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The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on December 8, 2019. Jesse Borek provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.
That sunlight peeking through the shade early on Monday morning is not as dire as you initially believe it to be. Fear not, we have a nine-game NBA DFS slate to parse through, which includes the MVP chase of James Harden and Giannis Antetokounmpo taking centerstage.
As has become something par for the Monday course, the names of Harden and Antetokounmpo will not be listed below. They are nearly always a solid source of points, so whether you're more of a cash or GPP connoisseur, the five players featured today will help you fill the gaps in your lineups either around them or in contrary to them.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 12/08/19. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. Remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before line-up lock.
DraftKings DFS Guards
Kemba Walker - PG, BOS v. CLE ($8,100)
Even with the possibility that Gordon Hayward could return to the mix for the showdown versus Cleveland, Walker still boasts excellent cash value at the point guard slot. There are a multitude of options Monday, but with his price tag somewhat lower than that of the other stars, Walker, who has seen at least 16 shot attempts in the last seven full contests that he has played, presents a terrific floor of production. His matchup is an especially pertinent one as well, with the Cavaliers yielding an average of 51.2 DraftKings points per contest to opposing point guards this season, the fourth most in the league. Also factor in that Walker dropped 25 points on the club back on Nov. 5 -- including six made triples -- and he makes for a strong target as he figures to once again key the Boston offense.
Kyle Lowry - PG, TOR @ CHI ($6,800)
Lowry wins the semi-prestigious weekly award of the most undervalued player on the board with this matchup versus the Bulls. Despite having logged 41, 42, and 38 minutes, respectively, in the three games that he has played since his return, Lowry somehow has seen his price dip despite solid production. There appears to be some overreaction to the 2-for-18 shooting performance that he had Tuesday against Miami, but he is still an elite assist man, as well as a solid contributor on the glass, having combined for 17 rebounds in his past three games. Chicago does a solid job of defending opposing point guards -- and the game shouldn’t feature a particularly up-tempo pace -- but Lowry’s price point is far too low to ignore. The only thing owners will want to confirm is that Lowry will not sit the second leg of a back-to-back, but to this point, there has been no indication that will be the case. Additionally, should Fred Vanvleet be held out, expect higher exposure for Lowry.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Brandon Ingram - SF/PF, NO v. DET ($7,500)
This price point marks the lowest for Ingram since Nov. 21. Since that game, he has averaged 23.1 points per game, with every contest but his most recent going for at least 20 points. While Detroit’s defense has been solid thus far in 2019-20, this feels like another drastic underprice on the DK side. Only twice this season has Ingram finished with fewer than 20 points in a game; the first was due to injury, and the second came his last time out when the Pelicans lost by a whopping 46 points and his services were no longer needed. Even with New Orleans nearly fully stocked health-wise with the returns of Lonzo Ball and Josh Hart, Ingram is still the unquestioned No. 1 scoring option and not only has a high floor due to his scoring, but also an increased ceiling due to his ability to contribute across other categories (7.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game this year).
Maurice Harkless - SF/PF, LAC @ IND ($3,500)
Introducing the punt play of the slate should the Clippers ultimately choose to hold out Kawhi Leonard, who is listed as questionable entering Monday. Paul George’s status was similarly up in the air, but with George confirmed to be suiting up against his former team, it might make sense for LA to hold back Leonard, which would pave the way for Harkless to become a DFS darling. Even with both Leonard and George in the lineup Sunday, Harkless drew the start alongside them and played a team-high 36 minutes. He took only six shots, but made four of them (with three coming from long range), more than returning the value on investment. Indiana boasts one of the premier defensive units in the league, but there is no ignoring Harkless at a price tag this low.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Karl-Anthony Towns - C, MIN @ PHO ($9,300)
Following the trend of players who have seen their DK price drop, Towns enters Monday’s game with the Suns at his lowest tag since Nov. 13. This appears to be a severe overreaction to the fact that Towns has now gone back-to-back games without a double-double after having reeled off nine in a row to conclude November and open December; in that span, he averaged 26.3 points and 12.9 rebounds per contest. One of those games included a 31-point, 17-rebound drubbing of the Phoenix frontcourt back on Nov. 23. While Aron Baynes is expected back in the mix, that should hardly faze Towns, who has repeatedly proven himself to be an elite DFS threat on a nightly basis, especially when facing a group such as Phoenix who yields 54.4 DK points per game to opposing centers, the fifth-highest total in the league.
