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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on December 17, 2023. John Brubaker provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
It's a Sunday in the NBA, and it feels like it's been forever since we've had a Sunday DFS slate to break down. However, we have a small three-game DFS slate tonight on both FanDuel and DraftKings. We do have some fun matchups here, though, so let's take a look!
We have two teams on back-to-backs tonight: the e PacersBucks and th. Let's see how that affects some of our lineups and how we want to attack this slate.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 12/17/23. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome new NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7:00 PM EST on FanDuel and DraftKings.
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DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Fred VanVleet, HOU vs. MIL – SG/SF ($8,300 DK; $8,100 FD)
I'll start things off tonight with a pair of guards from the Rockets, starting with Fred VanVleet. The Rockets, who come into this game ranked 29th in the league in pace (97.4), look to see a significant bump in the pace department tonight, up to 100.75. Between the Bucks playing a fast-paced game and being on a back-to-back, I think this benefits the Rockets and Fred VanVleet, as Houston projects to a +2.86 point positive regression in point guard efficiency. VanVleet projects to 18.07 points, 4.59 rebounds, 8.19 assists, and 1.1 steals in this one.
Jalen Green, HOU vs. MIL – SG ($6,300 DK; $6,000 FD)
I'll take a look at VanVleet's teammate, Jalen Green, for a lot of the same reasons. Not only does Green benefit from the boost in pace, but the Rockets project more positive regression against the shooting guard position, going up to 21.16 (+3.26). Green projects 17.5 points, 4.25 rebounds, and 2.5 assists in this matchup. He's a stronger option than VanVleet in my opinion, as he will likely draw Damian Lillard on defense, which teams have been exposing this season.
Others to consider: Devin Booker, Tyus Jones, Brandin Podziemski
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Kevin Durant, PHO vs. WAS – SF/PF ($9,600 DK; $10,000 FD)
If it's not noticeable at this point, I'll be looking to stack two teams tonight the Rockets and the Suns. The Suns should also see a quality bump in pace tonight, up to 101.35 (+3.15). They also have a strong matchup across all positions in efficiency terms, so each player across the lineup is an easy pick'em tonight. Durant, though, projects to 28.83 points, 6.04 rebounds, and 5.19 assists in this strong matchup. It'll be tough to determine just who will go off for the Suns, so I'll have a little bit of everybody.
Grayson Allen, PHO vs. WAS – SF ($5,400 DK; $5,100 FD)
Speaking of Suns, I'll take a look at Grayson Allen next. I mentioned earlier that just about everyone on the offensive side of the ball for Phoenix is in a good matchup, and that doesn't change with Allen. Regardless if he's lining up at the shooting guard position (+2.16 efficiency), or the small forward position (+2.76 efficiency), I could see him having a good night. He's not a high fantasy point-per-minute guy, to be sure, but across 34 projected minutes he's due to have a solid night for his price tag. Allen projects to 12.55 points, 3.73 rebounds, and 2.8 assists here.
Others to consider: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jabari Smith Jr.
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Alperen Sengun, HOU vs. MIL - C ($8,600 DK; $8,200 FD)
I'll wrap things up for the Rockets tonight with Alperen Sengun. Three-game slates are tough for obvious reasons, but I like my looks here. Sengun projects to 19.65 points, 9.43 rebounds, and 5.2 assists tonight. The Bucks have struggled in all three of these facets against centers across the last seven days; ranking 24th in points allowed, 24th in rebounds allowed, and 26th in assists allowed to the position. I think Sengun could be on triple-double watch tonight.
Jusuf Nurkic, PHO vs. WAS – C ($7,400 DK; $7,700 FD)
I'll wrap things up with the final Phoenix Sun, Jusuf Nurkic. The Bosnian national gets the best matchup of the slate tonight against Washington's brutal center defense (40.8 defensive efficiency). They rank dead last in points and rebounds allowed to centers, both across the entire season and in the last seven days. They also rank 26th in assists allowed to the position over the last seven days. Nurkic projects to 16.79 points, 12.94 rebounds, and 3.8 assists here, and will certainly warrant the ownership he will receive.
Others to consider: Kevon Looney
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