Daily Fantasy DraftKings and FanDuel NBA Picks - Tuesday, December 26, 2023

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Point Guard/ Shooting Guard

Fred VanVleet FD - $8800 DK - $8400
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 41.51 DK - 44.83

There are some teams on the main slate in great matchups, and one of them is the Rockets against the Pacers. They run the fastest pace in the league at 106.3 and play the second-worst defensive efficiency. It’s, of course, just about the dream spot when stacking in DFS, and the Rockets are the beneficiaries here.

Fred VanVleet is coming off some struggles against the Pelicans, but this guy has one of the highest minutes floors in the league, running right around 40 when games stay close. The assists have been a bit lumpy, but the pace and volume of this game should dictate plenty of fantasy scoring for Houston who aren’t breaking the bank in pricing.

Coby White FD - $7800 DK - $7800
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 39.49 DK - 43.65

Alex Caruso FD - $5300 DK - $5400
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 31.16 DK - 32.17

The Bulls also get a great matchup here against the Hawks, who rank 27th on defense and play the fifth-fastest pace. They have a very weak defensive backcourt and teams have been able to take advantage all season here. Ever since Zach Lavine went down, Chicago has *gasp* improved and Coby White has been a big reason why, taking a much more prominent role in the offense and ticking the usage up considerably.

Over the last month, he’s averaged 23.8 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 6.5 assists while getting up 17 shots per game and knocking down threes at a 45% clip. It’s one of the cooler stories around, and he’s in a great spot here.

Small Forward

DeMar DeRozan FD - $8600 DK - $8200
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 47.97 DK - 49.19

Along with Coby White, the other big story for the Bulls here has been DeMar DeRozan who has taken on an expanded role all the way around in Chicago with Zach Lavine on the shelf. Over the last month or so, DDR is playing about 40 minutes a game and putting up 23.8 points and 6.8 assists in that stretch.

He won’t shoot threes, which always keeps the scoring a bit lower than it “could” be, but he takes more than 17 shots per game, and this matchup is just too good. All things considered, the price is still fairly reasonable.

Franz Wagner FD - $7600 DK - $7900
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 44.06 DK - 46.65

The Orlando Magic get the other amazing matchup on this slate, facing off against the Wizards, who play the league’s worst defense and are tied for the fastest pace. Like the Pacers, they represent just about as good as it gets in these streets. Franz Wagner has been a popular DFS play in recent weeks, spiking some good matchups like the Pacers and the Bucks.

He’ll get another one now, and is coming at fair prices on both sites. The FanDuel price is particularly attractive and I suspect he’ll be a popular play there. The scoring can be a bit more variable than you might like in this spot, but the opponent takes away some of that concern.

Power Forward/ Center

Paolo Banchero FD - $8400 DK - $8300
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 46.46 DK - 50.08

Along with Franz Wagner, folks have wanted to stack Paolo Banchero in these positive matchups and that should be the case again. He’s had a relatively strong run of late, scoring 34 and 36 in two of his last four games and over the last month is averaging 25 points and eight rebounds with 4.4 assists as well. The DraftKings price is just a tick cheaper and he could see heavier ownership there because of the matchup.

Alperen Sengün FD - $8800 DK - $8700
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 50.72 DK - 53.58

Jabari Smith Jr. FD - $7300 DK - $7100
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 38.8 DK - 41.64

Alperen Sengun is also in a fantastic spot here for Tuesday’s game and he’s coming off of a 37-point, 11-rebound, six-assist game against the Pelicans. Plus, he’s averaging close to a double-double over the last month or so, becoming one of the higher-floor DFS plays on a night-to-night basis.

There are a number of $8K guys to consider tonight, which could make for some interesting decisions here because you won’t be able to fit them all. I do suspect, short of big injury news from now until lock (which is almost never the case), he will be one of the more popular plays this evening.

Meanwhile, Jabari Smith Jr. has spiked some awesome performances of late, averaging 27 points and 11 rebounds over his last three. He’s been ultra-efficient from the floor, which isn’t entirely sustainable, but the high minutes share is, and he’s locked into big-time run with this group.