FanDuel NBA DFS Lineup Picks (12/15/21): Daily Fantasy Basketball Advice

John Brubaker highlights the top FanDuel NBA DFS lineup picks for 12/15/21, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.

Happy Wednesday, RotoBallers, and welcome to December! I hope this week of NBA DFS has treated you well. I'm continuing to work on my NBA model, trying to gather more information to make sure all of you are as armed as possible going into each slate. Even with the small adjustments I've made so far, it seems to be working. I'm trying to implement different factors to separate cash options against GPP options. I'll continue to keep you all updated with the adjustments I make, and with all of that said, let's get to tonight!

Tonight we have a big slate, with 11 games on tap. With FanDuel adding multi-position eligibility players, we'll have to attack slates a bit differently to make our lineups as optimal as possible. That's where I come in! I'll look to find my personal top plays and values for tonight's slate. Things can change during the day as well, so I'll do my best to update as news comes out!

Here are my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 12/15/21. You can also check out today's DraftKings NBA DFS lineup picks. Keep an eye on RotoBaller’s injury news to stay up to date before lineups are locked.

FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks

Jalen Brunson, PG/SG - vs LAL ($6,200)

As long as Luka remains out Brunson should be a reliable cash play. He's averaging 29.3 FanDuel points per game over his last four and should look to continue it tonight against the Lakers. LA comes into this one ranked 27th in point guard efficiency. My early projections have Brunson at 34.41 points tonight. I think he's mostly a cash play but in this matchup, he does have the ceiling to win you a GPP. I'll likely have Brunson in around 10% of my lineups.

Josh Giddey, SG - vs NO ($5,800)

I'd like to see Giddey turn things around tonight after averaging just 25.1 FanDuel points over his last four games. He has a solid chance to do so tonight against the Pelicans in what I believe should be a high-scoring game. My projections have Giddey at 32.44 tonight, and while I don't trust him in cash, he makes a solid GPP play.

Armoni Brooks, SG - at CLE ($4,800)

Brooks was disappointing on Monday night, bouncing in and out due to an injury. He finished with just 13.6 FanDuel points, but he's still playing extremely well of late, averaging 27.76 FanDuel points over his last four games. He should have no problem bouncing back tonight, with Eric Gordon now ruled out on top of the slew of Rockets who have missed the last few games. My early projections have Brooks at 27.86 FanDuel points tonight, well over 5x value. He's likely going to be chalk again, so I'll be heavier on Brooks as a cash play.

Also consider: Grayson Allen ($4,000), Spencer Dinwiddie ($5,100)

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FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks

Bobby Portis, PF/C - vs IND ($7,700)

Portis has been playing well of late, averaging over 36.5 FanDuel points over his last four games. He gets a tough matchup tonight against the Pacers, who come in ranked 2nd in PF efficiency and 5th in center efficiency. However, I'm expecting a high-paced matchup with the potential of a lot of scoring so I'm going to look to Portis and Giannis to differentiate in GPPs. My early projections have Portis at 39.15 points tonight, so you're getting good value here.

Dillon Brooks, SF/SG - at POR ($6,200)

Dillon Brooks played extremely well on Monday night, logging 35.2 FanDuel points. He's averaging 30.26 FanDuel points over his last four and now gets a solid matchup against the Blazers who rank 30th in small forward efficiency. Brooks continues to gather solid usage with the likes of Ja Morant and Brandon Clarke not playing, and I look to him again tonight as a flex cash/GPP play that I would recommend in single-entry tournaments. My early projections have Brooks at 32.75 points tonight.

Norman Powell, SF/SG - vs MEM ($5,700)

Powell has been playing well of late, averaging 30.4 FanDuel points per game over his last four. He'll be on the other side of this matchup with Dillon Brooks, with the Grizzlies coming in at 16th in small forward efficiency. He has a high upside but I'll tread with caution due to him playing 39 minutes just last night, so I'll likely stick with him as a GPP play. My early projections have Powell slated for 30.84 points tonight.

Also consider: Garrison Mathews ($4,700), Tyler Herro ($6,200)

FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks

Nikola Jokic, C- vs MIN ($11,500)

Jokic has been nothing short of fantastic over his last two games. The reigning NBA's most valuable player has logged back-to-back 70-point performances and now gets a matchup at home against the Timberwolves who rank dead last in center efficiency. I consider him as both a cash and GPP-viable option, and will likely be playing him in both. My early projections have Jokic at 58.31 points tonight.

Wendell Carter Jr., C/PF - vs ATL ($7,000)

Well, Carter's price has finally risen. He's averaging 33.58 FanDuel points over his last five games, but tonight my early projections have him at 35.38 points tonight, just over 5x value. The matchup is solid against the Hawks, who rank 24th in power forward efficiency, but 7th in center efficiency. I'll most likely play him in a small number of GPPs, but with his price increase, I would avoid him in cash.

Also consider: Jaren Jackson ($6,400), Jusef Nurkic ($5,900)

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