DraftKings NBA Picks for December 7
By Mike Marteny
DraftKings NBA Picks for December 7
We are up to ten games for tonight with many stars back in action. How many of them should we cram in our DraftKings lineups? We know that there are bargains because Miami is in action again tonight.
Don’t forget to follow @fantasycpr on Twitter for lineup updates as we get them leading to the tipoffs of the games! I am not always able to get back in here and fix my picks when someone sits for the night, but we will update it on Twitter.
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I am going to change one little thing. I usually create two DraftKings lineups, so I am going to start posting the both of them since the one I post usually winds up being the lower scoring of the two.
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Point Guards
Best Bets:
James Harden ($11,400): Harden is the highest priced player on the board, and with good reason. He has averaged over 5x value on the season. In his first meeting against the Lakers this year he put up 68.75 DraftKings points. He should be in that same area again tonight.
Giannis Antetokounmpo ($9,800): The fact that Giannis is still a point guard is mind blowing. He is a matchup nightmare, and his 50.1 DraftKings points average on the season proves it. Giannis has only been under 5x value twice in the last eight games. The Blazers aren’t a great matchup, but its good enough to consider him as a fade option to Harden.
Honorable Mention:
Stephen Curry ($8,500): Curry’s ceiling has been lower this year with the addition of Durant, but he is still always around 5x value with the occasional 50+ DraftKings points game thrown in there for good measure. The Clippers are in the middle of the pack against point guards, so expect another 5x value game for Curry.
Goran Dragic ($7,300): Josh Richardson, Luke Babbitt, Dion Waiters, and Justise Winslow have already been ruled out for the current road trip, which leaves Dragic as a must-play option, especially at this price. Dragic has averaged 44.2 DraftKings points over the past five games with everyone out. That leaves him averaging over 6x value.
Dark Horses:
Jeff Teague ($6,400): You know the drill. Teague is playing the Suns, so he should see a nice increase in production. Teague has had success against teams in the bottom half of the league defending the point. Phoenix certainly fits that bill (24th).
Brandon Jennings ($4,000): Derrick Rose left last night’s game with back spasms. It would be a surprise if he was able to play tonight. If he is, ignore this pick. If not, Jennings is a great value play. He averages 5x value coming off the bench, so he could realistically turn in 8x value if Rose sits.
My pick: Dragic(PG); Dragic(PG)
Shooting Guards
Best Bets:
C.J. McCollum ($6,800): McCollum has averaged above 5x value over the last five games. In fact, he is at 5.3x value on the season as a whole. The Bucks are not a great matchup, but considering Damian Lillard could have a tough go with the Freak on him, McCollum could pick up some of the slack tonight.
Avery Bradley ($6,300): Bradley has been all over the court lately. He has fallen a rebound short of a double double in two of the last three games. He got the feat in one of those. If he keeps rebounding like this, he is a lock for 5x value because his scoring has not tapered off either.
Honorable Mention:
Klay Thompson ($7,000): Thompson lit up the Pacers for 68 DraftKings points (60 real points) on Monday. Don’t expect a repeat performance here. The Clippers are statistically the best team against shooting guards this year. That said, Thompson is a streaky player. He has shot over 60% from the floor in his last two games, so he at least deserves consideration tonight.
Lou Williams ($6,100): Williams has feasted with D’Angelo Russell and Nick Young out. LouWill has 107.5 DraftKings points in his last two games. Don’t bet on Houston slowing him down much, if at all. Williams looks like a solid gamble for at least 6x value again.
Dark Horses:
Sean Kilpatrick ($6,000): The Nuggets are the second worst team in the league defending the off guard. Kilpatrick has come back to earth after torching the Clippers at the end of November, but he is still averaging 5x value since then. He should see a little over that against Denver tonight.
Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($5,800): KCP showed why he can be hard to use in DFS contests last night. He only had 21.5 DraftKings points, which helped put those of us that used him at a big disadvantage. The matchup is there against Charlotte tonight, but a lot of people will shy away from him after last night.
Wayne Ellington ($4,300): Ellington has racked up 105 DraftKings points in the four games since injuries ravaged the Heat. At this price, he is consistently hitting over 5x value. That shouldn’t change over the next few games. Ellington is a solid play for the next week or so. So is Tyler Johnson, who is marginally more expensive, but he has more upside than Ellington does.
My pick: Williams(SG), Ellington(G); Kilpatrick(SG), Ellington(G)
Small Forwards
Best Bets:
LeBron James ($9,900): The King put up 58.25 DraftKings points against the Knicks in their first meeting. LeBron is riding a streak of back to back 50 DraftKings point games. He looks like a solid bet to reach that plateau again tonight. Add to that the ongoing feud between James and the Zenmaster, and you know LeBron is going to want to stick it to the Knicks again.
Paul George ($7,800): It looks like George didn’t miss a beat from being out for almost a fortnight. George has 79.25 DraftKings points in his two games back, which puts him right at 5x value. He should be in line for more than that tonight against the Suns.
Honorable Mention:
Carmelo Anthony ($7,400): Melo blew up last night after Rose left the game. He finished with 46.5 DraftKings points on the evening. Anthony will be in line for more of the offensive load if Rose is out against Cleveland, which would seem to be the case. Just make sure you check before lineups lock. Melo only had 30.25 DraftKings points against the Cavs in the opener.
Jabari Parker ($6,500): It’s hard to rely on any Buck besides Giannis because of Jason Kidd‘s whimsical rotations, but Parker seems to be safely in for 30+ minutes a game. The Blazers are the second worst team in the league against small forwards, so this could be a big game for Parker.
Dark Horses:
Will Barton ($6,200): Barton has been on fire in the three games since his return. Barton has put up 115.5 DraftKings points in those three games, making him well over 6x value. He has another great matchup against the Nets tonight. Don’t worry about Wilson Chandler. It was Barton who played more minutes in the last few games.
Bojan Bogdanovic ($4,300): For those of you that watched the Olympics, we saw a different version of Bogdanovic over the summer. That experience seems to have helped him this season as he has become a more accomplished scorer. He has been at or above 5x value in seven of his last ten games. Oh, and he has a superb matchup against Denver.
My pick: Barton(SF), James(F); George(SF)
Power Forwards
Best Bets:
Blake Griffin ($8,600): Statistically, the Warriors have given up the most fantasy points to power forwards on the season. Griffin has posted back to back 50+ DraftKings points games, and seems primed to make it three in a row. Will he outscore Harden, James, or Cousins? I can’t tell you that, but I do know that he has a chance to and he is cheaper.
Harrison Barnes ($6,500): Barnes has been a beast with Dirk Nowitzki out. Barnes has averaged 35.3 DraftKings points per game with Dirk out, and so long as Dirk is out again (which looks likely), Barnes is again a valuable play. He should get you right around 5x value.
Honorable Mention:
Tobias Harris ($6,000): The inconsistency is maddening, but Harris has topped 33 DraftKings points in five of his last six games. On paper, the matchup with Charlotte is another very good one for Harris. With so many good options in front of him, there is a chance that Harris will be overlooked tonight. He could help you cash.
Trevor Booker ($5,900): Booker has topped 35 DraftKings points in three of his last five games. This is a good matchup across the board for the Nets, so Booker may not see the scoring chances, but he has been very efficient from the floor. Booker is 26-45 from the floor in that span. His chances of busting are pretty low tonight.
Dark Horses:
Jon Leuer ($4,500): Aron Baynes outplayed Leuer last night, but that was the first time that had occurred in several weeks. Leuer has been a solid 5x value at this price, and even his 18.5 DraftKings points last night wasn’t a total loss. There is no high reward here, but if you are looking for cheap consistency, Leuer has been good at that.
Jared Dudley ($3,400): Dudley had kind of fallen by the wayside with the performance of P.J. Tucker lately, but Dudley far overshadowed Tucker last night. That should afford him more of a run against Indiana, which has struggled against power forwards this year. There is risk involved in this one, but Dudley could come up big at a very low price.
My pick: Booker(PF), Harris(UTIL); Dudley(PF), Harris(F)
Center
Best Bets:
DeMarcus Cousins ($11,000): Dallas has actually ranked in the top ten against opposing centers, but Cousins has been on quite a roll lately. Cousins has averaged 60 DraftKings points over his last ten games, and that includes a game in which he failed to hit 40. I don’t care how good Dallas has been. Cousins has been taking opponents apart lately.
Andre Drummond ($7,500): Drummond has averaged 40 DraftKings points per game over his last four games, and that includes tilts with Atlanta and Orlando, who are in the top ten in defense against centers. The going should be a little easier against Charlotte, meaning we don’t have to wonder if Drummond will hit 5x value or not. He should be with relative ease so long as he doesn’t get ejected like he did against the Hornets on November 29th.
Honorable Mention:
Hassan Whiteside ($9,200): The Hawks have done a good job patrolling the inside so far this year, so I’m viewing Whiteside as a bit of a risk. Whiteside has been over 50 DraftKings points in four of his last five games. In the game that he wasn’t, the Jazz dominated him. Whiteside only tallied 23.5 DraftKings points in that one. I don’t think Atlanta will be quite that effective against him, but he could struggle to hit 40, which takes him under 5x value.
Al Horford ($6,700): Horford has been over 46 DraftKings points in two of his last three games. Orlando is decent on the inside, but Horford has been a force lately. He has nine blocks over the last three games, and has taken 17 shots per game on average. He is emerging as one of the main components of the offense.
Dark Horses:
Myles Turner ($6,100): Turner is athletic enough that he should remain a big part of the offense against the Suns. He scored 34 DraftKings points against Phoenix in the first meeting. We would take that again tonight and be happy.
Dwight Powell ($4,100): Powell has done great in the absence of Andrew Bogut. Powell has 73.75 DraftKings points in those three games, which is right around 6x value. Expect another strong game from Powell against a Kings team that has struggled defending the middle.
My pick: Powell(C); Cousins(C), Powell(UTIL)
Stay tuned for our FanDuel picks, our DFS NHL picks, and plenty of NFL advice heading into your weekend. We will also have the college football picks against the spread. You don’t want to miss any of this!