NBA DFS Picks: Giannis Antetokounmpo Leads Wednesday's Stars

Wednesday’s NBA schedule is loaded with pending news and almost half of the teams are on the second leg of a back-to-back, which puts more emphasis on locking in your stars.

The action for the eight-game main slate gets underway at 7:00 p.m. ET on DraftKings and FanDuel. Let’s look at the player pool to discuss the top NBA DFS building blocks today for DraftKings and FanDuel lineups.

Want to try Stokastic+ for 50% off?

Use the coupon code SCORE to get 50% off the first week or month for any package, including Platinum, NBA, and NBA Lineup Generator!

NBA DFS Picks: Wednesday, Dec. 28

Core Play of the Day — Giannis Antetokounmpo: Milwaukee Bucks-Chicago Bulls

Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 59.30 | FanDuel: 57.52
Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings 27.5% | FanDuel: 27.9%
DFS Salary: DraftKings: $11,500 | FanDuel: $11,700

Giannis Antetokounmpo gets the slightest of edges over Nikola Jokic as the play of the day. This is a back-to-back for Jokic, who somehow “disappointed” last night missing out on a triple-double by one rebound. Michael Porter Jr. also is seeing his minutes increase. While it will be his first back-to-back since missing a month, Porter Jr. is taking field goal attempts away from Jokic, though in turn provided another capable player of converting Jokic’s passes into assists.

Since Antetokounmpo can be rostered at the power forward position, his utility is more applicable than Jokic. Though again, it is hard to “dislike” either of these superstars, especially since they have collectively won the last four NBA MVP Awards. Our Boom/Bust tool does give the better leverage score to Antetokounmpo, but can change as ownership updates throughout the day. Be sure to check the tool closer to tip.

Khris Middleton remains out, though the Bucks are still 4.5 road favorites, even with dropping their last three games. Chicago has the fourth worst defensive efficiency rating over the last 10 games allowing 118.4 points per 100 possessions. They simply do not have the rim protection that will stop Antetokounmpo who should be able to flirt with 60 fantasy points in this matchup.

Jrue Holiday is a strong option in this matchup and can be paired with Antetokounmpo or used as a stand alone play. If Pat Connaughton remains in the starting lineup, he is a decent discount dandy with an extra 6-8 minutes as opposed to coming off the bench. Better value options are likely to be revealed throughout the day, but for now we can employ Connaughton as a placeholder.

Utah Jazz-Golden State Warriors

This is a back-to-back for the Warriors, who are likely to rest Klay Thompson. This makes them extremely shorthanded with Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins already out. There is a chance that Draymond Green ends up on the injury report as well, but we won’t know about that until we actually know about that.

Jordan Poole and Donte DiVincenzo are borderline core plays with this matchup against the far-from-defensive-minded Jazz. The only knock is that both have seen their salaries increase with their new workload, but each has struggled with consistent production. Poole has four consecutive games where he failed to surpass 35 fantasy points and DiVincenzo can be inconsistent when he is not looking for his own offense, as evidenced by his 0-4 performance last night and his 2-5 outing prior to coming down with an illness.

Jonathan Kuminga has 40-point upside from a fantasy perspective, though like the aforementioned guards, he needs quite a few things to go his way in order to realize that potential. Moses Moody, Ty Jerome and Anthony Lamb are best left for the late-slate.

Kelly Olynyk (ankle) is nearing a return, though it would seem that Walker Kessler is now entrenched as the starting center. That means Jarred Vanderbilt is likely the odd man out, though we have seen Olynyk thrive in a bench role at several other stops during his career.

Lauri Markkanen should excel in this matchup, which also bodes well for veteran guards Mike Conley and Jordan Clarkson. Be wary with Collin Sexton has he has played only 17 and 23 minutes in his return from a hamstring injury that cost him nearly three weeks.

Latest NBA DFS Content

Additional NBA DFS Picks Building Blocks Picks Today – Sports Betting Opportunities

Ben Simmons is an intriguing option with a 6.5 over/under line on his rebound prop in his matchup against the Hawks. Even coming off the bench, Simmons is averaging 6.8 rebounds per game with Brooklyn along with a 9.0 per 36 minute rate. If he sees his usual minutes tonight, the NBA Bet Pro projections have him collecting 7.8 rebounds for a 59% probability of surpassing his threshold; at -125 on BetMGM, this works out to an expected ROI of 7%.

Did you know that you can get two free months of Stokastic Plus Platinum for signing up and making your first bet at BetMGM? Claim here today!

Phoenix Suns-Washington Wizards

There are a lot of moving parts for this game as the Suns are on a back-to-back having beat the Grizzlies 125-108 last night in Memphis. Devin Booker (hamstring) and Cameron Johnson (knee) remain out, though there is a chance that Cameron Payne (foot) returns after missing the last two weeks.

We are still waiting on a status update for Chris Paul (calf) as he was limited to just 23 minutes last night. Landry Shamet (Achilles) is out again. Once all the dust settles, the ambulatory Phoenix players will likely be some of the best value options on the slate. Depending on who is out, Damion Lee, Torrey Craig, Josh Okogie and Duane Washington Jr. are worthy of our consideration.

Bradley Beal (hamstring) is doubtful which means there will be extra offensive opportunities all around. Kristaps Porzingis and Kyle Kuzma are the biggest beneficiaries when it comes to production, with Monte Morris and Deni Avdija likely to see a minutes boost. Though the Wizards are far from shorthanded, we at least know who should benefit from Beal’s absence based on previous games this season.

Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks Building Blocks Today

Tonight is another frontloaded slate with six of the eight games tipping off in the first hour, then a two hour break before a twin-bill West Coast night cap. Be sure to tune into the Stokastic NBA Deeper Dive and Live Before Lock shows at 5:00 p.m. ET on YouTube, courtesy of No House Advantage.

Join our FREE DISCORD!

Author

Eric MacPherson

Eric "EMac" MacPherson won the 2007 Fantasy Baseball grand prize (trip for two to the MLB All-Star game) in the Roto format on ESPN. He won again in 2008, this time in the H2H format. As one of the early adopters of daily fantasy sports, EMac has been providing content for baseball and basketball as well as both professional and college football since 2012 for a variety of websites including DraftKings Playbook, FanVice, RotoWorld, Daily Fantasy Bootcamp, and RotoGrinders. He is well into his third decade of fantasy sports and has a wealth of knowledge and experience. Follow him on Twitter @EMacDFS or contact EMac by emailing [email protected].