NBA daily fantasy picks: Five players who could help your lineup for Dec. 7
Ready for a busy Monday? There are nine games dotting the slate, all in the Eastern or Central time zones. That would normally mean a relatively boring night, but for the first time in recent memory the Eastern Conference is, at the very least, just as compelling as the Western. Of course, just because all the games are east of the Rockies doesn’t mean there aren’t Western Conference teams in action. The Suns and Pelicans, two of our favorite DFS teams, play tonight, as well as the Clippers, Spurs, Timberwolves, Mavericks, Lakers and Blazers.
All prices are courtesy of FanDuel and based on a $60,000 budget.
PG: Derrick Rose ($6,900) vs. PHO: Since returning from his ankle injury, Rose has scored at least 25.7 fantasy points in all five games, topping out at 32.9 in the Bulls loss to the Hornets on Saturday. All told, Rose is averaging 14 points, 6.2 assists and 4.6 rebounds per game during the five-game stretch.
SG: Brad Beal ($7,500) @ MIA: It appears that John Wall avoided serious injury when he banged knees with Jeremy Evans over the weekend, with the Wizards holding out hope that he could play against the Heat on Monday. Even if he does, it stands to reason that Beal would see his usage rate increase. If Wall is indeed out, Beal would be the dominant presence in Washington’s offense.
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SF: Jae Crowder ($5,200) @ NO: Crowder is getting more time on the floor of late, playing at least 30 minutes in each of his last five games. He’s averaging 26.3 fantasy points per game in that stretch, and is getting it done on both ends of the floor for the Celtics. He’s putting up 15.4 points and 1.6 steals per night during his impressive five-game run.
PF: Anthony Davis ($11,200) vs. BOS: Davis carries the highest price tag by far on Monday night. In fact, he’s the only player with a five-figure price, with Andre Drummond checking in as the second-most expensive player at $9,600. There’s an argument to be made that fading Davis is prudent based on the price tag, but it’s a tough one to make with a straight face. Davis has at least 52.1 fantasy points in all of his last four games and at least 49.1 in seven of his last eight.
C: Karl-Anthony Towns ($6,900) vs. LAC: Towns is coming off one of his best games of the season after he racked up 27 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks against the Blazers. It was great to see him bounce back after the coaching staff tamped down his minutes because of the mini-slump he’d been riding since about Thanksgiving. The Clippers are about league average against centers, but Towns’ ceiling always makes him attractive at his $6,900 price tag.
