NBA DFS DraftKings.com & FanDuel.com Lineups & Picks for December 27, 2017
For the 12/27 NBA DFS slate tonight, and for the rest of the basketball season, we’ll be writing up the best picks for guards, forwards, and centers we’ll be considering for our Cash and GPP lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel. The info below can also be used for crafting your strategy on Draft.
Please note the advice below is relevant for daily fantasy purposes. A player or team might be better or worse from a fantasy perspective than in real life due to matchup, price, and lots of other factors. This is important to consider when constructing a roster.
Injuries play a huge role in NBA DFS on a nightly basis, and value plays at the various daily fantasy sites can arise at a moment’s notice. Always, always check the starting lineups and injury news right before tipoff.
12/27/17 NBA DFS TOURNAMENT PICKS
Excellent 8’s: $8 buy-in, $400k guaranteed (DraftKings)
Holiday Mega 8’s: $888 buy-in, $1M guaranteed (DraftKings)
Sharpshooter: $3 buy-in, $125k guaranteed (DraftKings)
Layup: $7 buy-in, $50k guaranteed (FanDuel)
Clutch Shot Encore: $4.44 buy-in, $400k guaranteed (FanDuel)
Slam: $33 buy-in, $120k guaranteed (FanDuel)
PLAYERS RULED OUT
Steph Curry (ankle)
Lonzo Ball (shoulder)
Tim Hardaway Jr. (leg)
Mike Conley (Achilles)
Dewayne Dedmon (leg)
D’Angelo Russell (knee)
Rudy Gobert (knee)
INJURY NEWS TO MONITOR
Jaylen Brown (knee)
Brandon Ingram (quad)
Andre Iguodala (back)
Best NBA DFS Picks for December 27, 2017
Guards
John Wall @ ATL ($8.9k DraftKings, $8.7k FanDuel)
His production spiked a bit due to the added motivation of facing his rivals in the Celtics, but John Wall is still underpriced after exceeding value by a large margin on Christmas Day. Tonight he’ll face a Hawks team that gives up an above average 45.82 FPPG to opposing PGs this season. Atlanta’s starting PG Dennis Schroder could be slightly hobbled by an ankle injury and he doesn’t match up well against Wall at all, as he was dominated in their last meeting while Wall went for 13 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists over just 24 minutes of run.
Nic Batum vs. BOS ($5.4k DraftKings, $6.1k FanDuel)
The Celtics are getting everyone’s best shot right now and that’s led to some struggles, especially against rangy wings like Nic Batum. Boston ranks 24th in rebounding over the last month and is giving up the second-most RPG (7.27) to opposing SGs during that span. Batum’s steadily increasing his playing time and he produced 12 points, 5 rebounds and 6 assists over 35 minutes against Milwaukee on Saturday. With over three days to rest, he should be ready to play a full slate of minutes in what should be a charged atmosphere in Charlotte against the Celts.
Josh Hart vs. MEM ($4.5k DraftKings, $4.4k FanDuel)
Along with Jordan Clarkson ($5.7k, $5.5k), Josh Hart is close to a must play with Lonzo Ball (shoulder) inactive. That is, until his price tag rises a bit, because the Villanova product has played 75 minutes over his last two appearances and hasn’t looked the least bit intimidated by NBA competition. He’ll face off with a tired Memphis squad that’s on the second half of a B2B set tonight and should be able to meet or exceed value with ease considering his significant bump in playing time.
Others to Consider: Victor Oladipo, Tyreke Evans, DeMar DeRozan, Spencer Dinwiddie, Jordan Clarkson, Rodney Hood, Darren Collison, Buddy Hield
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Forwards
Kristaps Porzingis @ CHI ($8.6k DraftKings, $9.2k FanDuel)
While he didn’t shoot well against the rangy Sixers, Kristaps Porzingis still exceeded value in a second consecutive game with 22 points, 7 rebounds and 5 blocks on Christmas. His strange 0-for-11 FG shooting performance behind him, The Unicorn is once again leading the Knicks offense and he faces a Bulls team that’s giving up the second-most RPG (13.21) and fourth-most PPG (22.64) to opposing PFs over the last month. Chicago ranks 25th in opponents 2PT shooting (.519%) and uses a couple of relatively small PFs in Lauri Markkanen and Nikola Mirotic, so Porzingis should have the size advantage down low.
Kyle Kuzma vs. MEM ($7.4k DraftKings, $7.4k FanDuel)
With Lonzo Ball (shoulder) out and Brandon Ingram (quad) questionable, Kyle Kuzma has increased upside, but he’s a solid option regardless of the status of those players. He actually sees a minute dip in usage rate with both of those guys off the floor (over a tiny sample size), but continues to fill it up regardless of the situation with averages of 20.7 PPG and 8 RPG over 11 appearances this month. Memphis plays at the slowest pace in the league but the Lakers lead the league in pace and are at home tonight, where they can impose their will by pushing the tempo.
Paul George vs. TOR ($7.1k DraftKings, $8.0k FanDuel)
Surprisingly enough, the Toronto Raptors lead the NBA in pace this month and that makes this an intriguing game to target in GPP formats. Paul George could be paired with DeMar DeRozan ($8.2k, $8.9k) as two upper-tier options with plenty of upside and PG13 is clearly still underpriced on DK after snapping his scoring drought with 85 points on 48.2 percent FG shooting over his last four appearances. OKC seems to have figured out the roles of its three stars and George is fitting in nicely as a secondary scorer next to Russell Westbrook.
Others to Consider: Kevin Durant, Kevin Love, Nikola Mirotic, Jayson Tatum, DeMarre Carroll, Denzel Valentine, Kelly Oubre Jr.
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Center
Karl-Anthony Towns @ DEN ($8.7k DraftKings, $10.5k FanDuel)
He’s still underpriced on DraftKings given his incredible floor-ceiling combination and Karl-Anthony Towns will face off against Nikola Jokic on the second half of a B2B set for Denver. Even with Jokic back, the Nuggets are giving up the most FPPG (59.02) and PPG (29.83) to opposing centers over the last month and Towns went for 25 points on efficient 11-of-16 FG shooting in his sole meeting with Denver this season.
Enes Kanter @ CHI ($6.8k DraftKings, $6.0k FanDuel)
Call it point chasing if you will, but there’s really no reason to fade Enes Kanter at his still reasonable price tag on FanDuel tonight. He’s coming off a monstrous 31-point, 22-rebound performance against the Sixers and could continue to crush it on the offensive glass against a Bulls team that ranks 23rd in defensive rebounding rate this year. Chicago’s giving up the most BPG (3.08) to opposing centers over the last month and Kanter’s playing time has risen dramatically lately, which certainly bodes well for a player that averages 19.5 points and 14.4 rebounds per 36 minutes this season.
Others to Consider: Nikola Jokic, Marc Gasol, Dwight Howard, Willie Cauley-Stein, Marcin Gortat
