Top building blocks and fades for Wednesday's NBA DFS action - ESPN

Which players should you build around and which players should you fade in DFS as we tip off tonight's NBA action? Our experts have the answers.

Today's panel includes ESPN Fantasy's André Snellings and Kyle Soppe. as well as DFS expert Renee Miller.

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Players to build around

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  Dirk Nowitzki joined the 50,000-minutes club this week, and he's still a viable fantasy option. Which other long-time veterans can still make a mark?

• 

  He went from being a potential breakout fantasy player to a benchwarmer in New York this season. Will he turn things around with the Hornets?

1 Related

André Snellings -- Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons

Drummond was already playing like a monster before the trade that brought Blake Griffin to Detroit, but he's upped the ante even further since the deal. All told, Drummond is averaging 19.1 points, 17.4 rebounds, 3.7 assists, 3.0 blocks and 2.3 steals during his past seven games. He takes all that production into Wednesday's game against a Brooklyn defense that has allowed the most fantasy points to opposing centers in the NBA this season.

Kyle Soppe -- Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves

This very much feels like a "build around a big" slate, and while I don't mind Andre's call of Drummond, I prefer Towns outright, so I will certainly take him at a lesser price tag. Towns is better in the gameflow department, as his team has the higher implied point total and is playing in the game with the lower point spread.

Which side do you fall on -- Drummond or Towns? Vote here!

Drummond has been balling of late, but Towns has been finding a rhythm, with 19.8 points on 57.1 percent shooting and 13.3 rebounds over his past six games. Plus, Cleveland has coughed up 116-plus points in three of its past four games and it ranks 25th in rebounding this season. With Towns owning the more well-rounded skill set, I think his edge in terms of ceiling is worth trying over the high floor of Drummond.

Renee Miller -- Jimmy Butler, Minnesota Timberwolves

Butler has been just what the Timberwolves needed, an offensive force as well as a quality defender on the wing. He's scored progressively more points in each of his past five games since returning from knee soreness, reaching 30 points on Saturday night. He has also maintained his multicategory production almost always nearing double-double or even triple-double territory.

That run of success includes his first game against the Cavaliers, in which he scored 21 points to go along with 8 rebounds, 9 assists and 3 steals. Butler is well-rested and facing one of the weakest overall defenses in the league -- one that happens to be particularly generous to opposing threes like Butler. Consistency and upside have earned Butler a hefty salary, but it's one I'm more than willing to pay for tonight.

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Players to fade

André Snellings -- Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies

Gasol will be on the second half of a back-to-back, after having a terrible game against the very beatable interior defense of Atlanta on Tuesday. On Wednesday, he faces Rudy Gobert, Derrick Favors and Utah's interior defense -- which has allowed the sixth-fewest fantasy points to opposing centers in the NBA this season.

Renee Miller -- Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies

This is admittedly somewhat of a reactive fade, but hear me out. Gasol is coming off what might be his worst game of the season, in which he played just 19 minutes en route to 15 measly fantasy points. On the second half of the back-to-back tonight, against the much better Utah defense, will Gasol be back to 35 minutes and 45-50 fantasy points? It's possible, but unlikely, in my opinion.

Overall, I'm a Gasol believer, but his salary is too high to bank on him making a complete 180 in a tough matchup tonight. The slow pace and good defense in this game makes it a good one to avoid in general, but that goes double for players costing over $9K, as he is on FanDuel.

Kyle Soppe -- Hassan Whiteside, Miami Heat

Whiteside is a great player when he is comfortable, but I don't expect that to be the case tonight against the perimeter-oriented Rockets. In order to return value, he needs to dominate the paint and that's going to be tough given that Clint Capela ranks fifth in individual rebound rate. (As a team, Houston also ranks fifth.) The minutes have been underwhelming of late for Miami's big -- under 22 minutes per game over the past two weeks -- and I have a hard time seeing him being efficient enough to merit play on this slate.

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