We are back to another three-game NBA DFS slate tonight, and this one is a lot more manageable than the huge slate we saw last night. On the last slate we had too much value to choose from, tonight it will be a lot easier to decide who we like. We like the Memphis Grizzlies for value here, as they are priced well for the no Ja Morant situation. Memphis also plays the Lakers tonight, who play at a very fast pace with the addition of Russell Westbrook. We have a couple of nice options at the top end tonight, and the value is there if you know where to look.
Here’s Two Core Plays For DFS Basketball 12/9/21 (using DraftKings Values)
| Point Guard | |||
| Shooting Guard | |||
| Small Forward | |||
| Power Forward | R. O’Neale | $4,300 | |
| Center | N. Jokic | $11.900 | |
| Guard | |||
| Forward | |||
| Utility |
With only three games tonight our bar for an acceptable value play is a lot lower than the situation last night. One guy who stands out on this slate is Royce O’Neale, who is way too cheap for how productive he has been lately. O’Neale has played between 29 and 37 minutes consistently for the past eight games, and he is averaging 31 FPTS across the past ten days. O’Neale has not gone under 19 FPTS in his ten-game log, so he feels very safe at $4,300.
Our core stud play last night was Nikola Jokic and he absolutely crushed with 72.75 FPTS. Jokic must do a lot of scoring for this Nuggets squad with all their injuries, and on tonight’s slate he really stands out. Jokic is the most expensive option here at $11,800, but he is leaps and bounds above anyone else as a producer. The San Antonio Spurs are a fantastic matchup with the pace they are playing, which means we could see another big night here. If you are playing cash tonight Jokic is the guy to spend up for, and he is a key tournament piece here as well.
Here’s a Fade DFS Basketball 12/9/21 (using DraftKings Values)
With only three games there is no one you should fade if you are playing a lot of lineups. However, we are low on Joel Embiid tonight. Embiid always has big upside, but a tough matchup against Rudy Gobert makes things ugly. The same goes for Gobert, who has an equally tough matchup against Embiid.
Now, what do you get if you sign up now for $99?
• A guard from Memphis who has been playing a ton of minutes.
• A cheap star who has huge upside.
• More priorities from the Memphis Grizzlies.
• A breakdown of our strategy for tournaments tonight.
Sign up today for $99 (for six months) here
Point Guard
Tyus Jones – PG ($6,000 DK) Jones has been the primary beneficiary of Morant’s minutes. In competitive games, we are seeing Jones play well over 30 minutes. He has a had few big games since Morant has been sidelined, and his floor is well over 20 FPTS. He is getting a bit expensive here, but with this matchup against the Lakers, we like getting to him.
Shooting Guard
Donovan Mitchell ($8,800 DK) over the last few games we have seen some nice performances from Mitchell, as he has scored over 45 FPTS in five straight outings. That is the type of production we expected from Mitchell coming into the season, so we like getting to him while he is still under $9,000. Mitchell always takes a ton of shots for the Jazz, so his upside is always good. On this slate, the next most expensive guy is $9,700, and the upside falls once you go cheaper than Mitchell. His price works well here, so we will be getting to him in a lot of lineups.
Dillon Brooks – ($6,200 DK) The upside on all of the Grizzlies core pieces looks really good right now, as these guys are all taking a ton of shots with Morant out. Brooks looks good at this price point, especially for tournaments. If this stays close, he is going to play well over 30 minutes and his usage is crazy right now. We know he has the upside to go for 40-50 FPTS, which is the type of play you need to win big on a slate like this.
Rudy Gay – ($3,900 DK) We don’t have a ton of value tonight, so taking a chance on a guy like Gay looks like a good play here. Gay is too cheap for the upside he is consistently showing, as we know he can go for around 30 FPTS if he has a good shooting night. Gay is averaging over 20 FPTS since coming back from injury, and that includes a few games where he barely played.
Jaren Jackson Jr. – ($7,000 DK) Jackson is probably our favorite out of a handful of strong Memphis plays. He went for 41.75 FPTS last time out, and he has gone over 40 FPTS in three out of the past five games. Jackson always has good upside, and his usage has been a lot better with Morant off the floor. Jackson should be in for a good game if this one stays close, and we like the Lakers as a matchup here.
General strategy
There is a lot less that needs to be said here compared to the crazy thirteen game slate we had last night. For Cash games tonight it is going to be all about the Memphis Grizzlies, as they are going to see a ton of ownership. There is not a ton of places to find a lot of value tonight, so the Grizzlies with a fantastic matchup is the obvious place to look. As we mentioned we are going to use Jokic for Cash tonight, as his floor is far better than the rest of the slate. For tournaments, we like getting to some studs like Tobias Harris and Dejounte Murray as the ownership is probably a little lower. However, we are still using a lot of Grizzlies for tournaments as their upside is too good to get away from.
