Wednesday brings us an action packed 11 game slate. There aren’t any early games so every player is available on this slate. These games are tricky to breakdown because there is no one game that stands out. There isn’t that one juicy matchup where you need to target multiple players. With that being said, let’s get right into it.
Point Guards
Kemba Walker – PG Charlotte Hornets – Kemba gets to go against the up tempo Suns team that loves to give up fantasy points to point guards. Without Eric Bledsoe this Suns team has really been struggling and I think Kemba will take advantage of that Wednesday. The Suns give up the third most points in the league so if you’re looking for a team to stack the Hornets team would be your best bet. - Trey Burke – PG Utah Jazz -Burke comes off the bench which makes a lot of gamers stray away from picking him. The Jazz are playing the Spurs in a likely blowout which will give Burke more run on the floor. He has been getting around 30 minutes a game lately and will get plenty of opportunity here with this game likely being a blowout.
Who I’m Fading
- Russell Westbrook – PG Oklahoma City Thunder – If Durant is out I will not be fading Westbrook, but if he does play I don’t think Westbrook is worth the price tag. Yes, he will probably drop around 50 fantasy points but at roughly 11K that doesn’t even carry a 5x value.
Shooting Guards
- Demar Derozen – SG Toronto Raptors – The Brooklyn Nets are not a good basketball team, plain and simple. Derozen gets a great matchup against the Nets who are in the top 10 in points allowed. Lately Derozen has taken over Lowry in terms of fantasy value and against the Nets look for Demar to have a nice game. The only downside is at times he can be scoring dependent but in this spot he should have no problem reaching value.
- Devin Booker – SG Phoenix Suns –
Booker is a discounted starting shooting guard, and you’re going to need to save money to spend up for the stars. Since Bledsoe went down with a season ending injury Booker has filled in his role. The first few games Booker struggled but now he seems to have gotten the hang of it. This game will be one of the higher tempo games of the evening and Booker is a great option.
Who I’m Fading
- CJ Mccollum – SG Portland Trailblazers – Lillard is back and Mccollum’s price tag is too high. Once Mccolum’s price drops again then he will become a good play but with this high of a price I don’t think he’ll get enough opportunity to reach value.
Small Forwards
- Jae Crowder – SF Boston Celtics – If Avery Bradley is out I would consider Crowder a lock, even if Bradley plays I would consider Crowder. He’s stepped his game up recently and has consistently hit value. He collects stats in all areas and isn’t just limited to scoring points. Detroit has been playing good defense this year, but like I said Crowder doesn’t just rely on scoring. I would take a strong look at Crowder when building your lineups Wednesday.
- LeBron James – SF Cleveland Cavaliers – LeBron has been in a funk as of late and his price tag is starting to drop because of it. He hasn’t gotten into any type of rhythm since Kyrie got back which is very concerning. The reason I like him against the Wizards is because they have absolutely nobody who can guard him. If LeBron comes out aggressive he should have no problem tearing apart this Wizards team. This is probably the cheapest you’ll see LeBron for and he has a great matchup. I’m rolling with the King Wednesday.
Who I’m Fading
- Kevin Durant – SF Oklahoma City Thunder – Durant seems to have taken somewhat of a backseat to Westbrook which is not good at all for fantasy purposes. Memphis has the 6th best defense in the league and loves to slow down the pace of play, this means less opportunities for the former MVP and I think we have better options at SF on this slate.
Power Forwards
- Chris Bosh – PF Miami Heat – I’m not a huge fan of the power forward options here, but Bosh comes in at number one. If Whiteside doesn’t play then Bosh becomes a must play. The only downside to this matchup is if Whiteside plays, he takes away a lot of potential rebounds and blocks from Bosh. Unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of great PF matchups for this slate and I like Bosh’s spot to produce a big game.
- Thad Young – PF Brooklyn Nets – Like I said, the power forward options aren’t great here but Thad comes in at a great spot. They play the Nuggets who have an extremely tough time against opposing bigs. Lately Brook Lopez has been the bright spot for this Nets offense but Thad is in a prime spot for a big time game. With all the focus on Lopez, Thad is quietly playing very well. He’s rebounding better than he ever has which is great for fantasy and he just needs a few more shots to really have an explosive game. Thad and Bosh will be my go to PF on Wednesday.
Who I’m Fading
- Serge Ibaka – PF Oklahoma City Thunder – Ibaka just had a HUGE 47 fantasy point game against the Kings. The Kings were a perfect storm for Ibaka and he will come back down to earth against the Grizzlies. I would avoid Ibaka in all formats Wednesday.
Centers
- Nikola Vucevic – C Orlando Magic- Vucevic has the juiciest matchup of the night for centers, he will get Ian Mahimi or Lavoy Allen. Whichever one he gets he should have no problem destroying them. The offense in Orlando runs right through Nikola and he’s been on a tear. The Pacers struggle mightily against guarding big men and Nikola is not your average big man. I look for Nikola to have a 20 point 10 rebound game at least.
- Deandre Jordan – C Los Angeles Clippers – I’m going to keep this one short and sweet, Jordan grabs all the rebounds and the Trailblazers are awful at stopping opposing centers.
- Andre Drummond – C Detroit Pistons
Drummond’s price tag is just too high for me. He can only score so many points which limits his upside. Of course, he will grab a bunch of rebounds and have a few blocks but for a price tag around 9K he would need an incredible game to reach value.
Who I’m Fading
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