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Shane McNichol highlights the top FanDuel NBA DFS lineup picks for 12/23/20, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.
The NBA season officially began Tuesday night with some marquee matchups, yet Wednesday offers the more exciting opportunity for daily fantasy players. The rest of the league is in action, with 13 games slated across the country. With 26 teams making their debuts, there is plenty of intrigue and uncertainty heading into the season.
Free agents who have changed teams, rookies playing their first meaningful action, and young players ready to make the leap are dotted throughout Wednesday’s schedule. Many of those emerging or changing opportunities make for great DFS plays. There’s plenty of value to be found if you’re looking in the right places.
This post will be recommending daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 12/23/20. You can also check out today's DraftKings lineup picks. Keep an eye on Rotoballer’s injury news to stay up to date before lineups are locked.
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FanDuel DFS Guards
Jrue Holiday, PG @BOS ($7,000)
A familiar face moving to a new place, Holiday should see increased offensive opportunities playing next to Giannis Antetokounmpo. Holiday is a better shooter and creator than the player he’s replacing in the Bucks lineup, Eric Bledsoe.
Against an injury-depleted Celtics team without Kemba Walker, Holiday should have a chance to feast on Jeff Teague or one of the Celtics’ younger guards for long stretches. For a player as reliable as Jrue Holiday, that is an exciting match-up. Last season in New Orleans, Holiday had just three games with fewer than four assists.
Collin Sexton, PG vs. CHA ($6,000)
Given the state of the Cleveland Cavaliers, it’s no secret why many have missed Sexton’s development. The Cavs drafted Darius Garland, another point guard, after Sexton’s up and down rookie season. They then parted ways with head coach Jon Beilein mid-season in his first year in a five-year contract. In Sexton’s two seasons in Cleveland, the Cavs have won 19 games in both years – not exactly capturing the national media’s attention.
Sexton has quietly become an interesting prospect, especially for daily fantasy players. Last season, he scored more than 20 points per game. From January 1 to the end of Cleveland’s season in March, Sexton posted 24 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds per game. In a season opener against the young Charlotte Hornets, it’s a good bet he’ll match those numbers.
DeMar DeRozan, SG @MEM ($7,500)
There’s nothing sexy about DeMar DeRozan as a daily fantasy pick. He’s been around the block for many years, plays for a quiet, under-the-radar Spurs team, and does all of his damage in the mid-range game. He only had five games with more than 30 points all of last season.
Yet DeRozan is still as solid as ever, scoring 22.1 points per game last year. It was his seventh consecutive season scoring more than 20 points per game. His two seasons in San Antonio have also been his two highest assist and rebound seasons in his career. The Spurs aren’t flashy, but DeRozan is their main offensive initiator and scorer, even if FanDuel doesn’t price him that way.
FanDuel DFS Forwards
Julius Randle, PF @IND ($7,600)
It’s never particularly smart to advise betting on the lowly Knicks, but Randle does have a few things going for him entering this season. Bobby Portis, Taj Gibson, and the logjam at forward for the Knicks has mostly been cleared out for Randle to play more minutes and produce much higher counting stats.
In addition, Tom Thibodeau is now coaching the Knicks. Thibs is known for many things in NBA circles, but his claim to fame in fantasy terms has always been his willingness to play his starters for massive amounts of minutes. In 2017-18, three of Thibodeau’s Timberwolves were in the top 13 in the league in minutes per game. In 2014-15, Thibs played 34-year-old Pau Gasol more than 34 minutes per game. He picks his guys and sticks with them.
There’s a chance that rookie Obi Toppin works his way into Thibs’ heavy minutes load, though to start the season, someone like Randle is a better bet.
Jerami Grant, SF @MIN ($5,800)
Grant was a perfect complementary role player for the ascending Denver Nuggets. His decision to leave for the rockier pastures in Detroit was a shocking one. It was even more surprising when reports cited Denver was willing to match Grant’s new salary with the Pistons. Grant’s decision was seemingly more tied to finding a new role and more offensive freedom.
He’ll have plenty of that with this Pistons roster. The opportunity for production is there for Grant, making him an intriguing early-season play. It’s possible he isn’t built for additional shots or creation chances, but he’s certainly going to see more looks at the rim and more minutes than he did in Denver, potentially posting stats that make him a valuable play.
Michael Porter Jr., SF @DEN ($5,400)
Filling in for Grant in Denver, Porter is expected to make a leap in his second season as a contributor. He’s surrounded by veteran talent in the Nuggets lineup, yet there will be an expectation for Porter to score, rebound, and facilitate for Denver.
He did all of that once the Nuggets entered the Disney World bubble in August. In the regular season and playoff games in Orlando, Porter averaged 14.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. Those numbers nearly doubled his pre-Bubble output of 7.5 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. With Grant gone, those numbers should continue to climb as Porter’s minutes and scoring chances grow.
FanDuel DFS Center
Joel Embiid, C vs WAS ($9,400)
Believe it or not: this only marks the fifth season opener in Joel Embiid’s career. As an emotional player who seems to play bigger in primetime or milestone games, this game is notable for the Sixers’ big man. He no longer has to play with the clogged roster built by the pre-Daryl Morey regime in Philly and should have plenty of room to operate offensively with Doc Rivers now on the sidelines.
In his previous season openers, Embiid has often been returning from injury or on a minutes restriction. That’s not the case this season. Despite those limitations, Embiid has posted 25.6 points, 14.5 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 2.7 blocks per 36 minutes in season debuts. Best of all, he gets to play this one against a smaller Washington lineup that likely features a lot of the undersized Thomas Bryant at center.
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