NBA DFS action on Wednesday, Dec. 30 locks at 7:30 p.m. EST with a manageable six-game main slate. Before you lock in your NBA DFS picks and favorite lineups on DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo and SuperDraft, make sure to check out Awesemo’s daily fantasy basketball rankings and projections. Let’s dig into some NBA DFS picks, including Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum and more.
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NBA DFS Picks: Key Building Blocks | Dec. 30
Luka Doncic: Dallas Mavericks vs. Charlotte Hornets
DraftKings $10,700, FanDuel $11,400, Yahoo $53
Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 22.0%, FanDuel 25.9% Yahoo 23.6%
Deep breaths, but we are going back to the well with Luka Doncic. There is no need for trepidation; the last two games for the Mavericks have been blowouts in either direction, including a soul crushing defeat of the Clippers where the 124-73 score somehow was much closer than what the game actually was in real time.
Utilizing NBA WOWY on AddMoreFunds.com, we can see that over his last 1,052 minutes without Kristaps Porzingis, Doncic is averaging a hefty 38.4% usage rate while posting 1.68 DraftKings and 1.59 FanDuel fantasy points per minute. He also leads the team with a 15.9% rebound rate and a 44.4% assist rate among any Mavericks with at least 300 minutes. While there is always a risk of a blowout when the home team is favored by nearly double digits like Dallas is tonight, we know that Doncic rivals Russell Westbrook for the top ability to conjure triple-doubles in less than 30 minutes.
Anthony Davis: Los Angeles Lakers at San Antonio Spurs
DraftKings $9,700, FanDuel $10,200, Yahoo $48
Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 7.3%, FanDuel 10.3% Yahoo 5.2%
LeBron James is dealing with a sprained ankle, and this looks like a decent spot to give him time to heal. These two teams are the featured NBATV game on New Year’s Day, and with no fans to be disappointed in person if James gets a break, it just all makes sense. Of course that is the hard part about writing this article well in advance, but keep an eye on news throughout the day and leave yourself some flexibility with your rosters. Also take into consideration that we have the first three games at 7:30 p.m. EST, and then the next three tip off at 8:30 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., so we may not have news at the initial contest lock time.
Jayson Tatum: Boston Celtics vs. Memphis Grizzlies
DraftKings $8,600, FanDuel $9,200, Yahoo $43
Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 31.7%, FanDuel 38.7% Yahoo 21.8%
Since the Davis recommendation may not come to fruition, let’s look at budding superstar Jayson Tatum. Through three games, the fourth-year forward has been outstanding, with 36.3 minutes per game and averaging 25.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.3 combined blocks/steals. He is also attempting a career-high 7.8 3-pointers a game, which is phenomenal considering he is a career 40.1% shooter from behind the arc. Boston is a healthy 8-point favorite, but we know that the Grizzlies play fast and eschew defense, making this a nice setup for Tatum.
NBA DFS Picks: Good Value
Tyus Jones: Memphis Grizzlies at Boston Celtics
DraftKings $5,200, FanDuel $5,800, Yahoo $10
Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 37.3%, FanDuel 45.4% Yahoo 83.0%
While not an overly exciting play, Tyus Jones is a solid value option who will be wildly popular in cash games, and that is where we should land as well. In his last 1,152 minutes without Ja Morant on the court, Jones is averaging 0.95 fantasy points per minute. The sixth-year point guard out of Duke will be making his 41st career start in Boston tonight. He is a capable point guard who will keep the offense running, but there is not much of a ceiling potential. In his last five Memphis starts, which came last December, he had at least 20 fantasy points in three and two with below that mark with a high of 30 in this limited sample size. For Yahoo tournaments it is probably easiest to just roll with the massive chalk where Jones is at the minimum price. For DraftKings and FanDuel this makes for an interesting leverage opportunity.
NBA DFS Picks: Risky Value
Robert Covington: Portland Trail Blazers at Los Angeles Clippers
DraftKings $4,700, FanDuel $5,200, Yahoo $21
Ownership Rating (preliminary run): DraftKings 30.9%, FanDuel 20.8% Yahoo 7.6%
The role Robert Covington is filling for the Trail Blazers is entirely different than what he was doing in his Houston stint last season. In his last two games, he has played 38 minutes in each while averaging 6.5 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.0 assists, and 3.5 combined blocks and steals. While his fantasy backers are not thrilled, Portland is, as they have won both of these games against the Lakers in Los Angeles and the Rockets. Regardless of Carmelo Anthony‘s status, Covington’s role is going to be playing defense and shooting 3’s. Of course, he is competing with three other mega-usage players in Damian Lillard, C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic. Can he have big games? Sure, but we will see far more outings below 30 fantasy points than above.
 Yahoo Daily Fantasy Basketball Discount Dandies
- Tyus Jones: MEM at BOS – $10
- Bismack Biyombo:Â CHA at DAL – $11
- Derrick Jones Jr.: POR at LAC – $10
SuperDraft Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks
- Jayson Tatum: BOS vs. MEMÂ – 1.2x multiplier
- Dillon Brooks: MEM at BOS – 1.65x multiplier
- Tyus Jones: MEM at BOS – 1.8x multiplier
Final Thoughts
Once again, we will have plenty of value, so we can facilitate a stars-and-scrubs build. Just keep in mind that it is not necessarily going to be the same players across all of the sites.
Be sure to into the Awesemo NBA Deeper Dive and Live Before Lock show beginning at 5:30 p.m. EST for all of your up-to-date information and analysis.
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