NBA

DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Wednesday 11/13/19

D'Angelo Russell will look to continue his hot streak against the Lakers. What other players should you be looking at tonight on DraftKings?

With seven games to choose from on tonight's NBA slate, let's take a look at how to narrow down the DFS possibilities. Here are some of the top plays and sleepers on DraftKings. As always, good luck.

Point Guard

Kemba Walker ($8,600) -- Walker is averaging nearly 25, 5, 5 in his first nine games with the Celtics to go with an NBA-best 8-1 record. Tonight versus the Washington Wizards, Walker draws the 28th-ranked squad in defensive rating (112.7), and he's scored at least 25 points in seven of nine games. The Wizards allow the second-most points in the Eastern Conference at 117.5, and the Celtics are third in scoring at 113.4. Our model projects Walker as one the highest-scoring guards tonight with a 28.7 points projection.

D'Angelo Russell ($8,100) -- The Golden State Warriors role players have taken a step back while Russell has stepped up in the scoring department. Russell has four-straight games of 30-points or more and has made 19 three-pointers over those four games. He's shooting lights out from beyond the arc, hitting 3.6 of 8.4 a game (39.1%). Against Utah's top-ranked defense, Russell scored 33 points on 13 of 25 shooting and 5 of 9 from beyond the arc. He's averaging 57.56 fantasy points in this four-game scoring stretch, so ride his hot shooting until the wheels fall off.

Shooting Guard

James Harden ($11,700) -- Harden is on a historic run and seems to score more points than he's projected every night. Harden has scored 36 or more points in seven of his last eight games and draws the Los Angeles Clippers tonight. LA is on their first night of a back-to-back, and their injury report will determine the outlook for this game. Harden is averaging 60.6 fantasy points a night, leading the league in player usage rating (39.5%), points per game (37.3), and total three-pointers made (42). Harden and the Rockets will put their NBA-leading pace to the test against the Clippers stubborn defense and will perhaps catch them looking ahead for tomorrow's game and the impending return of Paul George.

Jaylen Brown ($7,300) -- Brown has stepped up Gordon Hayward's absence and logged his first double-double of the season with 25 points and 11 rebounds on Monday versus the Dallas Mavericks. Brown is averaging 25 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.5 assists, and 46.0 fantasy points at home compared to 17.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, and 28.9 fantasy points on the road. Brown is at home tonight versus a struggling Wizards team. He, Jayson Tatum ($7,500), and Walker should all be able to score their share. Our model projects Brown with 17.3 points and 6.8 rebounds tonight.

Small Forward

Kawhi Leonard ($9,700) -- The Los Angeles Clippers are playing the first night of a back-to-back tonight, and rumors are the return of Paul George might happen Thursday night in New Orleans. The way the Clippers have handled Leonard's load management makes him a candidate for tonight's game ahead of a possible rest night in George's return. Leonard was one assist away from a triple-double and had his lowest scoring output of the season so far with 12 points against his former Toronto Raptors team on Monday. Without George playing, Leonard remains second overall in player usage rating (36.6%) behind Harden.

Ben Simmons ($6,800) -- Simmons returned on Tuesday from a three-game absence after suffering from an AC joint injury. Simmons had 15 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds on 7 of 9 shooting in 35 minutes in Philly's one-point win over the Cavs. Simmons hasn't recorded a triple-double yet this season, but he does have two double-doubles. Simmons should be back to his normal minutes tonight against the Magic. The 76ers injury report will be worth watching, since who is active will impact Simmons, and more importantly, the frontcourt production. Our model projects Simmons at 14.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.6 assists tonight.

Power Forward

Al Horford ($5,900) -- Horford got the night off against the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first night of their back-to-back with the Cavs and Orlando Magic. Joel Embiid ($9,100) had his hands full with the Cavs frontcourt before scoring the game-winning basket. Off a rest night, Horford should be ready to accept more of the offensive responsibilities tonight, following Embiid's 27 points and 16 rebounds in 35 minutes. Horford is averaging 17.4 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.4 assists in his last five games with the 76ers. Embiid is ranked eighth in player usage rating (32.3%), so Horford's stock rises if Embiid is rested -- making him a game-time plug-and-play.

Pascal Siakam ($8,700) -- Siakam has recorded four straight double-doubles for the Raptors and posted 30.3 points,11.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in Toronto's three-game winning streak that ended at the hands of the Clippers on Monday. Tonight, the Raptors are in Portland facing a Blazers team that has struggled mightily to start the season and dropped it's first of a back-to-back in Sacramento. Portland is 18th in net defensive rating (108.6), allowing more points (113.9) than they have scored (112.7). The Blazers are also 23rd in points in the paint, at 44.7. Look for Siakam to be aggressive and the leading scorer for the Raptors. Our model projects Siakam at 18.8 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.2 assists tonight.

Center

Thomas Bryant ($6,500) -- Bryant has topped 40 or more fantasy points three times in eight games this year, including seven games with double-figures in scoring. Bryant's rebounding has been superb for Washington, as he's 18th in the NBA with 9.6 boards a game. At 14.6 points per game, he's the second-leading scorer on the team behind Bradley Beal. With Enes Kanter ($4,600) easing back into Boston's lineup, Bryant is a strong double-double option tonight -- something he's done in half of his games this season.

Nikola Vucevic ($8,300) -- Vucevic has four straight double-doubles as the Magic welcome the 76ers to town. Hopefully, Vucevic was watching how Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson worked on Embiid all night last night en route to a combined 37 points and 20 rebounds. Vucevic has averaged 14 points, 11.2 rebounds, and 3.6 assists over his last four games and has three straight games of 48.25 fantasy points or higher. If Embiid rests, much like Horford tonight, Vucevic can become a great play.


Vaughn Dalzell is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Vaughn Dalzell also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username vdalzell. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his/her personal views, he/she may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his/her personal account. The views expressed in his/her articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.