Tuesday, Dec. 7, has a three-game main slate tipping off at 7:30 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, Tuesday, Dec. 7
Yahoo Play of the Day — Julius Randle: New York Knicks at San Antonio Spurs
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 41.47 | DraftKings: 44.13
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 31.8% | FanDuel 29.6% | DraftKings 26.1%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $36 | FanDuel $8,700 | DraftKings $9,100
Over its last 10 games San Antonio has been playing at the 10th-fastest pace in the league while allowing 107.3 points per 100 possessions. New York has lost four of its last five games, and coach Tom Thibodeau has mentioned he is considering a rotation shakeup. This is on the heels of pulling Kemba Walker not only from a starting role, but relegating him to the bench with no indications that he will be playing anytime soon barring an injury to one of the other guards.
In his last three games Julius Randle has seen heavy minutes, averaging 38 minutes and 20.3 field goal attempts. This has culminated in 26 points, 9.3 rebounds, 7.3 assists and 1.4 combined blocks and steals. Last year Randle took on a non-traditional facilitating role and posted a career-high six assists per game. If this is the new baseline, then he is at a significant salary discount in the 10-20% range across the DFS sites and an absolute steal on Yahoo tonight.
Fellow Awesemo NBA DFS expert Terry McBride pinpointed Randle as one of the players showing up most in the optimal NBA lineup tonight. Check out his full breakdown in the NBA DFS Lineup Optimizer Picks Tonight.
Jayson Tatum: Boston Celtics at Los Angeles Lakers
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 41.89 | DraftKings: 44.05
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 29.8% | FanDuel 33.2% | DraftKings 34.3%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $44 | FanDuel $9,700 | DraftKings $9,400
Boston has had 72 hours off after its weekend back-to-back in Salt Lake City and then in Portland. Tonight it will be taking on the Lakers, tomorrow it will be the Clippers, and they will wrap up its five-game road trip in Phoenix on Friday. Jaylen Brown has missed the last two games with hamstring tightness, so the team has been taking it easy on him. Even if he is able to play tonight, Jayson Tatum is still a fine option in all formats. The Lakers are playing at a top-10 pace while allowing 111 points per 100 possessions over their last 10 games. Defense is clearly not a priority, and there should be some fun back-and-forth action in Tuesday’s nightcap. Tatum sees a 10% boost in his fantasy points per minute when Brown is off the court, but it is hard to see Brown playing more than 24 to 26 minutes in his return, so this should not be too worrisome.
Dejounte Murray: San Antonio Spurs vs. New York Knicks
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 45.07 | DraftKings: 46.1
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 24% | FanDuel 28.9% | DraftKings 25.5%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $44 | FanDuel $9,900 | DraftKings $9,500
While this is a back-to-back for the Spurs, their starters did not see particularly heavy minutes during their loss in Phoenix last night. New York has seen its defense slip from last year and over its last 10 games it is in the middle of the pack. Dejounte Murray has taken the next step up the talent ladder, and he is a borderline elite fantasy option. He is posting career bests in most statistical categories, including highs of 19 points, 8.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists. This has him in the same neighborhood as James Harden, Russell Westbrook and LaMelo Ball for this combination of categories. His 1.34 Yahoo points per minute show excellent efficiency, as does 46.7 fantasy points per game.
Yahoo Discount Dandies
Dwight Howard: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Boston Celtics
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 21.0 | DraftKings: 20.74
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 20.6% | FanDuel 10.1% | DraftKings 27.4%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $12 | FanDuel $5,200 | DraftKings $3,800
If Dwight Howard remains in the starting lineup, he is an excellent discount option, as his salary has not adjusted to account for a new baseline in the 20- or 24-minute range. Howard can still produce around 1.1 fantasy points per minute, and he should be a threat to flirt with a double-double most nights as a starter.
Immanuel Quickley: New York Knicks at San Antonio Spurs
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 19.43 | DraftKings: 20.48
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 20.8% | FanDuel 8.9% | DraftKings 10.9%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $10 | FanDuel $5,400 | DraftKings $4,900
The Yahoo salary algorithm seems to have overlooked Immanuel Quickley. There is no reason that he should be at the $10 minimum. While he has topped five assists only twice this season, he should have no trouble providing fantasy value on Yahoo at his ridiculous salary regardless of if he starts or comes off the bench.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS picks for the Tuesday, Dec. 7 Slate
The main question marks tonight are with Luka Doncic, who plays in the first game, and Jaylen Brown, who plays in the final game. Of course, this is the NBA so anything can change when it comes to news. 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.
