DraftKings NBA Picks for December 21

We still have eight games tonight, which gives us plenty of options for our DraftKings lineups. These are the nights that you really need to pay attention to bargains and which stars have good matchups. Can we build a team using both Westbrook, and Harden? Should we?

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.

Point Guards

Best Bets:

Russell Westbrook ($12,600): Westbrook missed a triple-double on Monday, but he still collected over 70 DraftKings points. He put up 69.75 on the Pelicans in their first meeting of the season. He actually had a quadruple-double in that game if you count turnovers! Westbrook remains the top option because he doesn’t have much of a supporting cast. He should be in for another 70 DraftKings point night.

Giannis Antetokounmpo ($9,700): Okay, so last night wasn’t an enormous game for Giannis like he had the first time against the Cavs. He still came up with his fifth straight 50+ point DraftKings game. There is no reason that he wont be able to do that to the Cavs in Milwaukee tonight. Giannis is also averaging three more DraftKings points per game at home this year.

Honorable Mention:

John Wall ($9,500): Wall has been Westbrook lite of late, posting more than 43 DraftKings points in each of his last six games. The Bulls have done well against opposing point guards, but Wall still remains a suitable option if you choose to fade Westbrook. The Cavs did a solid job on Giannis last night. I’m not sure I trust him for the price against the same team tonight.

Kyrie Irving ($7,500): Irving stepped up big last night with Kevin Love out. Irving posted his second straight 50+ DraftKings points game, and is a strong bet to at least get close to that tonight. It is not often that you can find value at this price, but Irving has all the makings of it tonight.

Dennis Schroder ($7,000): The Timberwolves are still the worst professional team in the planet against point guards, so Schroder should have no issues reaching 5x value. He may even reach as high as 6.5-7x value tonight.

Dark Horses:

Ricky Rubio ($5,800): As bad as the Timberwolves have been against the point, the Hawks aren’t much better. Rubio has three straight games with more than 32 DraftKings points, which is close to 6x value for him. Tonight he should make it four.

Patrick Beverley ($5,700): Beverley is mostly a figurehead in the Houston offense, but he has still posted 5x value in eight straight games. The Suns increase everyone’s fantasy value, especially that of distributors. Beverley should have no problems hitting that benchmark again.

My pick: Westbrook(PG); Irving(PG)

Shooting Guards

Best Bets:

James Harden ($12,000): Harden has only been below 52 DraftKings points once since Thanksgiving. It likely wont happen here against the Suns, even though they have done fairly well against shooting guards. Harden still runs the offense enough that he will reach that plateau again. The only problem is that Harden needs 60 DraftKings points for value. He has only hit that six times since Thanksgiving, but three of those have come in the last five games.

Zach LaVine ($6,800): Okay, I will admit that LaVine is a pretty big step down from the Beard, but all of the other mid-range options are either cold or have unsavory matchups. LaVine has averaged 36.4 DraftKings points over his last six games. That is well below Harden’s output, but when you compare it with his price, LaVine is getting more bang for the buck, and has a much better matchup with Atlanta.

Honorable Mention:

Bradley Beal ($6,900): Beal missed the first game against Chicago this year, but he appears fully healthy now. The problem is that he still goes cold from the floor, like he did on Monday. He turned a good matchup into 28.25 DraftKings points. While that isn’t terrible, it is still far below where you need him for the price. Can he snap out of it against the Bulls fifth worst defense against shooting guards?

Rodney Hood ($5,400): Hood, like Devin Booker and KCP, is mostly reliant on scoring. Hood does little else to help your fantasy team, but he can still be valuable in DFS lineups. Especially at this price. We do have to be aware that he has missed 5x value three times in the last six games. He does have a good matchup with the beat up Kings tonight though if you are willing to roll the dice a little.

Dark Horses:

Kentavious Caldwell-Pope ($5,000): KCP torpedoed a lot of lineups on Monday. He lays a lot of eggs, but he has the ability to go off in the right matchup. Memphis is still the worst against opposing shooting guards, but Tony Allen has really been shoring up the position defensively lately. This looks like a good matchup for KCP, but then again, so did Monday.

Andre Roberson ($4,100): This only applies if Victor Oladipo sits again. Roberson has hit 5x value in seven of nine games with Oladipo out, including 28.25 DraftKings points against the Pelicans on December 4th. If Oladipo is out again, Roberson should be in your lineup as your go-to cheap player.

Troy Daniels ($3,500): The Grizzlies elected to put James Ennis in the starting lineup last night. Ennis finished with 8.5 DraftKings points. Daniels torched the Celtics for 31.5. It remains to be seen whether Ennis or Daniels will start tonight. This situation is worth monitoring, but Daniels may be worth using anyway.

My pick: Harden(SG), Daniels(G); LaVine(SG), Roberson(G)

Small Forwards

Best Bets:

LeBron James (9,800): James put up an impressive 66.25 DraftKings points on Milwaukee last night. The Cavs said that LeBron would play in both games. but considering that last night’s game went in to overtime, it is entirely possible that James sits. If he doesn’t, he is a great play again with Kevin Love out.

Gordon Hayward ($7,600): Hayward still has bouts of inconsistency, but he has a nice matchup tonight with the beat up Kings. Hayward landed 41.25 DraftKings points on the Kings on December 10th when they were at full strength. He could have an even better game tonight.

Honorable Mention:

Jimmy Butler ($8,500): The Wizards have done pretty well against small forward, but they certainly didn’t against Butler in the first meeting. Butler racked up 66 DraftKings points against Washington in their first meeting. Don’t expect him to do that again considering he is on a cold streak, but this game could help him get back on track.

Trevor Ariza ($5,600): Ariza is a good enough athlete to benefit from the up tempo style of the Suns. He is always between 23 and 38 DraftKings points, so he is between 4.5 and 6x value. He lacks the upside that many covet, but the upside may be there against the Suns. Just don’t go expecting 40 DraftKings points.

Dark Horses:

Nikola Mirotic ($3,800): Mirotic hasn’t had the breakout season that many projected, but he has had his moments. One of those was against the Wizards when he torched them for 43.25 DraftKings points. It would be foolish to expect that again, but 6x value seems easy enough.

Tony Snell ($3,300): Snell eclipsed 6x value against the Cavs last night, and should see significant run again tonight. Snell doesn’t have a lot of upside, but he routinely hits 5-6x value at this price. Let him do it for you if you need to go cheap.

My Pick: Snell(SF); Hayward(SF)

Power Forwards

Best Bet:

Anthony Davis ($10,900): Davis absolutely destroyed the Thunder in their first meeting. Davis put up 70.75 DraftKings points on them. If he can get somewhere close to that, he will likely be the highest scorer of the night. He will definitely be the highest scoring big man. It will be hard to use Davis along with Westbrook or Harden though.

Paul Millsap ($7,900): This is a matchup that favors Millsap. Millsap did a number on the Thunder on Monday night. There is a strong possibility that he does that number (50 DraftKings points) on the Timberwolves as well.

Honorable Mention:

Ryan Anderson ($5,500): Anderson is mostly reliant on scoring, so he does have off nights like last night against the Spurs. Conversely, the Suns provide a safe haven for a shooter like Anderson. He should rack up as many minutes as he can handle with Clint Capela out, so he will get plenty of open shots.

Jon Leuer ($4,600): Leuer has averaged 30.1 DraftKings points over the last three games. And those weren’t just any three teams. Those were the Bulls, Wizards, and Mavericks, all of whom are solid against the four. Memphis is a decent team up front, but Leuer doesn’t look like that much of a risk with the way he has played lately.

Dark Horses:

Dwight Powell ($4,000): Powell racked up 29.5 DraftKings points against Portland in their first meeting, so Powell is a great play so long as Dirk Nowitzki doesn’t make his long awaited return tonight. Even if Dirk is available, Powell will still play quite a few minutes, but his output will be severely limited. Keep an eye on the situation.

Montrezl Harrell ($4,000): Harrell put up 19.75 DraftKings points in the first game without Clint Capela last night. The minutes will likely be split evenly between Harrell and Nene until one of them outplays the other. They were pretty even last night. Expect the minutes to reflect that tonight.

My pick: Powell(PF), Harrell(F); Davis(PF), Leuer(F)

Center

Best Bets:

Karl-Anthony Towns ($8,700): Towns is on quite a roll right now. He has racked up 217.5 DraftKings points in his last four games. The Hawks are among the league’s best against centers, but with the way Towns is rolling right now, I wouldn’t be surprised if he still hit 5x value. Especially since Dwight Howard is still considered questionable. If Howard is out, Towns may hit must-play status.

Rudy Gobert ($7,000): Gobert put up 47 DraftKings points on the Kings in the first meeting between these two teams. Rudy battled some inconsistency early, but he has not been below 35 DraftKings points in his last eight games. He wont fall below that tonight, which is coincidentally right at 5x value.

Honorable Mention:

Marcin Gortat ($6,100): Gortat is still a strong play when the matchup is right, like it was against the Bulls in their first meeting. Gortat put up 41 DraftKings points in that game. Gortat has been over 5x value in four of his last six games. He should reach that again tonight.

Steven Adams ($5,200): Adams was shut down by the Pelicans in the first meeting, but Adams has been on a roll lately. He has seven straight games of at least 22 DraftKings points, even eclipsing 40 in one of those contests. Don’t worry about that first meeting. Adams is playing like he did in the playoffs last year right now.

Dark Horses:

Tristan Thompson ($4,900): Thompson has racked up 56.25 DraftKings points in two games against the Bucks. For this price, he is a great bargain tonight against Milwaukee again. Some Cavs players may rest, but Thompson wont be one of them. He is a strong value play tonight.

Nene Hilario ($3,500): Nene had slightly better numbers than Montrezl Harrell last night, but both are nice value plays with Capela out right now. They both are splitting the minutes about evenly, and that wont change any time soon. Enjoy the bargain while they last!

My pick: Gobert(C), Hilario(UTIL); Thompson(C), Hilario(UTIL)

Next: FanDuel NBA Picks

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 bowl picks against the spread. You don’t want to miss any of this!