Thursday, Dec. 12 gives us a four-game main slate for all the big daily fantasy sites. Before you lock in your NBA DFS lineups and NBA DFS picks on DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo and FantasyDraft, make sure to check out check out Awesemo’s NBA DFS rankings and projections. Let’s dig into some NBA DFS Picks, including Luka Doncic, Dejounte Murray and more.
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Check out Chris Spags’ Switch and Hedge for more NBA DFS picks and analysis HERE.
Don’t forget to check out the NBA Strategy Show featuring Josh Engleman and Sal Vetri as they break down the NBA DFS slate and give out their thoughts on Tristan Thompson, DeMar DeRozan, injury news and analysis.
NBA DFS Picks: Prime Time Players
Luka Doncic: Dallas Mavericks vs. Detroit Pistons (Mexico City)
DraftKings $11,400, FanDuel $11,800, Yahoo $56 Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 33.3%, FanDuel 41.1% Yahoo Fantasy 38.4%
My initial thought was to go with Andre Drummond as our featured player, until I realized this game was in Mexico City. While we are looking at world class athletes, it just seems sub-optimal to focus on Drummond as the best play in extreme altitude. Additionally, there is a chance that Al Horford (knee, hamstring) sits out tonight in Boston, otherwise he would have been my top choice. If Horford is out, we can elevate Joel Embiid into consideration as the best high-priced option.
Luca Doncic has been in this space many times already this season. This is the first time he is getting the recommendation as the most expensive player across the board. The second-year phenom has an amazing all-around game and he is averaging darn near a triple-double. His 30.0 points per game ranks third, his 9.2 assists are second and the 9.8 rebounds are 15th in the league. There is not much else to add and with the 76ers’, Celtics’ and Nuggets’ questionable players, we just need one or two to be out and we will have our surprise value options to make this all work.
Please keep in mind that Drummond is a fine option and should be in the mix as one of the best fantasy producers tonight. However, if I am making just one lineup, I would build around Doncic.
NBA DFS Picks: Good Value
Dejounte Murray: San Antonio Spurs vs. Cleveland Cavaliers
DraftKings $5,600, FanDuel $6,100, Yahoo $18 Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 16.2%, FanDuel 16.0% Yahoo Fantasy 28.0%
It will be interesting to see how quickly the DFS echo chamber picks up on Dejounte Murray coming off a season-high 31.7 minutes. The former University of Washington stalwart has been playing with a 23-25 minutes cap and sitting on back-to-backs. The Spurs do not play again until Saturday in Mexico City. That makes tonight a good spot to test the waters on a short slate and see if Murray gets 30-ish minutes again. The Cavaliers are on a back-to-back having kept it close in Houston last night and they are already a poor defensive team even when rested. Murray is 10th in the league with 1.6 steals per game despite averaging just 22.6 minutes per game.
NBA DFS Picks: Risky Value
Matisse Thybulle: Philadelphia 76ers at Boston Celtics
DraftKings $4,000, FanDuel $4,500, Yahoo $12 Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 3.4%, FanDuel 3.5% Yahoo Fantasy 2.4%
Hey now, we have another Husky in the article! Yes, I am an alum, but that is not why we have two Washington products featured today. In case you have missed it, Matisse Thybulle has topped 20 fantasy points in four of his last five games and he is 15th in the league with 1.5 steals per game. He has not been consistent as a fantasy producer this season because he is deferring on offense. This is not because he is bad, it is because he is a rookie and there are many better options than him on the floor at any given time.
At Washington, Thybulle was a four-year starter and he was decent shooter with 42.9 field goal percentage, 35.8 three-point percentage and 78.2 free throw percentage. The issue is that he is averaging 3.8 field goal attempts per game. In the last two outings, he has 17 attempts. If this continues, we have a great option. If this stops, we will be faced with a single-digit fantasy performance.
FantasyCruncher NBA DFS Tips of the Day
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With the incredibly user-friendly and flexible rules creation feature on FantasyCruncher, we can take our lineup construction to the next level.
Today’s highlighted feature is the ability to import data in our own customizable fields which can then also be utilized with rules for our NBA DFS Crunches.
By using the “Add/Remove” Column feature, we can bring in different data elements to help inform our Crunches with just a little pre-planning in Excel or Google Sheets. In the example below, Awesemo Points and Value Grades have been added as new columns in the upload template along with the Boom/Bust% percentage outcomes.
Some teams have players with redundant roles and/or skill sets. Dallas is one of these teams, particularly with their front court. It is unlikely for both Maxmillian Kleber and Dwight Powell to have a good game in the same matchup, Therefore, I am limiting them to only one per lineup.
I have given this rule a name so it is easy to find. Additionally, I have checked the “save this group for other days” box so I do not have to recreate it every time the Mavericks are on the schedule.
Final Thoughts
Remember that tonight has an 8 p.m. EST tip-off, so the shows will start one hour later than usual.
As always, you can reach out to me in Awesemo.com Premium Slack or on Twitter @EMacDFS if you have any NBA DFS questions about DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo or FantasyDraft.
Good Luck NBA DFS Gamers! ~ EMac
If you haven’t signed up for Yahoo Fantasy DFS, click this link and use the promo code Awesemo when making your first deposit and you will be eligible for $30 of free play, which Yahoo will match through the first $30 of your deposit (this bonus will be received in Yahoo Sports Rewards Points, a.k.a. YSRP which can be used to enter any paid contest immediately).
