RADIO
Compared to recent years, this Christmas Day slate has a significantly different feel. It's a complete grouping of what-should-be competitive basketball games between generally healthy teams, and there will be a universal appreciation that no one is forced to watch the Knicks play. It might not be the first game of the day, but Giannis Antetokounmpo is the first big name playing and this game is going revolve around the Bucks superstar, new addition Jrue Holiday, and the arguably-helpless, Steph Curry.
With those three absorbing a lot of tomorrow's attention early, look for Kevin Durant to offer some relief at, what is sure to be a temporary, lower price. Aside from some of the pricier players, Nicolas Batum is set to make or break a majority of contests getting familiarized with his new team. He has ridiculously-high potential and basement-level pricing, so that is the value that will be the most common, meaning you can either roll with that wave or gamble on a shooter like Joe Harris, Kyle Kuzma, or Duncan Robinson.
This post will be recommending daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 12/25/20. 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
Kyrie Irving, PG @ BOS ($8,900)
Few players looked more comfortable in the season's debut, and even though revenge games aren't a real thing, the Boston Celtics backcourt is particularly bad. The narrative around this game will be about Kyrie Irving facing his old team, but by the end, the story will be about how the Brooklyn Nets are the best team in the East. With both Irving and Durant playing anything close to their potential spells bad news for opponents and the Celtics defense won't be able to defend both. 26 points in just 25 minutes is a modest start to what could be an monster start to the season for Irving.
J.J. Redick, SG @ MIA ($4,500)
Rolling with pure shooters during the day is usually a viable strategy, and there are few players with a better jumpshot than J.J. Redick. There is no defense that is going to deny Redick's release, so with his price this low in a situation where the Pelicans will rely on their most consistent sources of production, not only does Redick offer a ton of value and upside, but Brandon Ingram is hard to fade as well.
Both will combine for an excellent offensive tandem that won't take up all your salary, but the rest of the Pelicans will need to contribute if the Pelicans want to keep the game close.
Josh Richardson, SG @ LAL ($5,300)
Josh Richardson doesn't offer much value at that price normally, but knowing he will get a ton of minutes against the Lakers, he's worth it. The Lakers defense is going to struggle against guards like it always has, but Dallas will still rely on Luka Doncic to initiate everything. Richardson is always able to get his shots off and when he is hitting, he fills the stat sheet in every way. Even when he isn't hitting his shot, he finds way to get to the rim and produce defensively. If he can see some run with the second unit and avoid Anthony Davis, Richardson and the rest of the Mavericks are going to have drastically increased upside.
FanDuel DFS Forwards
Tyler Herro, SF vs. NOP ($5,000)
With the first game of the day, it's hard to ask for two better teams. The Heat are controlled by their outside scoring and the playmaking of Jimmy Butler, Goran Dragic, and Bam Adebayo, while the new additions to the Pelicans roster has entirely altered their style. Eric Bledsoe offers great value as a pivot, but for the slightly lower price, Tyler Herro gets the nod in the article. Truth be told, there is no circumstance in which Herro offers better value than Bledsoe, it's just a matter of who will get rostered more, which is guaranteed to be Bledsoe.
Will Barton, SF vs. LAC ($5,200)
It was forgotten among too many viewers in last year's playoffs, that the Denver Nuggets team was without one of its best players in Will Barton. Despite not being an efficient three-point shooter, he offered that spacing along with quick-handed defense. He overpowered and will overpower smaller guards, so before glossing over Barton, notice the upside he faces lining up against the Clippers. The pace of both teams can improve Barton's 16 attempts from his first game, so look for playing against Paul George to push his production. Last time Barton played on Christmas, he scored 10 points on nine shots against the Pelicans.
Eric Paschall, PF @ MIL ($5,400)
The Bucks and Warriors rosters combine to make both defenses nearly ineffective. Steph Curry is virtually impossible to guard and although Jrue Holiday is one, if not the most versatile defender in the league, Curry hitting his shots creates the type of spacing even Tony Allen would work magic in. The Warriors are lacking playmakers and despite adding key facilitators, those few additions work better when their choices are to either swing or score.
Unfortunately, where Eric Paschall exhibited flashes of the ideal type of playmaking at one point last season, he wasn't able to get anything going in this season's debut. With James Wiseman assuming rebounding and paint duties against an easier opponent, there's a great chance Paschall can follow suit and hopefully keep up with the pace of the game, all while sliding under the radar.
FanDuel DFS Center
Brook Lopez, C vs. GSW ($5,400)
Tomorrow's slate creates three tiers for centers. First tier is Nikola Jokic. Never a bad option and with his price at $9,700, he can be the perfect pivot if you aren't looking to spend up on Luka Doncic or Giannis Antetokounmpo, but still need a heavy hitter that is going to surpass 50 FPTS. Second tier is Bam Adebayo at a slightly lesser price, but facing Steven Adams and Zion Williamson in the paint could cap his upside.
After that, it's safety-nets Serge Ibaka and Brook Lopez, then a significant, unplayable drop-off. Bobby Portis will get minutes, but it's not clear how big his role will be in the offense. He is a strong rebounder and will produce in that aspect to help Milwaukee down the road, but as of right now, Lopez just fits a matchup versus the Warriors.
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