Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and DraftPot - 12/23/15

The NBA wants you to rest up for their big Christmas slate so there won't be any b-ball on the 24th. That means you will have to endure more than 24 hours without basketball. So get your money in good tonight before taking a forced break. Thanks a lot holidays.

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POINT GUARD

Russell Westbrook - FD 10400 DK 10400
Opponent - LAL FD Proj. Pts - 50.23 DK Proj. Pts - 52.11
Ooh baby. The only concern is the blowout and even then I'm not totally sure I'm worried about it for Russell. The Lakers get brutalized by opposing point guards. That's because they miss a ton of shots and subsequently opposing PGs get out in transition early and often. The Lakers are also just bad on defense in general. It could be a highlight reel for Westbrook. Again though, the only concern is whether the Lakers can hang at all or the Thunder starters don't see the fourth quarter.

Jameer Nelson - FD 4600 DK 5600
Opponent - PHX FD Proj. Pts - 25.81 DK Proj. Pts - 28.75
There are a ton of quality point guard options tonight for whatever price point you want. If Mudiay sits again today (and I think he sits) then Nelson comes right back as a great play. The price has climbed on DraftKings where it's a little closer. But on FanDuel (where pricing moves at a sloth-pace) you can safely run him out there if he's starting again.

Tim Frazier - FD 3800 DK 3600
Opponent - NOP FD Proj. Pts - 20.56 DK Proj. Pts - 21.83
Damian Lillard is going to sit out again Wednesday and that means we should get another healthy dose of Tim Frazier. Now, we could see C.J. McCollum back in the lineup which would mean Frazier won't see the 45 minutes like last game. C.J. does some of the ball-handling in the Blazers' rotations. But Frazier should be out there a bunch again. If C.J. is out again then Frazier is a must play. As it stands he's merely a top play.

Brandon Knight - FD 6900 DK 7300
Opponent - DEN FD Proj. Pts - 33.19 DK Proj. Pts - 35.51
Knight's recent game log looks horrible so I could understand being a little hesitant about getting him into lineups tonight. But don't let the recent stats get under your skin too much. He had a few things working against him. The matchups weren't great, the Suns were blown out a couple of times, he had a little foul trouble and there were some poor shooting performances. That's fine. It happens. Tonight he has a great matchup against Denver and price has dropped on Knight. It's a perfect time to buy.

SHOOTING GUARD

Will Barton - FD 6400 DK 6800
Opponent - PHX FD Proj. Pts - 32.6 DK Proj. Pts - 33.99
He got the start last night with Gallo out of the lineup and made a major case to stick with the first unit. Barton's been a second unit all-star this season, one of the few bench players you can moderately trust in DFS. He still gets big time minutes and has been awesome. Barton's one of those guys who, when you watch him, feels like he is everywhere on the court: hitting shots, grabbing sneaky rebounds and an active member of the offense almost every time down the court. If he were to start again tonight then he's the top shooting guard play and it isn't close. Even coming off the bench I'd be inclined to run him out there.

O.J. Mayo - FD 5200 DK 5600
Opponent - PHI FD Proj. Pts - 25.81 DK Proj. Pts - 28.09
It's nearly impossible to trust the Bucks' starters minutes at this point. Mayo could just as easily start as sit the bench for a majority of the game. But if word comes down that he is running with the starters then you could be looking at a major bargain again. Mayo has logged tons of minutes when he's with the first unit and this is a fantastic matchup against the Sixers. Keep an ear out for the Bucks' lineup heading into lineup lock.

Allen Crabbe - FD 4200 DK 4400
Opponent - NOP FD Proj. Pts - 20.73 DK Proj. Pts - 22.97
Gerald Henderson - FD 3600 DK 3500
Opponent - NOP FD Proj. Pts - 18.79 DK Proj. Pts - 19.66
They are only on here if both Lillard and McCollum are out tonight. If that's the case then each should see enough run to be productive at their respective punt prices.

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SMALL FORWARD

Paul George - FD 9100 DK 8900
Opponent - SAC FD Proj. Pts - 43.27 DK Proj. Pts - 46.2
Look, PG shot 50% from three for about a month, boosting his overall stat line in the process. It stood to reason that he wouldn't be launching threes with that efficiency for the course of the year. And so far December has brought him back down to Earth. But that doesn't mean we can't roll him out there. He has a great matchup against the Kings in what projects as the highest scoring affair on the slate. The Kings are getting slaughtered by opposing small forwards this season and George could be primed for a bounce back performance. I like getting money in possibly against the grain here.

Matt Barnes - FD 4900 DK 5700
Opponent - WAS FD Proj. Pts - 24.25 DK Proj. Pts - 26.54
I was going to throw Jeff Green in here as well, but then his minutes disappeared last night and it has me a little spooked. Barnes though appears more than safe considering his role with the starting unit and that he can contribute in a multiple areas of the stat line. Barnes is good for run in the mid 30's as long as the game stays close. And Washington is a fantastic matchup for any small forward. Barnes is more a stretch four in the current Grizz makeup, but the pace of the game should do him nicely.

Kelly Oubre - FD 3700 DK 3700
Opponent - MEM FD Proj. Pts - 17.85 DK Proj. Pts - 19.74
Jared Dudley - FD 4100 DK 4600
Opponent - MEM FD Proj. Pts - 22.78 DK Proj. Pts - 24.96
These two guys are seeing major minutes now that the Wiz are without Bradley Beal, Otto Porter and the majority of their frontcourt. Washington's been forced to go small with Dudley at the four and Oubre at the three. This isn't a great matchup, but if the Wiz can keep it close they stand to see major minutes. Last game Oubre and Dudley went 8/6/2 and 13/4/3 respectively. That actually gets it done at their prices. Check to make sure Porter is out before game time.

POWER FORWARD

Anthony Davis - FD 10400 DK 10300
Opponent - POR FD Proj. Pts - 50.95 DK Proj. Pts - 51.74
Oof, if it isn't one thing it's another with this guy. I want so badly to trust him in cash games because when he's going there are few with as much upside. But too many bumps, bruises and other random crap happens to this guy in the course of a game that it's becoming a very real thing to wait for him to sit at some point. Last game he came out like gangbusters in the first quarter. Then sat for more than half the game because he was sick. Then he came back in and dominated. But it was too little too late. If you think he plays the whole game, then Brow is almost a must play at these prices. Though I just can't consider him safe anymore.

Kenneth Faried - FD 6500 DK 6300
Opponent - PHX FD Proj. Pts - 29.91 DK Proj. Pts - 30.42
Another guy I want so badly to believe in from a fantasy perspective, but the Nuggets are just a mess in terms of who they play on a given night. But Faried seems to be in Malone's good graces at least for now, and that has him giving off a lot of upside tonight. Phoenix plays at the second fastest pace in the league and that kind of game flow really favors Faried's style. The Suns allow above average rebounds to opposing power forwards and if Faried is in the starting five then I can happily play him at these salaries.

Serge Ibaka - FD 6300 DK 6500
Opponent - LAL FD Proj. Pts - 28.98 DK Proj. Pts - 30.62
The same blowout risk exists for Ibaka as it does for Westbrook (and Durant). The Thunder could easily throttle LA who will have massive issues trying to control the OKC weapons. But in the time he's on the court, Ibaka should be able to put in work against a very weak LA frontcourt. He's always a little risky simply because he's the third option on offense, but that's built into the price.
 

CENTER

DeMarcus Cousins - FD 9900 DK 10000
Opponent - IND FD Proj. Pts - 46.81 DK Proj. Pts - 47.38
On these big slates there are typically more than enough punt/ cheap plays across the board, which allows you to get some of the bigger money dudes into your lineups. Cousins is one of the latter you'll want to consider. He's facing a Pacer team below average against opposing centers (what Boogies rolls at least to start the game). The minutes are there for him and Indiana doesn't have a score first center which decreases Cousins' chances at getting into early foul trouble. For his prices, I think he's a great play considering this is one of the highest over/ unders on the slate.

Mason Plumlee - FD 5300 DK 5200
Opponent - NOP FD Proj. Pts - 26.52 DK Proj. Pts - 26.93
I'm really not loving the center options on this slate which is why you see a guy like Plumlee so far up here. Now our system does like him considering he's been playing major minutes at the five for the Blazers. His value goes up some if they need him more on offense with Portland's primary scorers ailing. But I like him either way considering his mid tier price and ability to rebound keeping the floor higher.

Kelly Olynyk - FD 4100 DK 4600
Opponent - CHA FD Proj. Pts - 25.6 DK Proj. Pts - 27.09
If he were to draw the start again because either Amir Johnson or Jared Sullinger sat then I think Kelly is a must play at these prices.
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