DraftKings daily picks: Fantasy basketball lineup-December 5
High Salary PG
Russell Westbrook-Oklahoma City Thunder (12,600): Westbrook had “only” 69.75 fantasy points last night against the Pelicans while turning in his fifth straight triple double with 28-17-12 (points-rebounds-assists). He has at least that many fantasy points in eight of his last nine games and continues to set the pace for statistical excellence this season. He takes his 65.4 fantasy points per game average to the floor tonight as he takes on Atlanta in what should be a chance for him to keep right on rolling. The Hawks are allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing PG, so Westbrook should be near his full value even though he costs such a crazy total amount with a salary over 12K.∗∗∗∗
Giannis Antetokounmpo-Milwaukee Bucks (9,500): Recently, Antetokounmpo has been outstanding for the Bucks and his fantasy owners. He has at least 52 fantasy points in five of his last six games including a pair of games with at least 67 fantasy points. He tends to have his most well-rounded and complete stat lines against top teams like the Cavs (69.5 fantasy points last Tuesday) and Raptors (54.5 fantasy points on 11/25). Tonight, though, he’ll face a tough challenge against the Spurs who will probably match Kawhi Leonard on “The Alphabet” for much of the night. His recent form makes him very appealing at this price, but his matchup makes him a tough option to drop almost 10K on. ∗∗
John Wall-Washington Wizards (8,900): The only PG in a better matchup than Westbrook statistically is John Wall who gets to take on the Nets who are allowing the most fantasy points per game to opposing PG. Wall definitely hasn’t been putting up Westbrook numbers, but he does have five double-doubles in his last six games and has at least 48 fantasy points in three straight and six of his last seven. He had 11-2-15 and three steals in his last game which was Friday in San Antonio, so after a weekend off he should be in a nice place to produce in a great matchup tonight. ∗∗∗∗
Kyle Lowry-Toronto Raptors (8,200): Another nice option in the 8,000’s is Kyle Lowry who will host Kyrie Irving and the Cavs in Toronto this evening. Lowry struggled the first time these teams met this season posting 17-2-4 but went off in their second meeting totaling 28-5-9 with four steals. Cleveland has been allowing a ton of fantasy points to opposing PG lately and are averaging the third-most allowed to the position on the season. Lowry brings lots of upside tonight if the games stays close as he and the Raptors try to hand the defending champs their fourth straight loss. ∗∗∗∗
Isaiah Thomas-Boston Celtics (8,100): Thomas is in a much more difficult matchup than Westbrook or Wall as he faces Patrick Beverley and the Rockets who have been shutting everyone down lately. IT4 does come in with some great momentum after pouring in a season-high 54.5 fantasy points on Saturday abasing Philadelphia. He had 37-4-7 in that game, and he’ll be the focus of the Boston offense tonight in what should be a high-scoring, fun-to-watch NBATV game tonight. I really like Thomas a lot, but his matchup does up the risk factor. ∗∗
Dennis Schroder-Atlanta Hawks (6,100): There is an unusual gap of PG options in the 6,000’s and 7,000 due to some injuries and risky matchups, so I’m dropping down to Schroder for my next option. The Hawks PG has been playing well lately even though Atlanta has been struggling as a team. On a back-to-back Friday and Saturday, the team was blown out by the Pistons and Raptors resulting in just 25 and 24 minutes for Schroder. He still managed to post decent fantasy lines of 37.5 fantasy points and 26.75 fantasy points in those two contests, though, despite his limited playing time. Schroder had 50 fantasy points on 31-4-9 in the last game he received his full minutes, and he should be able to put up another good number tonight against the Thunder who are allowing the fifth-most fantasy points per game to opposing PG and are playing on the second night of their back-to-back. ∗∗∗∗
Next: High Value PG