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Zach's top DraftKings NBA DFS picks for today, Friday, 12/06/24. His favorite daily fantasy basketball lineup sleepers and value picks for DraftKings DFS.
The NBA is ready to start the weekend with seven games on the schedule for a fantastic Friday night on the hardwood. The Bulls, Warriors, Kings, and Spurs are in action for the second night in a row while the Celtics are the only team that plays both Friday and Saturday. Friday night is a big matchup for the C's against the Bucks, which is one of just several key matchups to focus on as you build your fantasy rosters this Friday.
Let's look at the best of these matchups from a DFS perspective on DraftKings. If you're looking for FanDuel-specific advantage, check out Thunder Dan's FanDuel picks!
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 12/06/24. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our awesome NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 7:00 p.m. EST on DraftKings.
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DraftKings NBA DFS Core Picks
Tyrese Haliburton, IND - PG ($8,300)
Haliburton's shooting woes to start the season are well-documented, and his scoring continues to be very inconsistent. However, with his salary this low against the Bulls, I think he's a great option to build around on Friday night.
Haliburton had 30 points and 46.5 DraftKings points in Toronto on Tuesday but struggled with his shot again on Wednesday in Brooklyn. He still finished with 39.75 DraftKings points since he handed out eight assists, and even when he's off, he can make up for it with non-scoring numbers. He has over 39 DraftKings points in five of his last seven games, highlighted by 68.25 DraftKings points on a 34-point double-double against the Pelicans.
Haliburton is just showing off now!
He also had another 30 & 10 night with 0 turnovers: 31 PTS, 12 AST, 5 3PT, 3 BLK, W
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) January 4, 2024
The Bulls have allowed the most points per game overall, the most assists per game to point guards, and the second-most DraftKings points per game to the position. This matchup has the highest over/under by a margin of almost 15 points and should be very up-tempo and high-scoring, resulting in plenty of fantasy goodness on both sides. Many fantasy stars have injury questions on Friday, but getting Hali a little cheaper with great upside in this matchup is a good way to avoid those issues.
Jalen Johnson, ATL – PF ($8,500)
The Hawks host the slumping Lakers, and Johnson continues to impress. He had a 23-point, 13-rebound double-double in a nice win on Wednesday in Milwaukee finishing with 52.75 DraftKings points.
jalen johnson is 22 years old averaging 20/10/5.5 on 50% shooting pic.twitter.com/LoyvRdhnJJ https://t.co/VEnNajSTk4
— brad guapovich💍 (@BallUpTopBrad) December 5, 2024
Johnson has averaged 46.0 DraftKings points per game on the season at the rate of 1.27 DraftKings points per minute. Over his last 10 games, he's been even better, producing 1.36 DraftKings points per game and getting a 22% usage rate which is second don't the team behind only Trae Young ($9,200; Achilles, probable) who has let Johnson take over a little more while he plays through his injury.
Like with Haliburton, Johnson is a great way to get elite upside but not pay an elite salary.
Ayo Dosunmu, CHI – PG/SG ($5,700)
With Coby White ($6,900; ankle) and Lonzo Ball ($4,500; rest) out on Thursday, Dosunmu went off with the best game of his career in a win over the Spurs. He finished with 67.5 DraftKings points and his first career triple-double.
Nikola Vučević drops a season-high 39 PTS on 72.7 FG% (16-22 FGM).
Ayo Dosunmu records his 1st career triple-double (27p, 11a, 10r).
The @chicagobulls get their 10th win of the year! pic.twitter.com/sXJkKkFLoI
— NBA (@NBA) December 6, 2024
Dosunmu hasn't been quite at that level this season, but he is having a very strong year. He is averaging 0.90 DraftKings points per minute on the season but has stepped that up to 1.05 DraftKings points per minute over his last seven games while playing an average of 32.3 minutes.
Even though he probably won't be quite as good as he was against the Spurs, Dosunmu is a great play under $6,000 especially if White, Ball, or both are ruled out for the second game of Chicago's back-to-back.
Others Under Consideration: LeBron James - PF ($9,600), Jayson Tatum - SF/PF ($10,000), De'Aaron Fox - PG ($9,000), Franz Wagner - SF/PF ($9,500), Jaylen Brown - SG/SF ($8,600)
DraftKings NBA DFS Tournament Pivots
Nikola Vucevic, CHI - C ($8,400)
Along with Dosunmu's monster game, the Bulls got a stellar performance from Vucevic, who had 39 points, eight boards, and 58 DraftKings points to help the Bulls beat the Spurs at home. Vucevic has scored at least 19 points in six straight contests and had four straight double-doubles before coming up short two rebounds on Thursday.
Vucevic over his last 3 games:
- 30.7 PPG
- 9.7 RPG
- 71/55/79 splits
- 83% true shootingHe’s averaging career highs in FG%, 3PT%, FT%, eFG%, and TS% 🤯 pic.twitter.com/NtRVkamtOS
— The Lead (@TheLeadSM) December 6, 2024
Building around him and Dosunmu was a success Thursday, and it definitely is worth considering running them back again on Friday in such a friendly game environment. Dosunmu's value makes him an easier core play to build around, but Vucevic's upside makes him perfect for tournament lineups.
Derrick White, BOS – PG/SG ($7,100)
It happens all the time--a team wins a championship, locks up key players, ends up over-paying, and then regresses the following year. However, it looks like the Celtics avoided that pattern with White, who has continued to be very productive this season. He has averaged 36.5 DraftKings points per game and 1.07 DraftKings points per minute on the year, continuing steady, multi-category production almost every game.
Since Derrick White has been a Celtic he’s just been terrific with every big in the two-man game. From Theis and Timelord, etc.
Evolved now to Porzingis and his bond that he kept displaying with Kornet on both ends tonight. Just tremendous pic.twitter.com/Af5u15ixwn
— Rob Greene (@RobGreeneNBA) December 5, 2024
White's connection with Kristaps Porzingis ($7,500; leg, questionable) gives him an even higher ceiling now that the big man is back. With Tatum, Porzingis, and Al Horford ($4,900; toe) all questionable, White's workload is still uncertain, but in any game script, he has shown he can be a strong option.
Anfernee Simons, POR – PG ($6,600)
Simons and the Trail Blazers host the Jazz in a sneaky-good late game, and the point guard brings an extremely high ceiling for a player at this price. There's definitely high risk, which is why I love him for tournament play, but he brings so much upside to go with it.
Before an ugly, seven-point performance against the Clippers on Tuesday, Simons had been rolling with over 20 points and over 40 DraftKings points in three straight games, including a game in which he had 24 points in one quarter and fouled out in only 23 minutes.
Anfernee Simons : 27 points (24 in the 3rd quarter) on 9-11 shooting, 6-8 from 3, 3-3 from the FT line, 5 assists & fouled out in 23 minutes pic.twitter.com/SJAA1DJVGB
— Lee Harvey (@MusikFan4Life) December 2, 2024
He has been the definition of boom-or-bust with six games of over 20 points and six games of under 10 points in his last 12 contests. With a favorable matchup against the Jazz, who allow the third-most fantasy points per game to the position, Simons' upside is wroth a look in tournament lineups on Friday.
Clint Capela, ATL – C ($5,400)
Capela continues to grind out glorious fantasy production even though he doesn't usually post huge scoring numbers. He had 17 boards and 34.25 DraftKings points in Wednesday's win over the Bucks in just 24 minutes.
Clint Capela HAMMERS home the alley-oop 🔥pic.twitter.com/qWTYG6z1EH
— Hawks Nation (@HawksNationCP) December 5, 2024
Over his last 12 games, he has produced an impressive 1.39 DraftKings points per minute. He has over 29 DraftKings points in four straight games and 25+ DraftKings points in 14 of his last 15.
Others Under Consideration: Victor Wembanyama - C ($10,500), Anthony Edwards - PG/SG ($8,900), Andrew Wiggins - SF/PF ($6,600), Deandre Ayton - C ($6,800), Tyrese Maxey - PG ($8,800),
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DraftKings NBA DFS Value Picks
D'Angelo Russell, LAL – PG ($5,400)
With Austin Reaves (pelvis) already ruled out for his fourth straight game, Russell should continue to get extra work for the Lakers and be a solid mid-range value play. In his last five games, while the Lakers have been struggling, Russell has actually produced 1.02 DraftKings points per minute and 29.25 DraftKings points per game.
He had four straight games with over 27 DraftKings points before only posting 18.75 DraftKings points on Wednesday in Miami.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker, MIN – SG/SF ($4,100)
Alexander-Walker is still remarkably cheap given his consistent production off the bench for the Timberwolves. He had 19.25 DraftKings points in 22 minutes against the Clippers on Wednesday and had double-digit points in four straight games before scoring just eight but still chipping in three boards and three assists in Wednesday's win.
Not only does NAW come with great roster flexibility and an affordable salary, but he also helps the Timberwolves in so many ways that he's almost certain to stay very involved in every game script.
Nickeil Alexander-Walker is very important pic.twitter.com/p5Qi6viC0i
— Jonah (@Huncho_Jman) December 4, 2024
Obi Toppin, IND – PF/C ($3,600)
Toppin is a great way to get exposure to the Bulls-Pacers matchup at an affordable salary with a high ceiling. Toppin has scored at least 13 points and posted at least 28 DraftKings points in each of his last three games. His shooting has been off throughout the season (just 30% from long-range), but he still finds enough ways to contribute to be a good value at this salary.
Obi Toppin steal and SLAM 🔥 pic.twitter.com/VGv6Sxn0lv
— Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) December 5, 2024
Bogdan Bogdanovic, ATL – SG/SF ($4,700)
While he doesn't bring quite as much salary relief as NAW or Toppin, Bogdanovic is worth a look with his salary under $5,000. He has scored double-digit points in five of his last six games with over 20 DraftKings points in each of those six contests, /ge gad a season-high 35 DraftKings points with five steals and 15 points against the Bucks on Wednesday, and he'll look to build on that against the scuffling Lakers.
The player with the largest (positive) point differential during last night's games:
Bogdan Bogdanovic - Point diff: +21.0 with a usage % of 22.20% during that stretch.#NBA #Bogdan #Bogdanovic #Hawks #TrueToAtlanta pic.twitter.com/sSHRnp5pRu
— Swish Stats (@SwishStatistics) December 6, 2024
Others Under Consideration: Mike Conley - PG ($5,000), Wendell Carter Jr. - PF/C ($5,100), Scoot Henderson - PG ($4,900), Zaccharie Risacher - SF ($3,900), Jalen Smith - C ($3,300)
Today's Top NBA DFS Game Stacks
Pacers at Bulls (246 total)
Both sides of this matchup are very strong plays since it has such a higher point total than any other on the board. The Pacers include Haliburton as a core play that can be mixed with Pascal Siakam ($7,800) and Myles Turner ($6,700) as higher-priced plays, but I prefer going with Hali and Toppin and possibly some other value plays like Andrew Nembhard ($4,300; knee, questionable) if available or T.J. McConnell ($4,700) since they offer so much upside in this environment.
The Bulls' injury report will be a key one to watch to see if White or Ball can return. If not, Dosunmu and Vucevic should be all systems go to run back Thursday night's performance. Josh Giddey ($6,700) and Talen Horton-Tucker ($4,100) could also be in the mix while Matas Buzelis ($3,900) continues to get more minutes while Patrick Williams (foot) is out.
Lakers at Hawks (231.5 total)
This is the other game I've leaned into heavily in my above picks, and it brings the second-highest point total of the night. While it's hard to trust the Lakers' big stars given their recent issues, their peripheral players like Russell, Dalton Knecht ($4,700), and Rui Hachimura ($4,900) can offer good value.
The Hawks are a great stack at home as they go for their sixth straight win. Trae Young hasn't been scoring quite as much lately, but he has done a great job creating for Johnson, Capela, and Bogdanovic. Risacher and De'Andre Hunter ($5,000) have also looked strong on the wing, providing excellent supporting numbers.
My Favorite NBA DFS Picks for Today
Here is where I leave you with some of my favorites.
- My favorite OVERALL play on the slate: Jalen Johnson
- My favorite CASH play on the slate: Jalen Johnson
- My favorite GPP play on the slate: Tyrese Haliburton
- My favorite VALUE play: Nickeil Alexander-Walker
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