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NBA DFS Picks December 22nd: DraftKings & FanDuel Slate Rankings

By Chris Brent

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors. (Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors. (Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports) /
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LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 11: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers receives a pass during the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat in Game Six of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on October 11, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images)
LAKE BUENA VISTA, FLORIDA – OCTOBER 11: Anthony Davis #3 of the Los Angeles Lakers receives a pass during the fourth quarter against the Miami Heat in Game Six of the 2020 NBA Finals at AdventHealth Arena at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports Complex on October 11, 2020 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images) /

Welcome back fans, it’s opening night and we have a two-games on the slate tonight. The Brooklyn Nets will open their season with the Golden State Warriors, while the Los Angeles Clippers will play the Los Angeles Lakers. Although we only have two games, we have a star-loaded slate and identifying the difference in these stars can be difficult at times. The purpose of this article is to rank these plays in priority order to help you build your lineups. Also, both DraftKings and FanDuel do have snake drafts that you can participate in, which is a unique game mode that I believe will build up some steam as the season moves forward.

Slate Rankings:

1.) Anthony Davis, LAL

2.) Stephen Curry, GSW

3.) LeBron James, LAL

4.) Kevin Durant, BKN

5.) Kawhi Leonard, LAC

6.) Kyrie Irving, BKN

7.) Paul George, LAC

8.) Kelly Oubre, PHO

9.) Montrezl Harrell, LAL

10.) Andrew Wiggins, GSW

11.) Caris LaVert, BKN

12.) Eric Paschall, GSW

13.) Dennis Schroder, LAL

14.) Jarrett Allen, BKN

15.) Serge Ibaka, LAC

16.) Lou Williams, LAC

17.) Spencer Dinwiddie, BKN

18.) Luke Kennard, LAC

19.) Marc Gasol, LAL

20.) DeAndre Jordan, BKN

Analysis:

The top play on the slate tonight for me is Anthony Davis. The Clippers did make an effort to improve their defense in the front court adding Serge Ibaka. However, the Clipper simply don’t have anyone capable of matching up with Anthony Davis when he is on.

Not going to be a popular opinion but Stephen Curry is my next priority on tonight’s slate. Curry was fantastic and unbelievable in the preseason. Curry averaged 22 PPG, 4 RPG, 3.3 APG and 2 steals per game in just 26 minutes a night. Curry will likely see his minutes tick up to 35 tonight and he is the guy I want to build all my lineups around.

Kevin Durant is back, well at least back to being the scoring machine that he is. He may not be where he was defensively, however Durant is going to continue to be an offensive juggernaut against his former team.

Kelly Oubre is a guy that I like more than I like his teammate Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins looked strong in the preseason, but he is basically a scorer, while Oubre is capable of filling out the stat sheet. Oubre is the safer play.

Paschell is a player that has become even more interesting with Draymond Green being announced out. The issue with Paschell is he will likely get switched onto Kevin Durant throughout the game, which is going to be a difficult matchup. If he can stay out of foul trouble Paschell will be a decent value play.

Longshot Tournament Value:

Brad Wanamaker, GSW ($3,700 FD/ $3,300 DK) 

Look this is not someone that would be in my top-20 on the slate, however I think he should be in consideration in a large field tournament. Wanamaker’s playing time is the only thing that worries me about backing him, however,  I am projecting him around 16-20 minutes in this uptempo game. I think a realistic projection for Wanamaker is any where from 16-23 fantasy points. Wanamaker reaching value will rely on his abilities to rack up steals and blocks and shoot well at the free throw line. Here’s to hoping that we are on the correct side of variance, as this slate is extremely difficult to be different on and I think Wanamaker can make us really different.

Good luck!