Kevin Luchansky's top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for 12/5/17. Expert NBA DFS advice, sleepers & player recommendations for FanDuel.

Hopefully Monday Night Football was kind to all looking to sneak into the fantasy playoffs on the last night of the regular season. For those looking to move on, you've come to the right place as we examine the limited, but intriguing, three game basketball slate on Tuesday night.

The only total that stands out on the night in a positive way relative to their season average is the Raptors, who will host the Suns. Kyle Lowry and Demar DeRozan figure to very most popular plays on the slate but there are also a surprising number of potential value plays available given the small slate. Jakob Poetl is the man to watch, as if he is unable to play the slate will open up in terms of value.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 12/5/17. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays on FanDuel. Let's get started. Good luck!

DFS Guards to Consider

Fred VanVleet - PG, vs PHO ($4,100)

Kyle Lowry and Demar Derozan are the obvious chalk on tonight’s slate, but VanVleet is compelling as the Raptors are going to enter Tuesday’s matchup as over 10 point favorites. If the blowout potential comes to fruition, Lowry may lose some minutes with VanVleet as the beneficiary. He already has a floor of about 18 minutes and given the matchup against the Suns the chances for solid per minute production are high.  Fading Lowry, though risky, is my favorite route to go tonight based on a game theory perspective and pivoting to VanVleet is the way to take advantage of taking a stand on Lowry.

Russell Westbrook - PG, vs UTA ($10,700)

Yes, Westbrook has a matchup against a Jazz defense that just welcomed Rudy Gobert back. However, on a small slate it can be more appropriate to ignore matchup and point per dollar value and instead focus on rostering the highest projected point producer. That said, even with the matchup, Westbrook fits that mold as he should have no problem putting up a floor of 40 points. For a small slate there are a surprising number of value options that won’t make it difficult to work him onto teams in terms of salary.

Other DFS Guards to Consider: Devin Booker, Alec Burks (if Rodney Hood is out)

DFS Forwards to Consider

Kelly Oubre - SF, @POR ($5,100)

In the four games that John Wall has been out (not including Monday’s game against the Jazz), Oubre has a 25.8% usage rate, up from his 18.2% usage rate for the season. That puts him second on the team in that span to only Bradley Beal, allowing him to hit 5X value in three of those four games, 6X twice, and 7X once. There’s some risk given that the Wizards are on the back end of a back-to-back, but Oubre’s price remains low and the Trailblazers have been kind to opposing small forwards this season.

Pascal Siakam- PF, vs PHO ($4,800)

Pascal Siakam is seeing relatively consistent minutes, averaging just under 25 minutes per game over his past five games. On Tuesday, the Raptors are likely to be very thin in the frontcourt as Lucas Nogueira will be out and Jakob Poetl is battling sickness. If Poetl is out, Siakam should be locked in for more minutes. With those minutes come serious upside thanks to his ability to grab defensive stats, limiting some of the risk that he rarely scores double-digit points. In what should be an up-tempo game, Siakam should have the chance to create plenty of turnovers and generally wreak havoc on the floor.

Other DFS Forwards to Consider: Serge Ibaka

DFS Centers to Consider

Jonas Valanciunas - C, vs PHO ($4,900)

As is the case with Siakam, Valanciunas should be locked into minutes on Tuesday's slate with the absence of several members of the backcourt. His upside is a lacking a bit due to his inability to get blocks or steals but there aren't many appealing centers on the slate tonight thanks to the Suns revolving (and unpredictable) door at the position and Rudy Gobert's recent return from injury.

NBA DFS News & Injury Alerts

NBA & DFS Premium Subscription

Get an edge on your NBA DFS competition, every single night of the week:

• DFS Cheat Sheets and Lineup Picks: Access to 10 deeply researched lineup picks, and sample lineups - seven days a week! Includes advanced stats to unlock NBA player values, and boost DFS success.
• DFS Optimizer Tool: Generate optimal DFS lineups in seconds. Use advanced features and stats for including/excluding players, cash games vs. GPPs, stacks and more.
• DFS Value Picks: Our Optimizer helps you find, sort and filter the best lineup values and DFS sleeper picks. Premium stats like "Usage Rate" and "Points/$1K" give you a leg up on the DFS competition.
• Daily NBA Projections: Our secret sauce - the Optimizer Tool provides DFS points projections for FanDuel, DraftKings and Yahoo scoring.

Sign Up Now!

Lineup Optimizer/Generator & Sleepers Tool

Click here to see a full size version of the tool

Click here to see a full size version of the cheat sheet

Premium NBA DFS Lineup Picks & Cheat Sheet

Click here to see a full size version of the cheat sheet

Sign Up Now!