Wednesday returns to the NBA regular season with a massive 11-game featured slate, locking at 7 p.m. ET on DraftKings and FanDuel. There are several options in the player pool worth analyzing to find the top NBA DFS building blocks and NBA DFS picks. Trae Young looks like a fun tournament option, with plenty of injuries opening up ample options at every position for tonight’s MEGA-slate. Let’s dig into the NBA DFS picks and core plays.
NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today: Wednesday, December 6
Trae Young: Atlanta Hawks vs. Brooklyn Nets
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Point Projections: DraftKings: 51.84 | FanDuel: 49.13
- Stokastic’s Preliminary Rostered Projections: DraftKings: 4.6% | FanDuel: 7.0%
- DFS Salary: DraftKings: $10,300 | FanDuel: $10,000
Tonight there are a plethora of value options, and it is, of course, going to be a “stars and scrubs” build. In turn, that will have gamers flocking to the likes of Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. Heck, there will be plenty of lineups that have two of this trio, which is what makes the next level down appealing for tournaments.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is an interesting option, though the Houston defense has not been as porous as in prior seasons. Over the last 10 games, the Rockets have allowed 111.3 points per 100 possessions, which is actually the eighth-best rating during this timeframe. That may not be a sticky result going forward, but it does give Trae Young a slight nod over Gilgeous-Alexander.
Through 18 games, Young is posting his best fantasy season, with career bests in assists (10.7), steals (1.6) and nearly a 10% reduction in turnovers. The main fantasy concern with Young is that he just does not get rebounds, as evidenced by his career-low 2.9 per game. Young has tallied 50-plus fantasy points in six of his last seven outings, and he has been in the zone from the field. Tonight he is an excellent differentiation play in tournaments.
Doncic has been outstanding as well, and this season his fantasy points per minute fluctuate by less than one-tenth of a point when he is with or without Kyrie Irving. Jokic and Embiid have the last three NBA MVPs, but there are quite a few value options at center tonight.
Portland Trail Blazers Value Options
Anfernee Simons is close to a return and could see action tonight. He injured his thumb in the season opener and needed surgery. The hope is that he will come back with fresh legs and enough stamina to see something approaching 30 minutes. The 26 to 28 range is a good baseline, with a few extra minutes readily available, depending on his effectiveness. He is particularly appealing on DraftKings ($5,500) while more of a neutral option on FanDuel ($6,300).
Jerami Grant is in the concussion protocol, and Deandre Ayton is doubtful with a sore knee. That is likely to push Jabari Walker and Duop Reath both into the starting lineup, and they project as two of the better value options in the player pool. Moses Brown is also a possibility but one that is better left for the late slate, as there are so many other center-only players on the featured slate that the opportunity cost is untenable.
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DraftKings Discount Dandies
Bojan Bogdanovic is back after missing the first two months of the season, and he contributed 22 points in 28 minutes off the bench for the Pistons. Who knows what Detroit is doing as far as a long-term strategy, but getting Bogdanovic back to 20 points a night would make him a trade asset for contending teams. He is mispriced at $5,100 on DraftKings, though more of a risky play at $6,100 on FanDuel.
Coby White gets a great matchup against the Charlotte Hornets, and Zach LaVine is going to be out for a third consecutive game. Alex Caruso has been banged up but is expected to be a go tonight. Regardless, look to White to continue asserting himself as a key scoring option while also running the offense. The seventh overall selection in the 2019 NBA Draft has averaged 42.5 minutes and 18.5 field goal attempts over the last two games. That has culminated in 27.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.5 assists, and 1.5 combined blocks and steals. He should see minutes in the upper-30s and has a strong possibility of flirting with 50 fantasy points in this splendiferous matchup.
FanDuel Diamond Options
Orlando Robinson is projecting to be on nearly 20% of all FanDuel tournament lineups, and most of you reading this are wondering who the heck he is and why mention him. Well, dear reader, he is $4,500 on FanDuel, which makes his center-only eligibility palatable, and he dropped 16 points, five rebounds and three assists in a spot start for Bam Adebayo. He should be in line for another appearance with the first five, and he now has 25 or more fantasy points in each of the three games where he has seen at least 26 minutes. Thomas Bryant has been relegated to a bench role, and Robinson may just be a late bloomer.
Desmond Bane has a top-5 fantasy-point-per-dollar median projection on FanDuel, and the 25-year-old has three straight games of at least 44 fantasy points. Considering how many key contributors are out for Memphis and a great matchup against the Pistons in the Motor City, he is a core building block on FanDuel.
Additional NBA Building Blocks Pick — Sports Betting Opportunities
Bismack Biyombo is popping in the sports wagering market for his +105 line to fall under his 6.5 rebound prop. Per the -110 “True Odds” (how OddsShopper measures the potential expected ROI of a given wager), this is an inefficient line that is giving nearly 7% expected ROI just by being mispriced on some books.
NBA Bet Pro has Biyombo projected for 26.8 minutes and 6.2 rebounds. In his last six games as a starter, Biyombo has averaged 27.0 minutes and 5.2 rebounds, with a high of six boards in this stretch. The 31-year-old does have a per-36-minute rate of 9.9 rebounds this season, but his minutes have fallen off over the last couple of weeks. Detroit does have a big frontcourt and there may be extra court time for Biyombo, but otherwise this looks like a promising opportunity.
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Final Thoughts on NBA DFS Picks & Building Blocks Today
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