This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
The NBA season officially started on Tuesday, but Wednesday marks the first full slate of games with 20 teams in action. While that leaves plenty of options when creating your FanDuel lineup, it can also lead to some agony sifting through all of the options. Here are some of the better value plays to consider while compiling your entry.
Guards
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL vs CHA ($9,400): While he played some point guard in the second half of last season, the point Giannis era is officially underway this season. He provided excellent all around value last year with averages of 16.9 points, 7.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.4 blocks in 35 minutes per game. He could be a nightly triple-double threat and I expect him to start the season off in a big way against the Hornets.
D'Angelo Russell, LAL vs HOU ($6,500): All aboard the Russell hype train! He has received a ton of praise this offseason and has had some monster performances in the preseason already. New Lakers coach Luke Walton is unleashing Russell and he is primed for a big season. To make this even better Wednesday, he gets to play against a Rockets squad that's expected to be among the worst in the league, defensively. Get Russell in your lineup -- he won't stay at this low of a price for long.
Eric Gordon, HOU at LAL ($5,200): Gordon has always had a ton of scoring ability, but his issue is staying healthy. The beauty of DFS is that we know he's healthy heading into Wednesday. He will be the starting shooting guard to open the season with Patrick Beverley (knee) injured. This game projects to be a high-scoring affair, so I like Gordon's chances to out-produce his price tag.
Forwards
Paul George, IND vs DAL ($9,500): George had a huge season for the Pacers last year as he averaged 23.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.9 steals and 2.6 three-pointers per game. His ability to stuff the stat sheet in multiple categories makes him one of the safer expensive plays in DFS, so I'd roll with him Wednesday if you are looking to spend big bucks on a forward.
Ryan Anderson, HOU at LAL ($6,800): Anderson is going to play a huge role for the Rockets this season as his ability to stretch the floor fits perfectly into the style of offense they want to play. Like Gordon, his biggest problem has been staying healthy, but he's at full strength heading into this contest and is primed for a big performance in what should be a three-point-heavy offense.
Mirza Teletovic, MIL vs CHA ($4,000): If you want to go really cheap at forward, I'd take a shot on Teletovic. The Bucks desperately need outside shooting, an area in which he excels, as he averaged 2.3 three-pointers in only 21 minutes per game last season. It's unclear whether Teletovic will start or come off the bench this season, but either way he'll provide value as a volume three-point shooter.
Centers
Karl-Anthony Towns, MIN at MEM ($8,800): Towns had an all-time great rookie season as he averaged 18.3 points, 10.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.7 blocks per game. He's going to play a ton of minutes this season and should be a threat to score at least 20 points and grab at least 10 rebounds on a nightly basis. To top it all off, Memphis center Marc Gasol will likely be on a minutes restriction Wednesday, so all signs point to a big performance from Towns in this game.
Myles Turner, IND vs DAL ($6,400): Turner is primed for a breakout campaign after averaging 10.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in only 23 minutes per game last season. Look for him to step into an expanded role this season with Ian Mahinmi now in Washington. Turner presents a nice mid-tier option Wednesday.
Jusuf Nurkic, DEN at NO ($4,600): Nurkic has played his way into the starting lineup for the Nuggets with an excellent all-around preseason. Although he only averaged 17 minutes per game last season, he was still able to post averages of 8.2 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. He should approach 25 to 30 minutes Wednesday, making him a really intriguing option at this discounted price.
