In our NBA Fantasy Basketball Daily Shopper series, RotoBaller Brad Leibfried brings you his expert picks for NBA Daily League contests on DraftStreet.
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The Daily NBA Fantasy Shopper: NBA Expert Picks for DraftStreet - 12/09/2013
PG: Chris Paul ($18,612): Three stats you need to know for tonight: 18.4 points per game by Paul, 12.0 assists per game by Paul, and 110.2 points allowed per game by Philadelphia. His price tag may be high, but there is little doubt that Paul will meet his value tonight. He also averages 2.4 steals a game, and Tony Wroten likes to turn the ball over. Expect a huge night for the NBA’s best point guard.
SG: Isaiah Thomas ($12,293): The trade of Greivis Vasquez means the Isaiah Thomas era is fully here in Sacramento. Thomas has already been outplaying Vasquez, but now he should get the chance to start. He has been playing 27.7 minutes a game, but you can expect that to shoot up to around 35 a night. Thomas is currently at 17.8 points and 4.9 assists per game. Tonight should be the start of great things for the second year guard.
SF: Trevor Ariza ($14,479): Coming off of his first double-double in nearly a month, Trevor Ariza again seems like a great play. The do-everything forward has been having a career season for the Wizards, averaging 16.4 points, 2.4 assists, 6.1 rebounds and an amazing 2.8 three-pointers a game. Tonight, he plays a Denver team that allows 101.3 points and turns the ball over 14 times per game. Even at a high price, Ariza should be a good play.
PF: Blake Griffin ($16,474): Remember what we said about the Sixers earlier? The same applies to Griffin tonight, and he should be able to put up a monster line. Griffin has been a double-double machine so far, and he’s third in the league with 16 of them on the year. Griffin also puts up a solid 3.1 assists per game. With so many positives to his game, it’s hard to imagine he won’t have an absolutely monster game tonight against a severely defensively challenged Philadelphia team.
C: J.J. Hickson ($9,980): After a few off games last week, Hickson has rebounded for three straight good outings. Over those three games, he has 44 points, 28 rebounds and 7 assists. Although he is getting just 25 minutes a game over the past few weeks, Hickson has still been quite productive. Tonight offers a good matchup against Washington. The Wizards give up over 100 points a game and allow opponents to shoot over 46% from the floor. For this price, Hickson is nearly a must-own in a great matchup.
U: Derrick Williams ($7,877): Williams may well be another beneficiary of the Rudy Gay trade. It is not known whether Gay will be available, which would mean huge minutes for the former Timberwolves player. Williams has continued his inconsistent play for Sacramento, but he has shown moments of why he was the number two pick in the draft. His game Friday against the Lakers was his best yet, as he put up 9 points and 9 rebounds. A matchup with Dallas only helps his cause, as they are in the bottom third of the league in most defensive areas. If Gay is not able to make this game, consider Williams a must-own at a bargain price.
U: Trey Burke ($10,765): Burke had by far his best game as a pro in his last time out, posting 19 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists against Sacramento on Saturday. Since coming back on November 20, Burke has shown people why he was a high draft pick and why the Jazz love him at the point. He has been an incredibly consistent scorer, putting up double figures in six of his past seven games. The bad news is that Burke’s worst game came in his last matchup with Portland. Look for Burke to atone for that game and put up a good overall stat line.
I wish you all the very best of luck with your Monday Fanduel and DraftStreet Daily League Fantasy Basketball selections!