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The top DraftKings daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for 12/28/16 by Demetri Raftopoulos. Expert NBA DFS advice, sleepers & player recommendations for DraftKings.
10 games make up Wednesday night's slate. I'm really interested in stack number two of the 10. The Atlanta Hawks hosting the New York Knicks has a ton of appeal as the two teams battled it out in an earlier meeting this season that led to a ton of solid stat lines for several daily fantasy options. Also, the Brooklyn Nets visiting the Chicago Bulls has high-scoring written all over it.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 12/28/16. 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 @DemetriRafto.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Derrick Rose - PG, @ ATL ($6,300)
The key to success in New York this season will certainly be the health and play of Derrick Rose. The Knicks have been missing a dominant point guard since the days of John Starks, and really need someone to not only feed the ball to Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis, but also drive to the hoop and penetrate. Rose has done more than the Knicks could have asked for from their veteran, yet still young, point guard.
The Knicks head into an interesting matchup against the Atlanta Hawks, a team they beat earlier in late November. The Hawks have also allowed the second most fantasy points to the one spot this season. Rose is affordable and fits perfectly into tournament lineups.
Jamal Crawford - SG, vs NO ($5,400)
Injuries have suddenly plagued the Los Angeles Clippers, specifically to their top guns. Blake Griffin is out for a couple more weeks, while Chris Paul and J.J. Redick are questionable for Wednesday night's contest against the New Orleans Pelicans. Austin Rivers and Marreese Speights are also solid plays in their absence, but I'm sticking with the veteran and former sixth man of the year.
In Crawford's most recent contest, without Paul, Reddick, and Griffin in the lineup, he dropped 24 points, sinking 11-23 from the field and 2-5 from behind the arc, including six assists, four rebounds, and two steals.
Rajon Rondo - PG, vs BK ($5,900)
Rondo is overdue for an explosive, flirt-with-a-triple-double performance. The veteran point guard has posted a dud in two straight contests, three over his last four, and now heads into a favorable matchup against the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets have been vulnerable defending point guards this season, but should keep the game close enough for Rondo to see a full slate of playing time, as they have proved to be a tough out throughout this campaign.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Jimmy Butler - SF/SG, vs BK ($8,400)
Jimmy Butler is the perfect player to stack alongside Rondo, specifically against a Brooklyn Nets squad that allows the most fantasy points to small forwards. Butler's price is also still reasonable, and like Rondo, has also been slumping lately. The Nets are exactly the team to break out of a snide against.
Butler is more than capable of posting 50 fantasy points on a consistent basis, and was doing just that earlier in the month. Dwyane Wade has been certainly cutting into some of his shot attempts, and has been producing similarly for almost $2,000 cheaper. But it's time for Jimmy Buckets to again show everyone why he has that nickname to begin with.
Kristaps Porzingis - PF, @ ATL ($7,500)
Rose and Kristaps Porzingis is another solid stack to consider for Wednesday night's slate. The last time these two teams met, Porzingis dropped 19 points and 11 rebounds, and will likely be in another battle with Dwight Howard (also making his appearance on this list in just a bit). Like Rose, Porzingis has fired up the Knicks this season and has contributed to their early season success.
Luc Richard Mbah A Toute - SF, vs NO ($3,400)
The man with a name that no one really knows how to say, Mbah A Toute has also benefited from the absence of Griffin. In his last contest, the Clippers backup small forward saw 32 minutes of the floor, and posted eight points, seven boards, an assist, and a block. He also displayed some range from behind the arc, sinking two of three attempts. Mbah A Toute is definitely a risky play, but can free up a ton of cap space for the bigger names on this list, and doesn't have to do much to reach projection. He'll hold even more appeal if Redick and Paul sit again as well.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Karl-Anthony Towns - C/PF, @ DEN ($8,700)
Karl-Anthony Towns has posted a double-double in 11 of his last 12 games and has really reestablished his explosiveness over the past month or so. Towns is capable of breaking out for 60-70 fantasy points and is a lot cheaper than the likes of Kevin Durant, James Harden, DeMarcus Cousins, and Russell Westbrook.
The Nuggets have been tough against opposing centers this season, but there aren't many better at the position than Towns at this point in the season. Towns is a great tournament and head-to-head play on Wednesday.
Dwight Howard - C, vs NYK ($7,300)
Like Porzingis, Dwight Howard had a ton of success in the team's last meeting earlier this year. In 29 minutes, Howard dropped 18 points and grabbed 18 rebounds, adding three blocks to his impressive performance in Atlanta's loss to the Knickerbockers. We can expect the Hawks to seek revenge and look to keep pace with New York in the Eastern Conference standings.
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