As part of ESPN Fantasy's efforts to provide daily fantasy gamers intel on whom to target in DFS, our fantasy basketball experts are here to show you which players they are building their teams around and which sleepers they are taking fliers on. Today's panel features picks from Joe Kaiser, Renee Miller, Cynthia Frelund and Dailyfantasybootcamp.com's Al Zeidenfeld.
Building block
Joe Kaiser: Stephen Curry, PG, Golden State Warriors
Curry is a superstar because of his ability to bring his best every night, but he still manages to take his game to a different level in the big games like Wednesday's against the archrival Clippers. He has averaged 31.3 points, 6.3 rebounds, 5.7 assists and 2.3 steals in three games against the Clips this season and will have the rowdy Oracle home crowd behind him. Pay up for the reigning MVP.
Renee Miller: LeBron James, SF, Cleveland Cavaliers
Despite the 12-game slate on tap for Wednesday night, you might find it difficult to spend up confidently for a stud other than James. Coming off a triple-double Monday night vs. Denver shows The King is still playing hard, though it was by far his best fantasy night since the first week of March. He should have the chance to creep into the 50-plus-fantasy-point range again Wednesday, as the Bucks have been a top-10 matchup for opposing small forwards this season. Over the past two seasons, James has averaged about five fantasy points more when facing Milwaukee.
Cynthia Frelund: Omri Casspi, SF, Sacramento Kings
Kings at Timberwolves has the second-highest total on the night, and DeMarcus Cousins is listed as questionable. In other words, put Casspi on your low-cost radar, especially on DraftKings. This month, he's averaged 22.8 MPG, 4.6 RPG and 11.6 PPG, all of which he could exceed Wednesday against the Timberwolves' below-average defense (Note: The Wolves are above-average on the season vs. power forwards).
Dailyfantasybootcamp.com's Al Zeidenfeld: Karl-Anthony Towns, C, Minnesota Timberwolves
There are a lot of reasons to like KAT: double-doubles in five straight games and six of his past seven, a floor of 30 fantasy points over that span, a great matchup vs. the Kings and an implied team total of 113 in a game against the Kings that should be competitive to the end. All of that and he comes in at a price that's $2,000 less than the other superstars on the slate, which leaves him with room for profit on the salary.
Sleeper pick
Joe Kaiser: Alex Len, PF/C, Phoenix Suns
The Suns are playing the team with the worst defense in the NBA -- the Lakers -- and could be without starting center Tyson Chandler, who is questionable with a back injury. Len has been a bit shaky in the four games since his 26-point, 13-rebound performance against Golden State, and that should keep his ownership low on a night when his salary is reasonable and his ceiling is high.
Renee Miller: Damian Lillard, PG, Portland Trail Blazers
In a rematch of Sunday's overtime loss for the Trail Blazers, many eyes may be on Deron Williams, who had a stellar night with Chandler Parsons out. I highly doubt that a repeat performance is on tap from the Dallas guard, but I love Lillard to shock the Mavericks with one of his infrequent but dazzling games. Dallas has loosened up a bit over the past couple of weeks, making their way to the top two in fantasy points allowed to point guards (FanDuel scoring) over that span. With almost all of the top guys in play, I suspect Lillard might have the lowest ownership but highest upside among point guards on Wednesday.
Cynthia Frelund: John Wall, PG, Washington Wizards
The Hawks play at the Wizards on Wednesday in a game in which sportsbooks project 209 total points and the home team a one-point favorite, suggesting a close game or even overtime. There are lots of great point guard options on the slate (Clippers at Warriors has more than 225 total points projected, so there's that), and the Hawks are very good at defending opposing point guards on the season. But Wall isn't just any guard and, especially on DraftKings, where he's only $9,600, I like his chances to deliver. Over his past 10 games, the former Kentucky Wildcat has averaged 36.1 MPG, 6.1 RPG, 11.2 APG and 21.6 PPG.
Dailyfantasybootcamp.com's Al Zeidenfeld: Shelvin Mack, PG, Utah Jazz
Mack has been one of the hottest players in terms of daily fantasy, providing profit on his salary for seven straight games. As a result, he's also seen a price increase of nearly 50 percent from where he sat just seven games ago. So a lot of people are going to be uncomfortable playing him at his new price out of fear that he's not going to be able to replicate those recent performances, especially on a slate as large as this one. To me, this is the perfect spot for Mack to hit for more than 30 fantasy points, with the chance to reach into the 40s, because of both opportunity and the uptick in pace against the Rockets. If he's going to be low-owned, this is a perfect opportunity to take advantage of a high-floor player in tournaments.