We only have four NBA games tonight, but we have a lot to talk about. Everyone has been priced up significantly on the Brooklyn Nets, but they are still our favorite source of value here with only eight active guys. We also have a very gutted Houston squad playing again tonight, who we know will remain without Christian Wood, Kevin Porter, and Jalen Green. Our core plays here will be two priorities from Brooklyn, as well as one stud we are taking out of our player pool for this one. Our premium content will cover our favorite plays across the slate, as well as some general strategy for the slate.
Here’s Two Core Plays For DFS Basketball 12/16/21 (using DraftKings Values)
| Point Guard | |||
| Shooting Guard | |||
| Small Forward | |||
| Power Forward | K. Durant | $12,300 | |
| Center | N. Claxton | $3,900 | |
| Guard | |||
| Forward | |||
| Utility |
Kevin Durant has been priced up significantly here after absolutely dominating in the last two without James Harden. Durant went for 79.25 and 72.25 FPTS respectively in two games without Harden, as he has had to do everything for Brooklyn to win games. Durant has willed them to wins in the last two, and we expect to see something similar here. We expect well over 60 FPTS from Durant here, and no one else on the slate compares to that kind of production.
All Eight of the available Nets options have seen significant price jumps from the last slate, but there is still a ton of value here. Nicolas Claxton saw one of the most conservative price hikes on the team, so he still really stands out at $3,900. Claxton played 26 minutes last time out, and there is room for him to play a lot more as Toronto plays quite small. This is an awful matchup against Joel Embiid, but Claxton can still easily hit value with all the floor time he should see.
Here’s a Fade DFS Basketball 12/15/21 (using DraftKings Values)
We have really liked Chris Paul for a few slates, as we expect him to do a lot more offensively with Devin Booker sidelined. However, after a huge game last night CP3 had been priced up too much for this one. He is $9,700 here, which is too close to top-end options. We also know we are paying $12,300 to roster Durant tonight, so it would cost a lot to find enough salary to roster Paul as well.
Now, what do you get if you sign up now for $99?
• A cheap guard option who has been playing a big role lately.
• Two cheap forwards to save salary tonight.
• A priority center who is on fire right now.
• Our general strategy for Tournaments and Cash.
Point Guard
Derrick Rose – PG ($6,300 DK) Rose has been playing a ton of run for the Knicks lately, who have cut Kemba Walker from the rotation and have been without RJ Barrett. Rose has played well over 30 minutes in each of the past three games here and he has scored over 30 FPTS in the past two. He is a good per-minute producer and is playing a ton of run right now. Rose has gotten more expensive here, but we don’t have many options tonight, so he still stands out.
Shooting Guard
Cameron Payne – ($5,200 DK) The price is rising on Payne, but he still looks good with the role that he has been playing with Booker out. Payne has shot the ball 14 or more times in five out of the last six games, so he has a ton of upside he can put together a good shooting night. He has had a few games around and over 30 FPTS, but we are yet to see his real upside in this spot.
David Duke Jr. – ($4,200 DK) Duke was one of the Nets who saw a ridiculous minute’s bump with all the guys sidelined last time out. He played 38 minutes last game and went for 40.25 FPTS. Duke saw a bit of extra run because of the overtime, but he still played well over 30 minutes in regulation. We expect he continues to play over 30 minutes, so there are a lot of ways for him to hit value at this price.
Daniel Theis – ($3,000 DK) Theis only played 18 minutes with the start last game, but he could easily play more with Wood out for Houston. He went for 15 FPTS last game, which was disappointing but not even that bad at $3,000. We don’t have a ton of super cheap value tonight, so getting to Theis will make it a lot easier to spend up elsewhere.
Alperen Sengun – ($5,500 DK) Sengun was our priority from Houston last night if we Wood was to be ruled out. He smashed in the opportunity, going for 46.75 FPTS. He has gone for 30 or more FPTS for three straight games now, and he has a lot of upside with Wood sidelined. Sengun could earn the start and play more run here, but he looks solid either way. His price has gone up, but we are still happy getting to him with how good he has been.
General strategy
If you are playing Cash games tonight the lineup builds itself to some degree. We know Durant, Claxton, and Sengun are absolute locks. Then we are happy getting to anyone else we wrote about to fill out the roster. For tournaments, the ownership will be extremely high on guys like Claxton and Sengun tonight so there is some upside to getting away from them. Good luck tonight and keep an eye out on whatever news is announced.
