NBA Fantasy Projections & Optimizer Picks for DraftKings & FanDuel 12/15

On tap for Wednesday night is an 11-game slate, and with 22 clubs competing, NBA fantasy lineups on DraftKings and FanDuel will be flush with high-level talent and value plays. The Awesemo NBA Starting Lineups page will provide breaking news when starters are announced as well as a full injury report on players who might be missing in action. Below are some NBA daily fantasy options that stand out for tonight’s slate using Awesemo’s Boom/Bust Tool and NBA DFS projections.

NBA Fantasy Projections & Optimal Lineup Picks Tonight

Boom: Bobby Portis: $7,100 DraftKings/$7,700 FanDuel

22.3% DraftKings Boom/13% FanDuel Boom

Tonight the Bucks will be without Giannis Antetokounmpo (health protocols), Brook Lopez (back), DeMarcus Cousins (personal) and Wesley Matthews (health protocols). Plus, Khris Middleton (knee) is questionable. Over the last two seasons, Portis has been a terrific fantasy asset with Antetokounmpo out of the lineup, scoring 36 DraftKings points per game. Portis has seen 33.5 minutes per game with Antetokounmpo and Lopez inactive this season, and this number should be even higher with Cousins absent since he has been Portis’ direct backup as of late.

Portis is averaging 1.15 DraftKings points per minute and 40.1 DraftKings points per game when he has eclipsed 30 minutes this season. Facing a Pacers’ defense that is giving up the sixth-most points in the paint, Portis’ ceiling is north of 40 fantasy points tonight for both DraftKings and FanDuel, according to Awesemo’s Boom/Bust Tool.

Boom: Jalen Brunson: $6,700 DraftKings/$6,200 FanDuel

41.8% DraftKings Boom/49.3% FanDuel Boom

As always, Brunson is a must-play with Luka Doncic (ankle) sidelined. In these past two with Doncic missing, the Mavericks have played so well with Brunson starting at point that they have blown out their opponents by an average of 21.5 points, limiting Brunson to only 27.7 minutes per game. However, tonight’s matchup with the Lakers is expected to stay competitive throughout, with Los Angeles only favored by 1 point. Prior to these past two, the first four games of the season that Doncic missed were all decided by single-digit points, and on those occasions Brunson produced 39.1 DraftKings points in 35.6 minutes per game, including three games over 40 DraftKings points.

When Doncic has been off the court this season, Brunson’s usage has increased 3.7 percentage points and his assist rate has skyrocketed 10.4 percentage points to a team-high 36.6%. Brunson averaged 1.1 DraftKings points per minute with this role, and he should flourish playing way up in pace against the Lakers. Los Angeles leads the league in pace this season, whereas the Mavericks are dead last. For both DraftKings and FanDuel, Brunson has the highest boom score on the slate, according to Awesemo’s Boom/Bust Tool.

Boom: Nikola Jokic: $12,200 DraftKings/$11,500 FanDuel

37.6% DraftKings Boom/41.5% FanDuel Boom

After averaging 61.9 DraftKings points on a seven-game road trip, Jokic returned home Monday and destroyed the Wizards for 73.25 DraftKings points in only 30.4 minutes of work. His playing time was cut short because he was ejected from the game with six minutes remaining. Jokic finished one assist shy of a triple-double and would have likely surpassed 80 DraftKings points if he had not been tossed. With new career highs in usage rate (32.4%), assist percentage (37.4%) and rebound percentage (22.9%), Jokic is contributing a league-best 1.84 DraftKings points per minute this season.

Tonight he will be at home, going against a Timberwolves team that ranks fifth in pace and is yielding the most rebounds in the league. In this spot the Nuggets have the third highest implied team total on the slate (114 points), and this game’s total is also the third highest on the board (223.5 points). Over the last two seasons, Jokic is generating a godly 61 DraftKings points per game when playing at home in totals of at least 220 points. Even at season-high price tags on both DraftKings and FanDuel, Jokic is a building block for all formats.

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Boom: Gabe Vincent: $4,500 DraftKings/$4,700 FanDuel

35.1% DraftKings Boom/26.5% FanDuel Boom

With the Heat extremely shorthanded, Vincent has to be considered at his cheap price tags. Bam Adebayo (thumb), Jimmy Butler (tailbone), Caleb Martin (health protocols) and Tyler Herro (quad) have all been ruled out. Vincent has a 23.5% usage rate in 196 minutes he has played with these four players off the court since the start of last season, which is a 5.7-point upgrade from his average. He scores 0.8 DraftKings points per minute in this situation, and Awesemo is projecting Vincent for 33.8 minutes tonight against the 76ers.

Philadelphia’s defense has struggled this season, ranking 21st in efficiency, and they may be without Joel Embiid (questionable, rib). When Embiid has been off the floor this season, the 76ers’ defensive rating has been at 111.6. If this were Philadelphia’s rating for the season, their defense would be the fifth worst in the league. Nonetheless, Vincent is way too cheap for the role he should handle tonight. He is averaging 33.5 DraftKings points per game in the six career games Vincent has cracked 30 minutes. For both DraftKings and FanDuel, Vincent is rating as a top-10 value on the slate in Awesemo’s projections.

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