Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and Draftster 12/19/14

Welcome to our daily fantasy basketball column - where we provide the best daily plays on a points per dollar basis.

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Point Guard

Russell Westbrook - FD 10800 DK 11500 DFSTR 8200
This might be the least fair match-up of the season so far. A red-hot, literally on fire Russell Westbrook against the worst defensive player on the league's worst defensive team. Numbers numbers numbers etc if you don't play this guy in cash games, be prepared to fade him with the other 5% of people bold enough to do so.

Kemba Walker - FD 7800 DK 8600 DFSTR 6900
Kemba clowned Phoenix for 27/7/2 and a steal after Doug recommended him 2 nights ago, and he draws an even more favorable match-up against Carter-Williams and the Sixers. Philly is oddly competent at stopping points scoring (well, they're league average), but the frenetic pace leads to lots more possessions, which translates into many more assists, boards, and steals. Walker and Westbrook make up one of the safer PG pairings in recent memory.

Cory Joseph - FD 4800 DK 4700 DFSTR 3600
If there's a less fun dude to root for, I am drawing a blank. But like it or not, Joseph is still priced at an insane point for a dude who goes out there and plays 30+ minutes every single day. There's so much safety built into this price and opportunity in spite of the fact that Portland is better than league average against opposing PGs.

Keep an eye on.. The Boston PG situation. If Marcus Smart plays, I absolutely love him. If it's Flip Pressey, it's more of a GPP play, but I'd definitely chase after the upside.
 

Shooting Guard

Gary Neal - FD 3800 DK 3700 DFSTR 4500
It's a beautiful spot to punt away at SG here. Philly is awful against every position, and shooting guard is no exception. Neal is still priced like a 15-20 minute a game guy, and he's now playing 28 minutes a game. And with Stephenson out, that number can only go up. Through the roof upside is possible, and the floor is insanely high for these prices as well.

Joe Johnson - FD 6500 DK 6300 DFSTR 5700
Johnson is playing a wealth of minutes these days, as Brooklyn seems determined to run all of their old veterans ragged. If he's going to play 37 minutes with this kind of usage, 27-32 fantasy points seems rather easy. The big risk here is the blowout, of course, but given the surprising lack of depth at this position tonight, Johnson may be one of the safest plays on the board.

Jimmy Butler - FD 8100 DK 6800 DFSTR 6400
This will depend modestly on Derrick Rose's status for tonight's game, but only as far as we consider Butler a great play or a must play. We saw what the guy is capable of last night - he positively ran a train on the sad sack Knicks. His price is obviously a lot better on DraftKings tonight, but if Rose is out, you can definitely consider playing him everywhere against Memphis. For all of the Grizzlies' defensive prowess, the one place they've gotten smoked this year is Shooting Guard - allowing 9% more fantasy points than league average.

Also considered: Victor Oladipo

Small Forward

Robert Covington - FD 5300 DK 5800 DFSTR 4000
When I look at Covington's prices, I feel like this: ?????????? I get that he was considered a "D-Leaguer" and all, but everyone in daily fantasy basketball is playing the guy and he puts up 5-7 on these prices every single night. I've said this before, but on these prices the guy is match-up proof, with more or less upside depending on the match-up. Charlotte has allowed 8% more points than league average to opposing SFs.

Shabazz Muhammad - FD 5500 DK 4500 DFSTR 3000

Jeff Green - FD 6300 DK 6400 DFSTR 6000
I suspect Green will be quite a large play tonight with Rondo off in Dallas. The reason? He'll just have the ball in his hand so much more. Green is a capable shot creator when called upon, and Corey Brewer's terrific defensive reputation hasn't stopped the Wolves from allowing more points than league average in every statistical category. I'd take him over Muhammad in cash games for sure.

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Power Forward

Serge Ibaka - FD 7200 DK 6800 DFSTR 6300
The athleticism difference between Ibaka and Boozer is almost as great as the difference between Westbrook and Lin. And the fast pace of the game will mean Ibaka will be able to gobble up a ton of boards and swat some ill-advised shots. I'm drooling here, let me take a break and go clean up.

I'm back. Moving on.

Kris Humphries - FD 5100 DK 5000 DFSTR 4500
Channing Frye - FD 4600 DK 4900 DFSTR 4700
It's a big drop off for me after Ibaka tonight. When there's a big drop off, I tend to go a little bit cheap. Frye's and Humphries' games couldn't be more different, but the result is pretty similar. Fairly consistent minutes, some upside if things go right (3s for Frye, Boards/Blocks for Humph). Utah is a much better match-up for Frye, but Humphries is probably the better player.

Blake Griffin - FD 10100 DK 10500 DFSTR 8700
If you're fixing to spend on PF tonight or you have money to spend after punting elsewhere, Blake is my guy. He is totally a guy who flexes his muscles in easy match-ups, and facing Denver definitely qualifies. They allow 9% more points than league average to opposing PFs, and get completely owned in allowing blocks (68%!) and steals (17%), and gather 17% fewer turnovers. Blake could seriously embarrass them here.

Also considered: Thad Young, Jared Sullinger, and Thomas Robinson if he starts.

Center

Mason Plumlee - FD 6400 DK 6100 DFSTR 3700
Our projection system is still bullish on Plumlee in spite of the price increase. I actually see this as a positive, since it will scare a lot of people in other directions while you can still count on Plumlee for his 35 minutes and all of the things he's doing well. He might not be a 20/10 guy forever, but he can be worse than that and still be a great play. One thing to take note of as well is Varejao - his battered frame isn't the defensive stalwart it once was, and Cleveland is allowing 9% more points to opposing Cs this year.

Al Jefferson - FD 8700 DK 8900 DFSTR 7900
Stephenson out means more shares for everyone, and Philly is the league's worst defensive team against opposing Centers. Al Jefferson is a lot like Blake in that he isn't shy about railroading sub-par defenders - just take a look at his last game against Phoenix. Anything is in play here - he could score 20 points in the first quarter.

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