DraftKings NBA Picks for December 8
By Mike Marteny
DraftKings NBA Picks for December 8
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.
If you want an second opinion, head on over to Fantasypros. They will use their algorithm to help you find the best bang for the buck. They can also be customized to do the turbo and late tournaments, and they will also build around your favorite stack!
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Point Guards
Best Bets:
John Wall ($9,500): It is an abbreviated slate tonight, and you have to think Wall is one of the best options. He destroyed Orlando on Tuesday, who was allegedly the best in the league as far as fantasy points to point guards were concerned. Not anymore after Wall put up 75.5 DraftKings points on them. He probably wont do that against Denver, but another 50 point game is likely.
Kyle Lowry ($8,200): Lowry has the best matchup tonight as the Timberwolves are the worst team in the league defending the point right now. Lowry has six straight 40+ DraftKings points games, and has only missed once in the last 11 games. Fading Wall for Lowry is not a bad option. Neither is playing both of them.
Honorable Mention:
Tim Frazier ($5,600): Jrue Holiday was out Monday with turf toe. I never realized how much turf was in the NBA! As we know, that can be a lingering issue, so even if Holiday does play, I expect Frazier to see plenty of court time. He put up 30.5 DraftKings points on Monday. Expect him to be in that area again if Holiday sits.
Andrew Harrison ($4,900): Harrison continues to turn in solid outing while Mike Conley is out. He has a low ceiling, but there is no reason for him to not put up 22-28 DraftKings points per game. Unless Wade Baldwin starts getting most of the run for the Grizz, but we aren’t there yet.
Dark Horses:
Ricky Rubio ($4,900): Anyone spending this money will be on Harrison instead of Rubio for the most part, but Rubio has the higher ceiling. He doesn’t have much value outside of his defensive stats – he was 1-9 from the field against the Spurs on Tuesday – but he can still get you 5x value on that alone. Tonight he has another really good matchup against Toronto, but can he make a freaking shot?
Shelvin Mack ($4,100): Mack is still a serviceable punt with George Hill out. The Jazz have already confirmed that Hill it out tomorrow, so Mack is a lock for 5x value, but he likely wont get a lot more than that.
My pick: Wall(PG), Lowry(G); Loqry(PG), Rubio(G)
Shooting Guards
Best Bets:
Will Barton ($6,600): Barton’s price is inflating to the point where there isn’t a whole lot of value to be had anymore. That said, Barton has still scored 145.5 DraftKings points over his last four games. He has a solid matchup with Washington tonight, and going by salary to output, he will be one of the better plays at this position tonight.
C.J. McCollum ($6,600): McCollum has six straight games of 32 or more DraftKings points. That isn’t quite a guarantee for 5x value, but it shows just how consistently good he has been. Memphis has been burned on the outside by hot shooting this year. McCollum could do it again.
Honorable Mention:
DeMar DeRozan ($8,100): DeRozan was held in check for the most part by the Hawks and Lakers last weekend. The Timberwolves are also good at defending the wing, but Toronto wont be able to abuse other positions like they could with a Millsap-less Hawks and young Lakers team. DeRozan will still get plenty of looks his way.
Brad Beal ($6,700): Beal has had three straight games of under 5x value after a hot end of November, so what gives? Well, John Wall is dominating, that’s what gives. So long as Wall keeps playing like he is, Beal’s output will suffer. That said, Beal has still taken 47 shots in that span, so its not like he isn’t getting his looks. He just needs to knock them down.
Dark Horses:
Zach LaVine ($6,100): LaVine’s 38 minutes on Tuesday was his lowest total of the past five games. He is getting a lot of run, and putting up 5x value per game because of it. He is still a bit of a sneaky play though because he arguably has a higher ceiling than anyone in front of him except DeRozan.
Nik Stauskas ($3,900): The pendulum of playing time has swung back to Stauskas from Gerald Henderson. This is a volatile situation, but Stauskas has played more than 30 minutes in three straight games. He has put up 5x value in two of those. Only a poor shooting night against Denver prevented the trifecta.
My pick: LaVine(SG), Stauskas(UTIL); Barton(SG)
Small Forwards
Best Bets:
Gordon Hayward ($8,600): Hayward has scored 232.5 DraftKings points over his last five games. That makes him right about 5.5x value lately. The Warriors are statistically the worst team covering the small forward slot, so expect Hayward to find some open shots in what could be a very high scoring game.
Jimmy Butler ($8,000): Butler’s price plummeted because Kawhi Loenard has locked down opposing small forwards this year. However, it is tough to ignore what Butler has done lately. In four December games, Butler has 195.5 DraftKings points. That is an average of 6x value. He wont be at that tonight, but he wont be widely used and he still has a good shot at 5x.
Honorable Mention:
Kevin Durant ($9,300): The only issue with Durant is that the Warriors don’t need him to dominate. He has been under 5x value in each of the last three games, and the Warriors have won by a combined 81 points. In the closer games before this run, Durant was well above 5x value in those four games. Seeing a pattern here? The only question is: will the game with Utah be close?
Andrew Wiggins ($6,400): After an absolutely miserable outing against the Spurs, Wiggins has a great chance to rebound against Toronto. The Raptors have allowed the fourth most points to power forwards, and Wiggins had bee over 5.5 value in two of three games before the Spurs debacle.
Dark Horses:
Markieff Morris ($5,100): Denver has decent size in the middle, but they still don’t defend very well. Morris will have plenty of chances to hit 5x value tonight, a mark that he has hit twice in the last four games after a rough start to the season.
Joe Johnson ($4,400): Johnson turned in a nice line (30.75 DraftKings points) in his last start on December 1st. Rodney Hood will be out again tonight, so expect Johnson to get the start. Joe Ingles played well, but Johnson provided better production on a team that needs scoring with George Hill also out.
My pick: Hayward(SF); Johnson(SF)
Power Forwards
Best Bets:
Anthony Davis ($10,800): If you take out the game that Davis missed most of a quarter in because of injury, he has at least 62 DraftKings points in all but one of his last ten games. He is on a roll right now, and you take a tremendous risk fading him. So why am I kind of nervous? Because if this turns into a blow out against the Sixers, which it may, there is a good chance Davis misses 5x value. Even though he has blown that mark out of the water for most of the last three weeks.
Draymond Green ($7,300): Green finally hit value again last night because his shot started falling again. In a night in which Durant was cold from the floor, Green picked up the slack. Green is much less of a risk than Durant because he does so much on the defensive end. On a night in which the drop off from Davis is steep at the position, Green is a decent fade option.
Honorable Mention:
JaMychal Green ($5,900): Green did a great job of filling in for Zach Randolph, and even with Randolph back on Tuesday, the two co-existed well. Green hit 6x value for the third time in five games against the Sixers. He has a great chance of doing it again against a Portland team that has been abused up front most of the season.
Zach Randolph ($5,300): Randolph has been more consistent than Green, but he does lack the upside because he comes off the bench now. Randolph has not been under 24 fantasy points in his last 12 games. Green has been under that mark three times in the last six games.
Dark Horses:
Terrence Jones ($4,600): Jones’s minutes have been far from consistent lately, which is rather surprising considering the absence of Dante Cunningham. He usually produces when he is in the game, and he is capable of the occasional huge game. Then again, he has been under 5x value in four of the last six games, so caveat emptor.
Boris Diaw ($3,400): There is a Diaw sighting in the mountains of Utah! The injury to Derrick Favors has freed up playing time, and Diaw has played well enough to supplant the inconsistent Trey Lyles. Diaw has put up 65.5 DraftKings points over the last three games, leaving him a sure 6x value.
My pick: Randolph(PF), Diaw(F); Davis(PF), Green(F), Diaw(UTIL)
Center
Best Bets:
Karl-Anthony Towns ($8,800): Towns was just 3-16 from the floor against a Spurs team that had been awful on the interior. Chalk it up to an off night for the entire team, not just Towns. When the matchup is right, Towns has obliterated 5x value. That is the case here tonight. The Raptors have shored up their interior defense some, but they are still middle of the pack at best. Towns looks like a good bet for 5x value again.
Marc Gasol ($7,700): The Blazers have been solid against opposing centers, but I’m not betting against Gasol right now. He has 121.75 DraftKings points in his last two games, and has not been under 43 DraftKings points this month. Gasol has picked up a lot of slack with Mike Conley out. Look for that to continue.
Honorable Mention:
Joel Embiid ($7,500): Embiid is no longer the favorite target of bargain hunters. His price has skyrocketed lately, and with good reason. Embiid is still on a 28 minutes per game restriction. Don’t expect that to change. That means 5x value is on the high end of what he can achieve at this price, but the matchup is right against the Pelicans.
Marcin Gortat ($5,800): Gortat struggled some against Orlando, but that is to be expected. The Magic are in the top ten against centers. The Nuggets are the inverse. Gortat looks like an option that wont be highly owned and has a great chance at hitting 6x value or more.
Dark Horses:
Nikola Jokic ($5,000): Jokic looked really good agianst a stout Miami interior, and solid against a Phoenix team that has been tough on centers. Jokic posted a double-double in his return to the court last night in 21 minutes. The minutes aren’t consistent yet, but his performance has not suffered as a result. Jusuf Nurkic was okay last night, but Jokic played much better than Nurkic did.
Robin Lopez ($4,500): Lopez is mostly a defensive presence, but he does enough that he almost always makes 5x value. He has not been under 24 DraftKings points in his last three games. He has only missed that mark twice in the last eight games. That makes Lopez a solid option if you are looking to go cheap.
My pick: Jokic(C); Lopez(C)
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!