NBA Daily Fantasy Helper: Wednesday 10/18/17

If you're new to daily fantasy basketball -- maybe you started your DFS journey during the MLB or NFL seasons, or maybe basketball is your sport and this will be your first year giving it a shot -- you're in for a treat. The NBA scene changes hugely on a week-to-week, day-to-day, and -- depending on injury news -- even a minute-to-minute basis, making every slate a unique one that requires an ever-changing approach.

With so much changing so quickly, we're here with plenty of tools to help you out. We have daily projections, a matchup heat map, a lineup optimizer, and a ton of other great resources to help give you an edge.

We'll also be coming at you with this primer every day, breaking down a few of the day's top plays at each price point.

Let's take a look at who you should target on today's slate.

Best of the Best

James Harden ($11,000) - Harden did play last night but travels shortly from Golden State to Sacramento, and the bigger variable here is that Chris Paul got nicked up on opening night and is questionable to play tonight. Harden dropped 27 points, 10 assists, and 6 boards against the Warriors last night. If Paul is out, Harden against the Kings in a game with the second-highest total of the night is someone you have to take a long look at. He's our highest projected scorer of the night.

Damian Lillard ($8,800) - Dame gets an uptempo matchup against the Phoenix Suns in a game with the highest total of the night at 220 with a slim 2-point spread in Portland's favor. C.J. McCollum is out for tonight because of a suspension. Without McCollum on the court, Lillard had a 35.2% usage rate last year.