Normally a huge night for the NBA, Wednesday has “just” eight games on the schedule. While that may seem like a decent amount of games, most Wednesdays in the past have featured anywhere from 10 to 13 games, so eight is certainly a nice reprieve for somebody who goes through and projects the top eight players on every team in action like myself. There are lots of potential blowouts on this slate, so let’s take a look at which games Vegas projects to get out of hand.

Vegas lines and totals

Phoenix @ Cleveland (-16.5) – total of 210.5
Denver @ Boston (-8.5) – total of 209.5
Philadelphia @ Detroit (-12) – total of 202
Houston @ San Antonio (-10) – total of 205.5
L.A. Clippers @ Atlanta (-3) – total of 207.5
Oklahoma City (-8) @ Minnesota – total of 210
Charlotte @ Utah (-5.5) – total of 191
Dallas @ Golden State (-15.5) – total of 215

With four games having double-digits spreads, six having spreads of eight or higher and one having an over/under 11 points lower than the next-closest game, Wednesday’s slate could get a little weird. You’re unlikely to be able to get away from rostering a few guys who may not play much in the fourth quarter, as Clippers-Hawks is the lone high-scoring game with a tight spread and even that one doesn’t have elite matchups for the studs of note. Who are the safest stars and value picks to target on a slate like this, when no game is seemingly safe?

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POINT GUARD

Russell Westbrook – The Thunder’s eight-point spread is actually the third-lowest of the night, and the fact that OKC is playing the second game of a back-to-back on the road after an overtime win is plenty reason to think this one won’t go off the rails too early. Westbrook has been a DFS stud all season long, even with Kevin Durant in the lineup, and a matchup with Ricky Rubio shouldn’t scare Russ. Rubio gambles often to create steals, and Westbrook is more than quick enough to make Rubio pay for taking an extra step away from the basket.

Trey Burke – If you want to play a stud like Westy at the point, you’ve got to go cheap somewhere. Raul Neto is out Wednesday with a concussion, which means Burke is likely to move into the starting lineup in a good matchup against the Hornets. The total on this game is relatively low, but that’s usually more of a problem for higher-priced players. Burke has been a decent GPP option of late off the bench, and a starting role graduates him to cash consideration.

Cheap risk option: With the Cavs extremely likely to destroy the Suns in Cleveland, it seems like a good night for new coach Tyronn Lue to get Kyrie Irving some right. Enter Matthew Dellavedova, who has been a very effective DFS option in the right spots this season. Wednesday looks like a great spot even with Irving in line to play, but Cleveland could get cute and try to rest its star point guard. Either way, Delly is a great cheap plug in GPPs.

SHOOTING GUARD

Archie Goodwin – Shooting guard is a great spot for savings Wednesday, led by the Suns’ new point guard. It’s always nice to grab an SG who plays the point, especially one who’s averaging 23.3 points per game in his last three games and is still priced well below his level of performance. Goodwin’s minutes shouldn’t be in too much jeopardy even if Phoenix gets destroyed, and neither Irving nor Dellavedova is an above-average defender. Goodwin was owned on the majority of cash teams Tuesday, and that percentage will likely be pretty high against Wednesday. The Cavs aren’t the 76ers, though.

J.R. Smith – I wouldn’t fade Goodwin in favor of Smith, but the latter is averaging 17 points per game since busting out of his mini-slump a few games ago. If Cleveland decides to take it easy on Irving or LeBron James, Smith should benefit with a few extra shots to make up for the possibility of reduced playing time. There’s little to pay up for at SG on Wednesday, and Smith is a viable option on the cheaper end of the spectrum

Cheap risk option: For the third straight time, I’m recommending Evan Turner as a low-priced GPP plug. Averaging 12.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.5 assists with consistency will make that a viable move, and even the resurgence of fellow bench guard Marcus Smart hasn’t done much to hurt Turner, who is also seeing minutes behind Jae Crowder at small forward. I’m willing to bet he keeps it rolling against Denver on Wednesday.

SMALL FORWARD

Kevin Durant – Durant is coming off a 44-point, 14-rebound outing against the Carmelo Anthony-less Knicks on Tuesday, and a matchup with Tayshaun Prince and the Wolves should have his potential owners salivating. Durant is locked in right now and his price remains more reasonable than it has been in the past due to Westbrook’s insane production this year. Minnesota has nobody that can contain Durant, and even if they use Andrew Wiggins on him at times, it’s unlikely to matter much. Durant is the star you want Wednesday if you’re only rostering one.

Chandler Parsons – Sure, the Mavericks might have trouble keeping pace with the Warriors, but Parsons is easily the youngest player in Dallas’ starting lineup and has been outstanding of late. Durant is the premier play at SF on Wednesday, even from a per-dollar standpoint, and while Parsons likely won’t find his way into 40-plus points like he has been, he should return his price. Dallas is more likely to send veterans like Deron Williams, Wesley Matthews and Dirk Nowitzki to the bench early in a blowout, and Parsons may be the last man standing until later in the game.

Cheap risk option: The benefit of a blowout-filled slate is the opportunity to get a look at some younger players that don’t always see extended run. Stanley Johnson fits that bill for Detroit against the 76ers, who just played Tuesday and provide a great matchup for small forwards. Marcus Morris has struggled of late, so Johnson could even see some extra time in a non-blowout if that continues. There’s a pretty high upside here.

POWER FORWARD

Draymond Green – Power forward feels weird to me Wednesday night, but it’s possible that’s because I’ve played nobody but DeMarcus Cousins most nights over the past two weeks. Green gets a good matchup against the Mavericks, who are coming off a tougher-than-expected road game against the Lakers and have struggled against power forwards all season. An aging Dirk Nowitzki should be no match for Green, but there is definite blowout risk here. I’ll probably pay up elsewhere.

David West – West is an extremely boring option, but with Tim Duncan missing another game Wednesday, he should get another start against a team that has been horrible defending power forwards this season and could be missing Dwight Howard yet again. It’s been a while since West laid a complete egg, and using him will allow you to fit in some of the better plays at other positions, considering PF isn’t exactly littered with great options Wednesday.

Cheap risk option: If I don’t like PF at the top or in the middle, then I sure don’t like it at the bottom. Dwight Powell is a possibility to see a few extra minutes Wednesday in a potential blowout where head coach Rick Carlisle may look to limit a few of his starters, and Josh Smith is still cheap enough where a matchup with the Spurs isn’t a complete death knoll for his DFS value. Play either of these guys at your own risk, though.

CENTER

Al Horford – The Clippers have been gashed by opposing centers all season, so Al Horford should have no trouble putting together a productive night. DeAndre Jordan is also a solid play on the other side of this game, but I’ll take the small savings I get with Horford and allocate it elsewhere in my lineup. In all honesty, I’m probably not playing either too heavily since I’m paying for studs elsewhere, so I’m looking at a little value at the position with my next suggestion.

Alex Len – If Len weren’t playing on the second night of a back-to-back against one of the NBA’s better defenses in a potential blowout, I’d be projecting him for far more points, but he’s been consistent enough as the Suns’ starter at power forward to be a decent value play Wednesday. Kevin Love isn’t exactly a great post defender, so Len should have opportunities to continue to crush his price before it rises swiftly for Phoenix’s next game. On a slate with limited value, Len is one of the best cheap picks out there.

Cheap risk option: With Andre Drummond struggling immensely of late, Aron Baynes has taken advantage in Detroit. The blowout potential of this game certainly doesn’t hurt Baynes’ outlook, and his price remains too close to the minimum for a guy who is averaging almost nine points and over seven boards in his last four contests. If you want to bet against Drummond, a bet on Baynes is a good way to do it.

CASH GAME RANKS

This isn’t necessarily an order of who will score the most DraftKings points. Rather, the rankings are aimed to find the best price, value and production combo to help you win cash games, also taking into account potential ownership levels for each player.

PG
1) Trey Burke
2) Isaiah Thomas
3) Russell Westbrook
4) Ricky Rubio
5) Stephen Curry
6) Kyrie Irving
7) Jeremy Lin

SG
1) Archie Goodwin
2) Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
3) Andrew Wiggins
4) J.R. Smith
5) Avery Bradley
6) Rodney Hood

SF
1) Kevin Durant
2) Chandler Parsons
3) Kent Bazemore
4) Danilo Gallinari
5) Jae Crowder
6) Trevor Ariza
7) LeBron James

PF
1) Kenneth Faried
2) Ersan Ilyasova
3) Draymond Green
4) Paul Millsap
5) Nerlens Noel
6) David West
7) Kevin Love
8) Tristan Thompson
9) Serge Ibaka

C
1) Al Horford
2) Alex Len
3) DeAndre Jordan
4) Jared Sullinger
5) Karl-Anthony Towns
6) Salah Mejri
7) Rudy Gobert

As always, I’ll do my best to update this article as news breaks throughout the day if at possible and before the first game starts at 7 p.m., so follow me on Twitter @christripodi for last-minute updates and suggestions.

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