Isaiah’s Protocol picks are built around DraftKings pricing but are good across the industry with some slight adjustments to salaries on the various sites.
Merry Christmas everyone. We have some marquis games to look at in this 5 game NBA DFS slate today. Some of the biggest names in the NBA will be taking the court against 7 of the top 8 teams in the league ranked in defensive efficiency. I’m putting more emphasis on this slate because it’s a holiday, and I expect a high volume of contestants to be entered in some of the spectacular contests available. Having played NBA DFS every day this season, the staff here at WinDaily has insight, information, and general knowledge available, that will help us gain some leverage on the rest of the field. I’m going to give you my thoughts on some core players that I think should be included in your roster construction, and some value plays that will help you fit the studs in.
THE CORE
Giannis Antetokounmpo ($11,300) Giannis has a 40% usage rate, scores almost 2 FP/Min., has been hitting 3’s lately, and is relatively match up proof. He’s a consistent triple-double machine and actually gets a huge bump to his stats with Bledsoe (injured) off the floor. The Bucks are 2 point favorites and have the fastest pace on this NBA DFS slate. I’ll ride with the Greek Freak to score a majority of the Bucks implied team total of 112.
Kawhi Leonard ($8700) I’m not going to throw a lot of stats out here aside from his 35.2% usage rate, and 1.5 FP/min. Kawhi is a different kind of player when the stakes are high, and someone I want on my roster. This game has a 1 point spread and a 223 total. My gut feeling is that Kawhi puts this team on his back and shows the world that the Clippers are legit contenders. At that salary, I’ll take one of the best players in the league.
MID TIER
D’Angelo Russell ($7400) Russell seems to have put his thumb injury in the rearview mirror averaging 33 mins., and 43 FPTS/gm over his last 3 contests. The Rockets are favored by 10 and struggle against opposing SG’s. With a 32.8% usage rate and 1.23 FP/min., I want some exposure to D’Angelo in this pace up spot.
Jaylen Brown ($6800) Jaylen carries a 22.8% usage rate and 1.05 FP/min. My most important take here is that Gordon Hayward should be back. This should limit an already short-handed Raptor team in guarding all the Celtic weapons. Toronto is allowing the 4th most FP to small forwards. Brown tagged the Raptors for a 25/9/4/2 stat line last time around. He’s also averaged over 40 FPTS in his last 3, barely missing a double-double in 2 of those games by 1 rebound.
VALUE
Lou Williams ($5800) Williams carries a 30.5% usage rate, and scores 1.11 FP/min. His salary on this NBA DFS slate is simply too cheap. He put up almost 40 FPTS against the Lakers earlier this season. Contrary to the masses, I don’t really like Lou if Beverly misses the game. He just doesn’t have the same opportunity running with starters Kawhi Leonard, and Paul George.
Montrezl Harrell ($5500) Harrell has a 25.3% usage rate in 29 min/gm. Averaging 19 points, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 Blk/Stls. He has an upside of 40 FPTS here and is simply priced too low.
Rondae Hollis- Jefferson ($5300) RHJ has been averaging just over a fantasy point per minute this season. He’s been getting run with Siakam, Gasol, and Powell all out with injuries.
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
