Preseason Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks For Wednesday, 10/12

The New Orleans Pelicans and Houston Rockets already got Wednesday’s preseason daily fantasy basketball slate going early this morning, with star big man Anthony Davis providing headline news with yet another injury.

Luckily NBA DFS fans couldn’t even pick players from that contest, so they didn’t have to get burned by The Brow or anyone else who ended up being a total spare.

Instead, we can all focus on tonight’s four-game slate, which gets started with the Spurs and Magic facing off in Orlando at 7 pm ET. Let’s break down all four games and see which players we’ll want to target in daily fantasy basketball preseason leagues at DraftKings:

Spurs @ Magic

Last road preseason game tonight in Orlando. #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/ZBgHHnD8wO

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) October 12, 2016

This could be a great spot to point out that NBA DFS preseason is no longer in an area where you need to chase scrubs who you think need to prove themselves or might get big minutes. Teams are regularly playing their top guys well over 20 minutes as they prepare for the new year, and that type of run might even grow for the next week or so.

The only time we need to take those calculated dives is when we hear a bench guy is for sure getting serious run or when a stud is sat out for rest.

This game is actually a good spot to be aware of that possibility, as the Spurs have not forced their stars onto the floor for major run. Because of that, all of their main guys are going to be slight risks, unless we somehow hear differently.

The one guy in San Antonio that has gotten run and/or has produced with limited minutes is really Kawhi Leonard. You can safely use him as long as he’s active, but just know that Tony Parker, LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol carry extra risk as random inactives or being more limited.

For Orlando, we can expect their main guys to play a good amount. Guys like Nikola Vucevic and Evan Fournier have already been awesome in good run during the preseason, but only just now are the Magic getting Elfrid Payton, Aaron Gordon and Serge Ibaka back in the starting lineup:

Magic starters tonight: Payton, Fournier, Gordon, Ibaka & Vucevic.

— Josh Robbins (@JoshuaBRobbins) October 12, 2016

Head coach Frank Vogel said those three would play “a lot” as they try to get up to speed with the new offense and get their chemistry going with their teammates. A date with the Spurs isn’t ideal for any of these guys, but guaranteed run in the preseason isn’t to be scoffed at.

Top players to target:

• Kawhi Leonard – Spurs ($8.4k)
• Elfrid Payton – Magic ($5.5k)
• Aaron Gordon – Magic ($6.2k)
• Serge Ibaka – Magic ($5.9k)

Kawhi Leonard is the cheapest stud SF on this slate, so he’s our play there if you want to pay up. Keep in mind there is a ton of value tonight at SF, though, so if you want to save you can fade the high-end SFs and put together a more balanced squad.

Bucks @ Pacers

Milwaukee heads to Indiana to face the Pacers tonight and it’s possible we could see a lot more of Glenn Robinson III tonight. The former Wolverine has been slaying lately, dropping 17 points in each of his last two games.

Robinson drew the start last game with Paul George resting, and that looks to be the case again tonight with George doubtful with an illness. George reportedly has been sick since Monday and still may not be 100%, so it’s not looking great that he suits up. C.J. Miles is also questionable with a sore knee:

Injury Report (Pacers)

C.J. Miles – questionable (sore left knee) Paul George – doubtful (illness)

Injury Report (Bucks)

None

— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) October 12, 2016

Obviously if both of these guys are out, we can feel better about all Indiana wing players and scorers. Robinson benefits the most, while guys like Monta Ellis and Rodney Stuckey could see some extra run.

Glenn Robinson III is expected to start tonight in place of the sick Paul George. This will be George’s second consecutive missed game.

— Grant Afseth (@GrantAfseth) October 12, 2016

With George out, other key starters like Jeff Teague and Thaddeus Young are also in play. Both have looked good since joining the Pacers and it’s understandable to think Indy wants to keep building their confidence.

While George likely sitting this one out opens things up for other Pacers players, it might not mean as much for the center position. With Myles Turner back, Al Jefferson shouldn’t see a ton of run, while Turner is also capped at 15-20 minutes. Both could be OK, but neither are overly attractive options tonight.

For the Bucks, pretty much everyone is fair game, as Milwaukee tries to mesh guys together. Not having Khris Middleton (hamstring) is really going to hurt their offense, so they need to keep looking for ways to get Giannis Antetokounmpo and Jabari Parker good looks.

Milwaukee doesn’t have any glaring injuries, but Michael Carter-Williams was sick on Monday and missed practice. He might be a guy to avoid, while his potential absence could open up minutes for Matthew Dellavedova and other guards. Milwaukee’s guards aren’t very attractive, though, so this should instead shift our focus to their forwards. Greg Monroe continues to be their strongest force off the bench, and we’d probably refrain from testing out their shooting guard situation.

Top players to target:

• Glenn Robinson III – Pacers ($4.8k)
• Jeff Teague – Pacers ($6.8k)
• Monta Ellis – Pacers ($5k)
• Thaddeus Young – Pacers ($6.7k)
• Matthew Dellavedova – Bucks ($4.9k)
• Giannis Antetokounmpo – Bucks ($8.9k)
• Jabari Parker – Bucks ($6.6k)
• Greg Monroe – Bucks ($5.9k)

Obviously there are a lot of guys to consider here, and they’re all in play, but our top target is Robinson, who will start again and has been great. Right behind him is Jabari, who is getting run and poured in 21 points in his last game.

Nuggets @ Timberwolves

This is probably the best game to target players from tonight, as both of these teams are stacked with talent, push the pace and can flat out score the ball.

At the moment there do not seem to be any injuries or crazy inactives, but the Nuggets did surprise us not too long ago by resting both Danilo Gallinari and Kenneth Faried. If you’re exposing yourself to these guys a ton tonight, be sure to stay up to date with the latest roster news.

Aside from that concern, this game should be a lot of fun and it’s worth noting Emmanuel Mudiay got absolutely torched by D’Angelo Russell in his last game (33 points). This Denver defense in general isn’t very good, so the Wolves should have little trouble putting the ball in the bucket.

All of their starters are in play, but Zach LaVine went nuts in his last game and is still a really good price at DK. He’s undeniably one of the top value picks on this slate. Andrew Wiggins is also a good price, while Karl-Anthony Towns can be a total monster even in limited minutes.

For the Nuggets, it’s hard not to love all of their main guys. Emmanuel Mudiay and Danilo Gallinari have immense upside, yet both remain priced under $6k at DraftKings tonight. Big men Nikola Jokic and Jusuf Nurkic have seen their price tags climb considerably, but Nurkis is still eating people’s lunches and remains a top play:

Beastin’ 💪💪💪#Nuggets pic.twitter.com/LS181AMuxx

— Denver Nuggets (@nuggets) October 8, 2016

Then again, perhaps we should tread lightly there, since Nurkic is facing a Minnesota team with two solid defensive presences in Gorgui Dieng and KAT. I’m not scared away, but certainly am noting it.

I also like Jamal Murray in Denver, as Gary Harris is on the shelf still and he keeps getting run in the preseason. That may not necessarily lead to a big role as a rookie, but the kid is versatile and has looked pretty good. Another strong game tonight wouldn’t be shocking.

Top players to target:

• Emmanuel Mudiay – Nuggets ($5.8k)
• Jamal Murray – Nuggets ($5k)
• Danilo Gallinari – Nuggets ($5.9k)
• Jusuf Nurkic – Nuggets ($7.2k)
• Zach LaVine – Wolves ($5.7k)
• Andrew Wiggins – Wolves ($6.1k)
• KAT – Wolves ($8.2k)

Mudiay, Gallo and LaVine are awesome values tonight and if you want to save somewhere, they’re good places to start. Nurkic has a bloated salary but he’s been dominating and just might be worth it. It will be interesting to see who goes higher owned between him and KAT, but KAT is a good $1k more expensive and was a dud his last time out (15 fantasy points).

Suns @ Jazz

Our last game of the night could go either way, as the Suns could force the Jazz to run and we get a fun, up and down game, or the Jazz flex their defensive muscle here and make this one tough to watch.

It’s anyone’s guess, but first thing’s first, let’s remember that Gordon Hayward (hand) is out for this one. That led to a little more run for Joe Johnson in Utah’s last game and is also causing Rodney Hood to be more aggressive (17 points last game). Both guys could be active and productive in this one.

Derrick Favors (knee) didn’t even travel to Utah’s last game and could sit this one out, too. At the time we write this, there isn’t an official word, so be sure to check up on his status. If he’s out, Trey Lyles is again a sound value play and center Rudy Gobert could again be a monster down low (21 points last time he faced the Suns).

Utah still has a very deep point guard rotation and while all of their guys are capable of putting up some numbers, it just isn’t a situation to target. I’d rather take a dive with Mudiay, Payton or even Ricky Rubio ahead of this mess.

The Suns do not have an easy matchup against the Jazz in Utah, but if you recall, we had this same exact matchup already during the preseason. Devin Booker was solid and Brandon Knight (17 points) also shined. I would expect a better outing from Devin, who has stepped up as the face and star of this team.

Eric Bledsoe and Knight are obviously worth a look, but Bleddy has not been great thus far and Knight is a little tough to gauge coming off the bench. The Suns have handed strong run to rookie big man Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss in all of their preseason games. Bender isn’t ready to produce, but Chriss can be a lot of fun with rebounds, blocks and flashy dunks.

Of course, you needn’t take such great dives tonight with a lot of good big men to choose from.

Top players to target:

• Rodney Hood – Jazz ($5.6k)
• Devin Booker – Suns ($7.4k)
• Trey Lyles – Jazz ($5.7k)
• Rudy Gobert – Jazz ($6.8k)

Hood has been ruled out for tonight. Joe Ingles and Joe Johnson should get a little more run.