NBA DFS: Ghost’s Gems 12/31

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Happy New Year’s Eve to all! Of all the things you can possibly be doing at this moment, I appreciate you checking in to read our NBA content and the continuous support!

Before running to the DraftKings, FanDuel, or Yahoo lobby to construct your NBA DFS lineup after reading this article, please make sure to utilize the abundance of tools we have at Win Daily:

• Proprietary Projection Model
• Cheat Sheet
• Articles of the Day

Point Guards

De’Aaron Fox ($7,900 FD / $7,800 DK)

If you’ve kept up with the preseason NBA content, you’d know just how high I am on the kid playing in the small market of Sacramento. De’Aaron Fox plays at an unbelievable pace – seriously, he’s just so fast – and now, the Kings offense is as well. Enter a matchup versus Houston, who also plays at a Top-5 pace in the NBA, Fox will be able to thrive in this type of game environment and build on his season average of 20.3/2.8/6.8. Core Play.

Others to Consider:

• Mike Conley ($6,300 FD / $6,700 DK)
• Elfrid Payton ($5,200 FD / $5,900 DK)
• Kyle Lowry ($8,000 FD / $7,700 DK)

Shooting Guards

James Harden ($11,500 FD / $11,000 DK)

Do I really need to tell you to get as much Harden in your NBA lineups as possible right now? No? Good. Yes, Wall, Cousins, Gordon, and co. are all back, but that won’t affect Harden at this price tag – while we continuously look for value plays to exceed their ceiling, when a stud puts up 60 FP for roughly 5x his price, you lock him in because he’s likely the highest scoring player on the slate. Huge pace-up spot for the Rockets here, who are already a Top-5 team in the statistic, in addition to have some of the worst defenders at the guard positions who love to turn the ball over in transition. Giddy up. Core Play.

Tyrese Haliburton ($4,900 FD / $4,900 DK)

Have you watched the NBA ROY preseason prediction show? If not, please do so – it’d mean a lot to me. If you did, then you know how high I am on Haliburton this year and for the outlook of his career, and it starts right here tonight. I’ll dive into the details on the stream at 1pm, so make sure to tune in.

Others to Consider:

• Devin Booker ($7,500 FD / $8,600 DK)
• Eric Bledsoe ($4,800 FD / $5,600 DK)
• Jordan Clarkson ($4,800 FD / $4,800 DK)

Small Forwards

Brandon Ingram ($9,400 FD / $8,000 DK)

Sporting nearly a 30% usage rate thus far this season, BI picked up right where he left off after winning Most Improved Player last NBA season. This young Pelicans team still has time to grow – and they’ll need it – but Ingram is quietly flourishing on the offensive end to form quite the 1-2 punch with Zion; Ingram is averaging 23.3/7/6.5 across 34.5 MPG and is a cog for this Pelicans offense in a great game environment.

OG Anunoby ($6,500 FD / $5,800 DK)

Never thought we’d get here on an NBA slate, but it’s the nature of the beast. OG is thriving for the Raptors and is channeling his inner Siakam for MIP early on; the usage rate is not pretty at a mere 13.3% and he’s the clear #4 option behind Lowry, Siakam, and FVV, but with 3.3 steals and 1.3 blocks per game, Anunoby is a legit DFS option tonight, especially on FD where defensive statistics are worth more than on DK at a thin SF position.

Others to Consider:

• Mikal Bridges ($5,800 FD)
• Cameron Johnson ($4,400 FD)

Power Forwards

Zion Williamson ($8,300 FD / $7,900 DK)

Both he and BI will be able to shoulder the load versus a depleted OKC roster with 0 difficulty. Having shipped Steven Adams over to New Orleans in the offseason, OKC has no paint presence to be able the sophomore who is already averaging 21.3/9.3 on a 28.3% usage rate.

Julius Randle ($8,000 FD / $8,800 DK)

Don’t expect another 30-point triple-double, but Julius Randle is still unpriced over on FD while being a tad expensive for my liking on DK. With RJ Barrett and Elfrid Payton having to deal with the backcourt duo of Lowry and FVV on defense, Randle is the one to keep an eye on, who can lose Siakam on defensive switches. Playing just under 38 minutes per game, Randle is off to a tear in the early stages of the NBA season, averaging 24.8/10.5/7.5 on 55.6% shooting.

Others to Consider:

• Pascal Siakam ($7,400 FD / $8,300 DK)
• Bojan Bogdanovic ($4,900 FD / $5,800 DK)

Centers

Rudy Gobert ($7,700 FD / $7,500 DK)

Safest option on this NBA slate where the options are greasy to say the least; Rudy will always have a low usage rate on offensive given the guard tandem of Conley/Mitchell/Clarkson but that has not stopped him from putting up 16.7 PPG. Moreover, he’s his usual dominant self on the glass, averaging a whopping 14.3 RPG and is one of the best defensive players in the league. Facing a foul prone Ayton, Gobert will have his way in the paint tonight.

Others to Consider:

• Al Horford ($5,400 FD / $6,100 DK)
• Mitchell Robinson ($5,200 FD / $5,600 DK)

Value Gems: Check the projection model here.

I will continue to stress the importance of having both the projection model and cheat sheet open when building lineups for a further player pool and to ease a decision between two players, in addition to finding additional value plays.

You can find me on Twitter @DFS_Ghost