After an awesome five-game Christmas Day extravaganza, the NBA is back on the floor with nine more games on Tuesday. DraftKings includes all nine games on the main slate, but FanDuel includes only the first seven games, leaving off the late matchups featuring the Kings-Blazers and Hornets-Clippers matchups.
No teams are playing for the second day in a row, but the Nets, Rockets, Thunder, Magic, and Wizards are all on the front half of their back-to-backs and will play again on Wednesday.
As usual, at this point in the season, multiple teams are dealing with important injuries that could radically impact their rotations and the DFS slate. Be sure to refresh the NBA Models throughout the day for the latest updates and monitor the news hub for updates.
Let’s dive into some of the top plays on the slate using the FantasyLabs tools and projections.
Also, don’t forget that for large-field tournaments, you can utilize our Lineup Optimizer to effortlessly create up to 300 lineups or use our Lineup Builder if you like to hand-build your lineups.
Note: Projections and Leverages Scores/Ratings may change throughout the day after this article is posted. The NBA DFS landscape changes quickly.
Consult the NBA Player Models directly for any updates as we get closer to lock.
NBA DFS Point Guard Picks
Stud
With Zach LaVine (foot) still sidelined for the Bulls, they offer some of the best plays on Tuesday’s slate when they host the Hawks. While LaVine has been out, Coby White has been an excellent contributor for Chicago, producing 1.13 DraftKings points and 1.06 FanDuel points per minute over his last 12 games while averaging 39 minutes per game with a 23.8% usage rate.
For the first nine of those 12 games, White exceeded salary-based expectations on both DraftKings and FanDuel but fell just short of expectations in his last three games. His production was actually still solid, but his salary just rose a bit too high. It has dropped back under $8,000 on both sites for this matchup, and he brings the highest Projected Plus/Minus at point guard on both sites as a result.
Nikola Vucevic (adductor) is also questionable for the Bulls on Tuesday, and with Vucevic off the floor, White’s usage has climbed to 27.2% over the last 12 games, and he has averaged 1.37 DraftKings points and 1.31 FanDuel points per minute. White’s a good play either way, but an even better play if Vucevic is ruled out.
Value
Our models really like Spurs point guard and forward Jeremy Sochan on Tuesday’s slate as well. Sochan has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position on FanDuel and the third-highest on DraftKings.
Sochan is in a favorable spot against the Jazz after exceeding salary-based expectations in three of his last five games by producing 0.97 DraftKings points and 0.96 FanDuel points per minute. He’s coming off one of his best games of the season on Saturday, in which he had 23 points, nine rebounds, and four assists in 30 minutes against the Mavs.
He has established himself as an important piece of the Spurs’ young core but has had some growing pains this season. He reminded everyone of how good he can be with that big game Saturday and will look to build on that momentum in another good matchup Tuesday as his Spurs welcome in the Jazz.
Fast Break
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander brings the highest ceiling projection at point guard as his Thunder host the Timberwolves. He has been excellent lately, with over 25 points in eight straight games and a production rate of 1.63 DraftKings points and 1.71 FanDuel points over that span. If you have the salary available, he’s an excellent play, especially since he may have to carry more workload since Jalen Williams (illness) and Josh Giddey (ankle) are both questionable.
Ja Morant has wasted no time taking on a big workload for the Grizzlies after his suspension and produced 1.46 DraftKings points and 1.42 FanDuel points per minute in his three games since returning. He had a double-double of 30 points and 11 assists and led his Grizzlies past the Hawks on Saturday, and he’ll look to build on that success in Tuesday’s trip to the Big Easy.
If you decide to pay up in other places, there are good cheap plays at point guard in addition to the excellent pay-up options. The top Projected Plus/Minus of point guards $5,000 or less on both DraftKings and FanDuel comes from Andrew Nembhard of the Pacers and Tre Jones of the Spurs. Nembhard got a spot start on Saturday in place of Bruce Brown (knee, questionable). He delivered 17 points and five assists in 36 minutes and would be a great value play if Brown is out again.
NBA DFS Shooting Guard Picks
Stud
The Trail Blazers are a woeful 7-21 on the season, but they have looked much better since getting Anfernee Simons back from injury. He has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all shooting guards on Tuesday’s slate on DraftKings, but he’s in a game that isn’t on the FanDuel slate.
Simons has produced 1.22 DraftKings points per minute in his nine games since returning with a team-high 31.2% usage rate and 34.8 minutes per game. He has scored 23+ points in five straight games and gets a good matchup against the Kings in one of the most fantasy-friendly environments on the DraftKings slate. Simons has the highest ceiling projection of all shooting guards on DraftKings.
On FanDuel, Cade Cunningham is a similar alternative with a high usage rate on a struggling team in a relatively good matchup. The Pistons keep losing, but Cunningham has played better lately, producing above salary-based expectations in six of his last eight games while producing 1.17 FanDuel points per minute.
Value
Let’s go back to the Spurs for another affordable young value play in Malaki Branham. Branham is eligible at shooting guard and small forward on FanDuel, where he costs $4,800 with a 90% Bargain Rating, while on DraftKings, he is eligible at both guard positions and costs $5,200. He is in the top 10 of Projected Plus/Minus at all his positions on both sites.
Branham has scored at least 11 points in seven straight games, producing 0.83 DraftKings points and 0.79 FanDuel points per minute and averaging 29 minutes per game. In his best game during that stretch, he handed out eight assists against the Lakers as well, so he has multi-category potential in his current role in the starting lineup.
The Jazz have been the best matchup in the NBA for opposing shooting guards.
Fast Break
Anthony Edwards has the highest ceiling projection at shooting guard on FanDuel and the second-highest at the position on DraftKings, behind only Simons. He has exceeded salary-based expectations in four of his last five games and posted a 34-point, 10-assist double-double against the Kings on Saturday. He has an Average Plus/Minus of +8.41 DraftKings points and +10.54 FanDuel points.
On DraftKings, Brandon Miller has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position and is a good midrange play. On FanDuel and DraftKings, Alex Caruso can also be a strong midrange play. He has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position on DraftKings and the second-highest on FanDuel.
The Pistons have also been getting better play from Jaden Ivey, who has exceeded salary-based expectations in four straight games, including back-to-back games with a Plus/Minus of over +20 FanDuel points and +15 DraftKings points. He had 23 points, six rebounds, and seven assists on Saturday against the Nets and is a solid option to consider in the rematch Tuesday.
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NBA DFS Small Forward Picks
Stud
DeMar DeRozan has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus on the entire slate on Tuesday and the highest at small forward on both DraftKings and FanDuel. DeRozan has scored 20+ points in five of his last six games but has had inconsistent non-scoring numbers, resulting in uneven production.
He’s playing tons of minutes with heavy usage without Zach LaVine. Over his last 11 games, he averaged 38.5 minutes with a 25.9% usage rate. He produced a solid 1.14 DraftKings points and 1.14 FanDuel points per minute over that span overall, and those numbers increase to 1.19 DraftKings points and 1.20 FanDuel points per minute while his usage jumps to 30.0% with Vucevic off the floor.
In this favorable matchup against the Hawks, DeRozan has strong projections that will climb even higher if Vucevic is ruled out.
Value
He’s not a cheap bargain, with his salary over $7,500, but our projections point to Franz Wagner as a top value play at small forward on Tuesday. Wagner has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at small forward on FanDuel and the fourth-highest on DraftKings.
Wagner and the Magic are tied for the highest implied team total on the board in what should be a great spot against the Wizards, who rank first in the NBA in pace and last in defensive rating.
Over his 10 December matchups, Wagner averaged 1.07 DraftKings points and 1.07 FanDuel points per minute while averaging a team-high 35.0 minutes per game. He has exceeded salary-based expectations on FanDuel in eight of those 10 games with an Average Plus/Minus of 4.6 FanDuel points.
Fast Break
Mikal Bridges had been struggling a little bit lately, but a matchup with the Pistons was enough to get him back on the right track with 29 points, six rebounds, and seven assists on Saturday. He has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at small forward on DraftKings and the fifth-highest on FanDuel at small forward. On FanDuel, he can also move to shooting guard, where he has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus, and on DraftKings, he can move to power forward, where he has the fourth-highest Projected Plus/Minus.
Trey Murphy III has shown a high ceiling for the Pelicans if called on for more scoring. He had 28 points last Thursday in a win over the Cavaliers but came back to earth with 14 points, while his usage dropped on Saturday. Against the Grizzlies, he is projected for 19.7% usage in 27.1 minutes and has the third-highest Projected Plus/Minus of the small forwards under $6,000 on DraftKings and the fourth-highest in that bracket on FanDuel.
NBA DFS Power Forward Picks
Stud
The Jazz have been very careful with Lauri Markkanen after he missed eight games with a hamstring strain, and they have held him out of the second game of each of their two back-to-backs. When he has played, though, he has been excellent and is in a great matchup on Tuesday against the Spurs. The matchup is so good that even the Jazz get enough of a boost to tie the Magic for the highest implied team total on the slate.
Markkanen has the second-highest ceiling projection at power forward on the slate on both FanDuel and DraftKings. He also has the highest ceiling projection at small forward on DraftKings and the second-highest on FanDuel.
In his five games since returning, Markkanen has a 26.3% usage rate and has produced 1.32 DraftKings points and 1.26 FanDuel points per minute. He had back-to-back double-doubles and then had 30 points, nine rebounds, and five assists in 39 minutes on Saturday. In this smash spot, he’s a great way to get a high ceiling under $9,000.
Value
Patrick Williams has always played heavy minutes for the Bulls, and with LaVine out, he is getting more work on offense. He has scored at least 13 points in five straight games while producing 0.84 DraftKings points and 0.81 FanDuel points per minute and playing 33.6 minutes per game.
Williams has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all power forwards priced under $6,000 on DraftKings and the second-highest in that price range on FanDuel. The Hawks have been an excellent matchup for opposing forwards this season and will be without De’Andre Hunter (knee) for at least two weeks. Jalen Johnson (wrist, questionable) could be returning soon, but it would still be a very favorable matchup for Williams.
Fast Break
Whenever the Magic are in a good spot like this one against the Wizards, Paolo Banchero deserves a look as a pay-up play. He has the highest Projected Plus/Minus at power forward on FanDuel this Tuesday and the third-highest on DraftKings. He has had a couple of duds over the past few weeks but has also shown a high ceiling with a couple of games over 30 points and even a 40-point performance.
The Rockets get a good matchup against the up-tempo Pacers. Jabari Smith Jr. has shown a high ceiling with a 34-point, 17-rebound game against the Hawks and a 26-point, 11-rebound game against the Pelicans in his last three games. The second-year player is still just 20 years old but seems to be growing into a big role with the much-improved Rockets.
If you have to go cheap at power forward, Dalen Terry is an interesting bargain play if Vucevic is out since he would likely have to help fill in at center. Jonathan Isaac has also been playing significant minutes for the Magic and makes a good bargain play. He has the highest Projected Plus/Minus of all power forwards under $5,000 on both DraftKings and FanDuel.
NBA DFS Center Picks
Stud
The Rockets have gotten back-to-back awesome games from Alperen Sengun, who is in a good matchup against the Pacers. The Rockets have the highest pace differential on the slate, and Sengun has the second-highest ceiling projection of all centers on FanDuel and the third-highest on DraftKings, where Domantas Sabonis is on the slate. Sengun also has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position on FanDuel.
He comes in red hot after going off for 22 points and 15 rebounds against Dallas on Friday and following that with 37 points, 11 rebounds, and six assists against the Pelicans on Saturday. Sengun has averaged an impressive 22.0 points per game on 53.3 percent shooting over his last six games while producing 1.45 DraftKings points and 1.44 FanDuel points per minute.
Value
The top Projected Plus/Minus on the entire slate on both DraftKings and FanDuel comes from Nic Claxton in his matchup with the Pistons. Detroit’s frontcourt has been a dream matchup for opposing centers, and they should still be a favorable spot even if Jalen Duren (ankle, probable) returns for the first time since Dec. 6.
In his 11 games this month, Claxton has contributed 1.1 DraftKings points and 1.14 FanDuel points per minute and played 27.1 minutes per game. He has two double-doubles in his last five games including an impressive 16-rebound effort against the Nuggets. He had 11 points and seven boards on Saturday in the first part of this holiday home-and-home, and our projections indicate he’ll have an even better performance in the rematch on Tuesday.
Fast Break
Sabonis is a strong play against the Blazers on DraftKings, but he isn’t on the FanDuel slate. Victor Wembanyama is an alternative pay-up with a very high ceiling, although he had a very quiet game in his return from a hip injury on Thursday with seven points, five assists and five rebounds. He missed Saturday’s game after turning his ankle in pregame warmups and is questionable for this matchup with the Jazz. If he’s out, the other Spurs would all get a big usage bump, but if he plays, he brings a very high ceiling.
Duren has been very good when available this season, producing 1.16 DraftKings points and 1.13 FanDuel points per minute. His salary is only $6,000 on FanDuel, where he has a 92% Bargain Rating and brings the fourth-highest Projected Plus/Minus at the position. He’s risky since this will be his first game back, and his possible minutes limit is unknown, but he does have good potential. A safer play in the same price range would be Daniel Gafford, who has had a few ceiling games lately for the Wizards.
If you have to go cheap at center, one option to consider is Jalen Smith. Smith has the second-highest Projected Plus/Minus of all the centers priced under $5,000 on both DraftKings and FanDuel. Smith just returned from a three-week absence and has scored double-digit points in each of his two games since returning.
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