TAP FOR 6 MONTHS OF PREMIUM FREE 💰
X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

Daily Fantasy NBA Lineup Picks for FanDuel (12/21/16) - DFS Basketball Advice

Happy Holidays, my friends, and welcome to another round of NBA Wednesday daily fantasy competition. Hopefully you get to kick back and build lineups all morning and afternoon in preparation for tonight. If you're stuck at work, like me, well I hope you still find a way to build a lineup - or a few dozen. We have an eight game slate tonight that looks pretty enticing as of this writing. In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 12/21/16. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays on DraftKings.

Before I get into player selections and reasoning, let's glance at a few Vegas lines that are of interest. Due to back-to-backs, and therefore odds-makers not knowing who may or may not sit for rest tonight, we have a lot of games with spreads and over/unders that haven't been posted. Of those games that have been posted, for stacking purposes, there are three games that interest me most. The first, Rockets at Suns, is because of the incredibly high over/under, which is listed at 226. The other two that catch my eye are Wizards at Bulls and Thunder at Pelicans. Both of those games feature an over/under total of 208 and spreads of six points or less.

 Editor's Note: New users that sign up on FantasyAces, make a $20 deposit, and enter any game will receive BOTH our full season NBA and NFL Premium Passes for free, a $119.99 value. Just email [email protected] with your new FantasyAces username - and boom, that's it! We will email you with your Premium Passes.

 

FanDuel DFS Guards

Russell Westbrook -  PG, at NOP - $12,500

Tonight, a rested Westbrook should be worth every penny - and then some. Sure, the price is a little steep, but when you consider the fact that Russ has been outperforming his price implied value on a consistent basis, it wouldn't be crazy to call him a bit of a bargain. He's coming off two unbelievable performances, and he matches up really well against New Orleans. For the season, the Pelicans have allowed the fourth most points to opposing point guards of any team taking the floor tonight. Not that many teams do, but the Pelicans backcourt simply doesn't have anyone capable of slowing Russ and his 42.3 Usage rate down.

 

Ricky Rubio - PG, at ATL - $5,600

If you really want to go fishing in the bargain bin at point, Rubio has an incredibly enticing matchup and a low price tag. His 32 minute per game average helps create a high floor, and while his season long numbers (12.73 PER and 14.3 Usage) leave something to be desired, his play has been improving drastically. In his last three games, he's exceeded 30 FanDuel points with each performance, and that was all while attempting an average of just six shot attempts per game. The matchup tonight is most enticing because of Atlanta's defensive struggles - of the 16 teams playing tonight, no team allows more points to opposing point guards than the Hawks.

 

Eric Gordon - SG, at PHX - $5,700

A healthy Eric Gordon has been an absolute pleasure to watch this season and a joy to own, in both DFS and season long formats - and for the Rockets, I would think. The former Indiana Hoosier is finally healthy and is shooting it from three at an incredible percentage this season - 43% to be exact, good for 11th best in the NBA - and has drained a total of 105 threes, which is just five behind your NBA leader, Steph Curry. Over his last 10 games, Gordon has exceeded value eight times, and by an impressive margin of nearly five points a night. Tonight, in a game with a high projected total and against a team that isn't known for their defensive prowess, Gordon should shine.

 

Also Consider: Dwyane Wade - SG, vs WAS - $7,000

 

FanDuel DFS Forwards

Andrew Wiggins - SF, at ATL - $6,400

After an explosive and promising start to the season, Wiggins seemed to fizzle out in November and into this month, but his recent play suggests that dip was just a quick slump and not something to be overly concerned with in the long run. Wiggins has now outperformed salary based expectations in each of his last four games - and by a very large number. In each of those contests, he's put up at least 17 field goal attempts - reaffirming his position as one of the focal points of this Minnesota offense. Tonight, his matchup - as well as his price - are great, as Atlanta has had many defensive struggles and the pace of the game suits Wiggins' style of play.

 

Kevin Love - PF, vs MIL - $8,700

Keep an eye on Love's status for tonight, as he is currently listed as questionable. Now that that's out the way, let's look at the reasons why you should play Love if he suits up tonight (and I have a feeling he will). First off, Love has been one of the most productive fantasy players this season, especially among forwards, as he's put up a strong 25.8 PER and is averaging 1.21 fantasy points per minute. He's had outbursts this season, too, the kind that remind us the kind of dominance he maintained while in a Timberwolves jersey, as three of his last four games have resulted in more than 50 FanDuel points. From a team perspective, there is a good chance that Kyrie Irving and LeBron James - who combined for 92 minutes last night - end up sitting, which would give Love the bulk of the offensive responsibility to shoulder, raising his fantasy floor and ceiling quite a bit.

 

Also Consider:  Jimmy Butler - SF, vs WAS - $8,400

 

FanDuel DFS Centers

Steven Adams - C, at NOP - $5,200

Due to back-to-backs, steep prices and not very enticing matchups among the centers I would normally consider the "top options," I'm hunting in the bargain bin tonight and Adams has the salary, upside and matchup I'm looking for. Adams performance has been steadily increasing, as has his role in the Thunder offense, and as a result, he has outperformed salary based expectations in seven of his last 10 games. Outside of the over-priced monsters like Karl-Anthony Towns and DeMarcus Cousins, Adams has one of the highest usage projections of any center taking the floor tonight, and on top of that, he's facing the team that allows the most points to opposing centers.

 

Also Consider:  Robin Lopez - C, vs WAS - 4,900

 

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.

 

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




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Import Your Leagues
Weekly Rankings
Compare Any Players
Projections
Articles & Tools
Weekly Planner
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Tennessee Titans

Titans Set to Hire Robert Saleh as Next Head Coach
Josh Giddey

Could Return Tuesday
Zaccharie Risacher

Ruled Out for the Week
Kristaps Porzingis

to Sit Out at Least One More Week
Jalen Williams

to Be Re-Evaluated in Two Weeks
Tyler Herro

Out Indefinitely With Ribs Issue
Jimmy Butler III

Out for Season With ACL Tear
Ludvig Aberg

Making Season Debut at American Express
Ryan Gerard

Heads to PGA West With Momentum After Strong Week in Hawaii
Naz Reid

Holds Questionable Tag for Tuesday
Rudy Gobert

is Cleared for Tuesday's Game
Christian Braun

to Remain Out on Tuesday
Ron Holland II

is Available to Play on Monday
Joel Embiid

Slated to Suit Up Monday
Miami Dolphins

Dolphins Expected to Hire Jeff Hafley as Next Head Coach
Day'Ron Sharpe

Ruled Out on Monday
Jalen Green

to Return on Tuesday
Draymond Green

Ruled Out for Monday's Game
Egor Demin

Ruled Out on Monday
Ondrej Palat

Ready to Face Flames
Devin Booker

Active Against Nets
Chris Kreider

Returns From Two-Game Absence Monday
Corey Perry

Back With Kings
Paul George

Sidelined on Monday
Bobby Brink

Available Monday Night
William Nylander

Misses Second Straight Game Monday
Draymond Green

Downgraded to Questionable on Monday
Kiefer Sherwood

Sharks Pick Up Kiefer Sherwood From Canucks
Matthew Tkachuk

Set for Season Debut Monday
Sepp Straka

Eyes Repeat At The American Express
Si Woo Kim

Poised To Contend At The American Express
Zach Charbonnet

has Torn ACL
Zach Charbonnet

Needs Knee Surgery, Out for Rest of Playoffs
Tennessee Titans

Mike McCarthy a Finalist for Titans Head-Coaching Job?
Colston Loveland

Suffers Concussion in Divisional Round Loss
Kyren Williams

Scores Two Touchdowns in Divisional Round Win
Buffalo Bills

Bills Fire Head Coach Sean McDermott
De'Anthony Melton

Out for Front End of Back-to-Back
Tom Wilson

May Return Monday
Zaccharie Risacher

to Miss Another Game vs. Bucks
Henri Jokiharju

Moved to Non-Roster List
Daniel Gafford

Remains Out Monday Against New York
Frank Nazar

Returns to Practice
Oskar Sundqvist

Suffers Skate Cut Sunday
Kasperi Kapanen

Considered Day-to-Day
Zach Whitecloud

Joins Flames
Rasmus Andersson

Moves to Vegas
Carson Soucy

Expected Back on Monday
Teuvo Teravainen

to Remain Out Monday
Matthew Tkachuk

"Close" to Season Debut
Rodrigo Abols

Flyers Place Rodrigo Abols on Injured Reserve
Alex Lyon

Practices on Sunday
Rhamondre Stevenson

Returns in Sunday's AFC Divisional Round Game
Josh Norris

Out Week-to-Week
Dylan Holloway

Set to Return Sunday
Ha-Seong Kim

has Finger Surgery, Out 4-5 Months
Rhamondre Stevenson

Questionable to Return on Sunday With Eye Injury
Woody Marks

Returns Following Brief Exit on Sunday
Dalton Schultz

Won't Return in Sunday's AFC Divisional Round Game
Aaron Rodgers

Steelers Open to Aaron Rodgers Returning in 2026?
Jarrett Stidham

to Start AFC Championship Game
Zach Charbonnet

Questionable to Return Against 49ers
Atlanta Falcons

Falcons Hiring Kevin Stefanski as Head Coach
Bo Nix

Suffers Broken Bone in Ankle, Done for Playoffs
Green Bay Packers

Packers Sign Head Coach Matt LaFleur to Multi-Year Extension
Ricky Pearsall

Active for Divisional Round
Sam Darnold

Officially Active for Saturday's Divisional Round Game vs. 49ers
Pat Bryant

Won't Return on Saturday, Ruled Out with a Concussion
CFB

Darian Mensah Entering Transfer Portal
J.T. Realmuto

Signs Three-Year Deal to Return to Phillies
Bo Bichette

Agrees to Three-Year Contract With Mets
CFB

Weber State Signs former Ohio State, Cal Quarterback Devin Brown
Bo Bichette

Phillies the "Overwhelming" Favorite to Sign Bo Bichette
Josh Lowe

Angels Acquire Josh Lowe in Three-Team Trade
Kyle Tucker

Signs Four-Year Contract With Dodgers
Clayton Kershaw

to Pitch for Team USA in World Baseball Classic
CFB

Auburn, Ohio State the Lead Suitors for Kyle Parker
CFB

Oregon QB Transfer Bryson Beaver Linked to Georgia, Kentucky
CFB

Jake Merklinger Commits to UConn
Ben Griffin

Looks To Stay Hot In 2026
Ranger Suárez

Ranger Suarez Agrees to Five-Year Deal With Red Sox
CFB

Dante Moore Not Entering 2026 NFL Draft, Will Return to Oregon
CFB

FBS Coaches Unanimously Vote to Expand Redshirt Eligibility to Nine Games
CFB

Ohio State Transfer Mylan Graham Signs with Notre Dame
CFB

Caden Durham Withdraws from Transfer Portal, Will Stay at LSU
Jordan Spieth

Perhaps the Most Intriguing Player at Sony Open
Aaron Rai

Looking For Putting Confidence at Waialae Country Club

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP