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

The cover of the playbook and the livestream today. Cade is in the best game on the board today from both a total and spread standpoint. We also saw him dominate this matchup earlier this year, finishing with a 60 fantasy point triple-double in 36 minutes of play. He's elevated his play to a level where he is in the conversation when it comes to the best young players in the league and you never have to be worried about a slow start because he can pop off an 18-point quarter like we saw him do against the Rockets the other night.

Staying in the same game but the other side we have Young who also popped in the previous matchup between these two teams going for 64 fantasy points after scoring 35 points. The Hawks could be without Jalen Johnson again which may just force Trae Young to do more in this matchup.

FanDuel only play. I like the price tag and the potential here for Curry who struggled in the blowout loss to the Celtics the other night but did have 26 actual points in the Warriors last meeting against the Kings.

Grande shared on the preview show that I told him the Grizzlies were unplayable given the fact they went and played 13 guys the other night. In some ways I still feel that way but this price and matchup for Ja Morant is something worth sprinkling into your lineup builds because he has the upside that can see him go for 50+ fantasy points in 30 minutes.

This game may end up being a big blowout with the Clippers without Norman Powell, Kawhi Leonard and Ivica Zubac tonight but that also means that James Harden is going to do everything for this Clippers offense and if the Celtics are lazy on the front end of this back-to-back we could see a huge night from Harden over on FanDuel.

The Rockets are good defensive team and Garland is going to get some Dillon Brooks coverage tonight but that doesn't really take me off Garland who has been elite this season when the Cavaliers are in competitive games that allows for him to play 34-to-36 minutes.

DiVincenzo is going to be out for a while which moves Conley back into the starting lineup. He won't play more than 24-to-26 minutes but he's been shooting better and more often which is what we love to see from our value plays. That said…………

Let me introduce you to Rob Dillingham, the 2024 1st round pick out of Kentucky who is finally getting to see some consistent playing time and may see his 17-to-18 minutes jump into the 20-to-22 minute range before we know it. He finished last game against the Grizzlies with 23.25 fantasy points and while the floor is low…I don't mind some dart throws here given the value price tag.

This game between the Timberwolves and Mavericks is just a 3.5-point spread with a 214.5 game total. The shot making has disappeared over the last few games and that has impacted the final fantasy total but Edwards is not shy about shooting and if those shots drop tonight we could see another 50-to-60 fantasy points.

The Nets are likely shorthanded tonight and that's going to put Booker and Durant against the second and third units in a matchup where the Suns are already 12.5-point road favorites. Booker is good in tournaments given his upside even in limited minutes.

With Russell out, Simmons doubtful and Cam Johnson doubtful we are likely in for big minutes from Tyrese Martin tonight. The price is right and he is not afraid to shoot the basketball when the Nets need offense.

The minutes are suddenly back and while they could go away as easily as they returned I do like the price and the upside in this matchup against the Atlanta Hawks. If a few three's fall early we could be looking at a 6x night.

Questionable to play but IF he is active he likely is in the starting lineup again with Evan Mobley ruled out. He's a good value and has nice upside at his price tag tonight and I'd play him even if the Cavaliers opt to go for Max Strus as the starter.

Grande called out Nick Smith on the preview show and while we had a slight mix up on the team he plays for, the numbers and minutes are still accurate as he has moved into the starting lineup for the Hornets with Brandon Miller sidelined and he is taking a lot shots when on the floor and he is making those shots.

FanDuel only play but should be in for a decent role tonight given all of the members on the roster who have already been ruled out this evening for the Clippers.

Set it an forget it type player. Even when he gets off to slow starts you blink and all of a sudden he has two steals, three rebounds and four points in a five minute stretch. Don't worry about any slow starts just have confidence in how he will finish in a competitive game.

FanDuel only play. Good upside at a fair price. You know he is going to shoot the basketball and fill in the stat sheet. This game has a 230 total, one of the highest on the entire slate.

Better price and right now he is producing at a very high level. Many likely go to Wiggins over DDR in this matchup and I don't blame them one bit.

He was locked into our lineups the other night as a chalky play and he smashed. Given the lack of depth at the small forward position and the fact that he should play a ton of minutes tonight he's going to be another core play for my lineups.

Even if Jalen Johnson plays we should be looking at Krecji here who is playing a lot of minutes even with a fully healthy roster for the Hawks. He's essentially supplanted Bogdan Bogdanovic right now in this Atlanta rotation. 

With Klay Thompson and Naji Marshall ruled out we look at Grimes who will not have a minutes limit tonight as a solid value play on this slate where the small forward depth is limited.

He started with Caris LeVert out the other night and just didn't get the minutes we wanted due to the blow out. With Even Mobley ruled out again I'm fine playing Strus at this price tag regardless of the LeVert status.

Porzingis may sit out on the front leg of this back-to-back and Tatum has a good usage spike with Porzingis off of the floor. This game is a bit dangerous given the fact that the Clippers are without most of their starting lineup but we've seen Boston take these types of games too lightly and we end up in a high scoring dog fight which leads to big Tatum outputs.

Everything I said about Booker can be applied here. The Nets are missing key pieces and are heavy road favorites. KD can go out there and dominate in limited minutes on any given night.

Active tonight after being listed as questionable. Has double-double upside and we've seen him have some big games this year at low ownership and that's what we have here tonight.

Grande is a big fan of Randle tonight given his potential assist and potential rebound numbers over the last few games. When the shot drops we see him go for 50 fantasy points but he's struggled shooting this season, especially at three-point range.

Reid is looking every bit the 6th man of the year right now. The minutes have been great, he's playing over Rudy Gobert and Julius Randle at times and filling up the stat sheet. His production is that of someone that should be $1,000 more expensive.

We don't know the status of Caris LeVert yet but even if LeVert is active I like Niang off the bench for the Cavs with both Mobley and Okoro out of the lineup tonight.

Elite play on FanDuel tonight where there aren't a ton of spend up options to go to. Sabonis is a double-double machine and the Warriors really lack the defensive upside in the front court with Draymond Green out of the lineup.

Most popular center on the slate tonight as Williams is playing a ton of minutes for the Hornets and smashing since the trade of Nick Richards. No issues at all continuing to run him out there.

He went for 71 fantasy points the other day and while its unlikely we get THAT level of production we've seen Gafford be an elite fantasy play when he gets extended minutes and with Dereck Lively now expected to miss 1-to-2 months this job is all for Gafford.

He got the starting nod over Capela against the Knicks so we should see him in the starting lineup tonight against the Pistons. He is an elite fantasy point per minute player in the best environment on the board.

Getting ownership love with all the missing pieces in Brooklyn tonight. He is a boom or bust play but the sub-5k price tag is where the appeal lies. 

As long as he stays out of foul trouble and gets the 30 minutes he can go for a big number. He was perfect from the floor in two of the last three games and torched a really good Rockets team the other night.