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NBA DFS sleepers and values plays for DraftKings and FanDuel on December 7, 2022. Juan Carlos Blanco gives you his top NBA DFS picks and lineup targets.
We've got a typically robust 11-game Wednesday night slate on tap, and even with some notable injuries thinning the player pool a bit, there are still plenty of appealing selections to work with at different price points, as well as nine games with projected totals of 225 points or more.
There are some very good options in favorable matchups across each price point on the salary cap at each position, setting up what should be a fun night of lineup construction for both cash games and tournaments.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 12/7/22. Remember to monitor the NBA injury report as the slate can completely change before lineups lock, which is at 7:00 pm ET tonight. Good luck, RotoBallers.
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DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Trae Young - PG, ATL at NYK ($10,100 DK; $9,700 FD)
Perhaps it's fitting that Young heads into Madison Square Garden already mired in controversy, considering his history in that arena. The talented point guard had a tiff with head coach Nate McMillan late last week and missed Friday's game due to what was attributed to a sore shoulder, but he came back Monday night against the Thunder and provided a 23-point, 10-assist double-double.
Young already posted 37.5 DK/36.7 FD points in only 28 minutes versus the Knicks in his one prior encounter with them this season, and he's put up at least 50 DK points on nine occasions and at least that amount on FD in six instances thus far. Young also boasts a massive 44.2 percent usage rate and is averaging 58.5 DK/55.4 FD points per 36 minutes without De'Andre Hunter (hip) and John Collins (ankle) on the floor, which only increases his appeal Wednesday.
Anthony Edwards - PG/SG, MIN vs. IND ($8,800 DK; $8,400 FD)
Edwards has averaged over 55 fantasy points on either site in the first two games of Karl-Anthony Towns' (calf) current absence, which makes his current salaries quite the bargain. The 2020 first-overall pick is already averaging career highs nearly across the board, and he's now facing a Pacers squad that's giving up 117.1 points per road contest, along with 36.8 percent three-point shooting in that split.
Edwards is boasting a 30.2 percent usage rate with Towns off the floor this season while averaging 45.9 DK/45.3 FD points per 36 minutes in that scenario as well, and it's also worth noting Minnesota is playing at the league's second-highest pace the last three games, including the first two of Towns' absence, averaging 109.5 possessions per contest. Then, the Pacers are also ranked in the bottom 10 in DK and FD points per game allowed to two-guards, making Edwards all the more appealing.
Jordan Poole - PG/SG, GSW at UTA ($6,500 DK; $5,900 FD)
Stephen Curry (ankle), Andrew Wiggins (groin), and Draymond Green (hip) will all sit out Wednesday's contest, which could not only afford Poole a start at point guard but certainly lead to enhanced usage. The young sharpshooter sports a 32.4 percent usage rate and averages 39.6 DK/37.5 FD points per 36 minutes without his trio of teammates on the floor this season. Poole has already been in the starting lineup in the last two games in place of Wiggins and recorded an average of 35.7 DK/33.5 FD points in that pair of games despite Curry and Green being available.
The expected expanded role comes in a very appealing matchup as well, as the Jazz have allowed 115.3 points per home game and an elevated 47.2 percent shooting overall. Utah also ranks in the bottom 10 in offensive efficiency rating allowed to shooting guards, which should give Poole even more of a chance to thrive with the enhanced opportunity.
ALSO CONSIDER: Andrew Nembhard - PG/SG, IND at MIN ($5,600 DK; $6,000 FD)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
LeBron James - SF/PF, LAL at TOR ($10,400 DK, $10,400 FD)
Anthony Davis exited Tuesday's loss to the Cavaliers early with flu-like symptoms, making it very possible he misses Wednesday night's game as well. AD played just eight minutes against Cleveland, leading to James posting a 21-point, 17-rebound double-double that netted 53.3 DK/ FD points. James boasts a 35.5 percent usage rate and averages 53.7 DK/51.2 FD points per 36 minutes without Davis on the floor, and he's been at his best on the road this season with an average of 52.9 DK/50.1 FD points per game.
Scottie Barnes - PG/SF, TOR vs. LAL ($7,300 DK; $7,600 FD)
Barnes makes for an intriguing mid-salary play on the other side of the Lakers-Raptors tilt, and he checks into Wednesday's game having shot 49.0 percent while averaging a well-rounded 16.7 points, 7.4 rebounds, 5.1 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 1.0 steal across 35.3 minutes in his last seven games. Barnes has eclipsed 30 DK points on five occasions over that span, including one tall over 40 and another above 60. Those are solid-to-excellent returns on his current salaries, and he now draws a matchup against a Lakers frontcourt that could well be without Davis, as mentioned in James' entry.
Corey Kispert - SG/SF, WAS at CHI ($4,400 DK; $3,900 FD)
Bradley Beal will remain out Wednesday due to his hamstring injury, which should afford Kispert a nice bump in minutes at minimum, if not a starting role. The 2021 first-round pick could deliver nicely on his bargain salaries Wednesday considering the matchup, as the Bulls have been one of the league's most generous teams when it comes to allowing three-point shooting.
Meanwhile, Kispert, who's shot a sizzling 46.2 percent from distance through 16 games, eclipsed 20 fantasy points on either site on six occasions already and has been even more locked in of late, shooting 57.8 percent, including 52.8 percent from three-point range in his last 12 games. Chicago is also surrendering over 45 DK and over 42 FD points to two-guards in the last seven games, which could give Kispert an even better shot of overdelivering.
ALSO CONSIDER: Giannis Antetokounmpo - PF/C, MIL vs. SAC ($12,400 DK; $11,700 FD)
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Kristaps Porzingis - WAS at CHI ($9,200 DK; $8,900 FD)
Porzingis is another member of the Wizards who definitely should benefit from the absence of Beal on Wednesday, with the big man already coming in with a 29.7 percent usage rate and averaging 48.2 DK/47.8 FD points per 36 minutes without his teammate on the floor this season. Porzingis is already averaging over 40 fantasy points per game on either site as well, and he has one 50 and 60-DK-point tally apiece in two of his last four games alone.
The floor-spacing big man is also a good candidate to take advantage of Chicago's struggles with long-distance shooting, as he's shooting 35.6 percent from behind the arc on just under six three-point attempts per contest. The Bulls are also yielding over 52 fantasy points per game on either site to centers in the last 15 games and have tied for the fifth-most rebounds surrendered in the last three games (55.7).
Nicolas Claxton - BKN vs. CHA ($6,200 DK; $6,600 FD)
The Hornets have facilitated superior production to centers all season, and Claxton is well-equipped to exploit their vulnerabilities. The big man is already averaging career highs in points (11.8), rebounds (8.8), assists (1.3), blocks (2.2), and shooting percentage (73.0 percent), and he'll check into Wednesday's clash with four double-digit rebound efforts in the last seven, three of those double-doubles. Claxton also has multiple blocks in four straight, while Charlotte has struggled with preventing opponent rejections all season.
The Hornets are giving up 60 fantasy points per game to centers overall on the season, along with the third-highest offensive efficiency rating to the position (34.4). Moreover, Charlotte is surrendering the third-most rebounds per contest (55.4), including the most (60) over the last three games. Finally, considering no team has come close to giving up the 7.1 blocks per game the Hornets do, which certainly dovetails nicely with one of Claxton's principal means of fantasy production.
Jarred Vanderbilt - UTA vs. GSW ($5,100 DK; $5,200 FD)
Vanderbilt has enjoyed his move to Utah thus far, putting up a career-high 8.6 points and 2.8 assists while also pulling down 8.3 rebounds and recording 1.2 steals per contest. Vanderbilt is also shooting 60.2 percent, and he's even draining 46.2 percent of his three-point attempts, although he's only put up an average of 1.1 long-distance shots per game.
The big man has put up a trio of 30-DK/FD-point tallies in the last six games alone, a span during which he's averaging 11.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.3 steals while shooting 74.4 percent, including 71.4 percent from behind the arc. The Warriors are ranked in the bottom half of the league in offensive efficiency rating surrendered to centers (31.8) and have given up 54.9 DK/53.3 FD points per game to the position, all numbers that reflect very positively on Vanderbilt at his salaries.
ALSO CONSIDER: Mitchell Robinson, NYK vs. ATL ($4,900 DK; $5,800 FD)
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