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Well, it certainly has been an interesting couple of weeks in the fantasy basketball world. With every passing hour it seems like more players are being moved to the health and safety protocols, thus making it difficult to project most lineups.
While it has been tough to stay on top of, it's also opened up a ton of value, as teams have had no choice but to call up guys off the street and play them big minutes. That trend should continue on Thursday, and it will be imperative for us to stay on top of the news before submitting lineups. At the time of this publishing, here are my favorite FanDuel and DraftKings plays for Thursday's four-game slate.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 12/30/21. Remember to monitor NBA injury news as the slate can completely change before lineups lock.
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DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Stephen Curry - PG, GSW @ DEN ($11,400 DK, $10,400 FD )
By his standards, Chef Curry had one of his worst games of the season on Tuesday with 23 points and six turnovers. He gets a rematch against the Nuggets here and I don't know of anyone brave enough to bet on him posting back-to-back clunkers. The point guard position is pretty top-heavy on Thursday with some decent value sprinkled in here and there, but I love spending up for Curry on both sites. The Nuggets have been abysmal against opposing point guards this season and Curry's poor performance was on him more than the defense.
Isaac Okoro - SG/SF, CLE @ WAS ($4,400 DK; $4,600 FD)
The Cavaliers didn't waste any time throwing Okoro back out there with a hefty workload after he missed three games while in the Covid protocols. He played 30 minutes in his first game back and it should only go up from there with Darius Garland still out and Ricky Rubio lost for the season with a torn ACL. Despite similar price tags, he's a better play on FanDuel, where the Wizards are giving up the fourth-most FD points to opposing guards this season.
R.J. Hampton - PG/SG, ORL vs. MIL ($3,900 DK, $5,300)
Value alert! Hampton is priced $1,400 lower on DK against the Bucks on Thursday. With Cole Anthony's ankle a bit more serious than initially thought, Hampton should continue seeing increased playing time. He's averaged just under 30 minutes over his last two games and doing a nice job filling up the box score. The cherry on top is that he's essentially matchup proof with most of Orlando's roster unable to suit up.
GPP PG:
RJ Nembhard Jr. - PG/SG, CLE @ WAS ($3,200 DK, $4,100 FD)
This is simply a gut call and if it hits, your lineup will be sitting pretty. Minutes have been hard to come by over the last couple of games but Nembhard has been a productive fantasy asset on a per-minute basis when on the floor. He's averaged well over than 1.0 fantasy points per minute and the Cavaliers may not have a choice but to expand his role with Darius Garland and now Ricky Rubio out. There's always the chance that Cleveland turns to Kevin Pangos and uses Nembhard as a reserve, but the upside is there for the taking and it can't hurt to throw him into a couple of lineups.
Others to consider: Spencer Dinwiddie ($6,300 FD), Will Barton ($5,700 DK, $5,500 FD), Gary Harris ($5,100 DK, $5,500 FD)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Franz Wagner - SF/PF, ORL vs. MIL ($7,000 DK, $7,100 FD)
Fresh off a career-high 38-point explosion against the reigning champs Tuesday, Wagner has really solidified himself as an impressive up-and-coming player in the league. He's seeing massive amounts of playing time for the Magic and seeing a team-high 30.4% usage rate without Cole Anthony, Terrence Ross, and Jalen Suggs on the floor this season. The aforementioned trio won't be out there on Thursday, so fire up the rookie once again.
Evan Mobley - PF/C, CLE @ WAS ($7,800 DK, $7,300 FD)
Mobley wasted no time getting reacclimated on Tuesday after missing four games in the Covid protocols. He posted 22 minutes and grabbed seven rebounds but most importantly hit the 30-minute threshold in his first game back. With no Darius Garland or Ricky Rubio and Jarrett Allen doubtful, Mobley should be busy by default and have no problem facing a depleted Wizards frontcourt who just gave up 10 points and 14 rebounds to Ömer Yurtseven on Tuesday. Even when at full strength, Washington gives up the second-most FD and DK points to opposing big men this season.
Corey Kispert - SF, WAS vs. CLE ($4,000 DK, $3,600 FD)
This call really depends on the status of Bradley Beal, who was upgraded to questionable after the league tweaked its Covid protocols earlier this week. Without Beal, Kispert has seen 35 minutes per game over his last three and averaged 14 points, and knocked down four threes in two of those games. Cleveland surrenders the most FanDuel points to opposing forwards this season, so it will be imperative to pay close attention to Thursday's injury report to see if Beal is in.
Others to consider: Kyle Kuzma ($6,800 DK, $6,000 FD), Juan Toscano-Anderson ($3,700 DK, $4,500 FD)
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Nikola Jokic - C, DEN vs. GSW ($11,900 DK, $11,700 FK)
There's really no explanation needed here as Jokic has simply become a 'set it and forget it' type of player. He's averaging over 20 rebounds and 60 fantasy points over his last three games and he'll remain the safest fantasy play in Thursday's rematch with the Warriors. Sure, he'll likely be in nearly everyone's lineup, but he's the perfect building block and it's tough to fade him...ever.
Daniel Gafford - C, WAS vs. CLE ($5,000 DK, $5,200 FD)
Gafford was solid in his first game since Montrezl Harrell was placed in the league's health and safety protocols. He finished with 16 points and 11 rebounds while eclipsing 30+ fantasy points for the first time since back on December 8th. Jarrett Allen is doubtful to play, so Gafford should match up with a mixture of Evan Mobley, Kevin Love, and Lauri Markkanen on Tuesday. Look for Gafford to feast again with no Harrell for the Wizards.
Others to consider: Kevin Love ($6,700 DK, $7,000 FD), Wendell Carter Jr. ($7,600 DK, $7,100 FD)
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