DFS NBA Picks for FanDuel and DraftKings - Friday 12/31/21 - Main Slate

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Point Guard

Trae Young FD - $9700 DK - $11500
Opponent - CLE
Proj Pts FD - 50.77 DK - 55.88

Both of these squads are playing with relative shells of their original teams with the Hawks and the Cavaliers hit hard by protocols. The Cleveland backcourt has been decimated in the short-term and Trae could really pour it on here. In his first two games back, Trae has taken 23 shots in each and averaged 28 points and 10 assists. Those were both losses, but we could see that turn around against a Cleveland team with problems of its own. The DraftKings price is through the roof, but the FanDuel salary seems like a pretty easy play considering the situation.

Derrick White FD - $8000 DK - $6800
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 37.98 DK - 39.16

It’s been a mixed bag for Derrick White since Dejounte Murray went out into the Covid protocols. It sure seemed like he’d be up for a major uptick in production considering just how much Murray did on the court of the Spurs. And, per minute, it’s mostly been the case even if the minutes were a little wonky in the last two. He played just 16 in a drubbing of the Pistons though somehow put up seven points and 10 assists in that limited time. And he was decent against Utah, going for 21 points and eight assists in a much tougher matchup. I like the prospects for a big game from White here against Memphis and think the DraftKings price is very attractive. He took 16 shots last time around and we could see a similar number tonight.

Consider Kyle Guy (FD 3500 DK 3800) who just signed with the Heat and could move right into the starting lineup.

Shooting Guard

Tyler Herro FD - $6700 DK - $7200
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 41.34 DK - 46.17

Caleb Martin FD - $5800 DK - $4300
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 36.7 DK - 36.47

The Heat had their last game postponed because they were too short on players, but this one looks set to go off against the Houston Rockets. Miami is still very, very thin on their roster with a number of players in protocols. But they did bring in a couple of guys off the street and might get Jimmy Butler back. Either way, I think we see a ton of minutes out of these two guys who aren’t priced anywhere near where we could see the opportunity. Herro is an especially strong play considering he will likely be in the starting lineup and could see a ton of usage. He’s coming off a 32 point game on Tuesday in which he took 19 shots off the bench. That was without Kyle Lowry and Butler going down late. We should see plenty of run and a ton of opportunity.

Meanwhile, Caleb Martin likely also draws the start with Duncan Robinson and others not available for this game. He started his second game back from protocols though was largely ineffective in his 29 minutes. But we’ve seen him pile on fantasy points when given more run in the past, scoring in double-digits six of the previous seven games. Last game was more of an outlier than anything else. Keep an eye on this situation, but Martin is an especially good value on DraftKings.

If Devin Vassell (FD 4500 DK 4000) jumps into the starting lineup for the Spurs then I really love his price on both sites. He might even be a play off the bench.

Small Forward

Jaylen Brown FD - $8800 DK - $9400
Opponent - PHO
Proj Pts FD - 47.38 DK - 51.44

The matchup is bad, but everything else about this play makes sense. With Jayson Tatum out of the lineup for the Celtics last game, Brown picked up a staggering amount of usage. He took a whopping 36 shots against the Clippers, nearly tripling the next-closest player on the team. Did it help the team? No, they scored 82 total points. But Brown’s line of 30 points and eight rebounds is at the very low end of what to expect if he’s going to be this kind of chucker. I think we easily go back to him on FanDuel especially where the sub-$9K price is too cheap for the opportunity.

Keldon Johnson FD - $6400 DK - $5900
Opponent - MEM
Proj Pts FD - 31.61 DK - 34.39

Like Derrick White, the performances for Keldon Johnson since Dejounte Murray went out were a bit all over the place, the blowout against Detroit will do that. Last game against Utah is a pretty proxy of what to expect, and from that perspective, he has some encouraging upside from a minutes perspective. We’ve seen peak valley games out of Johnson this year who has struggled to stay consistent in his fantasy production.

Power Forward/ Center

LeBron James FD - $11200 DK - $12000
Opponent - POR
Proj Pts FD - 60.54 DK - 64.53

The Lakers are really struggling right now, having lost six of their last seven games and looking all sorts of disjointed at times. It’s a huge concern for the team which is going to be without Anthony Davis for some time and has an odd-fitting roster around Lebron. But for his part, LBJ has been great from a fantasy perspective over the short-term. Over the span of this rough patch, he’s averaging 35 points, 10 rebounds, and 6.5 assists, playing close to 38 minutes a game. The Lakers need every bit of it if they are going to keep their head above water in the Western Conference playoff race. His price is up, but it’s warranted for the kind of production we are seeing from the King right now.

Ömer Yurtseven FD - $6100 DK - $5800
Opponent - HOU
Proj Pts FD - 41.47 DK - 42.85

With Dwayne Dedmon out because of protocols and Bam Adebayo on the shelf with the injury, Yurtseven has jumped into the starting role at the five and performed well from a fantasy perspective. He’s put up double-digit rebounds in each of the last six games, averaging just under 10 points a game in that stretch. The price has climbed a bit of course with the production, but not enough for his current workload. The Rockets offer a fantastic matchup for the depleted Heat and Omer makes for a solid, middle-tier play on this slate.

Jalen Smith FD - $4800 DK - $4100
Opponent - BOS
Proj Pts FD - 32.49 DK - 34.38

With both DeAndre Ayton and Javale Mcgee out, Jalen Smith is going to step into the starting lineup at center for the Suns. We have a couple of game sample size to think that we are still getting him at a value even though the price has ticked up. Over the last two games, after seeing extended minutes, he’s averaging 13 points and 12 rebounds. And we know that the way the Suns are set up, the center can garner significant fantasy production. That’s set to all to go to Smith now who could be on the court a ton with Phoenix very thin along the backline. I suspect he’s one of the more popular plays on the slate.

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