Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks for Draft Street 12/21/13

Check out yesterday's picks for a chance to see how you could have cashed your leagues going away.

With some early games on the schedule, it gives us a chance to really hammer home some value picks and turn a profit. For whatever reason, there are always people in daily leagues who insist on starting only (or a majority) of players from the early games. This could be to have some juice early. It could also be because they want to have an "early lead". (This isn't something I came up with, I've heard people say it.) Whatever it is, there is often tons of dead money on days with early games. While there's always risk of some late game scratches, it's time to take advantage of the opportunity and grab some solid picks today.

Guard

Brandin Knight 10,570 - The price hasn't caught up with the production and you need to take advantage. Look, we all know the Bucks are a sh#$show. Larry Drew f#$%s with minutes like my daughter f@#$ed with me at bedtime last night, ordering me to have every single one of her stuffed animals (roughly 50) ask her what she planned on doing the next day. This happened with B Knight was putting up a 17/14/8/3/1 line against the Cavs. After his last two games, he's probably firmly entrenched in the starting PG role. Embrace it and his matchup against the Lakers.  (RECAP: 32 FPPS. Winner going away)

Spurs PG (Patty Mills $8,771 or Tony Parker $11,904) - This pick paid off the other night and I'm rolling with it again. Check the wire before gametime and start whoever is taking the court for the Spurs. The Thunder's up and down style means plenty of opportunities for the opposing PG. And the Spurs proved the other night against the Warriors, that it doesn't really matter who takes the court for them. I like Parker at this price and I love Mills if he's starting. Can't really go wrong as long as you check statuses prior to tip. (RECAP: Parker started - 36.5 FPPs. Nailed it)

Klay Thompson $10,290 - The price on Klay continue to drop, and with good reason. He's been scoring at a much lower clip than earlier in the season. In fact, his last (about) five games have been completely pedestrian. The shot just hasn't been falling and unfortunately his game is such that most of his fantasy "value" is wrapped in dropping buckets. He doesn't do enough in the other part of the game to make up for his shot not falling. But this price is about as low as he will get this season. I'm always concerned about blowouts when the Lakers are involved, but I think Thompson's price is low enough to get him in regardless of expected game outcome. Eventually he's going to go heat check and pay the number. I think tonight is the time. Start him. (RECAP: 20.25 FPPs, broke about even)

Heavily Consider: DJ Augustin $8,973 - Stephen Curry $21,684

Moderately Consider: Arron Afflalo $13,675 - Victor Oladipo $11,760

Avoid: John Wall $19,002 - Brandon Jennings $14,860

Forwards

Xavier Henry $9,381 - Another example of price not catching up to production. Henry started at point guard for the Kobe/Nash/Blake/Farmar -less Lakers and he did not disappoint. At all. He's still listed as a forward, though probably not for long in his current role. Golden State keeps the pace, umm, lively and will offer Henry plenty of chances to meet this dollar. Blowout risk for sure, but worth the price. (RECAP: 16.75 FPPs, fell short)

Blake Griffin $16.731 - As a rule, I like to start power forwards against Denver. And this isn't a philosophy created out of a psychological need to become intellectually contrarian or offputting (like most philospohy is) but in fact because the Nuggets completely suck at guarding interior players for the opposing team. Tonight Blake opposes them, and most likely abuses them. At less than 17k he's a bargain with this matchup. (RECAP: 45.5 FPPs, crushed)

Greg Monroe 13,550 - I'm not sure if you saw what the Pacers did to the Rockets last night, but it wasn't pretty. They manhandled them en route to a 33 point victory. Much of this was accomplished by destroying the Rockets on the glass. Well guess who else can rebound? The Pistons. Both Monroe and Andre Drummond (see below) dominate the boards and will today. (RECAP 21.75 FPPs. Falls well short)

Consider: Thaddeus Young $12,427 - Rudy Gay $13,459

Avoid: Anthony Davis $20,451 - Ryan Anderson $13,149 - Zach Randolph 14,745

Center

Andre Drummond $15,808 - Hope you weren't skimming this article. If you were, you missed my recommendation to start the two big boys from Detroit. Were you skimming? Shame on you. Shame. I'm expecting Drummond to beast his way to a double-double and easily cover this price tag. Though we could be in line for a miserably slow and inefficient  free throw shooting game with he and Dwight on the court. The rebounds will be plentiful. (RECAP: 29 FPPs. Just a shade under expectation and Dwight absolutely destroyed him.)

Heavily Consider: Nikola Vucevic $14,952 

Consider: Al Jefferson $15,559

Avoid: Joakim Noah $16,029

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