Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks for Draft Street 12/23/13

Because there are no games on Christmas Eve (in preparation for an Xmas day extravaganza) and you are undoubtedly bored beyond belief at work as we speak, tick, tick, ticking down until you have a much-deserved break from the monotony of the daily (non-fantasy sports) grind, it's time for you to get those lineups in before the day off. Nice slate of games on tap. Check out how our Draft Street picks did yesterday and let's see where to allocate those bucks today.

Guards

As you will see in a moment, I love the value at guard today.

Danny Green $6,072 - Well this guy is f@#$ing frustrating isn't he? He lights up the playoffs last year, effectively being the guy who steps over halfcourt and just pulls up because he knows he's going to drain it no matter what. And then this year he's all over the place. The minutes are up and down. The shot isn't falling. that being said, his last two games have seen an increase in minutes (one was of course when Pop sat all the good players) and he's produced enough to get back into the conversation. He is more a GPP play than cash game, but I like his upside against the Raptors who don't defend the shooting guard position well at all. Green could go off here if given enough looks. He's worth the risk at this price.

Francisco Garcia $6,164 or Jeremy Lin $11,230- This is contingent on Harden not playing again because of his ankle. If James doesn't suit up, Garcia becomes a must start at near a rock bottom price and Lin, becomes a heavy consideration. Even with Dallas's defense of the guard position, Garcia's minutes alone should pay off this salary. And Lin should see plenty of scoring opportunities. Again, check to see that Harden is sitting and then start Francisco without hesitation and consider Lin.

Klay Thompson $9,927 - I'm doing it again because I can't help myself. Well, I can help myself but I choose not to. Thompson's price continues to plummet, and it's reached a point that is impossible to ignore. He just isn't the 33% or so shooter he's been over the last five or so games. There is going to be a night he goes off and wins you a big tournament. The difference between Green and Thompson is that Klay can be run out there in double ups also because I don't think his basement is that low. In GPPs, I would play both of them with money left over for a superstar.

Goran Dragic $13,920 - Oh man. The prices at guard today have me champing at the bit to enter some big overlays. Dragic has a dream matchup against the undermanned Lakers with a decimated backcourt. Though there is some blowout risk involved, the Dragon has shown he can tear up a stat sheet against the right opponent. Last time he played the Lakers, Dragic put up a 31/5/2 stat line. His price has dipped after some subpar outings, but consider that two of them were against the Spurs and Dallas, both good defensive teams. Start him.

Brandon Jennings $14,678 - Kyrie Irving does a lot of things very well. But defense isn't something that rates high on his resume. He's among the worst defensive point guards in the league and Jennings should take full advantage. It's clear Jennings loves his new Pistons teammates, because he's dishing at a significantly higher clip than at any other point in his career. Look for him to fill up the stat sheet against the Cavs.

Consider: Dwyane Wade $16,720 - Jrue Holiday $14,609

Avoid: Brandon Knight $13,652 - Deron Williams 15,157 - Tony Parker $13,466

Forwards

Conversely, forwards are a bit of a mess.

David West $12,312 - Great news on West is that he is well rested on the second game of a back-to-back. Thanks to a little foul trouble early and a lot of blow out late, West only played 25 minutes last night. Which means we should see  a great deal of him tonight. Look for him to bounce back against the Bobcats.

Chandler Parsons 13,778 - I like Chandler/ Matthew Lillard for many of the same reasons as Garcia/Lin above. With Harden out of the lineup, the Rockets need people out there to carry the scoring load. Parsons did this the other night to the tune of a 20/7/3 line. Look for him to get his looks with Harden out the lineup and squaring up against Shawn Marion, who isn't an elite defender.

A Phoenix Forward Pick your Poison - It's hard to know, on any given night, who will be the Phoenix forward who lights up the stat sheet. They seem to rotate which can be frustrating. Choosing between Frye/Green/Markieff Morris can be like chasing your tail. But in a tournament structure, and against the Lakers, I like the idea of picking one of them in the 10k range and holding your breath. The Lakers suck on the interior and one of these guys is going to go off.

Consider: Tristan Thompson 9,977 - Carmelo Anthony $19,534

Avoid: Paul Millsap 15,576 - John Henson $15,527 - Tim Duncan $17,433

Center

Al Jefferson $15,829 - For me, there is Jefferson and then a healthy drop off in value to the next consistent, starting center in Andre Drummond. Cousins, Howard and Horford are a bit too expensive for my tastes and the other centers just have too many question marks. I'm advocating shifting dollars around to ensure Big Al makes it into your lineups and basically fading all of the other big dudes out there. He should have his way with the Bucks interior which is just an absolute sh@#show right now.

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