DraftKings daily picks: Fantasy basketball lineup-December 20
Tuesday is going to be a busy DFS fantasy basketball night with 22 teams available to pick from for today’s DraftKings daily picks.
The NBA has a jam-packed Tuesday schedule as the Christmas Day showcase looms this coming Sunday. For some people, that marks the start of the NBA season as the NFL wraps up. If you’re looking to get your DFS fantasy basketball game on, in the coming weeks check out my DraftKings daily picks that can help you identify which players you should target for your lineup each day. On tonight’s 11-game slate, there are lots of options to make today’s DraftKings daily picks from.
More from DraftKings
- DraftKings Open Championship picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
- Genesis Scottish Open DraftKings picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
- Rocket Mortgage Classic DraftKings picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
- US Open DraftKings picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
- RBC Canadian Open DraftKings picks 2023: Best PGA DFS golf lineup
The first two of those 11 games tip off at 7:00 when lineups will lock for the night. The Pelicans are in Philadelphia to face the 76ers and the Lakers are in Charlotte to take on the Hornets in those first two early games followed by Nets @ Raptors, Pacers @ Knicks, and Magic @ Heat at 7:30. At 8:00 three more games jump in on the action as the Celtics visit Memphis, the Cavs take on the Bucks, and the Spurs and Rockets meet in Houston. The last three games of the night are tipping off at 10:30 out West where the Clippers host the Nuggets, the Warriors welcome the Jazz, and the Kings take on the Trail Blazers in Sacramento. There are a lot of familiar rivalry-type matchups tonight, so there should be some close games, good finishes, and hopefully plenty of fantasy points. The Nuggets and Pacers are the only teams playing for the second night in a row tonight while the Cavs, Rockets, Grizzlies, Bucks, Pelicans, Trail Blazers, Kings, and Jazz all have to keep in mind they have a second half to their back-to-back on the schedule for tomorrow.
With 110 players starting in the 11 games tonight plus bench options, there are a ton of different ways that you can go tonight and look to make your way into the money. I’ve put together my favorite players and matchups for the day on the next few slides in today’s DraftKings daily picks. My goal each day is to give you the information you need to build your own customized lineup to get you a win however you participate in DFS contests. In order to help you find what you need, I’ve separated my picks by position and price. You’ll find two slides per position–the first slide will feature the best high-salary options followed by some high-value options which cost less but still offer solid returns. Each slide contains at least two options with extras thrown in where possible.
I rank my picks for each contest using stars after each explanation to show the relative strength of the pick. For a full explanation of the rating system, check out the last slide of this post, but in short, more stars means more confidence (on a point-per-dollar basis). Also on the final slide of the post, you can see how I’m putting together the best of my picks into my personal lineup for today’s competition. This post isn’t a place to just get a copy-and-paste lineup since there are plenty of places that will sell you that. I suggest you build your own customized team with the players that you like the most, but you’re welcome to check out my lineup and use it as a place to get started.
Just one more quick reminder that each day in my DraftKings daily picks, all salary references and references to “fantasy points” refer to DraftKings pricing and scoring. If you are looking for similar coverage specifically for FanDuel, check the box above for related posts or find the latest on the fantasy basketball hub. If you have any questions or are looking for any updates as the games get closer, follow @FansidedFantasy on Twitter. I’ll also use that account to tweet out links when we add new stories to the fantasy basketball hub.
Let’s get ready for tonight’s basketball bonanza with today’s DraftKings daily picks from the PG position where there’s some great value to try and add.
High Salary PG
Giannis Antetokounmpo-Milwaukee Bucks (9,800): “The Alphabet” will get another shot at “The King” tonight as the Bucks play in a matchup he dominated earlier this season against LeBron and the Cavs. Antetokounmpo piled up 34-12-5 (points-rebounds-assists) with two blocks and five steals back on November 29 against Cleveland finishing with a huge 69.5 fantasy points. Dating back to that game, he has at least 52 fantasy points in eight of his last ten including each of his last three games. He had a double-double of 22-7-11 against the Bulls on Thursday in the second game of their back-to-back home-and-home. He should be well-rested after three days off and is averaging 25.8-10.0-6.0 in games where he is coming off similar rest. His price tag is hefty, but he’s one of my favorite star-options to build around tonight. ∗∗∗
Chris Paul-Los Angeles Clippers (9,600): The Clippers get a great matchup in the late game as they take on the Nuggets who are on the second night of their back-to-back as they come to STAPLES Center. Paul should be able to attack the matchup since Denver is allowing the fourth-most fantasy points per game to opposing PG so far this season. This will be the first time he faces them this season, and he’ll be looking to help the Clippers bounce back from Sunday’s loss in Washington. The most important reason that I’m in on CP3 tonight, though, is that Blake Griffin is out. The last two games that Griffin missed, Paul posted monster stat lines. He had 26-10-13 for 68.5 fantasy points on November 29 in Brooklyn and a couple weeks later had 20-5-20 for 65.25 fantasy points against New Orleans on December 10 while Griffin was out. My only fear is that the games turns into a blowout, but his usage will be so high when he’s on the floor meaning that even if he doesn’t lay 40 minutes he should have solid totals. ∗∗∗∗
Kyle Lowry-Toronto Raptors (8,400): Lowry gets a great matchup tonight as well as the Raptors take on the Nets who are allowing the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing PG. Lowry has been scuffling a little bit lately with under 40 fantasy points in four straight. He did have a double-double in his last game Sunday in Orlando when he finished with 16-3-10 and 37.25 fantasy points. Like with Paul, the risk of a blowout makes him risky, but he also should be able to attack the Brooklyn backcourt and make plays tonight. ∗∗∗
Goran Dragic-Miami Heat (7,600): Dragic has some of the best form of the good group of options in the 7K-club tonight. He has put up at least 47 fantasy points in three of his last four games including 31-5-7 on Sunday against the Celtics and 21-6-11 against the Clippers. Tonight, he faces his in-state rivals from Orlando for the second time this season. He had 16-6-6 in their first meeting despite only playing 29 minutes. Tonight, Dragic will probably be in the upper-30’s in minutes and should be over 40 fantasy points which is enough to make him a good play with nice upside in a good matchup tonight. ∗∗∗
Kyrie Irving-Cleveland Cavaliers (7,400): Like Paul, Irving will benefit from higher usage due to another star on his team being out. Kevin Love will miss tonight’s game in Milwaukee, so Kyrie will have to step up and shoulder the load. He had one of his best games of the season on Saturday against the Lakers totaling 54 fantasy points on 21-6-12. The dozen assists were a season-high for Irving, and he and LeBron will have to pick up the extra usage with no Love tonight in Milwaukee.∗∗∗∗
Jeff Teague-Indiana Pacers (6,900): Another player who has been turning in 40 fantasy points on a regular basis is just under 7K and that’s Pacers PG Jeff Teague who is picking up the slack for the injured Monta Ellis. Teague has over 44 fantasy points in three straight after going off for 23-4-10 and three steals for 49.5 fantasy points last night against the Wizards. He’s on the second night of a back-to-back but it’s Derrick Rose’s back (injury) that could allow him to take advantage of the Knicks in New York tonight.∗∗∗
Next: High Value PG
High Value PG
Patrick Beverley-Houston Rockets (5,400): Beverley is unique among the PG available sine he plays with such a ball-dominant SG in James Harden. He still has been very productive lately, though, with at least 27 fantasy points in seven games including a pair of double-doubles that have resulted in over 35 fantasy points. One of those games came in the first game of the Rockets back-to-back last weekend when he had 13-11-8 against the Pelicans on Friday for 41.75 fantasy points. He followed that up by plying 43 minutes against Minnesota and posting 28 more fantasy points on 6-10-4 and a pair of steals. He missed the first two games of the series between the Rockets and their in-state rivals, the Spurs, but he’ll take on San Antonio tonight in a Texas-sized showdown.∗∗∗
Sergio Rodriguez-Philadelphia 76ers (5,100): No team in the NBA has give up more fantasy points to opposing PG over their last five game than the Pelicans. New Orleans will visit the Sixers tonight making Rodriguez a high-risk, high-reward play. Rodriguez has been held under 20 fantasy points in each of his last two games, but he did have a stretch of over 30 in three of four games earlier in the month. He has potential based on matchup, but he’s risky based on his recent form.∗∗
Shelvin Mack-Utah Jazz (4,800): Mack continues to help the Jazz fill in for the injured George Hill who has already been ruled out for tonight with a toe injury that continues to linger. Mack had a least 20 fantasy points in four of his last five games including when he started and played 37 minutes against Golden Stated piling up 19-2-5 for 33 fantasy points. He should have more help tonight which will likely result in lower usage for Mack, but he should be able to get to 20+ fantasy points since he will get minutes even if things get one-sided late. Mack is lower risk than Parker and has a higher ceiling as the Jazz try to take down the Warriors at ORACLE tonight. ∗∗∗∗
Tony Parker-San Antonio Spurs (4,200): Parker will look to find some room to work against Patrick Beverley tonight in Houston. Even though it’s a tough, tough matchup, Parker comes in with over 25 fantasy points in three of his last four and is one of the better sub-5K plays on he board tonight. ∗∗
Next: High Salary SG
High Salary SG
Nicolas Batum-Charlotte Hornets (7,500): Batum and the Hornets will host the Lakers tonight who are allowing the third-most fantasy points per game this season to opposing SG. Batum should be able to bounce back against them after a disappointing showing on Saturday. He only had 24.754 fantasy points, but his low output can be overlooked a little since he was on the second half of a back-to-back and he had to play the first game of the set as the main offensive option with Kemba Walker out. In that game, he had 48 fantasy points on 22-10-5 with there steals against Boston. It was his second game in a row with over 44h fantasy points, ane’ll be a nice value if he gets back to around that number again tonight as he faces the Lakers. ∗∗∗∗
Evan Fournier-Orlando Magic (5,900): Fournier was shut down by the Raptors on Sunday with just 15 points and 23.75 fantasy points, but he will look to bounce back tonight against the Heat in a matchup where he should find some success. He had 20-4-4 with two steals against Miami in their first matchup early this season, and he had been playing well before Sunday’s shutdown. That game snapped a streak of four straight with at least 20 points and in three of those games he had over 35 fantasy points. He’ll be a good value if he can get to that level tonight in the all-Florida matchup tipping off at 7:30. ∗∗∗
Eric Gordon-Houston Rockets (5,300): Gordon isn’t starting for Houston anymore since Patrick Beverley’s return, but he has still been very productive with over 27 fantasy points in three straight and seven of his last ten. He scored at least 20 points in three of his last four games including both games in Houston’s back-to-back when he had 29-1-1 against the Pelicans for 33.7 fantasy points and followed that with 20-6-4 for 36.2 against the T-Wolves. As the designated shooter on Mike D’Antoni’s second unit, he’ll continue to get plenty of chances to score tonight as the Rockets look to blast off against the tough defense of the Spurs. ∗∗
Next: High Value SG
High Value SG
Gary Harris-Denver Nuggets (5,000): Harris looked good again last night against the Mavericks playing 34 minutes and pouring in 24 points to get to 37 fantasy points. In hist three games back, he has 39.5 fantasy points, 24.75 fantasy points, and those 37 fantasy points from last night. His sprained foot doesn’t seem to be slowing him down at all, and he’ll need to step up against the Clippers if the Nuggets want to keep things close with LA tonight. The back-to-back element and potential of blowout scare me a little, but there is still no better option under 5K.∗∗∗∗
Tony Allen-Memphis Grizzlies (4,900): Allen takes on his former team as the Celtics visit Memphis tonight. He has been playing well lately and carrying a large workload due to all the injuries that the Grizz have been fighting. He has posted at least 24 fantasy points in five of his last six including three games with over 33 fantasy points. With a little extra motivation facing his former squad, look for Allen to be a solid play tonight. ∗∗∗
Nick Young-Los Angeles Lakers (4,400): Young is coming off a season-high 32 points on Saturday against the Cavs when he managed to produce 45 fantasy points in 38 minutes. He has at least 20 fantasy points in four of his five games since returning from his own injury, and he continues to get plenty of chances to produce.∗∗∗
Marco Belinelli-Charlotte Hornets (4,100): The Lakers allow the most fantasy points per game in the NBA to opposing SF and the third-most to opposing SG, so Belinelli should be in a good place to produce tonight coming off the bench for Charlotte. Belinelli has at least 18 fantasy points in five straight and seven of his last eight. Belinelli has scored at least 11 points in in each of those games and eight of his last nine. Belinelli doesn’t have a super-high ceiling coming off the bench for Charlotte, but he can get solid fantasy points especially in good matchups like tonight’s.∗∗∗
Buddy Hield-New Orleans Pelicans (3,800): Another player who should help pick up some of the slack for the Pelicans is rookie Buddy Hield who has scored in double-digits in three straight games for New Orleans highlighted by his career-best 21 points and 30.5 fantasy points last week against the Pacers. He has been starting in place of Solomon Hill, and he should find room to create tonight against the Sixers who allow the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing SF (where Hield has been starting). ∗∗
Langston Galloway-New Orleans Pelicans (3,600): Galloway should find some extra playing time tonight in a good matchup agains the 76ers. Tyreke Evans will be resting and Tim Frazier is still playing through a wrist injury. While he doesn’t com through every night, Galloway has shown he can produce when given the chance making him a boom-or-bust value flier for tonight’s contest.∗
Next: High Salary SF
High Salary SF
LeBron James-Cleveland Cavaliers (9,600): James is expected to play both games in the Cavs back-to-back tonight and tomorrow, and he’ll have to pick up some extra scoring responsibility with Kevin Love out. James has at least 50 fantasy points in three of his last four games including 44-9-10 for 79.75 fantasy points against the Hornets a week and a half ago. James struggled badly in Cleveland’s last trip to Milwaukee only managed 22-4-4 with seven turnovers. He’ll probably have to deal with a lot of “The Alphabet” tonight, and the matchup makes him higher-risk than usual when he’s under 10K. ∗∗
Kevin Durant-Golden State Warriors (9,000): All the Warriors scoring options and different ways to produce points make their star players risky to use in DFS line it could be someone else’s turn to light it up. However, Durant has been putting up good numbers lately and enters tonight with a salary under 10K, so he’s worth considering. In each of his last two games, KD has a double-double with over 45 fantasy points. He also had a double-double when he faced tonight’s opponent, the Jazz, earlier this season with 21-11-4 for 47.25 fantasy points. I think he is almost a lock for 45+ fantasy points with a chance to go off for 55+ like he did against Portland on Saturday when he had 34-11-4 and 60.75 fantasy points.∗∗
Paul George-Indiana Pacers (8,100): PG13 had 27-9-2 in a nice game against the Wizards yesterday giving him at least 22 points in eight of his last nine games and at least 30 fantasy points in each of his last 11. The only cause for concern is that he did play 40 minutes last night and the down game during is last stretch can in a back-tob-ack. However, in his other set of back-to-back games he had 37-5-3 for 55.25 fantasy points on the second night. He’s taking on the Knicks tonight who are allowing the fourth-most fantasy points to opposing SF this season which makes George a good play to check out at just over 8K. ∗∗∗
Carmelo Anthony-New York Knicks (7,400): On the other side of that matchup, ‘Melo makes sense too as he takes on PG13 and the Pacers. On Saturday, Anthony didn’t seem slowed by his shoulder injury when he played 36 minutes and had 39.5 fantasy points against his former team, the Nuggets. He has at least 34 fantasy points in five of his last eight games and will be back at home tonight where he usually puts up solid numbers (aside from a blowout against Cleveland).∗∗
Next: High Value SF
High Value SF
Robert Covington-Philadelphia 76ers (5,700): Covington has at least 14 points in four straight games and has at least 25 fantasy points in each of those contests as well. He had a monster 26-12-2 game for over 45 fantasy points during that span and should be in a good matchup to attack tonight against the Pelicans. He’s still as boom-or-bust as he usulally is, but his recent play makes him a slightly better option since he seems to have a solid role and be establishing some consistency.∗∗∗
Jae Crowder-Boston Celtics (5,500): Crowder has at least 29 fantasy points in three of his last four games and is coming off his best performance since October. He posted 15-6-1 with five steals against the Heat on Sunday for 35.5 fantasy points. He also won rock-paper-scissors, but there isn’t a DraftKings bonus for that. Still, he can give you solid production almost every night with his multi-category effectiveness. He’s a solid play tonight although he is in a tough matchup against Memphis who allows the second-fewest fantasy points per game to opposing SF.∗∗
Justise Winslow-Miami Heat (5,000): Winslow played 32 minutes against Boston on Sunday and is showing no ill effects of the wrist injury which cost him a month of the season. Winlsow had 26.5 fantasy points on 8-4-4 with four steals in that game against the Celtics and should be able to improve on that total tonight against Orlando as he continues to work his way back to 100%.∗∗∗
Glenn Robinson III-Indiana Pacers (4,500): GR3 has started for the Pacers for his last five games, but he hasn’t really stepped up except for one game. He had 12-12-0 and 28 fantasy points against the Pistons last Friday, but only managed 5-4-0 and 9.0 fantasy points yesterday against Washington. Tonight, he gets a great matchup against the Knicks who allow the second-most fantasy points per game to opposing SG which is where Robinson is playing for Ellis. He has a ton of potential because o the matchup but a ton of risk due to his recent disappointments.∗
Next: High Salary PF
High Salary PF
Kristaps Porzingis-New York Knicks (7,800): The Knicks are back home tonight at MSG after a five-game trip to the West. On their trip, Porzingis had a pair of games over 55 fantasy points, a pair of games in the 30’s, and a dud of just 13.25 fantasy points against the Warriors when the Knicks rested their other stars Rose and Anthony. Porizingis is in a good matchup at home tonight against the Pacers, and he should be a solid play at home under 8K.∗∗∗
Joel Embiid-Philadelphia 76ers (7,600): Embiid dominated for a career-high 33 points to go with ten boards, three blocks, and two steals for 58 fantasy points on Sunday agaisnt the Nets. Tonight, he gets another great matchup against the Pelicans who are allowing the third-most fantasy points per game to opposing centers this season. He came into Sunday off a few down games against the Raptors and Lakers, but he reminded everyone why “The Process” is worth a look tonight against the Pels.∗∗∗∗
Draymond Green-Golden State Warriors (7,500): Green had a good game of 13-10-8 with four steals against the Jazz earlier this month for 48.5 fantasy points. He struggled to score in his last game against the Blazers with 3-12-13 for 40 fantasy points, but he should be able to produce tonight against the Jazz. Golden State will have to rely on Green to battle Derrick Favors and Rudy Gobert down low, so he’ll likely log a lot of playing time tonight at home against Utah.∗∗∗
Jabari Parker-Milwaukee Bucks (6,700): Parker is in my DraftKings daily picks just about every time he takes the court because of his upside. He produced over 32 fantasy points in seven of his last nine games including three games in his last seven with over 39 fantasy points. He struggled a little bit against Cleveland last time the teams met with 18-4-1 for 29.0 fantasy points , but he should have a better matchup tonight with K-Love already ruled out. ∗∗∗
Next: High Value PF
High Value PF
Ersan Ilyasavoa-Philadelphia 76ers (5,800): Even with all their big men available, Ilyasova still has a pretty big role to play for Philadelphia. He ended up with 31 minutes and 22 points against the Nets on Sunday totaling 33 fantasy points. He has over 28 fantasy points in three of his last four and has scored in double-digits in eight consecutive games. He’ll continue to share the frontcourt with Joel Embiid and Jahlil Okafor, but he is one of the few true PF options the Sixers have although they have a over-abundance of centers.∗∗∗
Marreese Speights-Los Angeles Clippers (4,200): It’s time for “Mo Buckets” in LA now that Blake Griffin is sidelined for three-to-six weeks after arthroscopic knee surgery. Speights has had good success when he gets 20+ minutes with the Clippers but has been buried on the depth chart behind Griffin and DeAndre Jordan. He had 17-12-4 in his last start against the Pelicans last week and has at least 35 fantasy points each of the two times over the past two months he has played over 20 minutes. He has looked healthy and ready to produce more, so he has a ton of upside as he steps into the starting lineup tonight against the Nuggets. ∗∗∗∗∗
Channing Frye-Cleveland Cavaliers (3,600): Frye will likely get the start in place of Kevin Love tonight against the Bucks. He has pretty huge upside if he can get his shot going, but he did only post 0-3-0 with a steal for 5.75 fantasy points in his last start for Love when he rested on Wednesday in Memphis. He’s worth a flier if you have no other options, but he isn’t an automatic must-play even if he starts.∗
Next: High Salary C
High Salary C
DeMarcus Cousins-Sacramento Kings (11,200): Cousins has been quiet in his last two games with just 35.75 and 42.5 fantasy points. He has still been scoring (22 and 33 points) but his rebounds have dropped a bit after he posted five straight double-doubles. In those double-double’s he had over 59 fantasy points in four of those five games, and he should be able to get back to that level of production tonight against the Blazers. Portland has allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game to opposing centers over their last five games and the eighth-most this season. Earlier this season, Boogie had 33-9-3 against the Blazers making him a good play even though he’s over 11K tonight. ∗∗∗
Hassan Whiteside-Miami Heat (8,700): If you can’t quite stomach Cousins’ 11K, check out Whiteside who has at least 42 fantasy points in each of his last five games. He had 23-17-0 and three blocks against the Celtics on Sunday for 50.25 fantasy points, and had an even better game with 26-22-0 and two blocks for 57.5 fantasy points against the Pacers. Tonight, he takes on the Magic who have allowed the second-most fantasy points to opposing centers over their last five games. ∗∗∗∗
Marc Gasol-Memphis Grizzlies (7,300): Gasol has been held under 40 fantasy points in each of his last three games after an incredible run of 43+ fantasy points in six straight. Tonight, he’ll go head-to-head with Al Horford of the Celtics which should be a great matchup to watch. He hasn’t been doing quite as much as he was forced to in the absence of Mike Conley, but he still has enough potential to consider him if you can’t spend on Whiteside or Cousins.∗∗
Nikola Jokic-Denver Nuggets (6,400): Jokic was huge for my FanDuel daily picks last night exploding for 59.75 fantasy points on 27-15-9 against he Mavericks. He was finally able to stay out of the foul trouble that hampered him in his first two starts and was able to log 38 minutes as a result. Jokic has at least 33 fantasy points in seven of his last nine with the two exceptions being the games limited by foul trouble. He’s a great play tonight against the Clippers as the Nuggets try to take both halves of their back-to-back after knocking off the Mavericks in Denver last night.∗∗∗∗
Myles Turner-Indiana Pacers (6,300): Turner has at least 33 fantasy points in five of his last six games and posted 41 fantasy points last night against the Wizards on 20-8-1 and five blocks. He should be able to return value tonight against the Knicks who have struggled against opposing big men although his ceiling isn’t quite as high as some of the other options on this list.∗∗∗
Next: High Value C
High Value C
Jahlil Okafor-Philadelphia 76ers (5,500): Okafor is in the same favorable matchup as Joel Embiid tonight as they try to slow down Anthony Davis and the Pelicans. While Embiid went off on Sunday, Okafor only had 20.25 fantasy points on three points. However, he had reached at least 25 fantasy points in seven previous games including three games with over 30 fantasy points which is good value for someone at 5.5K.∗∗∗∗
Tristan Thompson-Cleveland Cavaliers (4,900): The Cavs will need Thompson to patrol the paint and work on the glass tonight against the Bucks since they won’t have Kevin Love. Thompson had 8-5-2 with three blocks and two steals for 26.75 fantasy points against the Bucks when the Cavs played them three weeks ago. He should be around that level tonight with some potential for more rebounds and blocks if he plays over 30 minutes as usual.∗∗∗
Alexis Ajinca-New Orleans Pelicans (3,200): If you decide to go ultra-cheap at center, you could roll with dice with Ajinca who has been starting for the Pelicans. He is coming off his third straight game with eight rebounds after posting 27.5 fantasy points on 16-8-1 against the Spurs. He has at least 16 fantasy points in four of his last five, and the Sixers have given up the second-most fantasy points to opposing centers this season.∗∗
Next: My Lineup
My DraftKings Daily Picks Lineup
This is my first lineup of the day for Tuesday night. I try to get out my final update one hour before game time which would be 6:00 PM ET tonight. I’m in transit today, but should reach my destination by 6:00 to update. Check out my lineup here and follow on Twitter at @FansidedFantasy and @ZT_sports where I’ll let you know if there are changes throughout the day.
PG: Chris Paul-Los Angeles Clippers
SG: Gary Harris-Denver Nuggets
SF: Justise Winslow-Miami Heat
PF: Marreese Speights-Los Angeles Clippers
C: Hassan Whiteside-Miami Heat
G: Shelvin Mack-Utah Jazz
F: Robert Covington-Philadelphia 76ers
U: Kyrie Irving-Cleveland Cavaliers
Explanation of the stars after each pick: Each one of my picks is ranked for the day on a scale of one to five stars. The more stars that a pick receives represents the more confident I am in that selection. Picks that I give five stars (∗∗∗∗∗) are players that you almost have to own and I have no reservations about owning at their price. Players that get four stars (∗∗∗∗) are players that I think are strong picks to build your roster around. Three-star players (∗∗∗) are middle-of-the-road solid picks who are fairly reliable to produce a good game. Picks receiving two stars (∗∗) are high-risk, high-reward players who do offer enough upside to be in my picks, but also have a significant risk factor that makes them dangerous. One star (∗) players are picks that are the best option around that price point, but who I don’t think are great options. I would take any one-star player over any option not in my picks, but they aren’t picks I would build my roster around.