NBA daily fantasy picks: Five players who could help your lineup for Dec. 11
When we build NBA DFS lineups, we typically look for three different factors to highlight a strong lineup piece. First, you have to find a superstar, and there are six players with five-figure prices taking the floor on Friday. Second, we look at the potential for fireworks, and Friday doesn’t disappoint in that regard, either. There are four games with an over/under of at least 202, including one way up at 216. Finally, we try to find players whose roles have grown but have price tags that have yet to catch up to their new reality. We find one of those players below, as well.
All prices are courtesy of FanDuel and based on a $60,000 budget.
PG: D'Angelo Russell ($5,100) @ SA:Can you please stop messing with Russell, Byron Scott? The rookie out of Ohio State got 32 minutes in his last game and scored a season-high 23 points, getting to 26.7 fantasy points against the Timberwolves. At some point, perhaps against his will, Scott is going to have to give Russell 30-plus minutes on a consistent basis. If and when he does, Russell will take his game to a new level. The Spurs have allowed the eighth-most fantasy points per game to point guards.
• MORE NBA: Fundamentals: Russell, Clarkson have much to learn
SG: Brad Beal ($7,200) @ NO:Beal faltered his last time out, scoring just 15 points and turning the ball over seven times, but this game should be suited to his skill set. The Pelicans have surrendered the fifth-most fantasy points per game to shooting guards, and simply have one of the fantasy community’s favorite defenses, regardless of position. This is the game with the aforementioned 216 total. You want investment in the Wizards and Pelicans on Friday.
SF: Paul George ($10,400) vs. MIA:Well, the Pacers play today. You know what that means. George has to be in your lineup. You really can’t afford more than two of the five-figure players on your roster tonight. For my money, George and Stephen Curry are the two best. George continues to fill it up, scoring at least 56.6 fantasy points in three of his last four games.
PF: Jon Leuer ($4,500) vs. POR:Leuer has turned into a key piece in the Phoenix offense, but his price remains at a wildly affordable $4,500. Until that starts to reflect his actual value, he’s an auto-play. He’s averaging 27.9 fantasy points over his last five games, so you can safely ignore that 17.6 average he has for the full season. Blazers-Suns has a 209 over/under, the second highest on the board on Friday.
C: Karl-Anthony Towns ($7,200) @ DEN:Towns has proved, time and time again in his rookie year, just how NBA ready he was after one season at Kentucky. The latest way he has done that? His response to the first prolonged slump as a pro. Towns went on a five-game stretch in which he scored fewer than 20 fantasy points four times. In the three games since, he has averaged 23.7 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.3 blocks. The Nuggets have allowed the fifth-most fantasy points per game to centers this season, and Towns should take advantage.
