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FanDuel Daily Picks: Fantasy Basketball Lineup, December 28

By Zachary Thompson

Nov 7, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Goran Dragic (1) congratulates teammate guard Eric Bledsoe (2) in the NBA game against the Sacramento Kings at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2014; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns guard Goran Dragic (1) congratulates teammate guard Eric Bledsoe (2) in the NBA game against the Sacramento Kings at US Airways Center. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Stewart-USA TODAY Sports /
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As the NFL regular season wraps up today, the NBA season continues in full force with some top-drawer matchups on tap for tonight. If you’re playing in fantasy basketball daily leagues, most formats will exclude the Pistons-Cavs game this afternoon leaving five games to choose from in the main window which starts at 7:00. To help you get together your lineup, check out my FanDuel Daily picks below.

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Today I’ll have to go to the fast break format with my picks due to time constraints.  Usually, I do a full write-up with multiple options at each position as you can see in my previous posts listed to the right. Today, I’ll just give you my lineup with a quick analysis of each player and why they’re in my lineup.

There should be some great games tonight as the Rockets visit the Spurs and the Thunder head to big D to face the Mavs.  The Raptors play their second game of a tough back-to-back in Denver, and the Lakers and Suns game meet in the late game which should be a high-scoring game.

With great games to watch, here is the players that I’ll be cheering for in my lineup for tonight:

FanDuel Daily Picks-My Lineup 12/28

Dec 26, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) brings the ball up the court against the Charlotte Hornets at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 26, 2014; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) brings the ball up the court against the Charlotte Hornets at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /

PG: He’s high-priced to be sure, but there’s little arguing with Russell Westbrook needing to be in your lineup. He did have a bit of a down game his last time out since he only played 25 minutes in a rout of the Hornets. He still managed to put up 29 points, five assists, and a pair of rebounds which netted him 38.9 FanDuel points. The previous two games, Westbrook had been over 60 FanDuel points and has had at least 44 in all of his last ten games except his last one.  I don’t think tonight’s visit from the new-look Mavs will turn into a runaway, so Westbrook should be back to his normal minutes and put up another huge game.  He’s worth the hefty price tag, in my opinion, so I’ll be working my lineup around his 11,800 cost.

PG: The way my lineup came together I decided to go heavy in the salary of my backcourt, so I’m adding a solid mid-level pickup with Goran Dragic as he and the Suns take on the defensively-challenged Lakers. Dragic has posted 24 FanDuel points or more in four of his five games since returning from his back injury. In those games, he’s averaged 17.4 points, 4.8 assists, and 2.8 rebounds. I think he’ll have a very nice game tonight in LA, so I’ll make room under my salary cap for him.

SG: Dragic’s teammate Eric Bledsoe is also a nice play tonight looking for his fifth straight game with over 30 FanDuel points. Bledsoe has been filling up the stat sheet lately with a triple-double of 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists on Tuesday against Dallas and another solid game of 18 points, five rebounds, and six assists against Sacramento on Friday.  At a shooting guard spot where sometimes scoring is all a player brings, Bledsoe is a refreshing option with plenty of peripherals which help him be a stable SG option.

SG: Despite Rajon Rondo’s acquisition, Monta Ellis has continued to put up serious points and he rounds out my expensive backcourt as he and the Mavs take on OKC.  Ellis has produced 25 FanDuel points or more in nine straight games and continues to pick up assists (13 in his last two games) and steals (13 in his last four games) which help his production even when he’s not going off in the scoring column.

SF: With such big names in the backcourt, I’ll need some value options from here on out. I’ll start with Gerald Green since I do think the Suns will fill up the scoresheet on Sunday night and Green is one of their best scoring options.  His role coming off the bench does lead to ups and downs and he’s had a couple duds lately including Saturday when he managed just seven points in 11 minutes. I think he’ll bounce back tonight and is a solid value with a salary just under 5,000.

December 27, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Terrence Ross (31) controls the ball against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
December 27, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Toronto Raptors forward Terrence Ross (31) controls the ball against the Los Angeles Clippers during the first half at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

SF: Toronto continues to await the return of DeMar DeRozan, and in the meantime Terrance Ross has been playing big minutes. In his last three games, Ross has played at least 35 minutes and been fairly productive. He’s scored in double digits in each of his last four games, and his rebounds and assists have helped him reach 20+ FanDuel points in each of those four games.  Ross is another nice add at a salary of 4,600 where most of the options lack his consistency and playing time.

PF: The “Manimal” has returned. In his last two games, Kenneth Faried has been outstanding following a nice 20-point, 14-rebound game on Tuesday with a monster night on Friday.  Against the T-Wolves, Faried hauled in 25 rebounds while scoring 26 points and adding three assists.  He totaled an impressive 56.5 FanDuel points and will be back at work on the glass tonight against the Raptors. Faried is a bargain at just 5,600 since he’s struggled all season, but he looks like he’s turned the corner making him a great play tonight.

PF: The Lakers have been playing without Kobe Bryant who looks like he’ll return tonight. One of the unsung heroes in his absence has been the steadily productive PF Ed Davis. Davis has scored in double-digits in five straight games and has posted nice double-doubles in each of his last two games. He typically adds some defensive stats as well which brings his FanDuel production up even more. He’s turned in 25 FanDuel points or more in four of his last five.  Even though he doesn’t play a ton of minutes, he’s a nice value as long as he keeps starting with Carlos Boozer coming off the bench.

Dec 25, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) shoots the ball over San Antonio Spurs power forward Matt Bonner (15) during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 25, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams (12) shoots the ball over San Antonio Spurs power forward Matt Bonner (15) during the second half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /

C: Another player who doesn’t score a ton of points, but gives solid fantasy production is Thunder C Steven Adams who has at least nine rebounds in each of his last five games and is starting to emerge as a bigger part of the Thunder offense as he demonstrated on Christmas Day dropping 16 points and 15 rebounds on the Spurs.  He produced 43 FanDuel points in that game which is definitely a bit of an outlier.  He has been steady, though, with at least 20 FanDuel points in his last five games in a row. He rounds out my roster for tonight.

Good luck with your lineup tonight! For injury updates and lineup adjustments follow @FansidedFantasy on twitter where I’ll be glad to help you in any way I can and be happy to discuss your lineup for tonight’s action.