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FanDuel Daily Picks: Fantasy Basketball Lineup December 21, 2014

By Zachary Thompson

Dec 19, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) dunks the ball during the third quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Wells Fargo Center. The Hornets won 109-91. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 19, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Philadelphia 76ers forward Nerlens Noel (4) dunks the ball during the third quarter against the Charlotte Hornets at Wells Fargo Center. The Hornets won 109-91. Mandatory Credit: John Geliebter-USA TODAY Sports /
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The NBA wraps up the weekend with nine games on tap for today on the final Sunday before the Christmas Day showcase.  For fantasy basketball owners, another week comes to an end with some nice games and some good opportunities to take advantage of matchups.  For daily league purposes, most contests are omitting the two afternoon start times and just playing the seven start at 6:00 PM ET or later.  For my FanDuel Daily picks below, I’ve stuck with players from only those games leaving out the Knicks-Raptors and Grizzlies-Cavaliers games.

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There are some intriguing games in the daily league window, though, with some of the worst defensive teams taking the floor meaning points should be plentiful. The Lakers, Timberwolves, Celtics, 76ers, Suns, and Pelicans are six of the bottom seven in the league in team defense and all will be on the floor tonight.  There may be an overall lack of star power in tonight’s pool, but I expect the scoring to be pretty high.

For the weekend,  we’ve switched to a rapid-fire format for the FanDuel daily picks, but on Monday I’ll get back to the fully expanded write-ups with extra options at each position. Good luck in your Sunday league, and here are my quick picks for tonight’s action:

PG-Russell Westbook-Oklahoma City Thunder: With Kevin Durant likely not playing, Westbrook is in line for another huge helping of minutes and usage in the Thunder offense. He’s scored at least 40 FanDuel points in his last nine straight games and 44.4 is his low production over his last seven.  He hands out so many assists to go with his high scoring that he’s a virtual lock to produce a huge game tonight especially against the Pelicans defensively-challenged backcourt. 

Dec 20, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Isaiah Thomas (3) lays up a basket during the first quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 20, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Isaiah Thomas (3) lays up a basket during the first quarter against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Anthony Gruppuso-USA TODAY Sports /

PG-Isaiah Thomas-Phoenix Suns: Thomas has been back from his injury for five games and has increased his FanDuel points in each outing. He’s put up over 30 FanDuel points in his last two games and has scored 20+ points in each of his last three to add to solid rebound and assist numbers. Thomas usually avoids turnoever and can be counted on for solid scoring so use him as a mid-range option as the Suns take on the Wizards in DC tonight.

SG-Evan Fournier-Orlando Magic: Fournier scored 21 points on Friday against Utah, his largest output in the last ten games, but he has been consistently contributing double-digits with 11 or more points in his last five contests. He’s also been consistent in producing a few rebounds and assists leading to at least 24 FanDuel points in four of those five games including a solid 28.6 against Utah.  Tonight, the Magic take on the Sixers in a favorable matchup for Fournier.

SG-Avery Bradley-Boston Celtics: In Boston’s first game since the Rondo departure, Bradley had seven assists and five rebounds to go with 14 points resulting in 38.5 FanDuel points.  The game-changer for Bradley’s value is the increased assists.  In the short-term, he’ll be the team’s main facilitator which should result in more good production especially today against Miami’s backcourt.

Dec 19, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Shabazz Muhammad (15) looks to pass the ball during the second half against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 19, 2014; Boston, MA, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Shabazz Muhammad (15) looks to pass the ball during the second half against the Boston Celtics at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports /

SF-Shabazz Muhammad-Minnesota Timberwolves: With Corey Brewer out of town, look for Minnesota to give even more time to Shabazz Muhammad.  Muhammad has been hot lately scoring 20+ points in each of his last three and five of his last eight.  He played 38 minutes on Friday against Boston adding five rebounds and five assists to his 26 points for 37.5 FanDuel points.  He’s been over 30 FanDuel points in each of his last three and should be in that range again tonight against the Pacers.  He’s becoming the ‘Wolves best offensive option so expect good numbers going forward even though he’s still available at a very affordable price.

SF-Rudy Gay-Sacramento Kings: Gay continues solid across-the-board production with at least 20 points in five of his last six game with over five rebounds or over five assists in each of those games. He’s piled up 34 FanDuel points or more in his last nine games and should be able to exploit the Lakers shaky defense tonight in Sacramento.

PF-David West-Indiana Pacers: West is a consistent force for the Pacers and continues to produce solid fantasy numbers most nights.  He’s had double-doubles in each of his lsat two games and has over 25 FanDuel points in five straight.  The Pacers play the Timberwolves tonight which lines up well for West to have another solid game.  He’s low-risk at a volatile power forward spot which makes him worth a look as one of our FanDuel Daily Picks.

PF-Nerlens Noel-Philadelphia 76ers: Noel can put up fantasy points in so many different ways that he’s also a low-risk option simply because he doesn’t need to score to contribute. On Friday, he only had six points, but his nine rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and three steals still produced 31.3 FanDuel points.  As long as he keeps playing solid minutes for the 76ers, he’ll remain a nice fantasy option with the potential to explode whenever he does find success in the scoring column as well.

C-Mason Plumlee-Brooklyn Nets: While DeMarcus Cousins is a tempting big-name spend against the Lakers, I’m going with value from Plumlee again as he continues to emerge as a nice fantasy option while filling in for Brooklyn in the absence of Brook Lopez.  He’s had at least 30 FanDuel points in each of his last five games and is close to a double-double in every game.

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