We’ve got nine NBA games on tap for Wednesday, and without wasting any time, let’s take a look at Vegas’ projections for these tilts.

Vegas lines and totals

New Orleans @ Charlotte (-9) – total of 210
Memphis @ Boston (-9) – total of 207.5
Houston (-9.5) @ Philadelphia – total of 217.5
Miami (-3) @ Milwaukee – total of 200.5
Detroit @ Dallas (-2.5) – total of 205
New York (-1) @ Phoenix – total of 207
L.A. Clippers @ Oklahoma City (-5.5) – total of 215.5
Cleveland (7.5) @ Sacramento – total of 216
Utah @ Golden State (-12.5) – total of 208

Another night where we see no spreads under 200 is upon us, as the average scores in the league continue to rise as the season goes on. Targeting Clippers-Thunder isn’t a bad idea in a few examples, and the same goes for Rockets-76ers as well. There are a couple blowout concerns but besides the Warriors, those teams are playing on the road, which makes a complete shellacking all the less likely. Even the Warriors are facing a playoff team, so 12.5 might be more of a late cover than an early blowout. Enough about the lines, though, and let’s take at the top plays at each position.

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POINT GUARD

Kemba Walker – Walker is on an unreal roll of late, averaging over 30 points per game in his last four contests. While he won’t continue shooting well over 50 percent from the field, a matchup against a depleted Pelicans backcourt isn’t one to expect him to slow down. Walker has averaged almost seven assists per game in that span as well, so he’s doing more than just scoring, and he’s got a good chance to score around 50 fantasy points, the number he’s been hanging around for the past week.

Mario Chalmers – With Mike Conley already ruled out of Wednesday’s game, Chalmers is a near-lock for 40 minutes against the Celtics. He produces about a fantasy point per minute, but don’t expect 40 fantasy points against Boston’s tough point guard defense. Chalmers should settle in somewhere around the low 30s with the copious playing time, and that’s plenty to pay off his cheap price tag.

Cheap risk option: There isn’t much value at the bottom of the PG pool Wednesday, which leads to a rare Jose Calderon recommendation. While the Knicks’ embattled point guard has been up and down lately—and all season—he’s hit value in three straight and gets a great matchup against the Suns, who allowed over 2.5 three-pointers per game to PGs on the season and over the past three weeks. There’s a legitimate chance Calderon hits multiple triples in this one, which would be almost halfway towards value on its own.

SHOOTING GUARD

James Harden – Harden is hot, the Rockets should score a lot of points Wednesday and the game actually may not be that bad of a blowout. If you add up all that in addition to a plus matchup, Harden is the premier player at the two on this nine-game slate. If you can afford to pay up, Harden is a nice way to spend about 20 percent of your cap.

Devin Booker – Booker is actually a solid pairing with Harden at a bargain price, as the youngster has 27 or more points in two of his past three games. He’s handling the ball more with 5.7 assists per game in that stretch as well, and the Booker-Alex Len combo has been great for Phoenix lately. Brandon Knight‘s potential return could throw a wrench into Booker’s usage, but I’m not sure Knight makes it back Wednesday and that he won’t be limited if he does return.

Cheap risk option: Booker isn’t the only good SG play from the Knicks-Suns game, as Arron Afflalo draws a very nice matchup against Phoenix. Many view Booker as the next Klay Thompson due to his shooting prowess and good on-ball defense, but the latter hasn’t prevented the Suns from being the best SG defense to target on Wednesday’s slate. The Knicks do come with risk on the second night of a back-to-back, hence why both Afflalo and Calderon are in this section, but we’ve seen AA come through with nice games in prime matchups before.

SMALL FORWARD

LeBron James – Wednesday is a night to shop at the top of the market on the wings, with both Harden and LeBron representing great plays in elite matchups. The Kings are really, really bad on defense, and LeBron is really, really good at basketball. The Cavs have the second-highest team total of the night behind the Rockets, and Rudy Gay isn’t at 100 percent, not that he could stop James anyway. Expect LBJ to push for 55 fantasy points in this one.

Giannis Antetokounmpo – The Greek Freak’s price is on the rise, but so is his game. He has double-digit assists in four of his last fives games and at least seven helpers in seven of his past eight. Antetokounmpo had his version of a “bad game” against the Bulls and still topped 40 fantasy points. As long as his price hasn’t peaked, and it’s not quite there yet, Giannis’ floor will be excellent to go along with triple-double upside, even in slightly more difficult matchups like Wednesday’s against the Heat.

Cheap risk option: His contributions off the bench can sometimes go unnoticed, but Corey Brewer is hitting his stride three-quarters of the way through the season. Brewer has taken 24 shots in his past two games and has scored 35 points as a result while adding his typical combination of threes and steals. The Rockets-76ers game should be fast-paced, which plays right into Brewer’s hands as a transition-minded player.

POWER FORWARD

Anthony Davis – While the Hornets are right around league average when it comes to defending opposing power forwards, Davis is not your average power forward. He’s still priced extremely reasonably despite a 31 and 10 double-double against the Kings, and Davis will have a heavy load on his shoulders with both Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon out for the rest of the season. Norris Cole is questionable for Wednesday’s game as well, which would make this game the Davis and Jrue Holiday show.

JaMychal Green – Green doesn’t necessarily see a significant usage increase with Conley off the floor, but his performance Monday should have him in line to move back into the starting lineup for the injured Andersen. With Zach Randolph listed as doubtful, Green should see 35-plus minutes again and is a top-notch value option coming off a huge game with a very nice matchup. Boston could be depleted up front if Jared Sullinger and Kelly Olynyk can’t play, and Green would likely see plenty of center minutes if Memphis goes small.

Cheap risk option: He hasn’t been seeing many minutes as Houston plays small, which makes him a big risk, but Donatas Motiejunas is a starter priced at the minimum who gets one of the best matchups on the board. It’s wholly possible that Motiejunas gets into a groove early with some wide open shots against Philly and earns himself more playing time in the process. It’s also possible that the matchup with the 76ers, who will run Jerami Grant at PF often, leads to more small ball and less Motiejunas. This one is your call based on individual risk tolerance and your opinion of the game flow.

CENTER

Dwight Howard – Insert center vs. Philly here. The 76ers are far and away the worst team at defending opposing centers, much of which has to do with the historic amount of rebounds they’ve been ceding (over 20 per game in the past three weeks), presumably because they miss so many shots. Howard is a mortal lock for a double-double with at least 15 rebounds, so even a 10-point night won’t kill you. Certainly there is much more upside than that, though, but the rebounding floor is tantalizing.

Alex Len – Len has been nearly unfadeable of that late, and that will continue Wednesday as he takes on the Knicks. While Len will have a somewhat difficult matchup with the length of Kristaps Porzingis, that shouldn’t do much besides limit his efficiency, which has been lacking during his big run anyway. Len’s usage rate is over 30 (Booker’s is 26) in the Suns’ new starting lineup, so expect him to continue getting fed often. He’s even added some assists to his game.

Cheap risk option: After going 1-1 with Cody Zeller in this space, it’s time to take a look at teammate Al Jefferson. Zeller stayed relevant while Jefferson took time to get going, but the roles now look like they’re going to switch. An ideal non-Philly center matchup against the Pelicans provides the upside, and maybe Jefferson throws us back a few years in time to when he was a dominant offensive force, albeit with limited minutes.

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) Mario Chalmers
2) Kemba Walker
3) Patrick Beverley
4) Norris Cole (if he plays)
5) Goran Dragic
6) Chris Paul
7) Kyrie Irving
8) Jrue Holiday
9) Rajon Rondo
10) Russell Westbrook
11) Isaiah Thomas

SG
1) James Harden
2) Nicolas Batum
3) Devin Booker
4) Dwyane Wade
5) J.J. Redick
6) Arron Afflalo
7) Khris Middleton
8) J.R. Smith

SF
1) Giannis Antetokounmpo
2) LeBron James
3) Carmelo Anthony
4) Jerami Grant
5) Kevin Durant
6) Robert Covington
7) Trevor Ariza
8) Jae Crowder
9) Tobias Harris
10) Luol Deng
11) Joe Johnson

PF
1) JaMychal Green
2) Anthony Davis
3) DeMarcus Cousins
4) Nerlens Noel
5) Serge Ibaka
6) Jabari Parker
7) Dirk Nowitzki
8) Ryan Anderson
9) Kevin Love

C
1) Alex Len
2) Dwight Howard
3) DeAndre Jordan
4) Andre Drummond
5) Jared Sullinger (if he plays)
6) Al Jefferson
7) Hassan Whiteside

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 updates and advice leading up to first tip at 7 p.m.

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