Wednesday marks the middle of the work week with an eight-game featured-slate, beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET on DraftKings and FanDuel. With a slate packed with pivotal decision points, it’s the perfect time to spotlight the top NBA DFS building blocks and picks for the day. Let’s break down Wednesday’s standout plays, including Tyrese Maxey and the rest of the ambulatory 76ers, plus the Bulls’ backcourt in Indiana against the Pacers. Plus Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama are doing battle in Milwaukee., and some of their teammates and opponents.
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NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Wednesday, Jan. 8
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NBA DFS Picks Today: Building Blocks
Tyrese Maxey: 76ers at Wizards
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 55.36 | FanDuel: 54.26
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 81.6% | FanDuel: 89.3%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $8,900 | FanDuel: $8,900
Joel Embiid (foot) is missing a second-consecutive game and Paul George (knee) is out as well. Philadelphia next plays on Friday, so why not give their veteran stars a night off against a team that plans on losing.
By the time everything is said and done, Tyrese Maxey is likely to land on 90% of all DFS rosters on the main sites tonight.
The 24-year-old is essentially replicating his stat line from last year, which earned him his first All-Star Game appearance. His rebounds, assists and scoring are down slightly, but he has doubled his steals to two per game, which evens things out. Penciling in Maxy for 50 fantasy points whenever Embiid is out, surprisingly is a realistic baseline.
Washington has the second-worst defensive efficiency rating on the season (118.0) and they are in the bottom four (116.3) over the last 10 games. The team is playing at a top-five pace, which means ample fantasy points for opposing squads.
Tonight the Wizards are without Jordan Poole, Malcolm Brogdon and Johnny Davis, with Kyle Kuzma doubtful after reinjuring his calf last night. Rookies Alex Sarr (illness) and Carlton Carrington III (back) are questionable, as are the Wizards motivations for winning games this season.
In addition to Embiid and George, Kyle Lowry (hip) and KJ Martin (foot) are out, while avocado aficionado Andre Drummond (toe) is questionable. That leaves Guershon Yabusele, Caleb Martin and Kelly “Remember Me?!” Oubre in line for some serious opportunities, with the Philadelphia quartet being among the six-most popular players on both DraftKings and FanDuel tonight.
If Sarr is out, then Jonas Valanciunas should see enough minutes to be relevant and this is a good time for Washington to showcase him for a trade. Bilal Coulibaly is a wild card, while Kyshawn George would get a bump Carrington sits. If both are out, along with Kuzma, then Justin Champagnie would be a borderline tournament target.
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Naji Marshall: Mavericks vs. Lakers
NBA DFS Projections
DraftKings: 25.96 | FanDuel: 25.23
NBA DFS Ownership Projections
DraftKings: 30.3% | FanDuel: 52.1%
DFS Salary
DraftKings: $4,600 | FanDuel: $4,400
Ayo Dosunmu is going to miss a seventh-consecutive game, which means we should see more of the same from Zach LaVine and Coby White. Especially with the mediocre Indiana defense potentially without Myles Turner (illness).
In his last five games without Dosunmu, LaVine has put the hammer down with 30.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.4 combined blocks and steals with a 55.3% success rate from the field, with an eye-popping 51.5% conversion rate from 3-point range. Chicago needs to trade him for something, before his next injury.
White has played in all six game without Dosunmu, averaging 23.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 1.4 “stocks” in 35.0 minutes of run, while knocking down 50.5% of his shots, including 44.7% of his treys.
Nikola Vucevic is a solid option, though there are plenty of centers who are as good or better from a fantasy points per dollar perspective. Plus gamers are going to want to try to work in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Victor Wembanyama as they meet up in Milwaukee tonight.
If Turner is out, Pascal Siakam is a tournament target, with his ability fill the box score, while Bennedict Mathurin would elevate to secondary tournament target status. Tyrese Haliburton (ankle) is questionable, though even when he is out, veteran T.J. McConnell usually stays in his standard role off the bench.
Today’s Top Sports Betting Pick
Keon Johnson has made multiple 3-pointers in six of his last nine starts, but the under on his 2.5 made 3-pointers prop is in play.
The screenshot of Portfolio EV shows that this wager projects to win 63% of the time. With the -148 odds, that leads to a surprising 5.4% expected value when accounting for the -169 “True Odds.”
SugarHouse, BetRivers and Unibet are the operators offering -148 which exceeds the True Odds of -169 and the -162 (or worse) that most other books are offering. We can also see by the red down arrows, this wager is falling back to the pack, so act quickly.
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Stokastic’s Advanced NBA Statistical Projections have Johnson projected for 31.9 minutes and 2.38 made 3-pointers. Across his last nine starts, he has made two triples four times, with three twice. He is averaging 6.7 attempts, but has been off the mark with only a 28.3% conversion rate. The Nets are shorthanded, but even with more players, Johnson has still averaged 31.4 minutes per game over the last nine, so there is not a lot of room for him to go much higher.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
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