Tuesday's slate is in stark contrast to Monday's monstrous night as there are only three games on tap. With the Sacramento Kings nightmare rotation as one of the options, it's fair to say the pickings are slim. On small slates like this, I prefer to play with more of a cash game mindset. Lock in "guaranteed" points that will at the very least bring in close to value, then fill in with low-priced upside.

Small forward and center stand out as positions that I do not want to pay down at, with Kelly Oubre the cutoff at SF and Love as the best option at center. Giannis and John Wall are the two high-priced studs I want to build my team around.

In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel on 12/19/17. The DFS lineup picks will range from some of the elite players to mid-priced options, and value plays on FanDuel.

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FanDuel DFS Guards

Jose Calderon - PG, at MIL ($4,200)

Calderon is the punt play at point guard on Tuesday as the Kings entire rotation is a mess and not trustworthy. In contrast, Calderon’s minutes appear to be safe, as he has at least 20 minutes in each of the past six games. He has hit 5X value just twice in those games, but has faced tough matchups in each of his past two. That won’t be the case tonight as the Bucks are a moderately positive matchup for opposing point guards. Calderon is a tournament punt but he has a 15 point floor, which wouldn’t be killer in a small slate to jam in the top plays of the day.

Khris Middleton - SG, vs. CLE ($7,800)

Middleton is a good cash game play as he frequently finds himself at or over 35 FD points. He should get a positive matchup against Lebron James, who has a 109.7 defensive rating on the season. The Bucks head into the matchup with an implied team total 3.5 points higher than their season average, meaning Middleton has positive individual and team context. That makes a nice cash game play but also very viable in tournaments.

Other DFS Guards to Consider: John Wall - PG, vs. NO ($9,500)

 

FanDuel DFS Forwards

Robert Covington - SF, vs SAC ($7,400)

Covington is another secure play. There isn’t a ton of upside given his price tag, but if you don’t want or have the ability to pay up for Giannis/LeBron, Covington is a good place to settle. He’s a near lock for 30 points which can’t be said with any cheaper options at the position. This isn’t a place to pay down on the small slate, so if you aren’t looking at Giannis trust in BobCov.

Markieff Morris  - PF, vs. NO ($4,600)

Morris has battled numerous injuries already this season, the last of which was a neck injury he suffered on Sunday. Prior to that, a groin injury held back his minutes. Reports are that the groin injury has healed and his neck injury was not serious enough to keep him from re-entering the game Sunday. That said, there is potential Morris is finally healthy and will get a heavier minutes load. If that’s the case, he should be a near lock to crush value as his last three games in which he had 26 minutes or more he posted 36.7, 24.3, and 41.9 FD points respectively.

Other DFS Forwards to Consider: Kelly Oubre- SF, vs. NO ($4,600), John Henson-PF, vs. CLE ($5,500)

 

FanDuel DFS Centers

Kevin Love - C, at MIL ($8,000)

Love is the play to fall into on this slate, especially in cash games. I’d rather pay up for Giannis than Embiid and Cousins has been down of late and also has a tough matchup. The Kings’ bigs might be worth trying to solve in a really good matchup at center, but that’s a risky proposition. Given that, I’ll pass on all those options and play at safe at center while also keeping room to fit another elite player into my lineup.

 

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