Isaiah 
Isaiah’s Protocol for the NBA DFS slate is built around DraftKings pricing but is good across the industry with some slight adjustments to salaries on the various sites.
We have a loaded 9 game NBA DFS slate to start us off on this holiday. There are a total of 14 NBA games being played today, and I’m going to do my best to process them all for you. I advise all my readers to join the staff at WinDaily in our Discord chat rooms as we discuss important news as it unfolds during the day.
With such a large pool of players on this NBA DFS slate, I like to focus my attention on a balanced core to start. This strategy is best served for cash games. As we get closer to tip-off and value starts to unfold, you can use those pieces to pay up for some of the higher-priced superstars.
THE STUDS
Ben Simmons ($9100) I’m not sure I can get here using a balanced approach, but I’m going to try. Ben’s in a great spot today as the Nets rank 27th in both DEFF and DvaA. The Sixers are short-handed so a majority of their offense will run through Simmons. On the season he carries a 21.7% usage rate and scores 1.16 FP/min. I’m projecting a big game from him on this NBA DFS slate today.
Julius Randle ($7700) Julius has a 27.2% usage rate and 1.14 FP/min. Cleveland ranks 23rd in DvsA and 18th in DEFF. Randle has averaged 34 minutes and 45 DKFPTS over his last 10 games. Julius also averages 46.6 DKFPTS in his 2 games vs. Cleveland. The math is simple here. Randle should get 6X value and close to 50 DKFPTS for $7700. Lock him in.
Lonzo Ball ($7000) Lonzo has been on a tear recently, stuffing the stat sheet across the board. He’s averaging 46 DKFPTS in 38 minutes across his last 10 games. Ball has a 22.3% usage rate and 1.03 FP/min. These numbers include the first couple of months of the season when he was injured or coming off the bench. Memphis is middle of the pack defensively, ranking 17th in DvsA. Keep an eye on the status of Jrue Holiday. If he returns today, I may fade Ball as his usage will take a hit.
THE CORE
Fred VanVleet ($6700) FVV has recently returned from a hamstring injury, so he has had a bit of a minute restriction. That didn’t stop him from dropping 48 DKFPTS in Minnesota in 28 minutes. Toronto has one of the highest ITT’s (119.5) on this NBA DFS slate. The Raptors square off against an Atlanta team that pushes the pace and has trouble with guards, ranking 15th in DEFF. FVV has a 23.8% usage rate and 1.06 FP/min. FVV can get 5X value at this salary with a 28-minute restriction but carries a much higher ceiling if he can get run.
Danilo Gallinari ($6600) Gallinari should be well-rested after sitting out the Portland game on Saturday. He carries a 23% usage rate and 1.05 FP/min. The Rockets have one of the fastest paces in the NBA and rank 25th in DEFF and 17th in DvsA. Danilo has averaged almost 39 DKFPTS in his previous 2 meetings with the Rockets. These numbers scream 6X value at $6600 for 40 DKFPTS.
Dillon Brooks ($5800) This pick is more of a “gut feeling”. We have to save a salary somewhere on this NBA DFS slate. Dillon has been playing well recently and has Memphis looking like one of the hottest teams in the league. He has a 23.8% usage rate and .92 FP/min on the season. The Pelicans rank 16th in DEFF and 17th in DvsA. I don’t like Brooks nearly as much if Jrue plays.
THE VALUE
Targeting Brooklyn’s frontcourt has been DFS gold for a long time. Joel Embiid and Deandre Jordan have already been ruled out for this contest due to injury. Al Horford left last game with a sprained hand and is currently listed as questionable. This basically leaves Jarrett Allen ($5900) as the only healthy frontcourt starter for either team. That’s a lot of points, rebounds, and blocks left in the paint for value players when they open up. Monitor this situation closely.
Brook Lopez ($4600) I’m not going to say too much here. Chicago is very short-handed in the paint right now and ranks 29th DvsA. They’re facing one of the best frontcourts in the NBA. Lopez isn’t the best center on the board but 27 DKFPTS will give him 6X value at this salary. I expect him to smash that here, making him one of the best value plays on this NBA DFS slate today
There’s a lot to think about today so I highly encourage all readers to join myself, and the rest of the WinDaily team in the Discord chat rooms as we break down and discuss our favorite plays of the NBA DFS slate. Thank you for reading my content and feel free to leave a comment, or hit me up on Twitter @IsaiahsProtocol.
GOODLUCK AND HAVE FUN
