Gather-round, Rotoballers, for another edition of NBA Wednesday daily fantasy action. Tonight we're back to the standard 10 game slate, and it sure looks like an enticing one. In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 12/28/16. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays on FanDuel.
Before I get into player selection and analysis, let's take a look at a few Vegas lines that could be of interest - especially for those of you that like to deploy a stacking strategy. As of this writing, not every line has been released, but a few games with high projected point totals that look appetizing are the Pacers at Wizards (213), Nets at Bulls (214), Suns at Spurs (213), Timberwolves at Nuggets (213), and Raptors at Warriors (225.5). Personally, I like the Pacers at Wizards and Timberwolves at Nuggets the most as they feature spreads of less than five points.
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FanDuel DFS Guards
Ricky Rubio - PG, at DEN - ($5,800)
Rubio has really turned it on of late, exceeding his price implied total in eight of his last 10 games - and all by a wide margin (an average of nearly 5 fantasy points per night). Tonight, he has a terrific matchup against the Nuggets in what Vegas predicts to be a high scoring affair. The Nuggets move at break-neck pace, which should lead to more opportunities for Rubio, and they also allow more fantasy points to opposing point guards than any other team playing tonight. His 32 minutes per game average and consistent production make him a solid cash game and bargain play this evening.
C.J. McCollum - SG, vs SAC - ($7,400)
The case for McCollum tonight is a fairly simple one - he's the best bargain of the group and he has a good (but not great) matchup, too. As the focal point of the Portland offense, McCollum is a high volume shooter. Because of that, he has the chance to hit - and cruise past - his price implied value on any given night. His shooting has been a bit streaky in the past few weeks, but when he's hitting the number of shots he's most certainly capable of, he crushes his value - especially at a low price like the one he's listed at tonight. For the season, CJ has a 25.7 Usage rate and is scoring nearly a point per minute on the floor.
Also Consider: Zach LaVine - SG, at DEN ($6,500)
FanDuel DFS Forwards
Jimmy Butler - SF, vs BKN ($8,500)
There are a handful of directions you could go in tonight with your small forward selections, but I think Butler has the highest floor, and is therefore the smart play in cash games and 50/50's. He does also have a matchup against the lowly Nets, which helps raise his ceiling as well. The Nets struggle tremendously on defense and Vegas is projecting the Bulls to put up a ton of points. I'm expecting the bulk of the opportunity to fall into Butler's lap, and he should excel against a team that has no one on their roster that matches up well against Butler's size and versatility. For the season, Butler has been incredibly efficient in his time on the court, posting a 25.09 PER to date.
Thaddeus Young - PF, at WAS ($5,200)
Power forward is the ultimate value position tonight, and I think Young is the player I can not only squeeze the most value out of, but he's also the one that can produce tournament like numbers on occasion. Tonight is a good opportunity to be one of those occasions, as he's priced incredibly low for a guy that plays 35+ minutes per night and is more than capable of pulling down double digit rebounds each night. On top of all that, he faces a Washington team that allows more points to opposing power forwards than the average NBA team, which helps to raise his floor.
Also Consider: Paul George - SF, at WAS ($7,600)
FanDuel DFS Centers
DeMarcus Cousins - C, at POR ($11,000)
Yes, he's pricey, but Cousins has the highest ceiling of any player taking the floor tonight and you'll need him on your team if you're going to take down a tournament. Cousins has produced 50 FanDuel points or more in three of his last four games and tonight he has an excellent matchup which should allow him to cruise past 50 points, once again. Not only does Portland push the ball, which equates to more possessions and opportunities for both teams, but they also allow the most points to opposing centers of any team in action Wednesday night. For the season, Cousins has an excellent Usage rate of 35.4 and he's producing 1.42 fantasy points per minute.
Also Consider: Karl-Anthony Towns - C, at DEN ($9,100)
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