NBA DFS Building Blocks for Monday, December 13 | Today, 12/13/21

Monday, Dec. 13, kicks off a new week with a nine-game main slate beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET. Let’s look at the player pool and discuss the top NBA DFS picks for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups. Do not forget to head over to the Awesemo NBA DFS home page for more great written daily fantasy basketball content.

NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks, Monday, Dec. 13

Yahoo Play of the Day — Fred VanVleet: Toronto Raptors vs. Sacramento Kings

  • Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 39.86 | DraftKings: 41.2
  • Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 31.8% | FanDuel 19.6% | DraftKings 8.1%
  • DFS Salary: Yahoo $31 | FanDuel $8,300 | DraftKings $9,000

This is a nice matchup for Fred VanVleet and the Raptors, who are projected to score 108.5 points against the Kings. Sacramento lost the first two games of their road trip while allowing the opposition to rack up an average of 120.5 points. Khem Birch remains out for Toronto, and they are also without O.G. Anunoby and Precious Achiuwa. This means extra offensive opportunities for VanVleet, who is a steal at just $31 on Yahoo tonight. Teammates Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes and Chris Boucher are also in play across the various DFS sites.

Nikola Jokic: Denver Nuggets vs. Washington Wizards

  • Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 38.54 | DraftKings: 40.72
  • Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 23.4% | FanDuel 16.0% | DraftKings 12.4%
  • DFS Salary: Yahoo $34 | FanDuel $8,600 | DraftKings $9,000

Denver is back home after a long seven-game road trip that alternated wins and losses each step of the way. Tonight they will be hosting the Wizards, who are not equipped to deal with Nikola Jokic in the paint or on the perimeter. Daniel Gafford and Montrezl Harrell do not have the size or talent to do more than annoy Jokic. Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. are out, and Will Barton missed the last game with a non-COVID illness and is questionable for tonight. JaMychal Green is doubtful with an ankle injury, and now Aaron Gordon is questionable with a back issue.

In reality it should be Jokic who has the sore back from carrying the team. Across his last four games he is averaging 28.3 points, 13.3 rebounds, 11 assists and 2.3 combined blocks and steals, with three triple-doubles. Somehow he has accomplished all of this in only 35.5 minutes per game. There are quite a few center options tonight who have the potential to have similar high-end games as Jokic, but none have his projected fantasy floor.

Jokic’s current NBA player prop for assists is 8.5, which is almost 1.5 more than Awesemo’s NBA projections him projected to accumulate tonight, making the under 8.5 assists a great bet.

Kyle Lowry: Miami Heat at Cleveland Cavaliers

  • Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 36.54 | DraftKings: 38.87
  • Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 22.2% | FanDuel 35.4% | DraftKings 13.9%
  • DFS Salary: Yahoo $29 | FanDuel $6,900 | DraftKings $8,000

The Heat are going to be without Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo once again and now Caleb Martin is in the health and safety protocol. Kyle Lowry has led Miami to back-to-back victories with a pair of strong performances. The key to Lowry’s fantasy upside has always been for him to be in situations where he needs to shoot the ball. Typically he is happy to be a facilitator and choose his spots.

Lowry is only two seasons removed from his last All-Star appearance, and he can still get it done on the court. In the last two games he is averaging 34.2 minutes and 15.5 field goal attempts including nine from beyond the arc. That has resulted in 19 points, 2.5 rebounds, 13.5 assists and 1.5 steals for just shy of 43 Yahoo points. Cleveland is actually a solid defensive team, though on volume alone Lowry should flirt with 40 fantasy points every game until Butler returns.

Yahoo Discount Dandies

Dallas Mavericks vs. Charlotte Hornets

Luka Doncic (ankle) is out tonight and potentially could miss this whole week for Dallas. Those who played NBA DFS on Sunday may have been disappointed by the Mavericks, but they easily dispatched the Thunder 103-84, and with the game tonight there was no reason to push the starters. Jalen Brunson is an outstanding play on all DFS sites tonight, as they still have not adjusted his salary enough to account for his new role and responsibilities. Kristaps Porzingis is also a player to target against a woeful Hornets defense that is allowing 124.9 points per 100 possessions over their last seven games. The rest of the Dallas contributors are fine to mix and match depending on positional need and salary cap constraints.

P.J. Washington is back after missing the last game with a non-COVID illness, and Terry Rozier has cleared the health and safety protocol after missing 10 days. LaMelo Ball, Mason Plumlee, Ish Smith and Jalen McDaniels are all still in the health and safety protocol at this time. Kelle Oubre Jr., Gordon Hayward, Miles Bridges and Cody Martin are the players to target. Washington is as well, though gamers should keep an eye out for any news about a minutes limit for Rozier.

Los Angeles Clippers vs. Phoenix Suns

Paul George is doubtful, and if he remains out, look to Terance Mann, Luke Kennard and Eric Bledsoe, who are all near the minimum salary on Yahoo. Marcus Morris and Ivica Zubac are marginal options on the main slate, though they are viable on the late slate.

Phoenix comes into this game favored by a bucket, and with Devin Booker out and Deandre Ayton doubtful, it will be up to Chris Paul to carry the load against his former team. If Ayton remains out, JaVale McGee is an excellent option, but do not expect another 45-plus fantasy points — something in the 25 to 30 range is more attainable. Cameron Johnson, Cameron Payne and Landry Shamet are all discount dandies for any slate, and they are particularly appealing on Yahoo.

Final Thoughts on NBA DFS picks for the Monday, Dec. 13 Slate

There are 18 teams in action on a front-loaded slate, with only three games tipping off after 8:00 p.m. ET. Watch for any late news and do not get distracted by Monday Night Football. Keep in mind that salaries and scoring formats differ across the various fantasy sites, and a slam-dunk play on Yahoo may be a below-average NBA DFS pick on DraftKings or FanDuel.

Eric "EMac" MacPherson won the 2007 Fantasy Baseball grand prize (trip for two to the MLB All-Star game) in the Roto format on ESPN. He won again in 2008, this time in the H2H format. As one of the early adopters of daily fantasy sports, EMac has been providing content for baseball and basketball as well as both professional and college football since 2012 for a variety of websites including DraftKings Playbook, FanVice, RotoWorld, Daily Fantasy Bootcamp, and RotoGrinders. He is well into his third decade of fantasy sports and has a wealth of knowledge and experience. Follow him on Twitter @EMacDFS or contact EMac by emailing [email protected].

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