Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 12/26/16

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Point Guard

Reggie Jackson FD - $5500 DK - $5400
Opponent - CLE
Proj Pts FD - 28.5 DK - 30.48
Jackson came back from Tendonitis in his left knee at a slow crawl, but once he found his groove he really bounced back into form. This same knee caused him to leave the game against Memphis last week temporarily but once he returned he finished out an 18 point and 7 assist performance barely missing a step. He followed that up with a similar stat line against the Warriors so I don't think there's much cause for concern there. Monday night Detroit plays host to the Cavaliers who are very generous to opposing PGs. While Kyrie may come in riding high on Cleveland's dramatic Christmas win over Golden State, his defensive indifference will give RJ the chance to fill the stat line.

Kemba Walker FD - $8000 DK - $8100
Opponent - BKN
Proj Pts FD - 40.56 DK - 43.02
Walker has had a bit of a roller coaster of a month, but he seems poised to finish December on the rise. He reached double digit assists in two of his last three games, against the lackluster defenses of the Lakers and Hawks. Tonight he draws the absolute worst defense against the position in the form of the Nets. As long as he gets his full compliment of minutes, I wouldn't rule out a triple double for Kemba tonight. A great cash game play.

Chris Paul FD - $9500 DK - $9400
Opponent - DEN
Proj Pts FD - 45.64 DK - 48.21

As I was beginning to write these picks, I got the alert on my phone that Paul was starting the Christmas nightcap against the Lakers. A couple picks written up later, the alert comes that he is sitting out yet again. So, of course we want to watch this one closely. Clearly the Clippers want to get a healthy CP3 back on the court, as with Blake Griffin out recovering from knee surgery this is Paul's time to shine. Last season he was a beast when Blake wasn't in the game, and if he is cleared to play tonight look for him to carry the Clippers on his back against the Nuggets. Just last week against Denver Paul dropped 16 points and 15 assists, to go with 8 rebounds. If it's announced early enough that he is good to go Chris Paul makes an excellent choice in cash.

Shooting Guard

James Harden FD - $11600 DK - $11900
Opponent - PHO
Proj Pts FD - 55.8 DK - 60.2
Eric Gordon FD - $5700 DK - $5900
Opponent - PHO
Proj Pts FD - 28.61 DK - 31.28
On the other side of the Phoenix/Houston match up, we have these two guys. Gordon has found himself a solid space in the Rockets offense, and when a guy is giving Steph a run for league lead in 3 point buckets, we need to stop and look. Then there's James Harden. The only player in the league with Russell Westbrook looking over his MVP shoulder. Harden's been a beast this year, averaging nearly a triple double for the month of December. If I had to hedge, I would suggest Gordon in tournaments, Harden in cash. However I like both, Harden especially, in all formats.

Gary Harris FD - $4700 DK - $5100
Opponent - LAC
Proj Pts FD - 24.95 DK - 26.41
A lot of people are going to be off of Gary Harris tonight, He dropped 12 points in 30 minutes Friday against Atlanta, and only 3 (you read that right) points against these same Clippers last Tuesday. I however, look to the bigger picture. The minutes will be there, and Harris is a player with 7x upside, he produced 12.3 points per game last year, and averaged 19.3 with 4 assists and 3 rebounds in his first 3 games back from injury earlier this month. This game shouldn't get as out of hand as that last game and I expect Harris to come out with something to prove.

Devin Booker FD - $6200 DK - $6700
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 31.21 DK - 33.58
This game has clear potential for a blowout, but it's also projected as one of the highest scoring games of the night, and features two of the leagues fastest paced teams. Devin Booker, who has been a scoring machine this season should get more than enough opportunities to hit value. Booker's averaged 25 points per game in his last 4 outings, and has recently been stepping up the assists as well. He's improved from 2.7 assists per game in November, to 4.1 in December.

Small Forward

Jimmy Butler FD - $8200 DK - $8200
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 42.35 DK - 44.14
Jimmy Buckets needed 19 shots to score 19 points on Christmas day against the Spurs. Of course, when we're talking about Kawhi Leonard, even a player like Butler can run in to some troubles. Tonight he draws a slightly more favorable match up against the Pacers. Paul George is formidable but he's no Kawhi. Look for Jimmy to get back on track tonight as a solid option in all formats.

Kent Bazemore FD - $4300 DK - $5200
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 27.18 DK - 29.04
Before you flood the comments, I know, Kent Bazemore can be extremely frustrating to roster. If you haven't been burnt by him playing DFS then this is probably only your second day. The thing with Bazemore is we know he is capable of more than what we have seen and for the salary he doesn't even really need to do all that much to hit value. He has shown potential for upside since moving back in to the starting role aside from a couple of duds against the Nuggets and these same Timberwolves, averaging 10.75 points 3.75 rebounds and 4 assists in his last 4 games. I completely understand if you look elsewhere for cash, but the case is easy to make for tournaments.

Robert Covington FD - $5300 DK - $5700
Opponent - SAC
Proj Pts FD - 28.29 DK - 31.21
If you're searching for safety at small forward at a reasonable price, look no further than Robert Covington. The stat sheet for his last 4 games read almost identical to each other, averaging 14 points, 5.25 rebounds and 2.5 assists. RoCo has been pretty solid as of late and should be a cash game lock against a Sacramento team in the bottom ten against opposing threes.

Power Forward

Paul Millsap FD - $8200 DK - $8200
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 43.47 DK - 45.9
With Dwight Howard sidelined for the past few games, Millsap has been running hot as he's been stepping over to center with Atlanta deciding to run small in the interim. He put up back to back double double games against the Thunder and the Wolves before going 20/8/3 against the Nuggets. As of this writing, Howard has traveled to Denver with the team but is officially listed as doubtful though even if he does play, I'm still a fan of Millsap in all formats.

Gorgui Dieng FD - $5600 DK - $5700
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 29.24 DK - 30.85
Gorgui did not have a merry Christmas, as he was pretty much shut down on both sides against Oklahoma City. The good news is, this may turn some people off from him. Not us though, because we know better. Right? Right. The thing to look at with Dieng's game is in the minutes which have rested consistently in the upper 30s to 40s recently. While not very scoring dependent, Dieng has been a defensive monster in recent games recording at least 2 blocks in 6 of his last 7 games, while also slowly increasing his rebounds per game from 7 in the first half of the month to 8.75 in this last half. I like him for cash, but don't necessarily hate him in your tournaments.

Jabari Parker FD - $6900 DK - $6900
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 35.97 DK - 37.65
The greek freak can't do it all in Milwaukee, and Jabari Parker seems to be the player that's stepping up beside him to help the Bucks make a run. Friday night against Washington Parker filled his stat sheet with 8 rebounds, 2 blocks and 2 steals to go along with 21 points and 3 assists. The two teams meet again tonight, this time in Milwaukee and I like Parker to put up a similar performance that should serve well in all formats.

Center

Montrezl Harrell FD - $4500 DK - $4600
Opponent - PHO
Proj Pts FD - 25.37 DK - 26.35
With Clint Capela out for 4-6 weeks, following a less than impressive start by Nene, Houston seems to be riding with Montrezl as their interim starter. As long as that is the case, and he keeps giving a performance to justify his new role we have a value play at center. Tuesday He came off the bench behind Nene and put up 9/5/2 in 22 minutes. In the 2 games since getting the starting nod, hes given us 28 minutes and almost a fantasy point per minute. Until the price catches up to the performance, I love Montrezl for cash games, and against a team so poor against opposing fives as the Suns, I will definitely have some tournament exposure as well.

Marcin Gortat FD - $6100 DK - $5800
Opponent - MIL
Proj Pts FD - 30.51 DK - 31.85
Without Ian Mahinmi, the Wizards have been relying heavily on Marcin Gortat, and he has been eating up every minute of run he can get. He saw his minutes cut in Friday nights blowout loss to the Bucks, but up until that point he has been burning the boards. He's put up a double double in 4 of his last 6 games, has averaged a block per game throughout the month and as long as he keeps getting minutes in the upper 30s and 40s I see no reason why you shouldn't be considering him in all formats.

DeMarcus Cousins FD - $11200 DK - $10900
Opponent - PHI
Proj Pts FD - 55.89 DK - 58.76
My favorite thing about an off night for OKC? No Westbrook means there really is no reason to fade Boogie. Cousins has really stepped up his game this season cutting back on turnovers, down to 3 per game, while putting up a career high 29 points per game. Tonight the Kings will have their first meeting with the Sixers, giving us a match up we've been dreaming of. Boogie vs The Process. Philly is one of the most generous teams in the league to opposing centers and Cousins should feast. I'll be getting some mild exposure to the other guys mentioned here, but most of my cash considerations will be going to Cousins.

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