ESPN’s fantasy basketball daily cheat sheet is your pregame destination before you set your lineups for that night’s games. Here you’ll read our best advice for the night, including a selection of players you can stream as well as game-by-game injury reports.
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Top streamers | Best bets | DFS picks | Odds & Injury report
The NBA just finished off an amazing in-season tournament, with the championship game of the NBA Cup living up to billing. The New York Knicks stepped up big, late, and showed that they are preparing to compete on the big stage this season. Outstanding stuff.
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But the other side of the coin is that the NBA had to adjust its regular-season schedule to fit in the tournament. Part of the upshot is tonight’s sparse NBA schedule. There are only two games Wednesday, typically one of the busiest days of the NBA week. And since Tuesday’s NBA Cup championship didn’t officially count as a regular-season game, these two games will be only the sixth and seventh of the week. Which means they will count a bit more than the typical games when it comes to your fantasy teams.
Both games are at 8 p.m. ET, and have high-scoring upside. Per DraftKings, the total for the Memphis Grizzlies at the Minnesota Timberwolves is 230.5 points, while for the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Chicago Bulls it’s a whopping 241.5 points. Plenty of fantasy and betting ramifications in games with this many potential points available.
So, without further ado, let’s get to it. As always, we’ll dig further into the action to identify some fantasy hoops streamers, betting angles and DFS prospects of interest for this Wednesday night’s games.
Wednesday’s fantasy stream team
Kevin Huerter, SG/SF, Chicago Bulls (Rostered in 9.7% of ESPN leagues): Huerter has been a solid shooter/scorer role player for the Bulls all season. He missed four games in the last couple weeks with an adductor injury, but he returned Sunday with 16 points, a season-high four steals and four 3-pointers in 24 minutes off the bench.
Vince Williams Jr., SG/PG, Memphis Grizzlies (2.5%): Williams’ role shrunk with the recent return of Ja Morant that sent him back to the bench, and he has since been splitting backup guard minutes with Cam Spencer. But Morant is questionable Wednesday with an ankle injury and Spencer is out for personal reasons, meaning Williams could see more time. In the last 11 games in which he played at least 20 minutes, Williams averaged 9.4 PPG, 7.8 APG, 5.5 RPG, 1.4 3PG and 1.1 SPG in 26.4 MPG.
Editor’s Picks
1 Related
Jaylon Tyson, SG, Cleveland Cavaliers (26.5%): Tyson has maintained a steady role for the Cavaliers this season, taking advantage of extra opportunities with starting players missing time. He has scored in double figures in seven straight games and boasts an impressive stat line over that stretch of 17.4 PPG, 8.4 RPG and 2.3 3PG in 33.0 MPG.
Dre’s bets for Wednesday
Julius Randle OVER 22.5 points (-122): Randle’s scoring is up several points from last season, from 18.7 PPG to 23.1 PPG. But he steps up even more when Anthony Edwards is sidelined. Edwards has missed the last two games with a foot injury and is questionable to play Wednesday. Randle has scored 21 or more points in five straight, averaging 24.8 PPG in that stretch, including 24 and 27 points in the two games without Edwards.
Jaylon Tyson OVER 13.5 points (-107): This season, the Bulls are solid defensively in the backcourt (top 10 fewest points allowed to both opposing point guards and shooting guards), but they are friendlier to opposing forwards (fourth-most points allowed to both small forwards and power forwards). I thought to take the over on starting small forward De’Andre Hunter’s 15.5 point line here, because he torched the Bulls for 29 points the last time they played, but Hunter has been in an extended slump and hasn’t topped this line since November. Tyson, on the other hand, will also get starter-level minutes in the Cavs’ frontcourt with Evan Mobley out and has topped 13.5 points in five of his past seven games.
Top Daily Fantasy values of the day
$8,100+ salaries
Donovan Mitchell, PG, Cleveland Cavaliers ($9,800): On a sparse night, Mitchell is a healthy option who dropped 49 fantasy points the last time he saw this opponent. He also could be in for a bounce-back after a down effort last game broke his streak of seven straight games between 43 and 65.5 fantasy points.
Julius Randle, PF, Minnesota Timberwolves ($9,000): This rec is heightened if Anthony Edwards (questionable, foot) sits. In his last two games without Edwards, Randle has dropped 46.8 and 49 fantasy points.
$6,100-$8,000 salaries
Jaren Jackson Jr., PF/C, Memphis Grizzlies ($7,700): Upside on a sparse slate. Jackson can be boom or bust, but with Zach Edey and Cam Spencer out and Ja Morant questionable, Jackson could be in for a larger role. There is risk, though. Jackson scored a season-high 57 fantasy points in his last outing, but he’s only five games removed from his lowest game of 19 fantasy points.
$3,500-$6,000 salaries
Vince Williams Jr., PG, Memphis Grizzlies ($4,900): Williams could be in for starter minutes and production with Morant questionable and Spencer sidelined.
Dean Wade, PF, Cleveland Cavaliers ($4,100): Wade is starting with Evan Mobley sidelined, and in his last start on Sunday he scored 14 points with eight assists for 30.5 fantasy points.
Projections and injury reports
Basketball Power Index by ESPN Analytics. Injury aggregation by Rotowire.com. Odds provided by DraftKings Sportsbook
Cleveland Cavaliers at Chicago Bulls
8 p.m. ET
Line: Cavaliers -4.5 (-118) | Bulls +4.5 (-102)
Money line: Cavaliers -198 | Bulls +164
Total: 241.5 (-112 O, -108 U)
BPI Projection: Cavaliers by 7.4, straight up 70%, 244.3 total points.
Injury Report:
Cavaliers: Luke Travers, (GTD – Hamstring); Larry Nance Jr., (OUT – Calf); Max Strus, (OUT – Foot); Sam Merrill, (OUT – Hand); Evan Mobley, (OUT – Calf)
Bulls: Lachlan Olbrich, (GTD – Quadriceps)
Memphis Grizzlies at Minnesota Timberwolves
8 p.m. ET
Line: Grizzlies +7.5 (-110) | Timberwolves -7.5 (-110)
Money line: Grizzlies +235 | Timberwolves -290
Total: 230.5 (-115 O, -105 U)
BPI Projection: Timberwolves by 7.5, straight up 71%, 233.6 total points.
Injury Report:
Grizzlies: John Konchar, (OUT – Thumb); Javon Small, (OUT – Toe); Zach Edey, (OUT – Ankle); Scotty Pippen Jr., (OUT – Toe); Ty Jerome, (OUT – Calf); , (GTD – Knee); Ja Morant, (GTD – Ankle); Cam Spencer, (OUT – Personal)
Timberwolves: Anthony Edwards, (GTD – Foot); Mike Conley, (OUT – Achilles)
