NBA DFS action on Sunday, Dec. 27 locks at 7 p.m. EST with a sizable nine-game main slate. Before you lock in your NBA DFS picks and favorite lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo and SuperDraft, make sure to check out Awesemo’s daily fantasy basketball rankings and projections. Let’s dig into some NBA DFS picks, including Bradley Beal, Zion Williamson and more.
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NBA DFS Picks: Key Building Blocks | DraftKings + FanDuel 12/27
Bradley Beal: Washington Wizards vs. Orlando Magic
DraftKings $8,900, FanDuel $7,900, Yahoo $36
Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 11.1%, FanDuel 17.1% Yahoo 12.8%
This one is easy, as Russell Westbrook will be sitting out one half of back-to-backs. The benefit is two-fold; it should keep him healthy and efficient, and it also lets Bradley Beal run the show with all the usage he can handle about once a week. Last year Beal averaged 1.37 DraftKings and 1.33 FanDuel points per minute. Beal did play 37 minutes last night, but he also played 36 in the opener, and it is not like he will be expending much energy playing defense. The sites have not preemptively adjusted Beal’s salary, so he is our core play of the day.
Zion Williamson: New Orleans Pelicans vs. San Antonio Spurs
DraftKings $8,200, FanDuel $10,000, Yahoo $45
Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 11.1%, FanDuel 28.6% Yahoo 10.0%
It was great to see Zion Williamson get to the line 15 times on Christmas Day against the Heat. He also played 38 minutes, which is a career high. Including the two preseason games and the two regular season games thus far, Williamson is averaging almost 34 minutes per outing. The Spurs played last night, winning a hard-fought battle against the Raptors. It would not be a surprise if their defense is somewhat lacking, and we should also keep in mind that they are playing at a faster pace than in prior years.
NBA DFS Picks: Good Value
Bismack Biyombo: Charlotte Hornets vs. Brooklyn Nets
DraftKings $3,800, FanDuel $4,500, Yahoo $15
Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 48.3%, FanDuel 3.7% Yahoo 6.6%
DraftKings missed the boat on Bismack Biyombo, who will be starting with Cody Zeller (broken hand) on the shelf. Last night he saw 30 minutes against the Thunder and tallied 5 points, nine rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Since we are able to roster two centers on DraftKings, this is an easy recommendation. Yahoo also allows us to roster two, but the price tag is not as enticing. On FanDuel we only have one center slot, so we are looking at some opportunity cost in not getting to roster Joel Embiid, Nikola Vucevic, James Wiseman or Deandre Ayton.
Devonte’ Graham: Charlotte Hornets vs. Brooklyn Nets
DraftKings $6,500, FanDuel $5,400, Yahoo $27
Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 15.1%, FanDuel 28.6% Yahoo 7.2%
The FanDuel gimme of the day is Devonte’ Graham, who inexplicably is just $5,400. In the first two games he has averaged 35.5 minutes, 14.5 field goal attempts and 10 assists. The only things missing have been the steals, of which he has just one, and his shots finding the bottom of the net. In each of his two appearances, he has managed only four made field goals. That gives him an easily accessible upside of 10-15 fantasy points if his shot is falling and he picks up a couple of steals.
NBA DFS Picks: Risky Value
Wendell Carter: Chicago Bulls vs. Golden State Warriors
DraftKings $5,000, FanDuel $4,900, Yahoo $18
Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 46.4%, FanDuel 24.3% Yahoo 35.6%
Pop quiz: In his last nine starts, how many times has Wendell Carter posted double-digit rebounds? The answer is of course zero. When you are a starting center and averaging only 6.6 rebounds and 8.0 points, I am going to let others assume the risk here. Yes, this is somewhat cherry picking an arbitrary span of games; in the two games last season prior to this sample size of nine outing, he had back-to-back 40-fantasy-point showings. On top of that, sadly, in his last 17 games he is averaging only one blocked shot. He could post a monster game against James Wiseman, but just how likely does that seem?
Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball Discount Dandies
- Lonnie Walker: SAS at NOP – $11
- Keldon Johnson: SAS at NOP – $14
- Kyle Kuzma: LAL vs. MIN – $10
SuperDraft Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks
- James Wiseman: GSW at CHI – 1.85x multiplier
- Zion Williamson: NOP vs. SAS – 1.45x multiplier
- Montrezl Harrell: LAL vs. MIN – 1.65x multiplier
Final Thoughts
Once again we will have plenty of value to facilitate a stars-and-scrubs build. Just keep in mind that it is not necessarily going to be the same players across all of the sites.
Be sure to into the Awesemo NBA Live Before Lock show beginning at 6 p.m. EST for all of your up-to-date information and analysis.
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