DraftKings and FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks (12/21/22): NBA DFS Lineups

December 21, 2022

NBA DFS sleepers and values plays for DraftKings and FanDuel on December 21, 2022. Juan Carlos Blanco gives you his top NBA DFS picks and lineup targets.

We have a jumbo 11-game NBA slate on tap Wednesday night, offering us a robust player pool to work with across the salary spectrum.

There are some very good options in favorable matchups across each price point on the salary cap at each position, setting up what should be a fun night of lineup construction for both cash games and tournaments.

This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 12/21/22. Remember to monitor the NBA injury report as the slate can completely change before lineups lock, which is at 7:00 pm ET tonight. Good luck, RotoBallers.

DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - PG/SG, OKC vs. POR ($10,100 DK; $10,400 FD)    

SGA went off for 52 DK/53.4 FD points against the Trail Blazers in the first installment of their quick two-game set Monday night, getting to the line 14 times in the process and making good on each opportunity. The fifth-year star is enjoying a career season across the board that includes a career-high 31.3 points per game, and he's averaging 50.1 DK/50.3 FD points per contest as well.

The Blazers come in allowing the third-most DK (54.1) and FD (52.4) points per contest to point guards in the last seven games, a stretch during which they're also yielding the third-most actual points per game to the position (29.4). SGA has also been especially effective on his home floor, where he's averaging 51.5 DK points per home game while shooting an impressive 38.2 percent from three-point range.

LaMelo Ball - PG, CHA at LAC ($8,900 DK; $8,500 FD) 

Ball has emerged from his extended absence due to an ankle injury in fine form, as he's averaged 26.0 points, 7.8 assists and 3.3 rebounds per contest across 32.5 minutes per game, shooting 48.7 percent, including a sizzling 46.7 percent from three-point range, in that sample. Ball has dispelled any concerns about his ankle, rust or conditioning with that body of work, and he'll be in good position to continue thriving Wednesday.

The Clippers come into Wednesday allowing  over 48 DK and over 46 FD points per game to the position in the last 15 games. Ball could also be facing a depleted L.A. backcourt, as both Reggie Jackson (Achilles) and Paul George (knee) are listed as questionable for the contest.

Spencer Dinwiddie - PG/SG, DAL at MIN ($6,400 DK; $6,800 FD)

Dinwiddie continues to be a highly reliable secondary source of scoring for the Mavericks, and he's averaging the third-highest point total of his career (16.6) while shooting a career-best 41.8 percent from behind the arc. The veteran has been even more prolific offensively during December, averaging 17.3 points on 46.6 percent three-point shooting in his last nine games.

Dinwiddie just tallied 37 DK/34.9 FD points against the same T-Wolves squad he'll face again Wednesday in Monday's opening installment of their two-game set, shooting 50% from distance in that contest.

Minnesota ranks No. 22 in offensive efficiency rating allowed to shooting guards (23.1), and the Wolves are allowing 44.9 DK/43.0 FD points per game to the position in the last 15. What's more, no team has conceded a higher success rate from distance on its home floor than the T-Wolves' 39.5% figure, furthering his case.

ALSO CONSIDER: Jordan Poole - PG/SG, GSW at BKN ($8,200 DK; $8,400 FD)

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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks

Jayson Tatum - SF/PF, BOS vs. IND ($11,000 DK; $10,800 FD)

Tatum should come into Wednesday's matchup refreshed after sitting out Sunday's loss to the Magic for personal reasons, making Friday the last day he took the floor. The star forward has been stellar on his TD Garden home floor all season, averaging over 50 fantasy points per game there on either site while putting up 31.8 points, 8.3 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals across 36.2 minutes per game.

The Pacers come in with a No. 20 ranking in offensive efficiency rating allowed to power forwards (26.9) and have surrendered over 47 DK and over 44 FD points per game surrendered to the position in the last seven contests. Indy is also giving up the eighth-most rebounds per game (53.9) and ninth-highest three-point shooting percentage (37.2 percent) on the road, two vulnerabilities Tatum is well-equipped to exploit.

Bogdan Bogdanovic - SG/SF, ATL vs. CHI ($6,500 DK; $6,000 FD)

Rolling out Bogdanovic, who's shooting 40.8 percent from three-point range while taking a career-high 9.5 three-point attempts per contest, could be a very prudent move against one of the teams in the league most susceptible to long-distance shooting in the Bulls. That's especially true at Bogdanovic's very modest salaries, which he's overdelivered on handsomely by exceeding 40 DK points in three of his past five games.

The Bulls check in allowing the fourth-highest three-point shooting percentage (42.0) over the last three games, along with an Eastern Conference-high 37.7 percent figure in that category for the season. Chicago is also giving up the second-most DK (48.8) and FD (47.5) points per game to two-guards in the last seven contests, yielding the second-most made threes per game (4.4) to the position in that span as well.

Jonathan Kuminga - PF/C, GSW at BKN ($5,000 DK; $4,200 FD) 

The Warriors will take the floor Wednesday without Klay Thompson (knee maintenance) in addition to Andrew Wiggins (groin), and naturally, Stephen Curry (shoulder). Donte DiVincenzo (illness) could also sit out, and all those factors should give Kuminga plenty of opportunity and potentially even a start at small forward.

Kuminga is averaging 30.4 DK/28.1 FD points per 36 minutes with those four players off the floor this season, and he's shown an ability to overdeliver on his very modest salaries by scoring 22.8 to 40.3 DK in nine games this season. The Nets are notably allowing 37.9 percent three-point shooting to frontcourt players and rank No. 24 in offensive efficiency rating surrendered to small forwards (23.9) as well, giving Kuminga a positive outlook at bargain salaries.

ALSO CONSIDER: LeBron James - SF/PF, LAL at SAC ($9,900 DK, $11,100 FD)

DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks

Joel Embiid - PHI vs. DET ($11,500 DK; $11,900 FD)

Embiid has been especially dominant on his home floor this season, putting up 61.1 DK/60 FD points per game there across 14 contests while averaging 35.2 points, 10.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.4 steals. The big man is averaging at least 60 fantasy points per game on either site in December as well and has actually averaged 21.2 shot attempts per game and shot a blistering 62.5 percent from three-point range in the six games since James Harden's return to action.

The Pistons should make for good targets Wednesday as well, as Detroit is allowing the eighth-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (33.6) for the season, along with over 57 DK and over 56 FD points per game to the position in the last 15 games. The Pistons are also surrendering the third-most rebounds per road game (55.1) and an Eastern Conference-high 55.4 points in the paint per contest when traveling, both figures Embiid is very capable of capitalizing on.

Nikola Vucevic - CHI at ATL ($7,100 DK; $7,900 FD) 

Vucevic is coming off two stellar games against the Heat and Timberwolves where he's averaged 26.0 points, 10.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 1.5 steals while shooting 71.9 percent, including 54.5 percent from three-point range. The big man has put up over 45 fantasy points on either site in each of those games, including a 50.5 spot on DK.

The veteran has enjoyed a productive December overall that's included 60.3 percent shooting, including 45.0 percent from three-point range, and averages of 19.2 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 steals per contest during a nine-game sample.

Vucevic now faces a Hawks squad that's surrendered the third-highest offensive efficiency rating to centers (34.7), along with over 54 fantasy points per game on either site to the position. Atlanta is also allowing the fifth-most rebounds per home game (54.7), another factor in Vucevic's favor.

John Collins - PF/C, ATL vs. CHI ($5,700 DK; $6,300 FD) 

Collins' salaries have taken a significant dip, making Wednesday a good time to grab him in tournaments particularly to exploit what is a very favorable matchup. The big man faces a Bulls team that allows an NBA-high 29.8 offensive efficiency rating to power forwards, along with the third-most DK (48.6) and seventh-most FD (46.1) points per game to the position.

Collins has been a far better shooter at home (52.0) than on the road (45.3), and he looked good in his return to action from an ankle injury Monday against the Magic while scoring 26.8 DK/26.9 FD points across just 20 minutes. Collins had a pair of 40/40-plus tallies on either site just before his multi-game absence as well, and although he's struggled from three-point range this season, he could also be in position to benefit from Chicago's aforementioned vulnerability to long-distance shooting.

ALSO CONSIDER: Alperen Sengun, HOU vs. ORL ($5,700 DK; $6,400 FD)

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