Happy New Year’s Eve, everyone. 2020 may be coming to a close (thank god), but the NBA DFS season is officially in full swing. We’ve got a condensed four-game main slate on FanDuel, while DraftKings is offering up a five-gamer that locks half an hour earlier at 6:30 p.m. EST. I’m going to focus on those and leave the Early Slate NBA DFS Picks research to you (hint: play Russell Westbrook).
So let’s get right into it: this is your NBA DFS Slate Starter for the DraftKings and FanDuel main slates on 12/31.
[2021-New-Year-Promo]
[SportsbookAffiliates]
NBA DFS Slate Starter: DraftKings + FanDuel Strategy & Picks | New Year’s Eve
The Curious Case of Julius Randle
I knew this year was wonky, but Julius Randle is taking it to another level. Now priced all the way up at $8,800 on DraftKings and $8,000 on FanDuel after an electric start to the season, I still expect him to be one of the highest-owned spend-up options on the New Year’s Eve slate. Which is crazy because, you know, it’s Julius Randle.
Let’s dive into a few numbers so far. First thing that sticks out like a sore thumb: the minutes. Under new head coach Tom Thibodeau, who’s notorious for giving starters extensive run, Randle is averaging 37.5 minutes per game. That includes a whopping 44 minute outing in Cleveland (all in regulation) which resulted in the drumming of Andre Drummond to the tune of 63.5 DraftKings points. He’s currently fifth in the NBA in minutes played, and with the eight-man rotation the Knicks are currently running with the plethora of injuries to their roster, Randle’s court time is as secure as it gets on Thursday.
Secondly, his passing. For his career, Randle averages just 3.5 assists per 36. Through four games this season? 7.2. It’s a small sample size, but this is a clear indicator that his role in the offense has changed. And it’s not like he’s being completely passive, as he still averages 24.8 points and 15 field goal attempts per game. If the assist rate can stay somewhat in the realm of its current 35.8%, expect Randle to carry triple-double upside every night out.
On this shorter NBA DFS slate, I expect Randle’s ownership to be out of control. And it’s certainly a tough matchup versus the Raptors, and he’s certainly not going to keep making threes at a 69.2% clip. But I for one can’t see myself fading Randle for any other reason than game theory.
Be sure to catch Eric and Rynpak on the Awesemo YouTube Channel for their New Year’s Eve special NBA DFS Slate Starter.
Throw Out the Blowout for Brandon
I’m not a New Orleans Pelicans fan, but you’d think I was with how frequently I refer to them on the NBA Slate Starter podcast with Rynpak. Which by the way, if you haven’t checked it out, is available as a video on the Awesemo YouTube channel or for your listening pleasure through the Apple Podcast app. We go over pricing as soon as it comes out the night before, which piggy-backs into me writing this article.
Anyways, one price that really stood out to us both was Brandon Ingram at just $8,000 on DraftKings. Ingram is one of the players I was most wrong about in the aftermath of the Anthony Davis trade. I felt like he put up empty stats on an atrocious Lakers team and that the potential he supposedly had as the second pick in the 2016 draft would never be realized.
Boy, did I change my tune early last year. With a career-highs across the board, highlighted by a .531 eFG% on his way to 23.8 points per game, Ingram solidified himself as an elite young talent who could be more than just a volume-reliant scorer. I took some major stands on him in year-long leagues and best ball drafts, partially because I love the development of his game and partially because forward on Yahoo and Underdog Fantasy is a wasteland of sadness.
However, he’s been a hit-and-miss option in DFS thus far. With two games blowing the doors off 50 DraftKings points and two of 35-or-less, some might say he’s capable of having bad outings. But I’d argue his last outing was his only off-night of the young season so far. Take a look at his game log:
Against Miami on Christmas, he looked great going for 28 points including 4-8 from deep in a losing effort against a stout defense. So sure, he floored out along with every other Pelican against the Suns on Tuesday. But he was still an efficient 6-11 from the field and now faces an Oklahoma City team as a five-point road favorite where he and Zion Williamson should run the show. So let’s just throw that last game out the window and go right back to jamming in the lanky 23-year-old phenom without hesitation.
Sadly, FanDuel jacked his price up to $9,400, almost $3,000 between him and the next listed small forward. But get this: at 1.24 FanDuel points per minute, he’s the only player listed at the position averaging over a point per minute. That makes him a massive favorite to lead the position in raw points, something that makes me want to jam him in every lineup over there, too, so long as I can find the money.
[NBAContentLinks]
Final Thoughts for Your NBA DFS Lineups
One of the most intriguing stories revolving around the New Year’s Eve slate of games is certainly the Rockets. With the debuts of John Wall and DeMarcus Cousins incoming, as well as the return of Eric Gordon, you’d have to expect James Harden‘s rates to take a massive hit. It also doesn’t bode well for DFS darling Christian Wood, who has looked great out of the gate and now seems likely to split center minutes with Cousins.
But with so much individual talent on this team now, one of these Rockets could very well bust out a ceiling. I have no idea what to expect, but if Harden’s ownership plummets far enough on a smaller slate such as this one, there’s got to be interest there. Pay close attention to Awesemo’s ownership and Boom/Bust tool updates tomorrow, as there could be some major leverage to be had on some of these risky Rocket options.
Follow us on all of our social channels! Check out our Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for more great Awesemo content.
Looking for more NBA DFS picks content? We have loads of articles, data, NBA DFS Picks cheat sheets and more on the Awesemo NBA home page. Just click HERE.
