Thursday, Dec. 16, has a four-game main slate tipping off at 7:00 p.m. ET. Let’s look at the player pool and discuss the top NBA DFS picks for DraftKings, FanDuel and Yahoo lineups. Do not forget to head over to the Awesemo NBA DFS home page for more great written daily fantasy basketball content.
NBA DFS Picks: Building Blocks, Thursday, Dec. 16
Yahoo Play of the Day — Julius Randle: New York Knicks at Houston Rockets
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 43.03 | DraftKings: 45.82
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 48.6% | FanDuel 41.8% | DraftKings 31.5%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $35 | FanDuel $8,700 | DraftKings $10,000
Tonight there are four games since Bulls – Raptors was lost due to a COVID outbreak leaving the Bulls without enough healthy players to field a team. New York is precariously close to being in the same situation, with R.J. Barrett, Obi Toppin, Kevin Knox and Quentin Grimes all being placed in the health and safety protocol. Operating under the assumption that this game is a go, Julius Randle is a tremendous option against a short-handed Rockets squad missing Christian Wood, Kevin Porter Jr., Jalen Green and Danuel House. While Randle is not producing at the same level from a fantasy perspective as last year, that is attributed to having a few improved teammates as well as playing two fewer minutes and taking two fewer field goal attempts per game. Tonight Randle should see plenty of minutes and offensive opportunities against a woeful Houston defense.
Awesemo has Randle projected for 21.9 points tonight, while his over/under sits at 23.5 right now. The UNDER on this NBA player prop a great bet tonight — a bet which Awesemo has projected to win 60% of the time.
Chris Paul: Phoenix Suns vs. Washington Wizards
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Point Projections: Yahoo and FanDuel: 38.54 | DraftKings: 39.36
- Awesemo’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: Yahoo 31.8% | FanDuel 34.6% | DraftKings 11.6%
- DFS Salary: Yahoo $36 | FanDuel $8,600 | DraftKings $9,700
Last night Washington looked pitiful during a lackluster loss in Sacramento where it was outscored by 19 points for a Kings comeback victory 119-105. Phoenix is favored by nearly double digits, though with Devin Booker still sidelined, at least it is clear Chris Paul will be playing 32 to 34 minutes if the game can stay close heading into the fourth quarter. Paul’s fantasy production is pretty much the same on a per-minute basis this season with or without Booker. However, with Booker out of the mix, Paul does tend look for his own shot more often, and he should see 12 to 14 field goal attempts and double-digit assists in this matchup.
Brooklyn Nets vs. Philadelphia 76ers
James Harden, LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre’ Bembry, Bruce Brown, James Johnson, Paul Millsap and Jevon Carter are all in the health and safety protocol. That makes Kevin Durant arguably the best option on the slate tonight. Nicolas Claxton, Patty Mills, David Duke Jr., Blake Griffin, Cam Thomas and Kessler Edwards are all likely to see 28 to 34 minutes depending on how the rotation shakes out. This is a back-to-back for Philadelphia, who lost at home last night to the Heat 101-96. Tobias Harris and Joel Embiid each played 37 minutes, while Tyrese Maxey saw 42 and Seth Curry was at 33. If Embiid is a go with his sore knee, he is a nice option in tournaments; if he is out, then Harris, Maxey, Shake Milton and Andre Drummond are the players to target in all formats.
Houston Rockets vs. New York Knicks
Houston is missing Christian Wood, Jalen Green, Danuel House and Kevin Porter Jr. with a variety of ailments. Eric Gordon is expected to be available, but that still leaves a plethora of minutes and opportunities for the ambulatory Rockets. Alperen Sengun has been a fantasy revelation, and though it took him garbage time to get there in the last game, he has averaged nearly 40 Yahoo points per game over his last three outings off the bench. Armoni Brooks, Garrison Mathews and K.J. Martin Jr. remain the punt options du jour, with Josh Christopher and Daniel Theis earning consideration on the two-game late slate.
Final Thoughts on NBA DFS picks for the Thursday, Dec. 16 Slate
Do not lose track of NBA news while focusing on an exciting Thursday Night Football matchup pitting AFC West rivals Kansas City and the Los Angeles Chargers in a battle for the playoff berth. Keep in mind that salaries and scoring formats differ across the various fantasy sites, and a slam-dunk play on Yahoo may be a below-average NBA DFS pick on DraftKings or FanDuel
