Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 12/21/16

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Point Guard

Russell Westbrook FD - $12700 DK - $12600
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 63.05 DK - 67.05
Mr. Triple Double needs no formal introduction. The system likes him so he's definitely in play. Haha, no but seriously he has come in red hot these last couple of games putting up an absolutely insane 154 points sans Oladipo. And somehow, after scoring over 70 points last game his price has decreased $200 on DraftKings. Tomorrow he gets a tasty matchup with the Pelicans who are a middle of the pack team ranked 15th against point guards. Even though I don't currently have the spread it's an absolute no brainer that this will be a fast paced high scoring affair with these teams being ranked 4th/5th in possessions per game. (103) Westbrook should be a cash game staple for you tomorrow if you want to remain competitive.
Jrue Holiday FD - $6800 DK - $6700
Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 34.57 DK - 36.91
Holiday will be going up against Westbrook tomorrow. And if you follow the NBA at all, (hope you do) you obviously know that most of Westy's energy is exerted on the offensive side of the ball. Oklahoma ranks 19th against point guards and I expect that Holiday will be active on offense, especially from beyond the arc. Either way this game will be up-tempo and high scoring with no shortage of fantasy production. Jrue is definitely a viable option and should be considered when constructing line-ups tomorrow.
Kyrie Irving FD - $7300 DK - $7500
Opponent - MIL
Proj Pts FD - 35.99 DK - 38.6
If Kevin Love remains out of the line-up I really like Kyrie again. It's nothing new to DFS players that when Love sits, Lebron is a lock. Witnessed by his 85% ownership in cash games on DraftKings tonight. But Kyrie also sees quite an uptick in usage at the rate of 37.9% generating 1.2 fantasy points a minute without the on court help of Love. I'm definitely keeping an eye on the status of Love and keeping Kyrie on my short list for cash and tournaments tomorrow night.

Shooting Guard

Giannis Antetokounmpo FD - $10200 DK - $9700
Opponent - CLE
Proj Pts FD - 51.82 DK - 54.11
Let's be honest, just roster Giannis! Giannis comes in with SG eligibility on Fanduel where it will probably be a good idea to jam him in 1 of the 2 spots. And floor and upside considered he's a touch underpriced on DraftKings where his value threshold is 47 points. He has surpassed 47 fantasy points 4 out of the last 5 games and I have a strong suspicion that he is on track to do just that tomorrow. He can hurt you in a variety of ways, stacking up peripherals alongside real points like only someone from Greece can do! And it doesn't hurt to mention that historically Giannis has put up big numbers when facing Lebron. Look to Giannis as a secondary cash option and a strong tournament play.
James Harden FD - $11700 DK - $12000
Opponent - PHO
Proj Pts FD - 55.84 DK - 60.35
It's definitely going to be hard, not to roster Harden tomorrow. He is our top projected scorer at the SG position and is a strong option in all formats. This game will feature a HIGH total as both of these teams are ranked in the top ten for pace. As of yet I don't see a viable option of fitting both Westy and Harden in your line-ups but James is definitely a viable cash and GPP pivot off the more likely heavily owned Westbrook. Phoenix comes in ranked 10th against the SG position but that doesn't mean a whole lot to me as Harden plays both the 1 and the 2 and has hit over 50 fp in his last 8 games. As per usual, it will most likely come down to roster construction but at the end of the day Harden is almost always in play in some way, shape or form when he's featured on a slate.
Devin Booker FD - $5700 DK - $5900
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 29.19 DK - 31.45
Booker is definitely on my list for tomorrow as he comes in playing a little more coherent basketball in his last 3 games. He's exceeded value in 2 of his last 3 and it's not out of the realm of expectation seeing him do the same tomorrow facing the Rockets. He'll be going up against the defense of Harden not Avery Bradley. There's always a little concern when rostering this kid because he is pretty scoring dependent but lately he has been chucking early and often shooting 15,19,22 times in his last 3 games. He doesn't have the safest of floors but should be considered in tournaments tomorrow as a high upside play in a game featuring a 223 o/u.

Small Forward

Jimmy Butler FD - $8400 DK - $8500
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 41.86 DK - 43.82
I think this is a good spot for a bounce back game for Jimmy Buckets. Even though the fantasy total isn't indicative of him being back on track last game, he definitely was posting 36 points through 30 minutes. Washington is pretty decent overall against the SF position but that doesn't bother me because I know Butler isn't a one dimensional player. He'll throw one up in your face and then the next possession he will draw a ticket to the charity stripe. A guy with a near 30 percent usage rate playing around 37 minutes a game is always in consideration to be deployed in all formats.
Kent Bazemore FD - $4400 DK - $5100
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 24.55 DK - 26.24
At bottom of the barrel prices like $4400 on Fanduel you got to buy in. He's far too cheap for a starter playing over 30 minutes a game that can rack up peripheral stats. He's a basic building block for cash games, especially on FanDuel. He was inserted back into the starting line-up 2 games ago and has been absolutely crushing it to the tune of 32 and 31 points. I do suspect though that his ceiling will be limited due to the stout defense of the Timberwolves against SF. (2nd)
Harrison Barnes FD - $6300 DK - $6200
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 33.43 DK - 35.12
Well I'm going to go back to the well again with Barnes. I always love to roster a guy who always has the ball in his hands. Really, the only time I can tolerate ball hogs is in dfs. And now just because Barnes isn't a DeRozoan type ball-hog, doesn't mean he's not going to attempt 15-20 shots a game. And any player that shoots that much is going to possess a high floor. I also really do like him against Portland a team that is notorious for struggling against opposing frontcourts giving up a league worst 48.6 fantasy points a game to that position.

Power Forward

Anthony Davis FD - $11200 DK - $10900
Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 55.03 DK - 56.96
I promise you this write up is not going to just feature players from the the NO/OKC game, it's just a game that is just so juicy with fantasy goodness. Davis posted an impressive 31-16 stat line getting back on track after a couple of down games that have him priced pretty softly. This is a good spot to deploy Davis as he will face a team that struggles against power forwards ranking 24th in an up-tempo match up. I'm looking for a repeat performance again tomorrow night. It's going to be hard to roster The Brow over the likes of Harden and Westbrook, but I can see Davis as the Centerpiece in a gpp winning line-up. So keep that in your thoughts when constructing tomorrow.
Jabari Parker FD - $6400 DK - $6600
Opponent - CLE
Proj Pts FD - 33.17 DK - 34.63
I just had to double check everything as I thought I was going crazy. Didn't the Cavs just play the Bucks? Yes, that they did. And Parker put up a monstrous performance with a 30-9-3 stat line. Over the past 5 games parker is delivering over 5x value averaging over 33 points a game. Him and Giannis have definitely developed a legit dfs bromance making them a very competitive team this year. I'm not a game log chaser and don't expect a repeat performance of tonight, but it is realistic to a assume a good return on value based on history.

Center

Robin Lopez FD - $4900 DK - $4700
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 27.12 DK - 28.13
Can I get some more RoLo's please? Well if you look closely it appears that Lopez's fantasy production has been inconsistent but if you've been following the games like I have you'd know that the Bulls have been involved in a bunch of blowout games this year limiting minutes, thus fantasy production. In a competitive game like we have slated tomorrow against the Wizards, Rolo can do some real damage at his price points. And on a night with a bunch of studs you're going to need all the viable cap relief you can come by. Depending on roster construction, Lopez is viable in all formats tomorrow.
Steven Adams FD - $5200 DK - $5200
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 26.13 DK - 27.53
And now we have our last featured player from the NO/OKC game. As it's been quite thematic, I hope you realize we are targeting players from this game due to a variation of match-up and projected offensive output. The Pelicans normally run with Ajinca and Asik at the 5 spot, neither of which specialize in defense. You can say anything you want about Adams, especially that pony-tail but you can't say he isn't consistent. He's posted at least 22 fantasy points in each of his last 7 games. If a guy with a solid floor in a good spot is what you're looking for, Steven Adams has what you need.

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