This article is part of our FantasyDraft NBA series.
After a Tuesday slate with some surprises and key injuries, Wednesday brings us a six-game ledger that has a trio of players priced over $20K and enough appealing mid-tier and value plays to make balanced lineup construction feasible. Without further ado, let's see who's got a bullish outlook at each price level:
GUARDS:
Premium Option
James Harden, HOU at MIA ($21,000): Harden just lit up the Nets for 51.50 fantasy points on Tuesday, and he'll be poised to make it back-to-back explosive outings Wednesday. The Heat have allowed the most fantasy points (50.0) to shooting guards on the campaign -- along with the most points (28.0) and rebounds (8.0) -- as well as the third-highest shooting percentage (44.0). The Beard has also been even more aggressive than usual in recent contests, averaging 22 shot attempts and posting a 32.9 percent usage rate over the last five games.
Mid-Tier
Donovan Mitchell, UTA at MEM ($13,500): His shocking two-point outing against the Pelicans on Monday notwithstanding, Mitchell has been outstanding in his rookie campaign and has often outpaced his current price. He'd just exploded for 61.75 fantasy points against the Suns in the game prior to his outlier, and he'd scored over 30 fantasy points in 14 of the 15 previous contests as well. Moreover, the Grizzlies have allowed a robust 46.1 fantasy points to two-guards on the season, along with the most made three-pointers (3.8). Meanwhile, Mitchell is draining a blistering 48.3 percent of his shots from distance over the last five contests, while the Grizzlies are giving up the fifth-highest percentage of points from three-pointers (32.3) at home.
Affordable
Joe Harris, BKN at DET ($8,000): Caris LeVert is likely to miss Wednesday's contest with the concussion he sustained after a hard screen from Nene Hilario on Tuesday, while Rondae Hollis-Jefferson (groin) could sit out again as well. An absence by the former would spell extra minutes for Harris at a minimum, and if RHJ also sits, Harris could once again find himself starting at small forward while DeMarre Carroll slides over to the four. He'll particularly find himself in a favorable spot in the latter scenario, considering the Pistons have allowed the second-most fantasy points (44.5) to small forwards on the season, including the most (63.7) over the last five. They've also yielded the most made three-pointers to threes on the season (3.0), and despite some recent struggles from distance, Harris has still drained an impressive 47.1 percent of his attempts from three-point range over the last 10.
FORWARDS/CENTERS:
Premium
Anthony Davis, NO vs. IND ($21,200): Davis has been holding down center duties since DeMarcus Cousins' season-ending Achilles injury, and he's scored 56.25 to 64.00 fantasy points in four of the five contests that Cousins has missed thus far. The Pacers set up as tantalizing targets, considering they've yielded the second-most fantasy points (37.1) to centers on the season, including 44.3 over the last five contests. Moreover, Davis already trampled them for 37 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, two blocks and one steal in his one previous meeting against them, and Indiana is also surrendering the sixth-most points in the paint (48.1) on the road this season, an area of the floor where 53.7 percent of Davis' scoring emanates from.
Mid-Tier
Blake Griffin, DET vs. BKN ($16,300): Griffin and Motown have proven to be a terrific match, as he's scored 38.75 to 50.00 fantasy points in the three games he's played in a Pistons uniform thus far. He's encouragingly still taking a robust 17.0 shot attempts per contest during that span, and despite playing next to Andre Drummond, is averaging 9.3 rebounds -- a nice bump over his 8.1 seasonal figure. The Nets set up nicely for fantasy purposes as well, as they've allowed 44.3 fantasy points to power forwards on the campaign – including 47.0 over the last five -- along with the third-highest shooting percentage (49.0). Additionally, Griffin has scored no fewer than 36.00 fantasy points and as many as 67.75 fantasy points over the last 10 contests, averaging 23.1 points while shooting 46.4 percent.
Affordable
Stanley Johnson, DET vs. BKN ($9,000): Johnson is in a favorable spot in his own right against Brooklyn, considering the Nets' season-long struggles versus threes and his own recent performances. The Nets have allowed 41.9 fantasy points per contest to small forwards on the campaign, including the fourth most (50.9) over the last 10. Johnson has scored 22.00 to 50.50 fantasy points in seven of the last eight games, and he's averaged a solid 15.0 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals across his last five contests. Given his highly reasonable price, he presents as a low-risk tournament option with nice upside.
UTILITY
Jimmy Butler, MIN at CLE ($17,300): The Cavaliers have been unable to stop anyone recently, but they've particularly had trouble against shooting guards throughout the season. The Cavaliers have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points (47.1) to twos on the campaign, along with the third-most made three-pointers (3.6). Meanwhile, Butler is now averaging 40.84 fantasy points after eclipsing the 40-fantasy-point mark in three games and 50 fantasy points in another instance over his last five contests, a stretch during which he's sporting a 29.0 percent usage rate while averaging 1.24 points per possession and 1.22 fantasy points per minute.
Domantas Sabonis, IND at NO ($10,500): Sabonis has seen some fluctuations in his production recently, but he's still scored at least 21.50 fantasy points in seven of his last eight games. His overall usage has gone done somewhat with Myles Turner's return to the lineup, but the second-year big is still seeing over 20 minutes on the majority of nights. He'll be in a solid position to generate one of his better performances Wednesday, considering the Pelicans frontcourt has been vulnerable to both power forwards and centers all season. They've been even more penetrable as of late, as they're tied with the Cavs for most points in the paint allowed over the last three (55.3), while Sabonis has scored 65.3 percent of his points in that area of the floor.
