Basketball Picks Daily Fantasy Expert Advice
Daily Fantasy NBA Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 12/11/16
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Point Guard
Russell Westbrook FD - $12600 DK - $12400
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 61.53 DK - 65.51
Westbrook is still the highest priced player on the slate, and rightfully so. He has been the best player in the league, as evident by his current triple double average. The Celtics are not the team to stop him, as they can play up and down and don't mind running the floor. Westbrook has a triple double in 7 straight games, and will look to make it 8 here. Westbrook has a current usage sitting at 41%, which is 5 points higher than the 2nd guy, DeMarcus Cousins. Westbrook is going to have a fantastic game and you just have to decide if you want to pay up or not. At $12,600, he still has the upside to win you a tournament. There should be a decent amount of value on this slate and you can get Westbrook in cash if you want.
Eric Bledsoe FD - $8400 DK - $7800
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 38.68 DK - 41.38
Bledsoe has finally been showing some flashes of his old self, and it has been great to see. When he is shooting well and getting the minutes, Bledsoe has as much upside as almost anybody. The Pelicans have nobody to guard, and will likely throw Tim Frazier at him with Holiday out. Bledsoe can be used in cash games, but I prefer him in tournaments as I will probably either pay up or down in cash games. In tournaments though, you have to love him. He has a very low floor and a very high ceiling, which is what we are looking for in our GPP's. I expect him to be under 10% owned, so a big game could certainly catapult you to the top of the leaderboard.
Marcus Smart FD - $4700 DK - $5600
Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 28.19 DK - 30.07
If you need a cheap way to go, Smart is an option. He has been underwhelming as of late, but he has shown his upside this year. I think Smart should get a ton of run against Westbrook, and should run some 3 guard sets in this match up. With a bunch of other stars to pay up for, there is a good reason to pay down. Smart will probably play the 3 the most, which is exciting as the Thunder have given up the 4th most FP to the small forward position. He will also play some point guard when IT2 hits the bench.
Shooting Guard
Devin Booker FD - $5800 DK - $5800
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 30.15 DK - 32.42
There are no superstars at the SG position, so you can either go mid range or value. I think mid range is the way to go here and there are a few guys with immense upside, the first of which being Devin Booker. Booker is a shot taker, and when he is making them, has an insane amount of upside. Like Bledsoe, Booker should be able to get open shots and get to the rim with ease. In tournaments, this is a good game stack that should be somewhat under owned.
Louis Williams FD - $6300 DK - $7100
Opponent - NY
Proj Pts FD - 30.83 DK - 32.86
Louis Williams has been the man recently in Los Angeles, and we needed to see it. When Russell went down, nobody really took the lead until Williams started to have some big games. He now has over 40 in 3 of his last 4 and will look to do it again here against the Knicks. With that being said, he is very coring dependent and you can absolutely fade him. The Knicks play at an average pace and this game could go either way. His price has also went up, so you can consider that as well.
Langston Galloway FD - $4100 DK - $4300
Opponent - PHO
Proj Pts FD - 25.76 DK - 27.45
Galloway has average over 30 minutes per game over the last 3, and will likely ht the mark again with Holiday out. He has always been a guy that produces when on the court, so you have to love him here. The Suns are just a fast paced team that gives up a bunch of peripherals and a bunch of points. Galloway should be able to pick up plenty of boards and assists to reach value, and the points should just be icing. He is a terrific option in both cash games and tournaments. His price is still very low and he will help you pay up elsewhere. I will have a lot of Langston Galloway.
Small Forward
Kevin Durant FD - $10200 DK - $9300
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 44.49 DK - 47.36
Durant has been pretty lackluster as of late, admittedly. He has also shown a ton of upside as well with over 60 fantasy points 5 times. Andrew Wiggins may be a good defender, but he has no chance against Durant. Durant can spread the floor or take Wiggins to rim, and will have success both ways. His price is sitting at the upper tier, but it is lower than it has been all season. The T-Wolves have played somewhat slow this season, but have been top 15 in PACE over the last 2 weeks. Durant is a great option in both cash games and tournaments. H eoffers plenty of upside, and I think his floor sits around 45 tonight.
Carmelo Anthony FD - $7700 DK - $7600
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 41.45 DK - 43.79
I went to the Knicks-Heat game last week, and watching this guy in person is tremendous. He can put up 30 real life points with ease and has a crazy amount of upside. The Lakers have nobody to top him, and I guess they will put Ingram on him to start. Anthony is a lot stronger than him and should have a huge advantage. They will probably throw some other guys at him as well as the game goes on, and I doubt any of them succeed. Anthony is still the leader of this offense and can pt up as many shots as he wants. He is a great cash game and tournament play,but I have not gotten him into many cash games yet.
Jae Crowder FD - $5400 DK - $5700
Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 28.61 DK - 30.39
Crowder is a huge glue guy for the Celtics, and they need him ut there to win. He will consistently play 30 minutes and you can lock him in for 25 fantasy points on a nightly basis. The Thunder are a team I love to target guys like this against. He relies on peripherals, which are very easy against a team that runs the court and misses a lot of shots. He is till low priced, so he is viable in both cash games and tournaments. I expect the Celtics to play small, so Crwoder will take the 4 on occasion and that should heighten his upside.
Power Forward
Anthony Davis FD - $12200 DK - $11200
Opponent - PHO
Proj Pts FD - 61.46 DK - 63.51
Anthony Davis took some rest against the Clippers, after playing over 40 minutes in the previous 3. Expect him to go right back there tonight, and if you give me Anthony Davis and 40 minutes, I will take it every single time. The Suns have nobody to stop him, as both Alex Len and Tyson Chandler provide a big advantage to Davis. Since the start of the season, the Suns have given up the 8th most fantasy points per minute to power forwards. Davis is a great play tonight, but I do prefer Durant and Westbrook. Depending on how you construct your roster, Davs will likely either be a plug and play or pass. You have to decide with 1 or 2 of the big 3 you will have exposure to tonight.
Kristaps Porzingis FD - $7400 DK - $7300
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 40.36 DK - 42.56
Porzingis i probably my favorite PF play with all things considered. The Lakers lack length and power, which Porzingis brings. I don't think anyone will be able to rebound at all over Porzingis, so I wouldn't be surprised to see 15 here. He will also have the opportunity to take open perimeter shots and throw in some putbacks. Porzingis is priced right around the mid range, and he could see 100% of my lineups tonight. He is a cash game and tournamentoption that is fantastic in both formats. The Lakers have given up the 3rd most points to PF and Porzingis will look to take advantage.
Tobias Harris FD - $6000 DK - $5800
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 28.2 DK - 29.79
Harris is a pretty consistent cash game guy that I like playing in the right match ups. This is certainly one of those as the Pistons will face off with the 76ers. Harris will play around 35 minutes, and will get the defense of Ersan Ilyasova and Dario Saric. He should have his way on the perimeter and get plenty of peripherals to reach value. He is a great mid priced option and lets you pay up elsewhere. He also comes at a position that doesn't have too much value, so there is not much opportunity cost surrounding this one.
Center
Karl-Anthony Towns FD - $8700 DK - $8100
Opponent - GS
Proj Pts FD - 41.48 DK - 43.48
KAT is a fun guy to watch, and this game should be a lot of fun to watch as a whole. The Timberwolves will likely end up playing small, but keeping Towns at the 5 and moving Wigging to the 4. Towns is athletic enough to run the court and play defense on the perimeter against a guy like Draymond Green. Pachulia will start the game, but will quickly exit and Towns will have a great opportunity to produce. He may not fit into your cash games, but he is a terrific way to go in tournaments.
Andre Drummond FD - $8400 DK - $8000
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 39.88 DK - 41.39
Drummond has been an animal this year, and his upside is unquestioned. The 76ers have given up the 3rd most FP per minute centers and with Embiid sitting, they will be even worse. Drummond has a ton of rebound upside tonight and I wouldn't be surprised to see a 20/20. He is priced fairly around the industry and offers plenty of upside to be played in all formats. He is not too expensive and he won't kill you no matter what. The only way Drummond has a bad game here is foul trouble, but I doubt that happens against a 76ers team that has no penetrates.
Tyson Chandler FD - $4900 DK - $4500
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 25.66 DK - 27.19
Chandler is boring, don't get me wrong. However, if you need to pay down at center, Chandler is a great way to go. He will have to be out there with Davis on the court for rebounding purposes, so I see him getting at least 30 minutes here. When on the court, you can count on Chandler to rebound and score the ball pretty efficiently. He is a good cash game option tonight, but I don;t see the merit in tournaments.
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image sources
- Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook: (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)