Fansided

NBA DFS: Studs, scrubs, and duds for Christmas Day

By Jeremy Lambert

Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks dunks against the Dallas Mavericks (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images)
Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 of the Milwaukee Bucks dunks against the Dallas Mavericks (Photo by Stacy Revere/Getty Images) /
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James Harden #13 of the Houston Rockets handles the ball during the game against the LA Clippers(Photo by Chris Elise/NBAE via Getty Images) /

Top star players, best value picks, and guys you should stay away from on December 25 in NBA DFS on DraftKings and FanDuel.

Welcome to Studs, Scrubs, and Duds; FanSided’s NBA DFS lineup helper.

Here’s what’s on the slate for tonight:

12 p.m. ET: Boston at Toronto
2:30 p.m. ET: Milwaukee at Philadelphia
5 p.m. ET: Houston at Golden State
8 p.m. ET: LA Clippers at LA Lakers
10:30 p.m. ET: New Orleans at Denver

How this works:

Studs: Top high salary picks that you can build your lineup around.
Scrubs: Value players looking for a big night or consistent options to help fill out your lineup.
Duds: Players to avoid given their high salary and/or poor matchup.

Five players are picked on each slide, positions are not applicable, and both DraftKings and FanDuel salaries are listed.

Studs

Giannis Antetokounmpo (at PHI – $11,300 on DK; $11,200 on FD): Of all the stars playing on Christmas, I fully expect Giannis to end up with the biggest game. He’s the best player in the league right now and he has a tough matchup, which means there is less blowout potential. It always helps that he’s the only star on his team compared to the other two star teams. He will turn in another monster performance.

James Harden (at GS – $11,600 on DK; $11,700 on FD): If LeBron ends up playing, I do like LeBron more than Harden because of the salary difference. There’s also the risk of the Rockets blowing out the Warriors, though I do think the Warriors will have some fight given the circumstances. That said, what’s the record for most points scored on Christmas? Because Harden is 100% going to challenge it on Wednesday.

Kawhi Leonard (at LAL – $8,700 on DK; $9,000 on FD): This feels like more of a Kawhi game than a Paul George game. The story that came out on his uncle asking for things that you’re not allowed to ask for is only going to fuel Kawhi, even if he is a robot. And when Kawhi gets a matchup he takes personally, he typically turns in a top performance. The stars will shine in a big way in this matchup.

Nikola Jokic (vs NO – $9,400 on DK; $9,400 on FD): The Nuggets have one of the best matchups on Christmas Day and Jokic is the straw that stirs the drink. The Pelicans are mediocre against the position, but they don’t exactly have anyone that can combat the skill of Jokic in the post. A triple double is a real possibility for him in this matchup.

Jayson Tatum (at TOR – $7,800 on DK; $7,300 on FD): Tatum and Brown always seem to play well against the Raptors. And as I’ll expand on later, I’m not feeling the Raptors as much as some people because of their recent schedule. Tatum is coming off two outstanding games and I expect him to keep up his hot streak with another great performance in this one.