RADIO
Happy Wednesday, RotoBallers, and Happy Holidays! I hope this week of NBA DFS has treated you well. I'm continuing to work on my NBA model, trying to gather more information to make sure all of you are as armed as possible going into each slate. Even with the small adjustments I've made so far, it seems to be working. I'm trying to implement different factors to separate cash options against GPP options. I'll continue to keep you all updated with the adjustments I make, and with all of that said, let's get to tonight!
Tonight we have a decent-sized slate, with six games on tap. With now both FanDuel and DraftKings having multi-position eligibility players, we'll have to attack slates a bit differently to make our lineups as optimal as possible. That's where I come in! I'll look to find my personal top plays and values for tonight's slate. Things can change during the day as well, so I'll do my best to update as news comes out!
Here are my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on 12/22/21. Keep an eye on RotoBaller’s injury news to stay up to date before lineups are locked.
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Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Tyrese Haliburton - vs LAC (FD: $8,100, DK: $8,200)
I'll start today's slate off with Tyrese Haliburton. Haliburton and the Kings are massively shorthanded, with seven players already ruled out tonight. This includes DeAaron Fox and Davion Mitchell, so we can expect Haliburton to control the point for the majority of the game tonight. With these two off of the floor, along with Marvin Bagley, Haliburton averaged 1.19 FanDuel points per minute and 1.22 DraftKings points per minute. He should play around 35 minutes and has a decent matchup with the Clippers who rank 17th in point guard efficiency.
Grayson Allen, vs HOU (FD: $4,200, DK: $4,700)
Grayson Allen has been having himself a week, coming off a 25 point performance against the Pelicans on Friday. He should play at least 30 minutes tonight and with guys like Giannis, Bobby Portis, and Brook Lopez out, Allen averages 0.84 FanDuel points per minute and 0.9 DraftKings points per minute. The Rockets are slightly below average at defending the shooting guard position, coming in ranked 17th in efficiency against the position, but if Allen gets hot he could have a repeat performance of Friday.
Darius Garland, at BOS (FD: $7,200, DK: $9,700)
While Garland is the first Cavalier that I'll be mentioning here, but certainly won't be the last. The Cavs have eight players out tonight, including Jared Allen, Evan Mobley, and Isaac Okoro. With Mobley, Allen, Okoro, and of course Collin Sexton off the floor, Garland averages 1.1 FanDuel points per minute and 1.13 DraftKings points per minute. He'll likely play 35+ minutes tonight, especially if the game is close. I'd prefer him on FanDuel than DraftKings here though due to the massive difference in price.
Also consider: Svi Mykhailiuk (FD: $3,600, DK: $3,800), Cole Anthony (FD: $7,400, DK: $9,100)
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FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Cedi Osman, at BOS (FD: $5,300, DK: $4,500)
The first of a trio of Cavs at the forward positions, I'll start with Cedi Osman. Osman had a great game on Saturday, logging 23 points, five rebounds, and four assists. With Allen, Mobley, Okoro, and Sexton off the floor, Osman averages 1.04 FanDuel points per minute and 1.1 DraftKings points per minute. I can expect him to play around 28 minutes at minimum, which makes him a solid value play on both sites, but especially DraftKings here. While he has small forward eligibility on both sites, he will likely be lining up at the two-guard tonight. Boston struggles against the position, coming into this one 22nd in shooting guard efficiency.
Lauri Markkanen, at BOS (FD: $4,900, DK: $6,000)
While Lauri Markkanen isn't the superstar talent that he once flashed, he's been extremely valuable to the Cavs this season. They'll certainly need him tonight with the Cavs shorthanded. He averages just 0.82 FanDuel points and 0.86 DraftKings points per minute with the four Cavs players I've been mentioning off the floor, but he should play around 33 minutes at the minimum. I favor him on FanDuel of course, but he's a solid option on either site in an average matchup against the Celtics who rank 15th in small forward efficiency.
Kevin Love, at BOS (FD: $5,700, DK: $5,700)
The final Cavalier in this article tonight is Kevin Love. He's too cheap on both sites in this spot, as he averages 1.63 FanDuel points and 1.72 DraftKings points per minute with the missing players off the floor. He'll likely have to run the center position tonight, and the Celtics come into this one 6th in center efficiency. However, he'll likely have to play at least 25 minutes tonight, and will likely be the highest owned player on the slate.
Also consider: OG Anunoby (FD: $7,200, DK: $7,900), Buddy Hield (FD: $5,800, DK: $6,900)
FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Chris Boucher, at CHI (FD: $5,100, DK: $5,100)
The Raptors will play just their second game in over a week, and they'll certainly be shorthanded for this one as well. As of now, they have ten guys ruled out and Khem Birch is slated as a game-time decision. The players already ruled out include Fred VanVleet, Gary Trent, Pascal Siakam, Scottie Barnes, and Precious Achiuwa. We can expect Boucher to play at least 25+ minutes in this one, and with all of those guys off the floor, he averages 1.58 FanDuel points and 1.55 DraftKings points per minute. He actually may be higher owned than Love, but I'm sure both will be in most of the cash lineups on both sites.
John Collins, vs ORL (FD: $7,400, DK: $7,300)
The Hawks aren't quite as run down as some of the other teams that I've mentioned players from, but Collins is in a good spot nonetheless. The Magic come into this one 25th in power forward efficiency, and with guys like Clint Capela, Danilo Gallinari, De'Andre Hunter, and most importantly Trae Young off the floor, Collins averages 1.04 FanDuel and 1.06 DraftKings points per minute. If the game remains close enough Collins should play at least 33 minutes tonight and is a solid pivot if you want to fade either Love or Boucher.
Also consider: Nikola Jokic (FD: $11,400, DK: $12,600), Robert Williams III (FD: $5,600, DK: $5,500)
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