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Tuesday’s six games feature a feast or famine slate as it pertains to offensive production. There are excellent defensive units and slow-paced squads squaring off with one another, which is sure to limit some of the league’s usual top fantasy assets.
Then, there is the meeting between Brooklyn and New Orleans. With a projected total of 230.5 as of Tuesday morning, owners will be looking to that contest to find both cornerstones and value plays for their roster.
In this article, I will be providing you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 12/17/19. 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.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Spencer Dinwiddie - PG/SG, BKN @ NO ($7,500)
If there is a stone cold lock on the board that owners interested in cash and GPP lineups alike can agree upon Tuesday, odds are that it’s Dinwiddie. Despite the fact that he has scored exactly 24 points in each of his last four outings -- in addition to averaging seven assists per game in that span -- Dinwiddie saw his price tag drop significantly. When considering that he is facing a Pelicans defense that has been manhandled by opposing point guards this season to the tune of 56.4 DraftKings points on a nightly basis, and factoring in that he will continue to have offensive carte blanche in a game that should feature a breakneck pace, all the elements create a concoction that results in Dinwiddie being a cornerstone of any lineup that I’m putting together.
RJ Barrett - PG/SG, NY v. ATL ($4,500)
On the note of guards who have seen their price tag fall precipitously, we next focus on the Knicks’ standout rookie, who has shot a combined 1-for-11 from three-point range over the last two games. While those are troubling figures on the surface, the matchup that Barrett draws Tuesday versus a Hawks defensive unit allowing the second-most DK points per game (240.3) should bode for opportunities to contribute all over the stat sheet. He has averaged north of 33 minutes per game over his last five outings, and after facing two stout defensive groups in Sacramento and Denver his last two times out, Barrett should be able to turn the corner. He is more appealing in GPP formats, as his DFS volatility has been on display since Thanksgiving.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Buddy Hield - SG/SF, SAC @ CHA ($7,200)
His price tag may not indicate it, but Hield has become an elite scorer over the past month. Prior to Sunday’s 19-point outing, Hield was on a run of 10 consecutive games with at least 21 points scored, averaging 26.5 points and 12.8 three-point attempts from Nov. 25-Dec. 13. That amount of volume from a player who still contributes both on the glass and in the assists column and doesn't cost top dollar is staggering. Hield’s matchup versus Charlotte is a rather pedestrian one, and while Sacramento is expected to have point guard De'Aaron Fox back in the mix, all it takes is Hield catching fire from long range to soar past his value. The last time that the two teams squared off on Oct. 30, Hield shot 7-for-16 from long range; the Hornets enter the game having yielded 35 three-point attempts to the opposition on a nightly basis.
Brandon Ingram - SF/PF, NO v. BKN ($8,100)
There are a lot of flashy names available to select during Tuesday’s slate. Sometimes, in a game that is inherently built on numbers, owners have a tendency to gridlock themselves in choices; selecting Ingram is a straightforward, no nonsense pick. There are fancy metrics to explain why Ingram is a sound choice and then there’s the clean reality that he dropped 40 on Brooklyn the last time that the two teams met on Nov. 4. Both teams push the pace offensively and with Ingram still being the No. 1 option for New Orleans, he brings an average of 27.3 points over his last four games into a matchup that should result in a bushel of points.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Nikola Vucevic - C, ORL @ UTA ($7,300)
In the case of Vucevic, it appears that his price tag is slightly below projection due to Tuesday marking just his second contest since returning from a significant ankle injury; fair enough. But looking further into the matter, Vucevic is essentially a full go. Head coach Steve Clifford has indicated that the big man has zero restrictions after coming out of Sunday’s game fine, which means that he should be in line for his normal workload, which would mean around 15 shot attempts, plus ample rebounding chances. Yes, Jazz center Rudy Gobert is an elite defender and terrific shot blocker, but the narrative that Utah has been elite at defending opposing centers this season is false. While the 51.9 DK points per game that they yield is far from the cellar, it also leaves them susceptible. Vucevic notched 10 double-doubles in his first 14 games prior to his injury, with an excellent chance to get back to that mark Tuesday.
