The NBA Daily Plays for Wednesday, December 23rd breaks down the best Stud, Value and GPP plays at each position for FanDuel and DraftKings daily fantasy sports contests. The Stud & Value plays should be considered relatively chalky and are ideal for cash games. The GPP plays dig a little deeper to hopefully find some low owned talent who could pay off big in a tournament. Make sure you check out our NBA projections page to help in your DFS research.
Game Lines
Point Guard
Studs
Isaiah Thomas (FD $8,300, DK $7,700) –
IT2 has strung together 3 straight 40+ DraftKings fantasy point games and should be able to make it 4 straight against the Hornets tonight. The matchup with Kemba Walker is enticing given his DvP numbers from the past 5 games. The Hornets do play at a slow pace however so IT2s usage needs to stay high for him to pay off his price.
Values
J.J. Barea, (FD $3,800, DK $3,600)-
Deron Williams is on the injury reports and early signs point to him sitting out tonight. If Devin Harris continues to sit out as well that leaves Felton and Barea as the two healthy guards to soak up minutes for Dallas tonight. His matchup is enticing and this game should stay close throughout even though it has one of the lower over/unders on the slate.
GPP Plays
Russell Westbrook, (FD $10,400, DK $10,400)-
I think most will be off of Westbrook tonight due to the blowout factor but this might be a good spot to pay up to be contrarian. The Lakers have improved their DvP against Point Guards over the last 5 and even held WestBrook to 32.25 DK points 2 games ago. I think for these two reasons most will avoid Westy tonight making him a good candidate as a GPP play as he can always go off for 60+ Fantasy Points.
Shooting Guard
Studs
CJ McCollum, (FD $7,500, DK 6,900) –
One of the big questions tonight will be what McCollums ownership percentage looks like on a 13 game slate. No Lillard means his usage should be incredibly high. Crabbe also makes for an intriguing play as TrailBlazers are still thin at the Guard position.
Values
Randy Foye, (FD $3,800, DK $3,500)-
Emmanuel Mudiay is set to miss another game on Wednesday and in his place Foye has soaked up extra minutes. If he can get over the 25 minute mark he should have no problem paying off his price point tonight. I also think he will go low owned due to all the value at the Shooting Guard position tonight.
GPP Plays
Will Barton, (FD $6,400, DK $6,800)-
Will Barton’s price continues to climb around the industry but he is still in play especially on FanDuel. His box score from yesterday has me somewhat concerned which is why I have him as a GPP play today. He tore apart the Lakers in the 1st half and hardly registered any stats in the 2nd half .
Small Forward
Studs
Paul George, (FD $9,100, DK $8,900)
George would appear to be the popular option to pay up for tonight. His matchup with the Kings is extremely enticing and this game should hopefully stay close which means George would see a full complement of minutes. Most other studs in tonights slate have blowout concerns. I expect George to be a popular play in GPPs across all sites tonight.
Values
Kelly Oubre, Washington Wizards (FD $3,600, DK $3,300)-
Anytime a starter is available at near-minimum price, you take the leap. Oubre has an impressive skill set, and is due to start tonight again and see close to 30 minutes. The rookie has responded well to increased minute totals as of late, and could pay off big at his price.
GPP Plays
Jae Crowder, (FD $5,800, DK $5,800) –
Crowder has been on fire over his last two games. Most will see the return of Jared Sullinger and immediately think Crowder is not an option. He should not be overlooked for this reason. He is still one of my favorite plays and the Celtics vs Hornets is the game I am targeting the most tonight.
Power Forward
Studs
Thaddeus Young , (FD $7,000, DK $6,800) –
Thad Young has one of the best matchups on the board tonight. He checks all of the boxes for what we look for in a DFS play tonight and he does not have a break the bank price. He makes for a fine cash game play but his upside might be a little limited for a GPP roster.
Values
John Henson , (FD $3,700, DK $3,900)-
We have seen it for the last week that if Henson can stay out of foul trouble and see 20+ minutes he has no problems paying off his near min price tag. His blocks really are the key to his fantasy success and I think he gets a few against the 76ers tonight.
GPP Plays
Anthony Davis, (FD $10,400, DK $10,300)-
The make or break play of the night once again is the Brow. He almost met value playing only half his normal minutes last time out due to the flu. He will either make or break GPP lineups tonight. He is tough to fade but even tougher to trust at this point.
Center
Studs
Marcin Gortat, (FD $6,700, DK $7,100) –
Marcin Gortat appears to be on everyones radar tonight due to his recent performances. He hasn’t seen quite the price increase on FanDuel that we have seen on DraftKings. Facing off against Marc Gasol I do have some concerns that this could be quite the grind of a game. He might be a person to look at fading in GPPs but is definitely safe for cash.
GPP Plays
Andre Drummond, (FD $9,600, DK $9,400)
The epitome of a GPP play Drummond comes in on the second half of a back to back. He was a popular play last night and did not meet expectations for peoples lineups. I think most will overlook him due to this fact. He does have a very solid matchup tonight and should be able to dominate inside against the Hawks. Low ownership with high reward makes Drummond someone to consider in your GPP lineups.
