RADIO
Happy Tuesday, Rotoballers! We're already a week into the 2020-21 season, and it's great to have the NBA back on our screens. I still miss watching the games in person, but something is better than nothing. Several teams are in the middle of a surprising start this year, including the Cleveland Cavaliers sitting at 3-0 with a 13.3-plus point differential. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, the Washington Wizards and Toronto Raptors need to wake up from their offseason nap and get in the win column.
For today's slate, the NBA gives us a bountiful 10-game slate to fill up the DFS lineups. Vegas has the Bulls-Wizards game as the highest-scoring contest this evening (233.5 points). It's also giving the Wizards (119.5 points) and Los Angeles Clippers (119.25 points) the edge to be the squads that will give DFS players the best opportunities to mine fantasy points with their slate-leading implied totals.
This article will provide you with my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings on 12/29/20. You can also check out today's FanDuel lineup picks. Please find me on Twitter @EuanOrYouOut, where I am usually tweeting about all things fantasy sports. With COVID-19 a significant factor globally, remember to monitor injury news as the slate can completely change before line-up lock.
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DraftKings DFS Guards
Collin Sexton - PG/SG, NY at CLE ($6,900)
Let's talk about Sexton. The fantasy basketball community wrote off the third-year guard. Still, he's making those people think twice after an impressive trio of performances to begin the 2020 season. The soon-to-be 22-year old seems to be (finally) figuring it out at the pro level. In each of his first three contests, Sexton scored at least 22 points and hit over 50 percent of his shots. The 2018 first-round pick averages 27 points, 3.7 assists, 2.3 rebounds, and two-made three-pointers per game. For DFS purposes, that's adding up to 37.9 fantasy points per game (FPPG).
Unfortunately, Sexton is involved in the evening's lowest-projected scoring game as his Cleveland Cavaliers host the New York Knicks. New York is the best in the league at defending three-pointers but allows the third-worst two-point shooting rate at 58.6 percent. Sexton needs to continuing driving to the basket and make the Knicks pay for their terrible interior defense. The slate-low over/under seems to be a factor in his pricing for the slate. However, if he produces another 37 fantasy points, he will be a tremendous pickup.
Coby White - PG/SG, CHI at WAS ($6,500)
DFS players will want several pieces of this game in their lineups tonight. Despite being 5.5-point underdogs, the Bulls still have the third-highest implied total on the slate. That will allow Coby White to continue his positive start to the 2020 season.
The former-North Carolina guard is averaging 27.6 FPPG in three games this season and had his best performance on Sunday against the Golden State Warriors. The sophomore had 20 points on 8-for-19 shooting, with seven rebounds, five assists, and four makes from behind the three-point line. All those stats accumulated for 36.8 fantasy points. Another performance like that would return five to six times value on his salary and make the combo guard a fantastic play.
Duncan Robinson - SG, MIA vs. MIL ($5,000)
Robinson is a sneaky value play against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night. He's averaging 27.5 FPPG through two contests this season, but the DraftKings salary has yet to adjust. He is coming off a Christmas Day where he unwrapped the New Orleans Pelicans with 23 points and five rebounds and made seven of 13 three-point attempts. The guard has 22 shot attempts on the season, and 19 are from behind the arc.
At $5,000, DraftKings makes it extremely difficult to pass on Robinson's potential. Especially against a Bucks defense that allows 39.3 percent of opponent's three-pointers to find the bottom of the net. The third-year player is seeing his minutes and shot attempts rise in this Miami offense, and that trend won't change anytime soon while he hits 52.6 percent of his three-point attempts.
DraftKings DFS Forwards
Chris Boucher - PF/C, TOR at PHI ($5,800)
The Raptors may be 0-2 to start the season, but they found a bright spot with Chris Boucher coming off the bench. The 27-year old has seen playing time open up in the Raptors rotation and is taking full advantage of the situation. In two games, the big man is averaging 37.1 FPPG, but he had a dominant performance in his last game. Against the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, Boucher posted 22 points, 10 rebounds, seven blocks, one assist, and three three-pointers. That tallied 53 DraftKings points, and more than likely won some DFS players a contest or two.
The fourth-year forward hasn't averaged more than 14 minutes per game in any season of his young career, but this string of early-season performances should see him continue to receive this workload. The 76ers are a below-average defense versus power forwards, and it makes Boucher an easy play with his pricepoint tonight.
Naz Reid - PC/C, MIN at LAC ($5,100)
Karl-Anthony Towns will be out of the Minnesota Timberwolves' lineup for the foreseeable future with a hand injury, and that opens the door for some cheap fantasy production in the T-Wolves frontcourt. Reid was getting the first crack at the starting spot in Towns' absence and made a good first impression on Sunday against the Los Angeles Lakers. In 28 minutes, the sophomore forward produced 11 points, five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and 27.25 fantasy points. Those are great numbers, and it would be a great return on value if a repeat were in the cards for tonight's game against the Clippers.
The Clippers are allowing 35.5 FPPG to forwards and ranks middle of the pack against the position. The former-LSU big man isn't getting every point for himself, but grabbing 66 pecent of them would go a long way tonight. Reid has a dirt-cheap price tag for tonight's slate. He has an excellent opportunity to rack up some good fantasy production for the DFS managers looking for some salary relief at the forward position.
Luguentz Dort - SG/SF, OKC vs. ORL ($4,600)
The darling of the NBA Bubble, Lugentz Dort, is out to prove that his breakout wasn't a fluke. After two games of the 2020 season, it's looking like he isn't a one-hit-wonder. The Canadien is averaging 20.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 steals, and is draining 60.9 percent of his shots. He's posted back-to-back performances with at least 28 fantasy points and is rewriting the narrative that he can't be an offensive threat for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Dort's opponent on Tuesday, the Orlando Magic, gives up the fourth-most points in the league so far at 113.3 points per game. OKC doesn't have a ton of offensive weapons these days and will rely on any available hot hand. Currently, Dort is that guy, and he should see plenty of opportunities to pour in some fantasy points for DFS managers against the Magic.
DraftKings DFS Centers
Nikola Jokic - C, DEN at SAC ($10,200)
The Joker is playing out of his mind to begin the new season and is establishing himself as an early dark-horse candidate for the MVP award. In the first three games of the season, Jokic is averaging 24 points, 12 rebounds, 14 assists, and a massive 66.3 FPPG. He takes on a Sacramento Kings team that stole a surprising win on Opening Night against this Nuggets team, and Jokic gave up the game-losing turnover in overtime. Expect the Serbian to remember that and provide a concrete floor with an infinite ceiling in Tuesday's matchup.
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