Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - 12/1/17

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Point guard

Tyus Jones FD - $5700 DK - $4700
Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 27.94 DK - 26.91

Jeff Teague has missed the last 4 games, but has been questionable for each. He even warmed up with the intention to play in the last 2. He should be close to returning, but it's tough to trust that when we've heard it every game and he ends up sitting. Tyus Jones has taken full advantage, playing minute totals of 32, 38, 39, and 41. He's being treated like any other starter and it's not tough to figure out why. In those 4 games, Tyus has put up 33, 51, 30, and 40 fantasy points. They've also been very sustainable games, never going over 17 points and never under 6 assists or 4 rebounds. He stuffs the stat sheet and looks to truly be a skilled PG that belongs in the NBA. You definitely get what I mean if you've been watching him play. If Teague does end up missing, I just don't see how you an possibly fade this guy in a fast-paced affair with the Thunder. With a guaranteed 38 minutes at mid-$5k, it'll be hard to go wrong. Make sure Teague is out and feel free to throw Jones in everywhere.

Ricky Rubio FD - $5400 DK - $5600
Opponent - NO
Proj Pts FD - 35.83 DK - 36.06

There's no reason for Ricky Rubio to be mid-$5k. He's a $6k+ player and can be relied upon for 25+ FP on a nightly basis. The Jazz rely on Ricky Rubio to play 30 minutes a night and put the ball in his hands every single possession. He's added the 3-point shot this year and is also working a lot faster without Rudy Gobert on the floor. They put up 120+ points just last night against an average Clippers defense that doesn't play very fast. He now sees a great match-up against a New Orleans Pelicans squad that's struggled against point guards. Over the last 10 games (Rondo back), they have been dead last in basketball with 57 fantasy points per game allowed. Rubio is far too cheap on both sites and makes for a strong play in both cash games and tournaments. If Rubio ever does get that 35 minutes, he's going to be close to a must in tournaments.

Russell Westbrook FD - $11300 DK - $11400
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 54.38 DK - 58.15
Stephen Curry FD - $9700 DK - $9900
Opponent - ORL
Proj Pts FD - 47.11 DK - 49.06

If you want to pay up at PG, these are your 2 options. I was hesitant to touch on either as there is some injury question surrounding them. For Curry, he's been questionable every game for 5 straight and was said to be questionable for this one. He's now probable, but make sure to pay attention. Westbrook was held out of practice Wednesday, but participated fully yesterday, so should be good to go. Westbrook is a lot more expensive and it's because he's been stepping up his game a bit. He's been over 60 fantasy points in 4 of his last 5 games and hit 54 in the other. The match-up against Minnesota is solid as they've ranked 9th worst against point guards in the league. Tyus Jones is not a good defender and much smaller than Westbrook. As for Curry, he sees a match-up against the Magic, who are even worse against PG's (4th worst). The only issue here is the risk of a blowout. If you think it stays close, he'll demolish value in 34+ minutes. If it blows out, he and KD will be the first ones out of the game.

Shooting Guard

Bradley Beal FD - $8000 DK - $7900
Opponent - DET
Proj Pts FD - 41.94 DK - 43.19

Beal injured his eye and ended up playing just 22 minutes against the 76ers. He still put up 30 fantasy points and didn't kill you in cash games. If he got the 35 minutes he should have, it would have been an easy 45 fantasy points. Beal is the go-to guy on this offense without Wall and he's going to continue putting up big numbers. He's had some weird games over the last few and it hopefully keeps his ownership under 30 or 40%. He'll see a solid defender in Avery Bradley, who we'll also touch on, but he's not going to shut him down. Beal is just as good of a scorer as any defender in this league and he can put up 30 real-life points on anyone when hot. Seeing just 22 minutes last game and being left off the injury report, Beal should be ready to go for 35+ here. The Pistons will keep it close and I think this is a very interesting game to mini stack. As for Beal, I think he's safe across the board.

Nicolas Batum FD - $5600 DK - $6000
Opponent - MIA
Proj Pts FD - 26.06 DK - 26.56

Don't get me wrong, Nicolas Batum has been quite bad recently. He's simply hitting a weird patch and is still the same guy as he was over the last 2 or 3 years. We have Kemba Walker and Jeremy lab questionable, which is where he comes in to play. If one of these guys sit, Batum is in play. If both happen to sit, Batum is going to see 35+ minutes and get a lot of ball handling time. Batum is a very good player and he can fill up the stat sheet when the ball is in his hands. If you can remember back to his Portland days, he had a couple 5x5's (5 points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks). He's a versatile player that sees an intense upgrade with every extra minute on the court. The Heat are an average defensive team and struggle down low without Hassan Whiteside. We may see both teams shorthanded tonight, and batum could be a guy to play 35 minutes and take over on the perimeter. Make sure at least 1 of these guys are out and take a look at this situation.

Avery Bradley FD - $5500 DK - $5800
Opponent - WAS
Proj Pts FD - 29.66 DK - 30.43

Avery Bradley started out the season horribly. He was under 20 fantasy points often and it was something nobody was used to. He's not necessarily back into his role with Boston, but he's a lot closer. He's getting 33 minutes in most games and should be out there to contend with Bradley Beal. Bradley fills up the stat sheet quite nicely at this price, though the upside is admittedly lacking. He's a phenomenal cash game play that can be counted on for 25 fantasy points at a position without much value. This game is going to stay close and it's a pace-up match-up for the Pistons, who play a lot slower than the Wiz. Bradley is by no means a must, but he's solid at a position without too many options.

Small forward

Jimmy Butler FD - $8100 DK - $7300
Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 34.09 DK - 33.9
Paul George FD - $8500 DK - $8200
Opponent - MIN
Proj Pts FD - 34.72 DK - 35.01

Small forward is pretty weird tonight. Kevin Durant may end up in play, but he played huge minutes last game and is officially probable. He's a bit tough to trust in cash games if that game blows out. We fortunately have 2 solid options in Jimmy Butler and PG13, who are facing off against each other. Jimmy Butler sees a consistent 37+ minutes every single game and it forces him to be an extremely safe cash game play. George sees the crazy minutes as well and has been one of the more consistent players in the league as well. Both of these guys are usually around 40 FP and occasionally get over 50. Both are good defenders, but both teams play fast and neither has defended SF's well. This game is expected to be high-scoring and close, so make sure you get exposure on a slate without many of those games. Oh ya, this position is also horrible under $8k.

Kyle Anderson FD - $5800 DK - $5500
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 30.31 DK - 29.26

under $8k, small forward is very bare. Hopefully, some value comes along through the day and we get a couple guys to pay down for, but not yet. We'll touch on Kyle Anderson in the mid-range, who's picked himself up and earned a real role on this offense. He's playing a lot of PG and it's been great, going for 28+ fantasy points in 6 straight and 8 of the last 10. Anderson is evolving into a very strong player and is still cheap enough to play in all formats. This Spurs team needs a number 2 behind LaMarcus Aldridge and Anderson has done a great job recently. This match-up with the Grizzlies doesn't seem good, but they've actually ranked 15th against SF's with 40 FPPG. Anderson isn't a flashy option with 40+ point upside, but he's safe at a position that doesn't have many options. This game may seem ugly, but it'll definitely stay close and the starters will be out there.

Power forward

Anthony Davis FD - $10400 DK - $10400
Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 52.14 DK - 52.04

With Rudy Gobert out for the Jazz, we really have to distance who they are with and without him. Without him, they've played at an above-average 103 PACE. They put up 125 points against the Clippers last night and was up and down the floor like crazy. They're struggling against big men and I have no idea how they plan on covering 2 of the best ones in the world. Derrick Favors is their best big body right now and he's a league-average defender at best. I assume they get a little creative and throw out some Epke Udoh and Tony Bradley, but we all know how that will turn out. As for Anthony Davis, this is the cheapest you will ever find him and there's no reason for it. He was ejected last game after just 17 minutes and put up 21 fantasy points. He's well rested, probably pissed off, and in a very solid match-up. At $10.4k, he's a guy I have a ton of love for and will personally have everywhere. The Jazz aren't ready for this duo.

Taj Gibson FD - $5500 DK - $5700
Opponent - OKC
Proj Pts FD - 27.54 DK - 27.09

Taj Gibson isn't the most durable player ever, but it doesn't matter to the Thibs. He's going to give his starters 35+ minutes and that's just the way it is. You can go ahead and pencil in at least 25 fantasy points on a nightly basis and he'll hit 40 FP every once in a while. In the mid-$5k's, that's all you need. The Thunder are a team that likes to run and they have a bad team defense. Carmelo Anthony is too small for Taj Gibson and he's going to struggle when getting posted up in the paint. There isn't anything sexy about Taj Gibson or how many FP he'll likely get you, but he also won't be the guy you blame for a loss. He's a guy you can be extremely comfortable with, but there's no need to start your lineup here.

Lauri Markkanen FD - $6800 DK - $6000
Opponent - SAC
Proj Pts FD - 33.91 DK - 34.55
Bobby Portis FD - $4400 DK - $4800
Opponent - SAC
Proj Pts FD - 23.56 DK - 24.22

These are 2 guys who are in play at very different positions. That are both pretty consistent, actually, which is weird to say for a Chicago Bull. Lauri Markkanen is just a rookie, but he's getting 30+ minutes a night and producing game in and game out. He's safe at this price, but I don't love his upside in tournaments. Portis is probably just as good as Markakanen, if not better, but he just doesn't get the minutes. In the limited 17-23 minutes, he gets as much done as he can. It's obviously difficult to play a guy that gets so few minutes, but you never know when the 30 minutes are coming and even if they don't, he's been fine every game. I'd much rather get AD and Gibson than worry about something like this, but I'll have my fair share of exposure in tournaments. Both of these guys should be rather low-owned and they both are safe for the price they sit at.

Center

DeMarcus Cousins FD - $10700 DK - $10900
Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 53.67 DK - 55.56

We already looked at Anthony and mentioned how tough this duo is going to be on the Jazz. Without Rudy Gobert, it's been Derrick Favors at center for the most part. They likely can't do that tonight, so Cousins will see some Epke Udoh and Tony Bradley as well. None of those guys are above average at defense and Cousins is going to demolish them. He shoots 15-20 times a game and can be counted on for a double-double before he walks off the bus. His price is just a bit higher than Davis' and I would expect their ownership to be quite similar. His minutes are pretty inconsistent, but he's typically over 40 FP on a nightly basis. The upside is limitless and center isn't the best spot on this slate. If you can afford Cousins, he's certainly worth it. Make sure you clear separation in your mind between the Gobert Jazz and Gobert-less Jazz.

Robin Lopez FD - $5300 DK - $5100
Opponent - SAC
Proj Pts FD - 27.44 DK - 27.29

If you can't afford DeMarcus Cousins for <$10k, Robin Lopez is a very safe value option. He isn't a very fun guy to roster, but the Kings stink against the Bulls and Lopez will be out there for 34 minutes against Will Cauley-Stein. Lopez is consistently around 25 fantasy points and it's all you need in cash games. This game between the Bulls and Kings won't be a very exciting one, but it will stay close and slow. Lopez benefits from slower paced games and typically ends up playing more/ The Kings are a big team and Lopez is the only guy with the size to match. He's been a useful cash game DFS play a lot this year and here he is again. I feel like my luck is running think with Robin Lopez, but here we go again. Good luck tonight!

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