHX), $9200; Brook Lopez, BKN (at CHA), $6000; Roy Hibbert, IND (at WSH), $4600; Alexis Ajinca, NO (vs. HOU), $3000
