NBA DFS First Look & Optimal Lineup Picks Today

The Slate Starter is a daily first look at to get your daily fantasy basketball lineup-building process started before lock tonight. Each day, we will go through some of the best NBA DFS picks, top stacks and optimal lineup construction for DraftKings and FanDuel. Be sure to check Awesemo’s NBA Starting Lineups page, as it will be updated throughout the day as the NBA injury reports are released and breaking news surfaces. Let’s dive into some players who stand out as key options on Wednesday’s 13-game main slate.

Want to see how your lineup stacked up against yesterday’s winning NBA DFS lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo? Check out Awesemo’s Optimal Lineup Review, which uses Fantasy Cruncher Rewind to analyze the winning plays from the night before.

DraftKings & FanDuel NBA DFS Lineup Advice Today

Jordan Clarkson, PG/SG, Utah Jazz

The Jazz are in one of the best spots of the day on Wednesday. They’re taking on the Rockets, who have been a fantasy goldmine for opposing players this season. They rank first in the league in pace and dead last in defensive efficiency, and the Jazz are currently implied for 122.75 points.

The Jazz are also going to be without Donovan Mitchell. He’s currently in the concussion protocol, which is going to open up a ton of usage for the rest of the roster. Mitchell ranks sixth in the league with a 32.9% usage rate, and those shots are going to have to go somewhere.

Clarkson stands out as one of the biggest beneficiaries. He’s increased his usage rate by +4.4% with Mitchell off the court this season, and he’s thrived in three full games with Mitchell out of the lineup. He’s averaged 31.1 minutes and 38.08 DraftKings points per game, making him an excellent option at just $5,500. He should earn one of the top value marks in our NBA Projections.

Kyrie Irving, PG/SG, Brooklyn Nets

The Nets are going to have to survive without Kevin Durant for the foreseeable future, but they will have Irving available to help out on road games. That includes Wednesday’s matchup, which will take place in Washington.

Irving was mediocre in his first three games this season, but he saw a nice spike in production in his lone game without Durant. He finished with 37.6 minutes and a 30.4% usage rate, and he responded with 51.75 DraftKings points. The Wizards have been a solid matchup this season, ranking just 21st in defensive efficiency.

Irving has also seen a price decrease following his last game, giving him a bit more upside than usual. That makes him an interesting option in guaranteed prize pools, especially if he checks in with a low ownership projection. If that happens, he’ll own a solid leverage score in the Boom/Bust Probability tool.

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Brandon Clarke, PF/C, Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies are another team that will be playing shorthanded on Wednesday. Desmond Bane and Kyle Anderson have both been placed in health and safety protocols, and Dillon Brooks remains out with an injury.

That could lead to a few additional minutes for Clarke. He’s already been a strong fantasy producer of late, scoring at least 27.5 DraftKings points in three of his past four games, and he’s averaged a stout 1.18 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. He could do some serious damage with a few additional minutes.

Clarke has averaged 9.8 points in 18.0 minutes, so it will be interesting to see what his scoring prop is. He should have a bit more scoring upside than usual in this contest, so there could be some value with the over. Make sure to take advantage of the Awesemo Player Prop tool, which highlights the most exploitable prop bets each day.

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