NBA Wednesday Early Draftstars DFS Preview and Projections for January 1, 2025
Last updated: Dec 31, 2024, 7:57PM | Published: Dec 31, 2024, 7:57AM
Draftstars Australia's NBA Wednesday Early DFS contest commences at 7:00am AEDT on January 1, 2025, and Fantasy Insider has crunched the numbers for each player on the slate to help you build winning line-ups.
A reliable Draftstars cheat sheet is crucial for NBA fantasy players. This DFS preview is designed to help you assemble your fantasy teams for Draftstars' NBA contests and enhance your season-long fantasy line-ups on January 1 and beyond.
Featured NBA Games
Draftstars' NBA Wednesday Early slate includes these games:
- Indiana Pacers vs Milwaukee Bucks
- Boston Celtics vs Toronto Raptors
Fantasy Insider, renowned for its world-class DFS tools and projections since 2015, uses the same machine learning models as Stats Insider to deliver some of the best DFS projections in the world.
With the best NBA fantasy insights and DFS strategies from Fantasy Insider, you're set to win in more NBA fantasy contests.
Cheat Sheet and Projections
We have reviewed every player from every team to help you find the best picks on Wednesday's slate.
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL, PF/C) | $22,960 | 64.7 | 2.8 |
| Value | Jamal Shead (TOR, PG) | $7,370 | 27.2 | 3.7 |
| Fade | Jakob Poeltl (TOR, C) | $14,320 | 30.7 | 2.1 |
| Cheapie | Al Horford (BOS, C) | $8,650 | 30.6 | 3.5 |
According to Fantasy Insider's DFS model, our "stud" is the highest projected scorer across the slate, while "value" picks provide the most "bang for your buck," meaning they're expected to perform well relative to their salary.
Conversely, a "fade" is a player considered to offer lower value for money, based on their expected score relative to their salary. For budget-conscious strategies, "cheapie" options highlight the best value players at lower price points not already mentioned.
In fantasy sports, understanding value—assessing a player's potential output against their salary—is crucial, as players scoring high relative to their cost are key in crafting the optimal line-up.
The "Pts/$1K" metric shows the predicted points for every $1,000 of a player's salary. A higher number indicates better value, making it easier to spot players who could outperform their cost.
Positional Breakdown
PG (Point Guard)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Tyrese Haliburton (IND) | $15,520 | 45.9 | 3 |
| Value | Jamal Shead (TOR) | $7,370 | 27.2 | 3.7 |
| Fade | Scottie Barnes (TOR) | $17,110 | 37.6 | 2.2 |
| Cheapie | T.J. McConnell (IND) | $8,700 | 22.3 | 2.6 |
SG (Shooting Guard)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Jaylen Brown (BOS) | $17,560 | 45.1 | 2.6 |
| Value | Khris Middleton (MIL) | $12,150 | 33.9 | 2.8 |
| Fade | Andrew Nembhard (IND) | $12,020 | 28.1 | 2.3 |
| Cheapie | Ja'Kobe Walter (TOR) | $7,250 | 19.4 | 2.7 |
SF (Small Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Jayson Tatum (BOS) | $22,280 | 56.1 | 2.5 |
| Value | Khris Middleton (MIL) | $12,150 | 33.9 | 2.8 |
| Fade | Scottie Barnes (TOR) | $17,110 | 37.6 | 2.2 |
| Cheapie | Sam Hauser (BOS) | $6,240 | 16.9 | 2.7 |
PF (Power Forward)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL) | $22,960 | 64.7 | 2.8 |
| Value | Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL) | $22,960 | 64.7 | 2.8 |
| Fade | Bobby Portis (MIL) | $14,820 | 32.1 | 2.2 |
| Cheapie | Sam Hauser (BOS) | $6,240 | 16.9 | 2.7 |
C (Center)
| Selection | Player | Salary | Proj. Pts | Pts/$1K |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stud | Giannis Antetokounmpo (MIL) | $22,960 | 64.7 | 2.8 |
| Value | Al Horford (BOS) | $8,650 | 30.6 | 3.5 |
| Fade | Jakob Poeltl (TOR) | $14,320 | 30.7 | 2.1 |
| Cheapie | Luke Kornet (BOS) | $6,020 | 17.5 | 2.9 |
Conclusion
When building your NBA Wednesday Early teams, consider starting with a value player like Jamal Shead. To secure one of the highest projected scorers, Giannis Antetokounmpo is a strong option. If you're seeking budget-friendly choices to free up salary cap for more studs, explore our cheapie options, including Al Horford.
On the other hand, according to our model, Jakob Poeltl is one of the lowest value options on the slate, suggesting you might want to limit exposure to him if entering multiple line-ups.
Ready to go? Draftstars' NBA Wednesday Early slate closes at 7:00am AEDT on Wednesday. ENTER NOW!
As with all NBA DFS contests, whether you start with our studs or build around our value picks, leveraging Fantasy Insider's data-driven NBA fantasy news and strategies, combined with your own research, can enhance your chances of winning in the NBA Wednesday Early contest. The unique insights here can help you balance star power, value and budget management when you make your NBA DFS line-ups.
For the latest projections and optimised NBA Wednesday Early line-ups, check out the Fantasy Insider Cruncher on Draftstars! It's free to use when you're logged in.
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