Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and Draftster 12/21/14

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 11000 DK 11900 DFSTR 8200
The price is reaching the stratosphere and with good reason. He's been doing everything for OKC and with word that Durant will sit today, Russell becomes the instantly goes from the highest usage guy in the NBA to the highest usages guy by a country mile. The only question becomes the price. If enough cheap options present themselves over the course of the day, then I really want to have him in my cash lineups. He's next leveling this thing right now and even to the naked eye he is playing step quicker, getting to the line a ton, rebounding and basically just doing everything. It's a marvel to watch.

C.J. Watson - FD 4100 DK 4900 DFSTR 3900
If he's back from his sinus whatever then these prices (especially FanDuel) are pretty dumb. On FanDuel you'd be getting a starting point guard, seeing about 30 minutes for just a hair above the minimum. That's a ridiculous proposition and honestly, if he isn't a 100% start then I'd venture to say whatever % aren't starting him are making a pretty big error. The Timberwolves are well below average against opposing point guards so it isn't like CJ would be facing against the likes of CP3 again. But this is all about price and opportunity. Watson is as cheap as you'd find a punt play PG at the last second except that he's the established guy. And he lets you get Russell. So win-win.

Darren Collison - FD 7500 DK 6800
Deron Williams might get traded to the Kings. But it won't happen today. And as long as Collison is running the point for the Kings you need to consider him against the Lakers who get shredded by just about every position, but especially point guard. They've allowed 20% more than league average scoring to the position and Collison, though he's got some stinkers on the old resume, makes a solid cash game play considering the prices and opponent.

Consider Norris Cole and Michael Carter-Williams

Shooting Guard

Victor Oladipo - FD 6000 DK 6200
He's running the point for the Magic. Whatever that's worth. He isn't the most consistent guy in the world, and though he can chip in across the stat line, is also prone to turnovers. That being said, he will be in nearly everything I do today for a couple of reasons. His price has dropped thanks to a couple of ridiculously bad shooting games in a row that saw him 4-18 from the field. That, I hope, will scare some folks off the guy. But it shouldn't. He has his minutes pretty much locked in as long as he can avoid foul trouble. Now, guarding MCW isn't the easiest task in the world I suppose, but the dude is sloppy and Oladipo does average over a steal a game. I'm all over him today, getting a PG from the SG slot at mid range prices.

Avery Bradley - FD 4400 DK 4400
Now that Rondo as exited stage Dallas, the Celtics are left a team in flux (tank) that will need to generate offense from somewhere. That's where the typically defensive minded Bradley comes in. Granted the first game in the post-Rondo era was against crappy Minny but Bradley went 14/7/5 on his way to becoming a crazy value. The Heat aren't as bad, but the opportunity remains the same for Avery. His 30+ minutes are locked in and I think you are getting a great price on him here.

Rodney Stuckey - FD 6000 DK 6000 DFSTR 4800
Though he struggled some last night, I am still heading back to the well tonight. Shabazz Muhammad takes over the starting SG duties for the T-Wolves and is known more for his offense than his D. He's in the Kevin Martin mold in this respect. Though C.J. Miles does eat a little into Stuckey's minutes I still think the price is more than fair on the guy against a bad defensive squad. Stuckey need to get his shot going to really pay off, but this is a fine value.

Small Forward

Shabazz Muhammad - FD 5500 DK 5800 DFSTR 3000
No more Corey Brewer? No problem. This guy instantly becomes the deal of the century. Playing huge minutes for the T-Wolves and becoming somewhat of an instant offense kind of guy. He will be a near universal play I would suspect tomorrow as he was a huge start last game and the price has barely moved in some spots. Even against a slow Pacer team I'm happy to run him out there. And for those playing Draftster, and I suggest you do, he's still a minimum player.

Tobias Harris - FD 7000 DK 7700
Some numbers that you might want to know about Philly this season. Against small forwards they are allowing, get this, 29% more rebounds and 25% more assists than league average. That makes the 5% more scoring look positively remarkable. Though the Sixers defensive efficiency has improved some since last season, they still aren't good. Harris, like Oladipo above, will be a large part of what I do in cash games. Their points/$ multipliers are fantastic. And Harris is basically steady Eddie. He goes out and does his thing thanks to a skill set that has him contributing across the box score. No reason to get away from that kind of safety.

Robert Covington - FD 5300 DK 5600
On the other side of the ball in this game is Covington who has seen his price climb a tad in the short term, but not enough. He's still a value play considering he's solidified his starter role and gets enough shots up during the game to keep his scoring up there while doing little bits of everything else to keep the floor high. I love this play today against the Magic and will have a lot of exposure to this game.

Solomon Hill - FD 4700 DK 3800 DFSTR 4200
I'd really only consider him on DK and Draftster where the prices are very cheap. He gets his minutes and the T-Wolves are rough on D.

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Power Forward

Remember when small forward used to be like this disaster of a position. Night in and night our power forward seems to be the hardest to get a handle on. Consider the situation on FanDuel where you have Anthony Davis at 11.7K and then a $4,400 price drop just to the next guy in Ibaka. I don't think I'm putting Brow out there today, so you are left picking and choosing among midrange and super cheap guys. And then hoping. Luckily on DK and DraftSter you can play Covington. And Draftster especially allows you some flexibility because of the multi-position eligibility. But FD is rough.

David West - FD 6400 DK 6200 DFSTR 5800
One of the few guys who doesn't make me want to puke. Came out firing against a weak Denver front court last night and I suspect he'll have some of the same advantages against the Timberwolves. West's big issue is that he never sees the minutes to really crush his price. Indiana has him on strict rotations and that's the one thing holding him back because if anything, he's a favorite to see less than 30 minutes of run. But on a minute-to-minute basis, he can hit value on these prices.

Kevin Garnett - FD 5000 DK 4100
See what I'm talking about? I mean, really? Detroit stinks against power forwards so there's that, but Garnett really needs to hit the minutes for sure. Would almost be nice to know he was out so we could get Mirza in there.

Ed Davis - FD 4400 DK 4700
Kris Humphries - FD 5100 DK 3700
If you think the minutes are there for either guy. I'm not totally convinced either way which makes them super speculative even though their matchups are quality.
 

Center

Mason Plumlee - FD 6400 DK 6600
The price has climbed and man it really doesn't matter. He's still a great deal tonight. Dude has positively killed it since taking over the starting center role with Lopez down. He's average d 17/10 in his last five gams and tonight gets a Piston defense that while above average in allowing opposing centers to score, is worse than league average in keeping them off the boards. Even with the price climb I'm buying on Plumlee. His ownership percentages have dropped some as people get scared off by the tag. Don't be. He's still a deal.

DeMarcus Cousins - FD 10100 DK 10500
Well it would appear whatever sickness befell Boogies didn't have long-lasting effects because the guy came back from a prolonged absence and promptly went for 27/11/5 against the Bucks. Granted, it's the Bucks and they get abused by opposing centers when Larry Sanders isn't around, which he wasn't against the Kings. And it's also worth noting that the one position the Lakers have held "in check" is the opposing center. Some of this is because their opponents can fast-break the s@#$ out of them and the center doesn't get down the court. But it's worth mentioning. If you getting big money in besides Westbrook, this is the guy. And honestly, there is so much value on the board that fitting both shouldn't be too difficult.

Strongly consider Nikola Vucevic

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