NBA daily fantasy picks: Five players who could help your lineup for Dec. 8
An unusually busy Monday night slate is, not surprisingly, followed by a relatively light Tuesday night of action. There are just six games on the docket, but there’s an argument that there will be more star power on the floor Tuesday than there was in Monday’s nine-game schedule. Six players with five-figure salaries hit the hardwood on Tuesday, including two at point guard (Stephen Curry and Russell Westbrook) and three at small forward (LeBron James, Paul George and Kevin Durant). You won’t be able to fit more than two into your lineups, and if you choose one from each of those positions, you’re precluding yourself from selecting someone like James Harden or DeMarcus Cousins. Choices abound this Tuesday. We’ll help you make the right ones.
All prices are courtesy of FanDuel and based on a $60,000 budget.
PG: Stephen Curry ($10,900) @ IND: Tuesday’s lineup starts with Curry. Why him over Westbrook? The latter does have a slightly higher average, but that’s inflated thanks to Durant’s previous injury. Curry’s 48.1 fantasy point per game average is a touch more bankable, and the over/under in Warriors-Pacers is a robust 215.5. Curry will get more than his fair share.
SG: Rodney Stuckey ($5,000) vs. GS: Golden State’s presence in Indiana makes most players on the Pacers more attractive on Tuesday. Stuckey, who has played at least 30 minutes in all of his last three games, is included in that. He’s averaging 31.7 fantasy points per game in that span, and should benefit from the heightened pace associated with playing the Warriors.
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SF: Paul George ($10,100) vs. GS: George bounced back from his first bad game of the season with arguably the best game of his career on Saturday. He put up a career-high 48 points to go along with eight rebounds, three assists and three steals, good for 66.1 fantasy points. His overall performance this season, plus the 215.5 over/under, tips the scales in his favor and away from James and Durant at small forward.
PF: Terrence Jones ($5,600) @ BKN: Jones has started to show some signs of life over the last week or so, averaging 16 points, six rebounds and one block in his last three games. His minutes have also started to tick back up toward the range you’d expect him to be in as one of the better scorers on the Rockets. It makes a ton of sense to bet on Jones.
C: Meyers Leonard ($4,500) @ CLE: This is essentially a pure savings play after spending $21,000 on Curry and George combined. We need a few inexpensive players who also bring a high ceiling to the table, and Leonard fits that bill. He threw up a dud his last time out, but had three straight double-digit scoring games prior to that flop. He’s averaging 24 minutes per game since returning from a shoulder injury.
