Daily Fantasy DraftKings and FanDuel NBA Picks - Wednesday, December 13, 2023

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Point Guard/ Shooting Guard

D'Angelo Russell FD - $6600 DK - $6900
Opponent - SA
Proj Pts FD - 40.98 DK - 44.23

Austin Reaves FD - $6400 DK - $6500
Opponent - SA
Proj Pts FD - 40.31 DK - 44.11

It looks like both Lebron James and Anthony Davis will sit out this game, the second half of the back-to-back, after the tough loss to the Mavericks on Tuesday. With so much production gone, it sure seems like both D'Angelo Russell and Austin Reaves are going to get a ton of run and a lot of the LA usage in this one.

Neither is priced like they are taking over the offense and don’t have the salaries requisite with the Lakers sitting their two stars. We’ll likely be stacking the Lakers across the board in this game against the Spurs who have a bottom-five defense. Expect both Russell and Reaves to be massive chalk on this slate. This isn’t one we have to think too hard about.

Jalen Brunson FD - $7800 DK - $8200
Opponent - UTA
Proj Pts FD - 43.57 DK - 47.05

The Knicks get a potentially great matchup against the Jazz here and seeing as how Utah appears fully in the tank, there hasn’t been much resistance from them at all of late. We’ve seen a bit of a price dip on Brunson in the short term with the scoring down some.

But he’s had some slower matchups against the Raptors and a game against the Celtics in there. This is a total get-right spot for a guy averaging close to 25 points and 5.6 assists on the season. As long as the minutes are there then Brunson is a high floor cash game play.

Small Forward

Scottie Barnes FD - $8900 DK - $8600
Opponent - ATL
Proj Pts FD - 52.79 DK - 54.69

The Raptors take on the Hawks on Wednesday, and this game has the third-highest over/under total on the slate, which is really saying something, considering Toronto is involved with the game. But a lot of that (or really all of it) is because Atlanta plays the 27th-ranked defensive efficiency in the league and the third-fastest pace. That’s the perfect spot for stacking against and Barnes is in a great spot.

Barnes is averaging career highs in points (19.8), rebounds (9.0), and assists (5.6) on the season, becoming one of the more trustworthy fantasy options we have. Now he’ll get a layup matchup against the Hawks and you don’t have to break the bank completely with the salary.

Rui Hachimura FD - $4200 DK - $4900
Opponent - SA
Proj Pts FD - 34.44 DK - 36.42

We mentioned this with Austin Reaves and D'Angelo Russell, and the theme remains the same with Rui Hachimura who should draw the start at one of the wing spots for the Lakers. We should see at least double-digit shot attempts for Rui if the minutes are there; he’s a solid rebounder when given the run.

Again, this Lakers situation is a DFS area spot when so much of the production is out of the lineup. It’s a pretty easy call to run four (or even five on DraftKings) of the Lakers starters while filling out the rest of the lineup with spend-up options.

Power Forward/ Center

Giannis Antetokounmpo FD - $12000 DK - $11400
Opponent - IND
Proj Pts FD - 60.56 DK - 63.16

Speaking of games with high totals, the Bucks-Pacers number is completely out of control. It’s currently sitting at 258.5, which is about 20-30 points higher than just about anything else on the slate. These are video game numbers we are talking about at this point, and it could be an absolute track meet before everything is said and done.

Giannis Antetokounmpo stands to benefit from a potential up-and-down style game and could pile it on here. The price is incredibly expensive, and for good reason, but no other game environment matches what we could get with this one.

Strongly consider Brook Lopez (FD 7100 DK 6400) in this game as well.

Victor Wembanyama FD - $9900 DK - $8800
Opponent - LAL
Proj Pts FD - 48.57 DK - 50.42M

Victor Wembanyama is now the starting center for the Spurs with Zach Collins moved to the bench, and the early fantasy returns are massive. Over the last two, he is averaging 18 points and 19 rebounds with nine blocks in that stretch. Playing closer to the rim more consistently has the boards and swats up considerably, and that should be able to maintain going forward. The DraftKings price is way too cheap and he’s virtually assured to be a double-double in this game with a high ceiling against a thin Lakers team.

Jaxson Hayes FD - $3600 DK - $4000
Opponent - SA
Proj Pts FD - 21.66 DK - 21.75

It looks like Jaxson Hayes will draw the start for Anthony Davis in this one, seeing as how Hayes was the first big off the bench in Tuesday’s game against the Mavericks. Hayes has pretty underwhelming fantasy stats on the season, even on a per minute basis. But he also really hasn’t been in this kind of situation either.

This is a smash spot for his current price points as long as he is getting the start against the Spurs. Coming near the minimum on both sites with the potential to run close to 30 minutes especially against Wemby and company would have him way, way above value.