FanDuel Daily Picks: Fantasy Basketball Lineup, December 15

As the fantasy football season starts to wind down for many owners, more and more people are getting their fantasy fix from daily league fantasy sports sites like DraftKings, FanDuel, Draftstreet, or FanThrowdown.  To help you find the best possible results and win some cold hard cash, we at Fansided Fantasy (@FansidedFantasy) are going to start offering more coverage of these daily money-making leagues. We start today with these FanDuel daily picks.

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Tonight the NBA has eight games on the slate with matchups of top teams like the Hawks-Bulls game and the Blazers-Spurs game and some bottom-feeder showdowns between the 76ers-Celtics and the Pacers-Lakers. All of those games can be the source of fantasy goodness, but you have to know where to find the value plays at each position.

To help you get your lineup assembled, here is our first version of our FanDuel daily picks.  For each position, I’ve offered a pair of high-salary options and a pair of high-value options which comes from the lower end of the salary spectrum.  I’ve included my lineup at the bottom of the post, but feel free to mix-and-match to get your customized team on the floor.  I’d love your feedback on how our posts can be helpful to you, so let me know what you think in the comments at the bottom of the page or on Twitter where we can discuss the success or failure of our picks.

Point Guard

High Salary: As the Spurs come to town tonight, look for Damian Lillard to control the game as he faces either an injury-hampered Tony Parker or his replacement Cory Joseph.  Lillard is averaging over 20 points and five assists per game over his last ten contests and went off for 35 against Chicago last Friday.  Look for another big game from Lillard as the Blazers try to knock off the defending champs as San Antonio plays the second half of a back-to-back as they visit Portland.

High Salary: Michael Carter-Williams has been pouring it on lately and is coming off a triple-double on Saturday against Memphis.  He had 16 points, 11 rebounds, and 11 assists in that game and has averaged 14.8 points, 11.6 assists, and 8.4 rebounds over his last five games.  The Celtics defense has been among the most generous in the league this season, so look for a big game for MCW tonight.

High Value: Although he’s a big name, Derrick Rose is outside the top ten in salary in FanDuel for tonight’s game in Atlanta.  Rose has put up over 20 fantasy points (in FanDuel’s scoring) in eight straight games including a 42-point performance on Friday against Portland.  Rose has at least 10 points in seven of his last eight games, and he appears to be returning to form after a bevy of injuries has slowed his start to the season. Get him while he’s still value option and get him in your lineup.

High Value: If you decide to go ultra-cheap for one of your point guard spots, check out the Bucks Jerryd Bayless as Milwaukee visits the guard-heavy Suns.  Bayless has double-digit fantasy points in each of his last four games and has scored at least nine points while playing 20+ minutes in each one of those contests.  In his last two games he’s also added either 5+ rebounds or 5+ assists and his floor time should allow him to continue to produce decent production from the bottom of the salary barrel.

Shooting Guard

High Salary: You know what you get with Kobe Bryant, and it’s hard to argue against him as the Lakers take on the defensively-challenged Pacers.  Bryant takes a ton of shots, but he scores a ton of points.  He’s scored over 20 points in five of his last six games and always seems to score over 20 fantasy points with some huge performances where he single-handedly wins you your game.  He’s expensive, but taking on the Pacers he’s probably going to end up being worth it.

High Salary: Victor Oladipo is rounding into form after missing the start of the season and provides across-the-board production as he leads the Magic into Toronto tonight.  In seven games this month, Oladipo is averaging 18.1 points while shooting 54% and adding 3.4 rebounds, 4.0 assists, and 1.6 steals per game. He is a consistent producer and a solid option if you decide to pay a high price for your shooting guard but avoid Kobe.

High Value: Almost ever night Danny Green contributes to his fantasy owners in some way, although his production can come from different places.  He has played at least 28 minutes in his last five games and has averaged 12.2 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.0 steals, and 0.4 blocks over that span.  His shooting can be erratic, but he’s a steal at his mid-range price point since he usually gives you some kind of production and should be able to continue that tonight in Portland.

High Value: Any time you dig deep to the 3,500 range with your FanDuel daily picks, you’re going to assume significant risk, but one player who could pay off from that slot tonight in Gary Neal who has been providing scoring spark for the Hornets coming off the bench.  As Charlotte visits Cleveland tonight, they’ll need Neal to bring his scoring touch like he did in the Hornets last road game when he dropped 25 in Memphis and racked up 31.8 FanDuel points.  Neal is risky, but he gets the playing time and you might catch lightning in a bottle if his shots are dropping in Cleveland.

Small Forward

High Salary: You can hardly ever go wrong with LeBron James, but his price indicates just how transcendent he is.  In his last four games, he’s scored 49 FanDuel points or more three times, and as long as he’s on the floor tonight he should be ready to put up another huge game.  The only downside with playing LeBron is that you do need to compensate at other positions to afford his hefty salary.

High Salary: If you decide to leave the King’s salary for other players to work around, check out Magic SF Tobias Harris as an alternative. Harris has been a steady points-rebounds-assists contributor this season and over his last five games he’s averaged 19.4 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists.  Harris is no LeBron, but he can give you solid production against the Raptors and costs 3,600 less than James.

High Value: Suns SF Gerald Green slid into the starting lineup for Phoenix yesterday and continues to produce nice numbers.  Whether he starts again tonight against the Bucks or comes off the bench, he offers some solid scoring averaging 14.3 points and 2.3 three-pointers so far this season.  He does take a lot of shots which does hurt his percentages, but he can fill it up when he’s on and will be counted on to carry some of the scoring load especially if Goran Dragic is sidelined for the second day in a row.

High Value: Small Forward is a pretty thin position today with ultra-cheap options few and far between. One to take a look at if you need value is Hollis Thompson who has at times played huge minutes for the 76ers.  Tonight, Philadelphia hosts the Celtics and Thompson will look to build on his best game in a while which he turned in 21 points, five three-pointers, four boards, and three steals.  While it’s probably not realistic to expect that kind of production every night, he’s one of the better bargain options from the position as he and the Sixers take on the Celtics tonight.  If Kawhi Leonard is ruled out, also check out Kyle Anderson who will probably start in his place for the Spurs.

Power Forward

High Salary: As the Blazer come home to face the Spurs, look for LaMarcus Aldridge to continue to lead the way.  Aldridge has come within a rebound of a double-double or gotten a double-double in every game he’s played in since mid-November.  This month, he’s averaging 24.0 points and 11.1 boards and is a reliably high-scoring PF option in your FanDuel daily picks.  In his last ten games, he’s only scored fewer than 35 FanDuel points one time.

High Salary: Taking on Aldridge, Tim Duncan is worth a look as long as he suits up tonight in Portland.  Like Aldridge, he’s a double-double machine and has scored 30+ FanDuel points in his last six starts with a great blend of points, boards, and blocks.

High Value: In his last five games, Tristan Thompson is playing an increased role for the Cavaliers and rewarding his fantasy owners.  Most of his value comes from his rebounding.  In his last five games, Thompson is averaging 11.4 rebounds per game to go with 12.2 points.  His point average is a big skewed from a 21-point outburst last Friday in Toronto.  Normally he comes in around ten points and ten boards while picking up a few blocks.  Even though he’s coming off the bench, he’s playing 29+ minutes per game and can definitely be used as a low-cost power forward play tonight against Charlotte.

High Value: A unique blend of talent and a consistent performer, Channing Frye of the Magic doesn’t light up the points column often, but does contribute some three-pointers, rebounds, and blocks and his huge helping of on-court time keeps him relevant and available at a fairly low-cost salary.  Frye has reached 20 FanDuel points in four of his last seven games while reaching double digit FanDuel points in nine straight. He probably won’t blow up the scoreboard tonight against the Raptors but is a sneaky-consistent performer due to his efficiency.

Center

High Salary: Clippers Center DeAndre Jordan has pulled in double-digit rebounds in nine of his last ten games and has 14 or more in five of his last six games.  He’s also piling up blocks at a very nice rate averaging three swats per game over his last five contests. As the Clippers return home to face the Pistons, the only concern with Jordan is that he’ll play limited minutes due to a blowout, but barring that he should be lined up for another top-Center option kind of game.

High Salary: The Magic got Nikola Vucevic back on Saturday against Atlanta, and the center picked up where he left off going for 18 points and 11 boards in 35 minutes.  He’s consistent and gives right around 30 FanDuel points a game.

High Value: As a Celtics fan, I’m partial to Tyler Zeller, but lately he’s been playing at a high level and turning in some very nice numbers with points and rebounds.  He’s scored at least 20 FanDuel points in his last six games and is a double-double threat tonight against the Sixers.

High Value: If you’re scraping bottom as you round out your lineup, Robert Sacre could present some value tonight as his Lakers take on the Pacers in what could quickly turn into a runaway.  Right now, Sacre is playing 15-20 minutes a game and usually gets four to six points and around five rebounds.  Those numbers aren’t that impressive but as a bargain-basement value, his minutes keep him on this list.

My Lineup

PG: Damian Lillard-Portland Trail Blazers

PG: Jerryd Bayless-Milwaukee Bucks

SG: Kobe Bryant-Los Angeles Lakers

SG: Gary Neal-Charlotte Hornets

SF: LeBron James-Cleveland Cavaliers

SF: Gerald Green-Phoenix Suns

PF: LaMarcus Aldridge-Portland Trail Blazers

PF: Tristan Thompson-Cleveland Cavaliers

C: Tyler Zeller-Boston Celtics