FanDuel NBA DFS Lineup Picks (12/17/21): Daily Fantasy Basketball Advice

John Brubaker highlights the top FanDuel NBA DFS lineup picks for 12/17/21, and a couple of sleepers to consider while building daily rosters.

Happy Friday, 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 eight 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 12/17/21. 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

Kyle Lowry, PG/SG - at ORL ($7,000)

The Heat are ravaged with the injury/COVID bug, so we'll look for Lowry to continue to lead the Heat as he did on Wednesday night against the Sixers. It wasn't his best night from a fantasy point perspective, but he'll look to bounce back tonight against the Magic. Orlando comes into this one 28th in point guard efficiency, so I like Lowry to bounce back and have a strong game. My early projections have Lowry slated for 40.11 FanDuel points, well over 5x value.

Grayson Allen, SG - vs NO ($4,000)

Like the Heat (and most NBA teams at this point), the Bucks are battling the injury and COVID bug. This benefits Allen from a fantasy perspective, who should inevitably get a usage increase with the absences. He draws a decent matchup with the Pels, who rank 11th in shooting guard efficiency. I wouldn't recommend Allen in cash, but he's certainly a high-upside tournament play that could seriously payout if he gets hot behind the arc. My early projections have Allen slated for 24.76 FanDuel points tonight.

Rajon Rondo, PG - at MIN ($3,500)

The Lakers will be missing guards Russell Westbrook and Talen Horton-Tucker tonight, as well as a slew of other players who are injured and/or in the health and safety protocols. Rondo hasn't played since November 30th but is slated to log 28 points tonight against a Wolves team that ranks 3rd in point guard efficiency. I'm not sure if I'll play him in cash games tonight or not, but early on my projections have Rondo slated for 27.42 FanDuel points, nearly 8x value.

Also consider: Davion Mitchell ($4,700), Austin Reaves ($3,900)

Want more NBA DFS tools and content? Our NBA Premium package includes our daily DFS Cheat Sheets, Research Station, Optimizer, and access to our Premium Slack Chatrooms where members can chat with our NBA analysts. Check out this big win from RotoBaller premium member Bsuperak on FanDuel using our Premium tools - join in on the winning!

FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks

Buddy Hield, SF/SG - vs MEM ($5,100)

As of now, De'Aaron Fox and Tyrese Haliburton are game-time decisions. If both of them are ruled out tonight, this is a slam dunk (no pun intended) cash play. Hield hasn't put up the production you'd expect from him at late but has a chance to bounce back tonight against the Grizzlies. Memphis ranks 18th in small forward efficiency, and my early projections have Hield projected for 29.52 FanDuel points.

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

I mentioned Brooks on Wednesday and he absolutely delivered, dropping 36.4 FanDuel points against Portland. He now gets another solid matchup tonight against Sacramento, who come into this one ranked 19th in small forward efficiency. Brooks is finally starting to get into the groove of this season, and I expect him to keep it rolling in this road tilt. My early projections have Brooks slated for 34.12 FanDuel points, and with his price staying at $6,200, he's a solid play on this slate.

Norman Powell, SF/SG - vs CHA ($6,300)

Another guy I mentioned on Wednesday, Powell really stepped up for me scoring 50.7 FanDuel points and helping me to a cheeky 14x win in a GPP. I'll go back to the well with him tonight despite his price increase, as he gets a solid matchup with the Hornets who allow the most points in the association this season. Powell has been lining up at shooting guard with CJ McCollum out, and Charlotte comes into this one ranked 25th in shooting guard efficiency. My projections have Powell slated to play 38 minutes and score 36.22 FanDuel points, well over 5x value.

Also consider: Jarred Vanderbilt ($5,600), Tyler Herro ($6,200)

FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks

Anthony Davis, C/PF - at MIN ($10,200)

As I mentioned previously, the Lakers are particularly short-staffed tonight. This is a tough matchup with the TWolves here, and if LA has any shot it'll be through LeBron and AD. While both are game-time decisions as of now, it's likely that they'll both play. Davis logged just 31.4 FanDuel points on Wednesday against Dallas, but I expect him to bounce back considering the usage increase and fantastic matchup against the Wolves who come into this one dead-last in center efficiency. My early projections have AD slated for 55.52 FanDuel points, once again well over 5x value.

DeMarcus Cousins, C - at NO ($3,700)

No Wendell Carter Jr. write-up tonight, I just couldn't ignore Boogie. Cousins has been an FPPM machine for most of his career, and he comes into this one with a 1.14 FPPM with both Brook Lopez and Giannis off of the floor. It's reasonable to expect Cousins to play 20+ minutes tonight, so he should be able to hit 5x value rather easily in a solid matchup against his former team. The Pels come into this one ranked 21st in center efficiency, and my projections have Cousins slated for 25.09 FanDuel points tonight.

Also consider: Nikola Jokic ($11,600), Jusef Nurkic ($5,900)

Download Our Free News & Alerts Mobile App

Like what you see? Download our updated fantasy basketball mobile app for iPhone and Android with 24x7 player news, injury alerts, lineup notifications & DFS articles. All free!

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis