DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Helper: Wednesday 1/8/20

With nine games to choose from on tonight's NBA slate, let's take a look at how to utilize the DFS possibilities.

Here are some of the top plays and sleepers on DraftKings. As always, good luck.

Point Guard

Trae Young ($9,700) -- Luckily for Young, Russell Westbrook is sitting out of this matchup for rest purposes. Westbrook sitting might feel like a free night for Young, as his chance at an explosive offensive night just increased tremendously. Young has scored 28 or more in each of his last three games, including a 41-point performance in a win over the Pacers. He's also nailed 13 of 32 three-pointers (40.6%) in his last three games and made over 52% of his shots in his last two. He's heating up, and with the Rockets 18th-rated defense (109.1) on tap, he could be in for a 30-point night. The Rockets allow the most fast-break points per game (16.4) in the NBA and Atlanta, much like Houston, ranks atop the league in pace factor -- with the Hawks coming in fifth (105.4) and Houston second (105.9). This game is trending towards a fast-paced game, and that favors Young and James Harden ($12,800).

Lonzo Ball ($7,400) -- Ball played lights out for the fourth-straight game in his most recent contest against the Jazz, as he recorded 21 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists. He's scored 20 or more in four-straight to average 23.7 during that span -- he also recorded one triple-double against the Rockets, and a career-high seven made three-pointers. Ball is also averaging 8 assists, 6.5 rebounds, and 4.2 three-points made over the last four games, in addition to shooting 53.6% from the field (37/69). The Bulls rank ninth in points allowed (107.2), and the Pelicans are tied-eighth with the Lakers in points per game (112.8). In Ball's last four starts, the Pelicans offense has averaged 120.7 points per game, and with the way they've been playing, you should be backing Ball and along with a few other teammates.

Shooting Guard

James Harden ($12,800) -- Harden is without Westbrook, and that means it's the James Harden solo show. He averages 63.3 fantasy points per game, the most in the NBA, and scored 35 or more points in 6 of his last 10 games. In his last game, he posted his first 40-point triple-double of the season with 44 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in a win over the 76ers. He may be in store for back-to-back 40-point nights, and possible triple-doubles as a lot of stats point towards a fast-paced game. The Rockets lead the league in three-point attempts (44.3), while Harden has attempted at least 10 three-pointers in 9 of his last 10 games. The Hawks are ninth in three-point attempts per game (35.1), and both teams are top five in pace factor. Our model projects Harden as the highest-scoring player tonight with 38.6 real-life points and 61.1 fantasy points.

Coby White ($4,300) -- This game between the Bulls and Pelicans would be much more exciting if fellow rookie Zion Williamson playing, but Coby White has turned his rookie season into a success and a bright spot for the third-youngest team in the NBA. The Bulls selected White seventh in the 2019 NBA Draft, and in his first 37 games, he's averaged 11.3 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.2 assists while shooting 37.1% from the field and 35% from deep. The Bulls just played through a rough stretch of four-straight probable playoff teams, and White scored 15 or more twice in those four games. The Pelicans are sixth in pace (105.3), and the Bulls are tied-13th (102.6), favoring a player like White who thrives off transition basketball.

Small Forward

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,500) -- Giannis is listed as questionable with a back injury that the Milwaukee Bucks have been very cautious with. Tonight's game against the Warriors on the road isn't a must-play, but if he does play, he will dominate. He's started to find his groove again, scoring 20 in four-straight, 30 in two of the last four, and 10 or more rebounds in three of four. The Warriors are 21st in defensive rating (111.4), 22nd in rebounding (43.8), and 26th in rebounding percentage, making this a prime performance for Giannis waiting to happen. If the Bucks do decide to sit the reigning MVP, then play Luka Doncic ($12,300) as the third-highest scoring fantasy player (56.3) tonight, behind Harden (61.1) and Giannis (56.8).

DeMar DeRozan ($6,800) -- I did a double-take when I saw DeRozan's value was $6,800, considering how well he's been playing. He's recorder eight-straight games of 20 or more real-life points, shot 52% or higher in all eight, and is averaging 40 fantasy points per game over that span. If he posts another 40-point fantasy night, that would be higher than the per-game averages of Zach LaVine ($8,900), Donovan Mitchell ($8,400), and Jaylen Brown ($7,400). Pairing DeRozan with Giannis or Luka Doncic would boost your lineup tremendously, rather than taking a high-risk player like Evan Fournier ($6,000) or T.J. Warren ($6,500). Our model projects DeRozan to come in slightly lower than 40 and closer to his per game average of 37.5, by scoring 21.9 points to go with 4.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists.

Power Forward

LaMarcus Aldridge ($7,300) -- Aldridge has averaged 19.4 points and 10 rebounds in his last five games and is hitting the three-ball at an insane 69.6% clip during that stretch -- making 3.2 per game on 4.6 attempts. On the season, Aldridge is averaging a career-high 45.9% from deep on 2.2 attempts. Lately, he's been feeling his shot as he's attempted 23 three-pointers over the last five games. I love his matchup against Enes Kanter ($5,600) despite the tough defensive matchup with the Boston Celtics. The C's are third in defensive rating (103.8), though the Spurs are ninth in offensive rating (110.3). Aldridge had his worst game of this season in a loss to the Celtics in November, recording three points and four rebounds in 26 minutes in San Antonio. Last season in Boston, he had 48 points and 13 rebounds in a win on March 24th, 2018. I'm not saying he will do that, but I do expect a big game from him -- our model predicts 19.9 points and 8.4 rebounds.

Brandon Ingram ($8,800) -- Ingram is coming off one of his best performances of the season on Monday, recording 35 points, 8 rebounds, and 5 assists against the Jazz. He totaled 56.5 fantasy points and had an impressive offensive performance shooting 12 for 26 (46.2%) from the field, 3 for 6 (50%) from three, and a perfect 8 for 8 (100%) from the free-throw line. He's 10th in the league in scoring (25.2) and creeping his way towards ranking top-25 in player efficiency rating (21.39, 27th). He's becoming the complete package for New Orleans. The Pelicans host the Bulls, who are struggling to find wins. Ingram played one game versus Chicago last season and finished with 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists in 40 minutes. In 2017-18, he averaged 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists in two games against Chicago. He's been stellar against the Bulls outside of his rookie campaign in 2016-17.

Center

Nikola Vucevic ($9,000) -- Vucevic posted a season-high 24 rebounds against the Nets in his last game and good news for him his opponent tonight ranks 29th in rebounding. The Wizards are going to have problems stopping Vucevic who's recorded four-straight games of 11 or more rebounds and 20 or more points in three out of those same games. Fantasy wise, he's recorded 40 or more points in eight of his last 10 games, and this is the most expensive value he's had all season at $9,000. Our model backs a big game at home for Vucevic with 20.5 points and 11.9 rebounds against the Wizards.

Clint Capela ($7,800) -- The boards are open tonight, with Westbrook out for the Rockets. Capela will battle down low with the Hawks' John Collins ($8,000). I like Capela to outscore Collins in this matchup and post his first 15-point, 15-rebound game since December 16th. Harden and Capela have chemistry in the pick and roll, so I expect Capela to be around the rim all night, whether he's cleaning up the glass or catching alley-oops. He exploded for 30 points, 14 rebounds, and 59.5 fantasy points against the 76ers on Friday. Our model projects Capela with 15.1 points and 15 rebounds tonight, backing my 15-15 prediction.

Vaughn Dalzell is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Vaughn 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.