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 six-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

Zach LaVine, PG/SG, Chicago Bulls

The Bulls have one of the best matchups of the day on Wednesday. They’re taking on the Hornets, who rank second in pace and 24th in defensive efficiency. Overall, the Hornets have allowed the third-most points per game.

LaVine missed two games recently for the Bulls, but he was able to return to the lineup in their last game. He showed no signs of rust, and he was forced right back into a large workload. He finished with 49.2 FanDuel points over 37.1 minutes in a much tougher matchup vs. the Suns.

LaVine also stands out as one of the best values of the day on FanDuel. He’s priced at just $8,000, which is simply too cheap. LaVine has exceeded salary-based expectations by an average of +2.87 FanDuel points with a comparable salary this season. Expect him to grade out well in our NBA Projections.

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Justise Winslow, SF/PF, Portland Trail Blazers

The Blazers have made some big moves over the past few days. They started by trading away Norman Powell, and they followed that up by trading away C.J. McCollum on Tuesday. It’s unclear if any of the players they acquired on Tuesday will be available vs. the Lakers, but it seems like a long shot. If that’s the case, they’re going to have to lean on a short rotation.

Winslow stands out as one of the biggest beneficiaries. He drew the start for the Blazers on Tuesday, and he’s averaged a stout 1.01 DraftKings points per minute over the past month. If he’s projected for more than 30 minutes, he’s going to have a great shot at returning value.

That said, expect Winslow to be one of the most popular plays of the day. He should check in with a massive ownership projection, and while that doesn’t make him an automatic fade, it will be important to monitor. If his ownership projection gets too large, he’ll own a negative leverage rating in the Boom/Bust Probability tool.

Kelly Oubre Jr., SG/SF, Charlotte Hornets

The Hornets haven’t made a trade yet, but they’re another team that is playing extremely shorthanded at the moment. They utilized just eight players in their last game, and one of them was Gordon Hayward. He exited that contest after less than seven minutes, and he has since been ruled out indefinitely with ligament damage in his left wrist.

Oubre is part of a small group of players expected to play massive minutes on Wednesday. He played more than 38 minutes off the bench, and he finished with 31.5 DraftKings points despite shooting 0-8 from 3-point range. Oubre has averaged 1.02 DraftKings points per minute, so he’s an elite value at just $5,600 on Wednesday.

Oubre could also be worth considering in the player prop market. As always, make sure to take advantage of the Awesemo Player Prop tool, which highlights the most exploitable prop bets each day.

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