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DraftKings Daily Fantasy Basketball Lineup Picks (12/20/16): NBA DFS Advice

By Keith Allison [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

The top DraftKings daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for 12/20/16 by Tom Vecchio. Expert NBA DFS advice, sleepers & player recommendations for DraftKings.

We have a big 11 game slate for tonight and there are some really great options all across the board. Larger player pool for tonight, which means there are tons of studs out there, along with plenty of value. This is the type of night for some deep value plays to differentiate, if you are going for a GPP roster. Do you research and find the sharp picks out there. Sit back, read up, and let's win some contests.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 12/20/16. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options and value plays on DraftKings. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to reach out to me on Twitter @DFS_Tom.

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.

 

DraftKings DFS Guards

Chris Paul - PG, vs DEN ($9,200)

Chris Paul is in a great spot tonight vs Denver. He is the type of player you can roster in a GPP. It was announced on Monday that Blake Griffin would be out for a few weeks after under going knee surgery. This leaves space for Paul to step up and take more of a scoring role in the offense, rather than a pure point guard. He is playing Denver who are giving up 50 DraftKings points per game to point guards, which is good for third worst in the league. All the signs are pointing to this being a huge game for Paul and I think he is a fantastic play for GPPs. Paul has scored 40 or more DK points in three of his last six games.

Nick Young - SG, @ CHA ($4,400)

Nick Young is coming off of one of his best performances this season. Last game vs the Cavs, he put up 45 DraftKings points, which came mainly due to him hitting eight three pointers. He is a very streaky player, and when he gets hot, he can go off. This is why it makes him a GPP play for tonight. His is low cost and gives you some salary relief, to be able to roster some of the bigger names. This is the time to buy low on Young, when his price hasn't come up too much, and still has good upside. He is up against Charlotte, who are in the top 10 in the league for defense vs shooting guards, but you need to take some risks in GPPs.

Goran Dragic - PG, vs ORL ($7,600)

Dragic is one of the most consistent point guards in the league this year and he is going somewhat over looked. He has scored 42 points or more in four of his last five games. The fact that he isn't getting more attention is a mistake, but not unexpected, the Heat are bad this year and don't have much national exposure. Dragic is up against the Magic who are giving up 47 points per game to point guards. This is a prime spot for him and I see him mainly as a cash game play, but since he can get near that 50 point mark, don't rule him out of your GPP lineup.

 

DraftKings DFS Forwards

LeBron James - SF, @ MIL ($9,600)

LeBron is in an interesting spot tonight. The Cavs are up against the Bucks who beat them a few weeks ago, which started the Cavs small losing streak. In that game, LeBron had a very poor performance, only putting up 31 DraftKings points. Now, I know this isn't a real "revenge" game, but LeBron is super competitive and I would be that he wants to truly show up this time. LeBron has scored 54 points or more in three of his last four games, with one game of 79 points. This is the type of player you want to target for your GPP roster. Knowing that he has around a 50 point average is huge and will give you a foundation to build on for your GPP lineup.

Robert Covington - SF, vs NO ($5, 700)

Covington has been performing very nicely lately, as he has four straight games of 16 real points or more. That translates to four games of 25 DraftKings points or more with a high of 45 points. For his price, Covington is one of the best values out there tonight. we know he will see plenty of playing time, and he will get his looks on offense. He has potential for either cash or GPP, since he has the consistency you need for cash, but has shown the upside you need in a GPP. He is up against the Pelican who are giving up 42 points per game to small forwards.

Glen Robinson III - SF, @ NY ($4,500)

With Monta Ellis being out, Robinson has seen an uptick in minutes which has turned into more production from him. He has four straight games of 25 minutes or more and three games of 15 points or more. He could be a bit more consistent on the offensive side of things, but the chances are there for him. If the real points don't fall for him, he does find a way to contribute, as he has three of his last four games with six rebounds or more. Facing off against the Knicks, who are giving up 43 points per game to small forwards.

 

DraftKings DFS Centers

DeMarcus Cousins - C, vs POR ($11, 200) 

With Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins both on the board for tonight, you could just pick one and go with it, but I like Cousins a big more in this spot. If Rudy Gay is out again, much of the offense will fall to Boogie. He hasn't had a HUGE performance lately, but this could be the game. He is up against the  Trail Blazers who are giving up 51 points per game to centers. So with his increased looks on offense, combined with a poor Portland defense, this is a prime spot for him.

DeAndre Jordan - C, vs Den ($7200)

With Blake Griffin out, the Clippers with need Chris Paul and Jordan to step up and fill the offensive void. As I've mentioned it before, Jordan doesn't create much of his own offense, but will see the benefit regardless. He has four straight double doubles and that equates to four straight games of 37 DraftKings points or more. Super, super consistent and is borderline auto lock for me tonight. I will consider pairing him with Chris Paulto try and double dip on some of the alley-oops. Jordan does has some upside for a GPP, with the absence of Griffin, but more of a cash play.

Montrezl Harrell - C, vs SA ($3,300) 

With the news announced yesterday that Clint Capela would be out for several weeks with a broken leg, Harrell stands to gain from this. Currently, it is unclear if Harrell or Nene Hilario will be starting. But either of them could be considered a punt play, just for the salary relief, which will allow you to fit two of the bigger name players on one roster.

 

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