Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and DraftPot - 12/19/15

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POINT GUARD

Patrick Beverley - FD 4300 DK 5000
Opponent - LAC FD Proj. Pts - 21.61 DK Proj. Pts - 24.08
Another night of NBA, another night of putting Patrick Beverley in the picks. Like we've said a million times this season (or at least in the short term) Beverley is looking at fantastic opportunity relative to his price. And with Harden's slash and kick game, he's actually getting good looks from three (something that had been missing some in the past). He's averaging about six three point attempts per game over his last three and shooting 41% from beyond the arc in that time. This should be a high-scoring game and his price is very much still a value.

Mike Conley - FD 6100 DK 6000
Opponent - IND FD Proj. Pts - 29.45 DK Proj. Pts - 31.08
His price has dipped some in the short term because he's really struggled from the field. The shooting percentage has been gross over the last half month or so. If you can buy because a player might be running bad from the field, while maintaining the came opportunity, then you are in good shape. Indiana is about league average when it comes to opposing point guards scoring. If you think Conley's minutes are in the low-to-mid thirties then he's coming in at a great points/$ play.

Consider Jeremy Lin if Nic Batum were to sit again.

SHOOTING GUARD

James Harden - FD 10700 DK 10700
Opponent - LAC FD Proj. Pts - 47.79 DK Proj. Pts - 50.34
Playing Harden is a fine move, though I have to admit I don't totally love the value as compared to his price tag. The Clippers keep opposing shooting guards well under league average scoring and have a big man down low who can at least limit or alter Harden's ability to drive to the basket. But, the issue here is shooting guard is an absolute mess. There seem to be very few legit options on this shorter slate and you could find yourself buying up some on James. Houston is a slight favorite in what should be the highest scoring game on the slate and if it stays close, Harden should be a big reason.

J.J. Redick - FD 4500 DK 4700
Opponent - HOU FD Proj. Pts - 20.03 DK Proj. Pts - 22.63
I'm looking here for more safety than anything. Redick is actually one of the few shooting guards on this slate who plays his minutes on a regular basis. And he will probably be guarded by Harden. So that works for him as well. Though Houston does keep shooting guards in check this season, the game flow should benefit Redick and I suspect he sees a few open looks. You aren't going wild with an over-spend and from a cash game perspective, this is a good spot to play it safe.

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SMALL FORWARD

Carmelo Anthony - FD 8700 DK 8300
Opponent - CHI FD Proj. Pts - 40.81 DK Proj. Pts - 42.91
Wrote Melo up yesterday and he put in a nice performance, for a half at least. He dominated the first half of basketball, but did nothing in the third as the game got out of hand and the Knicks beat down the Sixers. Melo's minutes weren't there and he fell short of value. It happens. I don't mind playing him against the Bulls tonight though. Chicago's actually playing at the 7th fastest pace in the league and Melo should has his opportunity. And coming off the back-to-back it's good he didn't get a full run of minutes last night.

Trevor Ariza - FD 5700 DK 5900
Opponent - LAC FD Proj. Pts - 25.46 DK Proj. Pts - 28.2
It isn't a mistake that I've included nearly every viable Rockets' starter. They are in a great spot tonight, expected to put up the most points on the slate and coming at reasonable prices. Ariza is back to playing huge minutes and the Rockets will need him in this one. The Clippers are trotting out a smorgasbord of losers at the small forward and have been getting killed on the glass from that position. Ariza's minutes though are the big story and I think he could push 40 in this one. If that's the case then he's a must play.
 

POWER FORWARD

Blake Griffin - FD 9200 DK 8800
Opponent - HOU FD Proj. Pts - 45.12 DK Proj. Pts - 45.83
For me, he's about a must play on this slate. He's facing a Houston team just getting buzz-sawed by power forwards this season. They are allowing somewhere around 18% more scoring and 16% more rebounding than league average to the position. If you are stacking a game, this is the one. And if you are getting big money in on a player, he's the guy. I'm not even thinking twice about this one and I suspect Blake will be in every one of my lineups tonight.

Pau Gasol - FD 8400 DK 7600
Opponent - NYK FD Proj. Pts - 37.17 DK Proj. Pts - 37.78
After Blake, things get a little hairy at power forward. Gasol is an option on FanDuel (he's a better value on DK, but he's a center over there). It sort of depends on where you see Gasol's minutes going. If he creeps towards 33 then he's a fine play. But at 27 or so I have real concerns. His value doesn't leave a ton of room for error. The Knicks are about average (or slightly below) at defending the interior against big men depending on where Pau falls in the rotation. It's a close one on him, but the pickin's are slim.

Frank Kaminsky - FD 3900 DK 3900
Opponent - WAS FD Proj. Pts - 18.48 DK Proj. Pts - 19.77
This is me going cheap and trying to read into how Charlotte's playing their rotations. Zeller started the game against Toronto, but Kaminsky saw more minutes. Zeller had foul trouble though early, so it's tough to know exactly how they want to play things. Kaminsky is gaining more trust of late though. I don't suspect he wins you a tournament, but it's tough to kill you at these prices.

CENTER

DeAndre Jordan - FD 7400 DK 6800
Opponent - HOU FD Proj. Pts - 35.65 DK Proj. Pts - 36.36
I see Jordan more as a safe play considering how this game could unfold. He hasn't really taken it to the moon of late because he's failed to combine the scoring and the rebounding. The former is where the consistency lies as he needs a lot to happen to score in bunches. Mostly he needs endless pick and rolls because dude isn't creating his own shot. Will have a tougher matchup against Dwight, who you could make a case for. But I'll go with the Clips' side of things.

Marcin Gortat - FD 6600 DK 6300
Opponent - CHA FD Proj. Pts - 29.78 DK Proj. Pts - 30.27
Charlotte's had trouble against opposing big men (see: Biyombo, Bismack from the other night) and Gortat could really hit the glass in a big way here. His minutes have been all over the place, but I think the Wiz will run him here because he will be able to take advantage of Charlotte's lack of size and athleticism down low.

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