This article is part of our FantasyScore NBA series.
FantasyScore is an up-and-coming player in the world of daily fantasy sports, offering a trio of different game types on a website that's as user-friendly as they come.
You can check out my first article for a more comprehensive overview, but today we're going to focus on NBA salary-cap game player picks for Wednesday night.
Before we get to the best options at each position, let's quickly review some basics for the website's salary-cap contests. There is one recent change, with the rosters now featuring two guards, two forwards, a center and three flex spots, as opposed to three guards, three forwards, a center and a flex.
Scoring, as follows, is fairly simple:
1 point = 1 point
1 rebound= 1.25 points
1 assist = 1.5 points
1 block = 2 points
1 steal = 2 points
1 turnover= -0.5 points
There's a $50,000 budget for eight roster spots, with two guards, two forwards, a center and three flex spots (any position). The lack of differentiation between point guards and shooting guards (or small and power forwards) is nice, as it allows for increased flexibility when building your lineup.
Further adding to flexibility, the cheapest players are priced at $2200, while the most expensive typically cost $9000-9500. The large price range makes it possible to load up a roster with three-to-five superstars, if you're willing to take a risk on some of those sub-$3000 guys.
Anyway, here are some of my favorite players for Wednesday night…
Guards
James Harden, HOU (vs. LAC), $9300 – It's always difficult to pass on Harden on FantasyScore, as he and Russell Westbrook consistently have the highest ceilings among all available players. With The Beard coming off a triple-double that included 31 points, there was no question I'd be rostering him Wednesday night, especially with Houston facing a Clippers team that plays a ton of high-scoring contests. Harden did turn in a dud against the Clippers exactly two weeks ago, but it would be surprising to see more of the same with the benefit of home court.
Chris Paul, LAC (at HOU), $8500 – Looking to the other side of Wednesday's marquee matchup, Paul has been an absolute force since Blake Griffin (elbow) was diagnosed with a staph infection. In the six games since Griffin last played, Paul has topped 50 fantasy points four times, only falling short of the mark in blowout victories. And, while I'm not scared of Patrick Beverley's defense, there is some chance that Paul gets a boost from a potential Beverley (illness) absence. I'm targeting a bunch of plays from the Clippers-Rockets game, along with guys from the Phoenix-Denver contest.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL (vs. PHI), $5000 – Antetokounmpo has long been one of the top value options on FantasyScore, and while he's finally cooled off from his hot streak, he still offers a nice combination of floor and ceiling at a very reasonable price. Even the recent mini-slump has seen Antetokounmpo score more than 20 fantasy points in each game, and he's obviously in no real danger of losing minutes. With the Bucks drawing a favorable matchup against the hapless 76ers, it's the perfect time to bet on Antetokoumpo getting back over the 30-fantasy points hump. He may only need two or three quarters to get there, so I'm not overly concerned about the potential for a blowout.
Other Options: Ty Lawson, DEN (vs. PHX), $6900; Goran Dragic, MIA (at ORL), $5800; Ricky Rubio, MIN (vs. WAS), $5700; Kevin Martin, MIN (vs. WAS), $5100; Langston Galloway, NYK (at BOS), $4200; Jerryd Bayless, MIL (vs. PHI), $2200
Forwards
Markieff Morris, PHX (at DEN), $5000 – While often a frustrating player in the fantasy world, Morris is a fantastic option at this price in one of the more favorable matchups a frontcourt player can draw. The Nuggets have long been an easy target for opposing bigs, and with two fast-paced teams squaring off, Wednesday's game figures to be very high scoring. Also worth noting is that Morris has been getting a few more minutes, averaging 34.1 through eight February games. His nightly workload is admittedly somewhat dependent on his performance, but even one of his bad games would be tolerable at this price.
Terrence Jones HOU (vs. LAC), $4000 – Jones got off to a modest start upon first returning from an extended absence, but the All-Star Break seems to have done him well, as he's averaging 11.7 points, 11.0 Rebounds and 3.0 blocks over 28.7 minutes in three subsequent games. Jones has a nice shot at another double-double Wednesday night, after rejoining the starting lineup (and playing 32 minutes) in Monday's win over the Timberwolves. He averages about one fantasy point per minute, and he'll likely log 25-to-35 minutes Wednesday night, against a frontcourt that's taken a major hit in the absence of Blake Griffin (elbow).
Evan Turner, BOS (vs. NYK), $3300 – While I suspect Turner will eventually lose some minutes and usage to Isaiah Thomas, there's no need to jump off the train just yet. In Thomas' first two games with the Celtics, Turner put up 39.5 and 26.5 fantasy points over 36 and 32 minutes. The second total is closer to what we can expect moving forward, but at a price south of $3500, 25-to-30 fantasy points is nothing to complain about. Turner has 24 or more fantasy points in each of his last seven games.
Other options: Zach Randolph, MEM (at SAC), $7100; Derrick Favors, UTA (vs. LAL), $6200; Luol Deng, MIA (at ORL), $4600; Ed Davis, LAL (at UTA), $3500; Brandon Bass, BOS (vs. NYK), $3400; Matt Barnes, LAC (at HOU), $3100; Nikola Mirotic, CHI (vs. CHA), $2800; Danilo Gallinari, DEN (vs. PHX), $2800; Luc Richard Mbah a Moute, PHI (at MIL), $2200; Jae Crowder, BOS (vs. NYK), $2200
Centers
DeAndre Jordan, LAC (at HOU), $6800 – Following three straight games with more than 55 fantasy points, Jordan slowed down a bit in his last two contests, putting up 35.75 and 37.25 points. Of course, those are still respectable totals for a sub-$7000 player, and one of the games came against the stingy Grizzlies, while the other saw Jordan play just 20 minutes due to his team's blowout win over the Kings. I remain incredibly bullish on Jordan in the absence of Blake Griffin (elbow), as the 26-year-old center has logged 39 or more minutes in four of the six games since his running mate went down. Given his excellent per-minute production, Jordan will be a nightly threat to reach 50 fantasy points on FantasyScore, so long as he continues to get extra minutes due to Griffin's absence. Further helping matters, Jordan gets a favorable matchup against the Dwight-less Rockets on Wednesday, in a game that figures to be very high scoring.
Alex Len, PHX (at DEN), $3200 – Len's minutes have been difficult to predict on a nightly basis this season, and while I'm not totally buying into the recent trend, it's impossible to ignore the fact that he has logged 32 or more minutes in three consecutive games since returning from a minor ankle injury. The young center averages close to a fantasy point per minute this season, and he turned the recent boost in playing time into outings of 34.5, 25.25 and 37 fantasy points. While there's no guarantee that Len plays 30-plus minutes again, a fantastic matchup with the Nuggets gives him upside beyond what he flashed in the past three games.
Other options: Hassan Whiteside, MIA (at ORL), $6900; Nikola Pekovic, MIN (vs. WAS), $5200; Nerlens Noel, PHI (at MIL), $4600; Jusuf Nurkic, DEN (vs. PHX), $3600; Tyler Zeller, BOS (vs. NYJ), $2900; Alexis Ajinca, NOR (vs. BRK), $2200
