Steven Polardi 
We crushed yesterday’s NBA slate and we’re moving onto another good one tonight with Wet Wednesday’s edition of the Gems. San Antonio is depleted, the Hawks have a ton of injuries, and it’s All-Star snub narratives galore! Spicy takes tonight for the livestream (which you’ll see in the difference in my writing today versus other days) – tune in at 5:45 EST.
One thing I want to clarify based on the questions I have received is that I will never list a player under the $5,000 FD price tag simply because I use the projection model to identify all targets in these price ranges and below. While there are often plenty of options that I like in this range, you all have access to the very model I use to make my own selections, so when asking “Should I use player X or player Y?”, make sure to check the model because that is how I make all of my own decisions and I truly ride or die by it on a daily basis.
Before running to the DraftKings, FanDuel, or Yahoo lobby to construct your NBA DFS lineup after reading this article, please make sure to utilize the abundance of tools we have at Win Daily:
Point Guards
Trae Young ($9,600 FD / $9,800 DK)
All-Star snub #1 for this NBA slate: Ice Trae. Now without John Collins, who is likely out with a concussion, Trae Young will be tasked with stealing a win for the Hawks against a Celtics team that just lost on a buzzer-beater to fellow draft pick, Luka Doncic. While Trae doesn’t rebound as well as Luka does, he plays at a much faster pace, allowing him to be one the NBA’s leading players in drives/game, where Boston struggles to defend the paint. Kemba Walker may sit this game out due to load management, leaving Trae in a matchup versus backup guards all night long – giddy up.
Dejounte Murray ($7,500 FD / $7,400 DK)
The Spurs are down to 8 players tonight, maybe 9 if LaMarcus Aldridge plays, but either way, Murray is the one we want exposure to. With DeRozan, Gay, Vassell, Johnson, and White all missing this game because of contact tracing, Murray will get all the run he can possibly handle. One of the most underrated point guards in the NBA and the best player on the Spurs (if you say it’s DeRozan – fight me) is a lock in my main lineup tonight.
Also Consider:
- Malcolm Brogdon ($8,200 FD / $8,200 DK)
- Saben Lee ($5,000 FD / $3,800 DK)
Shooting Guards
Devin Booker ($7,700 FD / $8,300 DK)
All-Star snub #2 for this NBA slate: The Booooook. He’ll likely get in after AD says he’s not playing, and while he shouldn’t have gotten in over CP3, Book deserves to be an All-Star. The NBA slate following the announcements of the reserves is notorious to having narratives surrounding players that were snubbed, and Book leads the pack here tonight in a soft spot versus a smaller Hornets team that just let Utah go 28-for-55 from deep, including Joe Ingles and Jordan Clarkson shooting 12-for-20.
Collin Sexton ($6,900 FD / $7,400 DK)
One of the few offensive threats that the Cavaliers have in a pace-up spot versus a Houston Rockets team that plays no defense. Don’t overlook Sexton tonight, as he will wildly get overlooked, just as he does on every NBA slate, but his 27.5% usage rate and six straight games of 22+ points are hard to ignore.
Also Consider:
- Shai Gilgeous-Alexander ($7,500 FD / $8,500 DK)
- Fred VanVleet ($8,200 FD / $8,600 DK)
Small Forwards
Jimmy Butler ($9,200 FD / $9,300 DK)
He didn’t have to shoot a ton in a blowout victory versus OKC last game, but with Toronto on the schedule for tonight, Butler will track back to a normal workload on the offensive end and be a defensive catalyst. Averaging a near triple-double since returning from COVID, there isn’t a safer a play at the SF position on tonight’s NBA slate, including LeBron James.
Jaylen Brown ($8,400 FD / $8,400 DK)
Just said he doesn’t feel like an All-Star considering the game they had just lost to Luka Doncic and the Mavericks – cue the narrative for JB. In an elite game environment and possibly without Kemba Walker on the tail end of a back-to-back, JB sees an uptick to a 30.2% usage rate and averages 25.3/5.4/3.7 across 33.7 MPG without Walker in the lineup.
Also Consider:
- Cedi Osman ($5,400 FD / $6,000 DK)
- Sadiq Bey ($5,300 FD / $5,600 DK)
Power Forwards
Domantas Sabonis ($9,900 FD / $10,500 DK)
If you’ve never heard a Sabonis rant of mine – tune in to the livestream at 5:45 EST and enjoy. First 20/10/5 player to not make an NBA All-Star game – ok. Leading the Pacers in all important statistical categories – ok. Going up against one of, if not the weakest interior defense in the league after being snubbed in the ASG? Fire me up
Jayson Tatum ($9,400 FD / $9,200 DK)
Love this play if Kemba is out, especially with JB and Tatum expressing their frustrations after last night’s loss to Dallas. Tatum should be the primary ball handler all night long should Kemba sit, as expected, and in a matchup versus Trae Young on the offensive side of the ball, a 25/5/5 is the floor for Tatum, with the potential to score 40+ raw.
Others to Consider:
- Jae’Sean Tate ($6,600 FD / $6,200 DK)
- Draymond Green ($6,600 FD / $6,600 DK)
Centers
- Karl-Anthony Towns ($9,700 FD / $9,700 DK)
- Clint Capela ($8,200 FD / $7,800 DK)
- Jarrett Allen ($7,600 FD / $7,700 DK)
- Wendall Carter Jr. ($5,400 FD / $5,800 DK)
Value Gems: Check the projection model.
I will continue to stress the importance of having both the projection model and cheat sheet open when building lineups for a further player pool and to ease a decision between two players, in addition to finding additional value plays.
You can find me on Twitter @DFS_Ghost
