12-Game Slate Forces Harder DFS Choices as Stars Sit Out
LaMelo Ball and C.J. McCollum lead recommended lineups for Wednesday amid a swollen injury report.
By Charlotte Dubois ·
Daily fantasy basketball players face a much larger decision tree on Wednesday. The NBA slate expands to 12 games, a sharp increase from the four contests played on Tuesday. This growth creates a deeper pool of options but complicates lineup construction for users on DraftKings and FanDuel.
The expanded schedule coincides with the absence of two major scorers. Anthony Edwards and Kawhi Leonard are both sidelined with knee injuries. Edwards is expected to miss a couple of months, while Leonard is also out. Their departures shift offensive responsibilities to teammates and open value spots in fantasy projections.
SportsLine analyst Mike McClure has identified LaMelo Ball as the top pick for the Wednesday slate. Ball is priced at $7,700 on DraftKings and $7,900 on FanDuel. The Timberwolves point guard has averaged 14.8 points, 6.3 assists, and 2.0 rebounds early in his tenure with Minnesota.
With Edwards out, Ball becomes the primary scorer and distributor for the team. He faces the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. Golden State has allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing point guards on both major fantasy platforms this season. This defensive vulnerability aligns with Ball’s increased role.
McClure also recommends C.J. McCollum of the Atlanta Hawks. McCollum is priced at $5,300 on both DraftKings and FanDuel. He is shooting 53% from the field and 44% from three-point range this season. On Monday, McCollum scored 20 points.
The Hawks play the Miami Heat on Wednesday. McCollum has scored 20 or more points in each of his last four games against Miami. He averages 3.8 rebounds and 3.8 assists in that span. The Heat currently allow 121.8 points per game, ranking seventh-highest in the league.
McClure, a professional DFS player with over $2 million in career winnings, uses a predictive model to generate these recommendations. The model simulates every minute of every game 10,000 times. It accounts for matchups, statistical trends, and injury status to find optimal value.
Other All-Stars on the court Wednesday include Giannis Antetokounmpo, LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Nikola Jokic. Rookies Caleb Wilson and Yaxel Lendeborg are also part of the expanded field. The combination of high-profile talent and specific matchup advantages drives the current lineup recommendations.
