NBA DFS First Look & Optimal Lineup Picks Today

The Slate Starter is a daily first look at to get your daily fantasy basketball lineup-building process started before lock tonight. Each day, we will go through some of the best NBA DFS picks, top stacks and optimal lineup construction for DraftKings and FanDuel. Be sure to check Awesemo’s NBA Starting Lineups page, as it will be updated throughout the day as the NBA injury reports are released and breaking news surfaces. Let’s dive into some players who stand out as key options on Monday’s eight-game slate.

Want to see how your lineup stacked up against yesterday’s winning NBA DFS lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo? Check out Awesemo’s Optimal Lineup Review, which uses Fantasy Cruncher Rewind to analyze the winning plays from the night before.

NBA DFS Picks & Optimal Lineup Construction | Dec. 20

Robert Williams, C, Boston Celtics

The Celtics have the potential to be extremely thin on Monday. Jayson Tatum, Dennis Schroder, and Romeo Langford are all questionable, while Al Horford, Grant Williams, Josh Richardson, and Jabari Parker have been ruled out. That is going to leave the team shorthanded in the frontcourt at a minimum.

That should open up a few additional minutes for Williams at center. He racked up 36.9 minutes two games ago, and he finished with 29 minutes in his last contest. Williams scored 30 DraftKings points in his last game, and he is capable of averaging well over a fantasy point per minute. He has not been able to reach that level this season – he is averaging 0.93 DraftKings points per minute – but it is within his range of outcomes. Either way, expect him to own one of the better value marks in our NBA Projections.

Dillon Brooks, SG/SF, Memphis Grizzlies

The Grizzlies have quietly been rolling without Ja Morant, and Brooks’ play has been a big reason. His playing time has been on the rise recently, logging at least 33.8 minutes in three straight games, and he leads the team with a 28.7% usage rate in 10 games without Morant. He is averaging 1.09 DraftKings points per minute this season, so he can rack up plenty of fantasy points when given the opportunity.

Brooks is coming off one of his best games of the season on Sunday. He finished with 49.25 DraftKings points, marking his fourth straight game with at least 35.5. His price has stayed pretty stagnant over that time frame, so he can be trusted once again against a weak Thunder squad. It will be interesting to see what Brooks projected ownership looks like on Monday. There are plenty of high-priced options on this slate, so Brooks is a candidate to be under-owned. If that happens, he will own solid marks in the Boom/Bust Probability tool.

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Tyrese Haliburton, PG/SG, Sacramento Kings

The Kings have yet to release their injury report for Monday’s slate, but expect it to be jam-packed. They played without De’Aaron Fox and Davion Mitchell on Sunday, leaving Haliburton as the lone point guard option. He has gotten a bit more expensive across the industry, but he still seems way too cheap given his recent production. He has racked up at least 42 DraftKings points in three straight games, including 54 DraftKings points on Sunday.

Haliburton has also displayed the ability to rack up fantasy points in a variety of ways. He has had at least nine assists in each of his past three contests, and he racked up 27 points in his last game. If his assist prop has not caught up to his current role for the Kings, it should grade out favorably in the Awesemo Player Prop Tool.

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