Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and Draftster 12/29/14

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Point Guard

Jarrett Jack - FD 5600 DK 5300 DFSTR 4300
So it seems Deron Williams is officially no longer the starter. For some reason I'm not totally buying it. I just have a hard time believing the Nets will leave this much money on their bench for this long. But they have. And in that time Jack has been tearing it up, averaging 36 fantasy points over his last four games. I'm only concerned about the minutes suddenly disappearing as Williams is transitioned back into the offense. Otherwise, Jack is more than a value considering the run he's been getting.

Brandon Knight - FD 6700 DK 7000 DFSTR 6500
Not a guy we typically throw out there, but some down games and low ownerships have his prices solidly in the midrange now. The Hornets have been bad all season against opposing point guards, allowing 8% more scoring than league average to the position. Up until recently, Knight was the only guy on the Bucks I wasn't worried about when it came to minutes. And I still think he's relatively safe. I think the price has fallen to the point that you can play him safely.

Consider Derrick Rose

Shooting Guard

Rodney Stuckey - FD 5800 DK 5800 DFSTR 5000
We were one of the very few outfits (or DFS players) on Stuckey the other night following the eye injury. And he obliged our faith when he played with a 20/6/8 night that crushed it from the contrarian side. He remains a value at the SG position and one thing I like about the guy is he adds in the rebounds to keep the floor a bit higher considering the price. The Bulls and Jimmy Butler are no easy matchup but Stuckey still can get it done with the salary in mind.

Gary Neal - FD 3600 DK 4200 DFSTR 3000
Doesn't seem safe by any means. But the guy is a minimum-priced dude thanks in part to an epically bad shooting stretch over his last three games. He's 4-26 over that stretch. That's caused his price to dip to the lowest of levels and it is a blip on the radar. If he turns it around even a little from the field he's actually a safer cash game play at a weak position. If the money is tough working out I'm all over this play on the shooting turning around.

Strongly consider Joe Johnson who is better every minute Deron Williams isn't on the floor.

Small Forward

Paul Pierce - FD 5300 DK 5300 DFSTR 5400
This is a tougher position today. None of the value sticks out and certainly none of it feels safe. Pierce is coming off a good game last time around against the Celtics but the problem with Pierce is the minutes. He never sees more than 30 minutes of run. Granted this isn’t an issue if he was a super efficiency guy, but he’s not. There is a lot of love going around in the Wizards’ starting lineup and Pierce can get lost in the shuffle. For cash games, I’d probably do it, but buyer beware. As is the case with all of the small forwards tonight.

Gerald Henderson - FD 3800 DK 3900 DFSTR 3900
Our system thinks he’s the top value play of the night relative to price. I want to believe it mostly because I’m happy getting very few dollars into the SF position and he makes a nice case with the minutes. He’s shot poorly the last two games which is all that’s needed to keep the price down across the board. I think he, like Neal above, represents some value with Stephenson on the shelf.

Tobias Harris - FD 7100 DK 7200 DFSTR 6200
In terms of dudes in the upper range of salary who can get it done on a regular basis, Harris is a guy you can consider in the cash game/ safe realm. He’s able to produce in both points and boards which raises the floor of course. And the Heat have been below average against opposing small forwards this season. If I’m looking to lock in points this is one of the guys I’ll be turning to.

Consider Rasual Butler

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Power Forward

Blake Griffin - FD 10200 DK 11100 9000
He’d be about as safe as it comes on this slate if it weren’t for the chance of the Clippers just crushing the souls of the Jazz tonight. Blake’s been a slightly different player this season mostly because he’s replaced some of his points with assists. It’s been all good for the guy as he’s finding ways to get it done every night no matter what the opposing defense is throwing at him. It’s all about the game staying close. And it’s the latter point that I’m most worried about. If the Clips take it to the Jazz then you are getting money in on the wrong side with Blake. But among the big salary guys he’s the clear value play.

Kyle O'Quinn - FD 4600 DK 5300 DFSTR 4700
There’s going to be a night where he doesn’t get himself into foul trouble early and when that happens he’ll crush this price. Honestly, I’m willing to run him out there again tonight without too much trepidation because I think the last two games have done two things. 1. Everyone has turned against him and 2. the price has stayed low. If the minutes are there he is killing this salary. Go for it again tonight. I think you might be happy.

After these two guys the question marks really emerge. Nene and Humphries are interesting if not spectacular. Same with Mirza and Garnett. I’m not a fan of spending up for PF after Blake.

Center

Mason Plumlee - FD 6900 DK 8000 DFSTR 5000
I’ve played him on just about every slate since he entered the starting the lineup. I only hedged away a little against Roy Hibbert last game. Tonight it’s Boogie Cousins which offers up it’s own set of issues. Foul trouble could be there and increasingly diminished minutes to Lopez is on the horizon. We could be nearing the end of the Mason Plumlee free money train, but I think you can go back tonight for one more ride.

Al Jefferson - FD 8300 DK 9100 DFSTR 7600
The Bucks seem like a mess. Larry Sanders is out again tonight leaving Zaza Pachulia to defend Jefferson. The Hornets are no sure thing in their own right, but I think Jefferson has a chance to really pour on some points tonight. I don’t think he’ll be a big percentage start because people are scared by his production. But I think he’s in a good spot tonight.

Strongly consider Zaza Pachulia playing for Larry Sanders again.

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