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 nine-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

Luka Doncic, PG/SG, Dallas Mavericks

It has been a bit of a disappointing year for Doncic. He’s underperformed salary-based expectations by an average of -2.28 DraftKings points, and he’s returned positive value in just 32% of his outings.

However, Doncic is coming off a monster performance in his last contest. He finished with 34 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists over 37.6 minutes, resulting in 71.0 DraftKings points. That was against the lowly Magic, but there are reasons to believe in continued success moving forward. The Mavericks are dealing with a few key absences at the moment. Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. are both out of the lineup, and Doncic has seen a sizable boost in value with both players off the court this season. He’s increased his usage rate to 39.7% in that situation, resulting in an average of 1.60 DraftKings points per minute.

Wednesday’s slate features some of the biggest stars in the league – including Nikola Jokic and James Harden – but don’t be surprised if Doncic owns the top marks in our NBA Projections.

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Cedi Osman, SG/F, Cleveland Cavaliers

The Cavaliers will be without Darius Garland for the second straight game, and they opted for a massive starting lineup in their last contest. Dean Wade drew the start at small forward, while Osman shifted over to point guard.

Osman has massive upside in that role. He finished with 27.0 DraftKings points over a team-high 38 minutes on Monday, even though he shot a paltry 3-16 from the field. He made up for it with his 12 assists, and Osman has the potential for a much bigger performance on Wednesday if his shot is falling.

Osman also benefits from the top possible matchup from a fantasy perspective. He’s taking on the Rockets, who rank first in pace and dead last in defensive efficiency. They have been a goldmine for opposing players all season, so Osman should be able to take advantage.

Osman will likely carry heavy projected ownership in this spot, but it’s hard not to love him as long as he owns a reasonable leverage score in the Boom/Bust Tool.

Isaiah Jackson, PF/C, Indiana Pacers

Things continue to go from bad to worse for the Pacers. Malcolm Brogdon and Myles Turner remain out of the lineup, and Domantas Sabonis will join them once again on Wednesday. Even Goga Bitadze is questionable, and the team would be without their top three centers if he’s unable to suit up.

Luckily, the Pacers have another viable option in Jackson. He has been an elite producer on a per-minute basis, averaging 1.25 DraftKings points per minute this season. He’s increased that figure to 1.40 over the past month, and he racked up 46.5 DraftKings points over 29.4 minutes in his last outing. Jackson has gotten pricier across the industry, but he still has massive upside at his current salary.

Jackson could also be worth exploring in the player prop market. Make sure to take advantage of the Awesemo Player Prop Tool, which highlights the most exploitable prop bets each day.

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