Big Wednesday returns to the NBA schedule with the first slate of at least nine games since the same day last week. Hopefully that’s a trend for the rest of the season, as four games or fewer are generally boring—although not as much lately—while nights with 10-plus tend to have some information overload. Speaking of having too much knowledge, let’s check in with the Vegas lines.

Vegas lines and totals

Chicago @ Orlando (-3) – total of 209
Charlotte (-8.5) @ Philadelphia – total of 209
Portland @ Boston (-5) – total of 219
Utah @ Toronto (-6) – total of 193.5
Sacramento @ Memphis (-5.5) – total of 214.5
New Orleans @ Houston (-5.5) – total of 219
Washington (-3.5) @ Minnesota – total of 220
Indiana (-2) @ Milwaukee – total of 202.5
Detroit @ San Antonio (-10.5) – total of 200.5
L.A. Lakers @ Denver (-7) – total of 211.5
Oklahoma City @ L.A. Clippers (-1) – total of 220.5

Four lines in particular stand out Wednesday: Blazers-Celtics, Pelicans-Rockets, Wizards-Wolves and Thunder-Clippers. Kings-Grizzlies stands alone in the next tier, but the first four games all project to be pretty close with over/unders around 220 and all make for decent GPP stacks—you never know when a projected tight game hits OT and explodes for crazy fantasy-point totals. You can be assured most of those games will be covered below at least once in the top plays.

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POINT GUARD

Chris Paul – Paul is the PG to pay up for Wednesday night, as the Clippers are projected to top 110 points as a team and the Thunder have been giving to opposing PGs this season. L.A. needs a huge game from Paul if they’re going to pull this game out, and I’m expecting him to deliver with over 50 fantasy points. He’s not as strong a play as some of the studs at other positions, but point guard is lacking the usual super standouts it would have on such a heavy night. He should also play a major part in “containing” Russell Westbrook, which only means that Russ shouldn’t go off for 60 fantasy points.

Mike Conley – I have Conley projected as a better dollar-for-dollar play than Paul, and he’s probably a good place to start at the point with a juicy matchup against the Kings. Not only are the Grizzlies playing up in pace against a terrible defense, but Conley’s home splits are better than his road ones and this game will be played in Memphis. I expect him to bounce back from his 2-for-9 shooting performance against the Nuggets in the thin air of Denver his last time out.

Cheap risk option: If Michael-Carter Williams remains out of the Bucks lineup, Jerryd Bayless is an intriguing cheap play in his second game back from injury. He played 35 minutes off the bench in his return with 18 points, four assists and three rebounds, and anything resembling that line again would crush value. Just keep in mind that he’s always been an inconsistent player, and that hasn’t changed this season.

SHOOTING GUARD

James Harden – Like Paul, Harden is a high-priced player in a nice spot Wednesday night against the Pelicans. Harden is averaging well over 50 fantasy points per game this season against New Orleans, and the return of Eric Gordon to the starting lineup isn’t one that should have a profound effect on the Pelicans defense. Harden has been hot lately with the exception of one game against the Spurs, who have his number this season, and he should stay that way Wednesday.

Will Barton – Barton didn’t even hit double figures in 34 minutes during Danilo Gallinari‘s first game on the sidelines in a while, but his price still went up $400 anyway. If that doesn’t give you a clue of his increased DFS value, then I’m not sure what will. Barton is still a nice play, and he’ll gain another small boost if Kenneth Faried sits due to back problems that have bothered him on and off this season. Gary Harris is also a solid play for the Nuggets.

Cheap risk option: Evan Fournier seems doubtful based on coach Scott Skiles’ recent comments, meaning Mario Hezonja should get another start at small forward. His 15-minute dud Tuesday against Dallas shows the risk in playing Hezonja, and Skiles’ sometimes-wacky rotations will show no mercy to a rookie if he’s playing inconsistent ball. Hezonja has upside against the Bulls, but he could also tank you.

SMALL FORWARD

Kevin Durant – While Durant is facing the Clippers’ typical stingy SF defense, he comes in hot with three straight double-doubles. Russell Westbrook will be locked in a battle with Chris Paul on Wednesday and while Russ should still get his 50-plus fantasy points, he may not be efficient doing it and doesn’t have much upside in this matchup. Durant, on the other hand, will see plenty of minutes against Paul Pierce, who has been caught by Father Time. Don’t be afraid to pay up for Durant at SF.

Jae Crowder – After he was hampered by injury for a couple weeks leading into the All-Star break, Crowder has returned to full health and fantasy dominance in no time. He’s scored at least 20 points in three straight games, which is no small feat for a player averaging 14.5 points per game. Crowder’s fantasy potential isn’t even predicated on points, so his scoring is just an extra bonus for DFS purposes. His matchup against Al-Farouq Aminu and the Blazers isn’t ideal, but Aminu’s minutes are trending down and Crowder should see a ton of action at power forward in a game that looks like it’s headed in the small-ball direction.

Cheap risk option: Right now, Jerami Grant‘s status rests heavily on the shin injury to Jahlil Okafor. The injury doesn’t sound serious at all, but the 76ers take no chances. There should be word on Okafor before lock and if he sits, Grant becomes one of the top value plays on the board. If Okafor plays, Grant would be a somewhat shaky option against the Hornets. Most of his value lies in the potential starting gig Wednesday. But if you’re filling out lineups early and won’t be around in the hour before lock, Grant can only be treated as a GPP flier.

POWER FORWARD

Anthony Davis – The in-game injury risk certainly will always apply to The Brow, but it’s hard to pull my finger away from the “Draft” button with a juicy, juicy matchup against the Rockets on tap. Davis has played well on the road this season and should be somewhat fresh after missing a game due to injury. He’s listed as questionable but is fully expected to play, so obviously make sure he’s a go before setting him in your lineup. But if he’s in, he’s my favorite stud of the night, and there may not be room for two in your lineups unless some extra value hits throughout the day. With 10 games on tap, that value will probably come in at some point.

Aaron Gordon – Mea culpa if you played Gordon on my accord Tuesday against the Mavericks, as he finally slowed down in Dallas because of foul trouble. As my cohort Zack Rewis likes to say, you need to have a short memory when it comes to DFS, and I’m thinking that’s a wise move with Gordon, who has been ultra-consistent since entering the starting lineup. He has another nice matchup against the Bulls and his ownership should dip after Tuesday’s bust, making him a perfect GPP play.

Cheap risk option: Gallinari’s injury doesn’t just open up lineup space for Will Barton, as Darrell Arthur tends to pick up extra forward minutes off the bench as well. Arthur topped 20 fantasy points in 27 minutes off the bench Monday, and could be in line for a start if Faried sits with back troubles. We likely won’t know Faried’s status until after the first games lock, which makes Arthur a bit riskier than, say, Jerami Grant, but he’s a solid play regardless with the Lakers on tap. If he starts, he’d be a must-have for value and could push for 30 fantasy points.

CENTER

Dwight Howard – Howard is cruising along with four straight double-doubles and averages of 18.3 points, 14 rebounds and 1.8 blocks during that span. That clears 40 fantasy points in three categories alone, and a matchup with the Pelicans’ poor center defense gives Howard even more upside beyond those averages. His minutes are spiking with 37.5 in his last four, and Howard is a great center option tonight.

Nikola Jokic – Jokic was already set for a boost in usage with Danilo Gallinari out (24.7 usage rate without Gallinari, 20.1 on the season), but the potential absence of Kenneth Faried on Wednesday could give Jokic another type of boost: a minutes one. Jokic can push for value in this matchup in just 20 minutes of action, but a Faried absence would force Mike Malone to keep him on the court a bit more if he still wants to keep Jusuf Nurkic on the bench. Like many rookies, Jokic is significantly better on his home court, which is where this game will be played.

Cheap risk option: Unlike the other positions, center doesn’t provide much in the way of cheap value. Cody Zeller has been losing time to a now-healthy Al Jefferson, but he showed the ability to stuff a nice fantasy game into just 21 minutes against the Suns on Tuesday. That game was a blowout, which also might have cost Zeller a handful of minutes, but a matchup against Philly is always a boon for opposing centers even if it has some blowout risk of its own. Zeller has some upside if this game stays close, which is more than I can say for much of the sub-$5,000 crowd at the position.

CASH GAME RANKS

This isn’t necessarily an order of who will score the most fantasy 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) Mike Conley
2) Chris Paul
3) John Wall
4) D’Angelo Russell
5) Kyle Lowry
6) Elfrid Payton
7) Russell Westbrook
8) Kemba Walker
9) Derrick Rose
10) Jerryd Bayless (if Michael Carter-Williams sits)

SG
1) Will Barton
2) Gary Harris
3) James Harden
4) Evan Turner
5) Andrew Wiggins
6) J.J. Redick
7) Khris Middleton
8) Monta Ellis
9) Avery Bradley
10) Jamal Crawford

SF
1) Kevin Durant
2) Jae Crowder
3) Matt Barnes
4) Paul George
5) Giannis Antetokounmpo
6) Kawhi Leonard
7) Trevor Ariza
8) Dante Cunningham
9) Otto Porter
10) P.J. Hairston

PF
1) Anthony Davis
2) Aaron Gordon
3) Marvin Williams
4) Zach Randolph
5) Jabari Parker
6) Darrell Arthur
7) LaMarcus Aldridge
8) Ryan Anderson
9) Serge Ibaka
10) Ed Davis

C
1) Dwight Howard
2) Nikola Jokic
3) Jared Sullinger
4) Nikola Vucevic
5) Karl-Anthony Towns
6) Cody Zeller
7) Rudy Gobert
8) Pau Gasol
9) Andre Drummond
10) Marcin Gortat

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

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