This article is part of our FanDuel NBA series.
After giving fantasy owners a two-game taste Tuesday, the NBA returns in force Wednesday with an 11-game slate beginning at 7:00 PM Eastern time. There are plenty of options to choose from here as most of the league's players make their respective season debuts, but certain guys stand out from the pack as the best values. FanDuel's format only counts the eight highest scores in your nine-player lineup, so keep that in mind when making your selections.
POINT GUARD
Ricky Rubio, UTA at SAC ($6,600): Rubio delivers a nice mix of points, assists, steals and rebounds on most nights, and he's heading into a favorable matchup against a Kings team that could well end up being the worst in the league. There's a risk of Utah pulling away in this one and limiting his minutes, though that risk is mitigated a bit with the Jazz on the road. Rubio's capable of exploding offensively if his rickety three-point shot is falling, and he's nearly guaranteed to chip in on the other end after averaging 1.6 steals per contest last season.
Fred VanVleet, TOR vs. CLE ($3,700): VanVleet averaged 18.8 fantasy points per game last season as the leader of Toronto's bench mob, and that bench mob should see plenty of run in this one if the Raptors are able to pull away from the LeBron James-less Cavaliers as expected. You can always just drop VanVleet's score if it doesn't work out, but the diminutive point guard is capable of returning excellent bang for the buck at $3,700.
SHOOTING GUARD
Luka Doncic, DAL at PHO ($6,700): The third overall selection in the 2018 draft will be counted upon to produce from the get-go, especially with Harrison Barnes (hamstring) and Dirk Nowitzki (ankle) sidelined. Doncic is already in the upper echelon of NBA shooting guards in terms of passing ability, and his 6-foot-7 frame should help on the glass, allowing Doncic to produce more well-rounded stat lines than most players at his position. Throw in a favorable matchup against the lowly Suns, and there's little not to like in Doncic's much-anticipated NBA debut.
Caris LeVert, BKN at DET ($6,000): LeVert's growth should continue in his third NBA season after he averaged 12.1 points, 4.2 assists and 3.5 rebounds in his sophomore year. His four preseason appearances produced 14.2 PPG, 4.3 APG and 4.3 RPG in an average of 28 minutes, and LeVert often found himself with the ball in his hands to allow De'Angelo Russell to focus on shooting. Deploy LeVert with confidence against a Pistons team that's thin in talent on the wing, and there's a good chance you'll be pleasantly surprised.
SMALL FORWARD
Danilo Gallinari, LAC vs. DEN ($6,400): Injuries have robbed Gallinari of a significant portion of his career, but the lanky sharpshooter was right in line with his career averages in 21 appearances for the Clippers last season at 15.3 PPG and 4.8 RPG. He's been shooting the ball well in preseason, which bodes well for the Italian's outlook heading into this matchup against his former team. The Nuggets usually trade baskets with opponents due to a prolific offense and porous defense -- albeit one that should be improved this season -- which should allow opposing players like Gallinari to rack up points. Last season, Denver had the league's sixth-worst defense and allowed opponents to shoot a league-high 37.8 percent from deep.
Giannis Antetokounmpo, MIL at CHA ($12,000): With some questions still hovering around Kawhi Leonard's effectiveness after an extended layoff, Antetokounmpo stands head and shoulders above the alternative options at small forward, both literally and figuratively. Dropping the lowest score on your team should help owners get creative in opening up the cap space for the Greek Freak, and doing so is likely to pay off. Antetokounmpo has notably improved every season and the sky's the limit for the 23-year-old in this opener against Charlotte coming off a campaign in which he averaged 51.3 fantasy points.
POWER FORWARD
Blake Griffin, DET vs. BKN ($8,200): No team gave up more rebounds last season than the Nets (54.8 per game), so Griffin should thrive on the glass in addition to shouldering a heavy scoring load for Detroit. The biggest question mark with Griffin's has always been his health, rather than his ability, and while that's still a massive concern in season-long leagues, the risk of Griffin missing several weeks is eliminated in the context of daily fantasy. Griffin has proven to be a borderline-All-NBA-caliber player when healthy, and he averaged a career-best 6.2 assists per game for Detroit after coming over from the Clippers mid-season.
P.J. Tucker, HOU vs. NO ($4,100): With Trevor Ariza and Ryan Anderson now plying their trade in Phoenix, the versatile Tucker is primed for an uptick in usage. His ability to hit three-pointers and crash the glass should make owners happy while also allowing the Rockets to use Tucker as both a traditional small forward and a small-ball power forward. Tucker's probably the most natural fit on the Houston roster to guard New Orleans' Nikola Mirotic, so expect him to play a hefty role in the opener.
CENTER
Enes Kanter, NY vs. ATL ($7,000): Kanter was already a walking double-double, but he's likely in line for a career season, at least until Kristaps Porzingis returns from a torn ACL. The Turkish center's terrific preseason did little to dispel that notion, as his two appearances with regular minutes resulted in a 22-point, 20-rebound effort followed by a 20-point, 15-rebound, five-assist performance. In a game between two teams that don't project to be very good, Kanter should get his numbers. That could become a recurring theme for the Knicks this season.
