Daily Fantasy NBA Basketball Picks for FanDuel, DraftKings and DraftPot - 12/13/15

The most annoying thing about football season is that it makes the Sunday slates so small, but if there's one thing we've written time and time again, it's that there's often more value in the small slates because the mistakes one can make are bigger. On huge nights like Wednesdays the difference between the top several guys at a position is relatively small, but on short slates like tonight, it's massive. It all comes down to projecting opportunity on days like today, and we've got you covered. Let's do it.

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POINT GUARD

Russell Westbrook - FD 10700 DK 10300
Opponent - UTA FD Proj. Pts - 47.48 DK Proj. Pts - 49.14
This is a funny recommendation, because we almost never recommend anyone against the snail's pace Jazz. Still, sometimes you have to look beyond the black and white numbers and look into the underlying match-ups. The scariest thing about the Jazz's defense is the Stifle Tower, and with Gobert likely to miss this game, it leaves a pretty gaping hole in the interior defense. And then there's the point guards themselves - is Raul Neto supposed to cover Westbrook? Trey Burke? Fantastically high floor for Westbrook here, and he might just decide that he can do whatever he wants (and do just that).

Kyle Lowry - FD 9000 DK 8800
Opponent - PHI FD Proj. Pts - 38.79 DK Proj. Pts - 40.85
Philly is no longer the doormat they used to be when it comes to allowing fantasy points to opposing point guards, but I suspect that's because they spend so much time playing against second units. And let's be clear - that could absolutely be the case here. Like Westbrook, though, this is a match-up thing. The Sixers are simply horrible in their rotations, and an elite playmaker like Lowry should pile up both assists and 3 point looks. I far prefer Westbrook because there's blowout risk here, but I wouldn't be shocked if Lowry is a part of winning big tournament line-ups.

Goran Dragic - FD 5500 DK 5100
Opponent - MEM FD Proj. Pts - 25.84 DK Proj. Pts - 27.4
Unleash the Dragon! Yup, it's that kind of short slate day. But really, Dragic isn't such a bad consolation prize. He should play 31-35 minutes in what ought to be a pretty close game, and Memphis has uncharacteristically allowed the 8th most fantasy points to opposing point guards this season. You can't call Dragic safe necessarily, but if you want to go cheaper at the position, our projection system likes him as a good value.

Mike Conley looks like a reasonable 50/50 play.

SHOOTING GUARD

Dwyane Wade - FD 7300 DK 7000
Opponent - MEM FD Proj. Pts - 33.01 DK Proj. Pts - 33.49
I don't know what to tell you - it's hard for me to imagine trotting a shooting guard out there against Tony Allen, but who are you supposed to play at shooting guard on this slate? I'll probably wind up going double-cheap (more on that in a second), but I hate DeRozan against Philly tomorrow since I think he'll draw Covington. That leaves D-Wade, who ought to play 32-35 minutes in this one and will likely at least has the benefit of A) being a starter and B) being in a game with a reasonably close spread. I'll consider this, but I'm not excited about it.

Kevin Martin - FD 4400 DK 4200
Opponent - PHX FD Proj. Pts - 24.67 DK Proj. Pts - 26.52
The early slate is almost worth playing just to play Kevin Martin today. He's had back to back games with 40+ minutes, and, predictably, he's been great on these bargain basement prices. Phoenix plays the league's fastest PACE, and you could probably play Martin against the league's slowest teams at these prices. Love him in any format.

Terrence Ross - FD 3700 DK 3800
Opponent - PHI FD Proj. Pts - 16.48 DK Proj. Pts - 18.78
Courtney Lee - FD 3700 DK 3900
Opponent - MIA FD Proj. Pts - 17.59 DK Proj. Pts - 18.72
This is sort of a daily fantasy baseball move - escaping a bad position by just taking a cheap guy with reasonable opportunity. Ross is pretty much that. Aside from one good game in his first start, he's been pretty bad... but if you take his current usage and spread it out over the 25 minute's likely to play, he's more than tolerable. Lee is like Terrence Ross' less exciting but more dependable brother. He's locked into 28-30 minutes a game, but he might as well be the referee for how often he actually touches the ball. Still, all those minutes lead to him paying 4.5x points per dollar with some regularity. These two guys represent a cheap way to get away from a bad position.

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SMALL FORWARD

Kevin Durant - FD 10300 DK 10000
Opponent - UTA FD Proj. Pts - 44.19 DK Proj. Pts - 46.77
Unclear that you'll be able to play both Westbrook and Durant here. If you have to choose, I'll go with Westbrook. Still, Durant has a nice match-up with Gordon Hayward, who is simply not athletic enough to chase him around. Now, neither Westbrook nor Durant were fantastic against the Jazz in their last match-up, but I expect that will change here, and I love the extra possessions that could be generated from a potentially close game.

Gordon Hayward - FD 7100 DK 7400
Opponent - OKC FD Proj. Pts - 30.34 DK Proj. Pts - 32.14
Hayward put up 5x points per dollar against Oklahoma City when they played last week, and he now has 6 consecutive games with 34 or more fantasy points. It's interesting, too, because all signs point to this being a gradual maturing of Hayward's game rather than a little lucky streak. He's getting to the line more, crashing the boards more, averaging 2+ steals per game, and even dishing more assists. Durant and the Thunder are a terrible match-up for small forwards, but they do play a top 10 PACE, and on a short slate Hayward looks something like a must play.

Luol Deng - FD 4700 DK 4100
Opponent - MEM FD Proj. Pts - 17 DK Proj. Pts - 17.92
He played 34 minutes last game, and he's still too cheap for what he can do there. Deng has looked very rusty in his return, but he doesn't need to be un-rusty to pay off these prices (especially on DraftKings). With Wade having a tough match-up with Allen, I think Deng will get a few extra looks here. I think he's a fine play in any format.

Early slate: Wiggins looks pretty safe, even if he's kind of sucked recently. Fast paced game.

POWER FORWARD

Chris Bosh - FD 7600 DK 7200
Opponent - MEM FD Proj. Pts - 36.14 DK Proj. Pts - 37.81
Memphis is not a fantastic match-up for power forwards, but welcome to short slate Sunday! What I love about Bosh here is his consistency. In close games, he plays 35-36 minutes without fail. With Deng still clawing his way back from injury, and Wade being covered by Tony Allen, I'm very interested in seeing what Bosh can do against the suddenly 50 years on Zach Randolph. Love him in all formats.

Luis Scola - FD 4300 DK 4700
Opponent - PHI FD Proj. Pts - 16.42 DK Proj. Pts - 16.67
With all of the injuries to the Raptors front court, we're now living in a world where Luis Scola is playing 30+ minutes a game. And let me tell you, my friends, this is welcome information with the condition of power forwards for Sunday's slate. Scola has put up 24+ fantasy points in his last two games, and his rebounding ability gives him a nice high points per dollar floor at a position that's desperately lacking it. Great play in all formats.

Early slate: Jon Leuer is still a great play if he remains in the starting lineup.

Our projection system also likes Ibaka, though it takes a steady hand to play him with how bad he's been recently. I'll play the above guys instead. Be warned - A lot of people will be playing Derrick Favors today. I won't be, unless something goofy goes on with our optimizer and we wind up needing to play him due to price reasons elsewhere. You have been warned, though!

CENTER

Marc Gasol - FD 8000 DK 7300
Opponent - MIA FD Proj. Pts - 35.28 DK Proj. Pts - 35.67
At center today, you basically have two choices. You can pay up for Gasol (who's been pretty darn great) or you can go cheap with Biyombo. I haven't looked at this closely enough to know which I'll do yet, but I'll give you the case for Gasol first. He's playing 36-37 minutes a game like clockwork (assuming things stay close), and is one of the safest possible plays in the $8,000 range. Let other people grab Favors, if you're choosing between the two. For some inexplicable reason the Heat can only find 20 minutes a game for Hassan Whiteside, and if they try their ridiculous attempt at space and pace against the Grizzlies, Gasol is going to eat them for lunch.

Bismack Biyombo - FD 4000 DK 4900
Opponent - PHI FD Proj. Pts - 19.34 DK Proj. Pts - 19.75
Biyombo hasn't been a particularly reliable option on these prices (particularly on DraftKings), but he has a nice match-up with the Sixers, who have allowed the 6th most fantasy points to opposing centers this season. On FanDuel he's simply too cheap for his minutes and production, and I think he's probably the strongest big tournament play going there.

In the early slate, Alex Len is a must play if Chandler doesn't return.

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