NBA DFS Picks, Projections, Lineups, Injuries & More Today: Wednesday Playbook

*There is a ton of injury news yet to break, so I will try to highlight some hypotheticals, so please note them carefully! However, LaMelo is probable, and there is really no additional news that affects him. We know Miles Bridges and Tre Man are out. It's a tough matchup with a low implied team total, but Ball has logged usage rates of 45%, 48%, and 44%, respectively, in his last three games. Those are hilarious but great for fantasy points. He's shot 68 times in the last two games. Those are 2K video game numbers.

I'll like this play a lot more if Norman Powell doesn't play. Harden should offer such a high floor at his price. If the Wizards keep it close AND Powell is out, he has 60-point upside. Washington ranks dead last in defensive rating, they can't stop a nosebleed.

I love De'Aaron Fox tonight. There are a ton of good plays at guard, but without DeMar DeRozan, this one catches my attention. Fox has seen a HUGE 7% usage increase while averaging a tick more than 9 DKP per 36 minutes without him on the court this season (1.46 DKP per minute). In three November games without DeRozan, Fox scored 82.25, 69.75, and 46.25 fantasy points. It sounds like I'm making those numbers up, but I promise you I'm not.

Schroder averages 1.26 DKP per minute and gets a big 5% usage bump without Cam Thomas on the floor this year. He's only available on FD.

Pippen averages 1.18 DKP per minute without Ja Morant on the court this season, but the opportunity for much more playing time is the biggest boost.

Jerome received a price boost, and it's warranted. Caris LeVert is out, so he should see more time. This is a big pace-up game for Cleveland, and if it gets fairly ugly, he might get a little mop-up time.

I'll be very interested in Elf (especially on DraftKings) if one of Ingram or Murphy sits. We can't expect a billion assists every night, but his playing time and involvement without one of those two stars was encouraging on Wednesday.

Irving had a miserable first half on Monday, but he may have shot himself out of the slump he was in. He posted a season-high in usage and gets a matchup vs. the Knicks, who rank 23rd in defensive rating this season. Luka remains out.

Things are much more complicated on FanDuel with all of the injuries and absences in the late-night window. The Jazz are without Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, and Kyle Filipowski while John Collins is questionable. There will be plenty of minutes available for typical bench players, but George and Collin Sexton are the two who see a little usage bump without him. They'll undoubtedly need their best healthy players on the court a little longer than usual.

Things are much more complicated on FanDuel with all of the injuries and absences in the late-night window. The Jazz are without Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, and Kyle Filipowski while John Collins is questionable. There will be plenty of minutes available for typical bench players, but George and Collin Sexton are the two who see a little usage bump without him. They'll undoubtedly need their best healthy players on the court a little longer than usual.

Monk should be another big beneficiary of DeRozan missing time. He's dirt cheap at $5,100 on FanDuel. He came back from a lengthy absence on Wednesday, played 26 minutes, and posted a 26% usage rate. He could see 30 minutes tonight.

Brooks is back to playing massive minutes, and I don't think Philly will offer much resistance tonight.

Playing time has been the biggest issue for Banton. He's been really good per his price when he sees at least 20 minutes of action, and that's because he averages an impressive 1.23 DKP per minute this season. With Jerami Grant doubtful and Scoot Henderson questionable, I think he has a decent path to 22-25 minutes against a porous defense.

Wagner has been so good without Paolo Banchero, that even when he's been bad, he's been good. Does that make sense?! He finally had an off game on Wednesday but posted enough defensive stats to salvage a subpar outing. He's logged less than 47 FDP just once in his last eight games. Tonight's matchup is a massive pace-up spot for Orlando against the Bulls, who rank first in pace and just 25th in defensive rating. Wagner is averaging 1.37 DKP per minute without Paolo, so he's priced appropriately, but the matchup is so good that I expect him to crack 50 again barring a blowout or injury.

The training wheels are off of Miller, and he's finally seeing 35-40+ minutes in close games. This has been especially true during the absence of Miles Bridges. He's flashed usage rates north of 30% in the past week, and we may be in the midst of a sophomore breakout.

Without Cam Thomas on the floor, Johnson's DKP per minute rate jumps from 0.88 to 1.04. He has seen a 4% usage increase without Thomas on the court this year. He should play 35 minutes if the game is competitive in the 4th quarter, which gives him a really nice floor/ceiling combo. Oh yeah, revenge game!

I don't really want to guess what Steve Kerr is going to do with his rotation, and it's a brutal matchup. Wiggins has been playing great basketball lately, and you'd think he can get whatever shot he wants to take without Stephen Curry tonight.

We saw Deni tear it up in the second half of last season. With Jerami Grant doubtful, plenty of minutes should open up for him. He was really, really good last game, and he's flashed mid-20s usage rates this season. The Pacers rank 7th in pace and just 21st in defensive rating. He has a chance to fill it up again.

Davis is quietly putting together an MVP season, consistently posting usage rates better than 30% and major minutes. He's scored 50 DKP or more in six of his last seven games.

It's a brutal matchup, but I'll be interested if Trae is ruled out. Johnson has averaged a whopping 53.43 DKP per 36 minutes without Trae on the court this season. He's a much better price on DK.

Barnes has been fantastic in two games since returning from an eye injury. He's squarely in play on every slate, especially as long as Immanuel Quickly remains out. New Orleans plays slow, but they own the third-worst defensive rating in the league.

More often than not, Williams will give you a ~30% usage rate and a very high floor without Chet Holmgren.

Collins is questionable, but if he plays, he has a chance to crush without Lauri and Filipowski, both who steal minutes from him in certain rotations.

Washington gets a massive DKP per minute increase without Luka on the court this season, from 0.97 to 1.25 – with a 3% usage bump. He has a shot to play 40 minutes if the game stays close late, so I would not be shocked if we see a ceiling game from him. Dallas may be forced to play very small, with the statuses of Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford now in question.

This DraftKings price is too cheap for someone who's team has a higher-than-usual implied team total. I'll give him even more of a bump if Norman Powell sits, which should assure him 25-ish minutes in an elite matchup.

Isaac is a DK GPP play due to price. His minutes are all over the place, but Gary Harris out of the equation (in addition to Paolo) may give him a few extra ticks. It's a fantastic matchup vs. Chicago.

He's a terrible per-minute producer, but every blind squirrel finds a nut once in a while. He might crack 30 minutes, so he must be noted.

It's Nikola Jokic. If you're playing 150,  he has to be in the pool daily.

Sengun is an animal, and we've seen him post 35+ minutes in three of his last five appearances. The Sixers are a subpar defensive team without Embiid, and they yield an above-average amount of points in the paint per game.

Zubac has been playing crazy minutes (for his standard) this season, and Washington is giving up the 7th-most points in the paint while owning the worst defensive rating in the NBA.

Hartenstein made his season debut two games ago and didn't miss a beat. His minuets increased from 28 to 31, and he has logged 34+ FanDuel points in both games. He's very fairly priced.

Eubanks is almost guaranteed to get some more playing time without Filipowski and Lauri. He's historically been a very strong per-minute producer.