Daily Fantasy Basketball 2014: Best NBA FanDuel, DraftKings Lineup for Dec. 12
A night after the NBA's two-game schedule left one-day fantasy owners sitting in the cold or pulling their hair out over the most minor decisions, a full slate of games Friday will bring a sense of normalcy back to proceedings.
All but six teams will be in action Friday night. The typical large slate offers a ton of leeway that choosing between four teams on Thursday didn't, but it also has its inherent challenges—those largely being who in the hell to choose when a treasure trove of the world's best are available.
The answer: Do your homework. Notice trends. Take a look at offensive matchups. Teams with higher pacing are almost always preferable to those with lower pacing, simply because there are more possessions available. Check NBA.com's stats page and look at defensive efficiency and other tendencies that might open a market inefficiency. Double-check injury reports to ensure the backup you're taking a risk on will actually get minutes.
Well, OK, you could do that. Or you could just allow me to do all that work for you below.
| PG | Derrick Rose | Por@Chi | $6,700 |
| PG | Trey Burke | Mia@Uta | $5,700 |
| SG | Victor Oladipo | Orl@Atl | $6,500 |
| SG | Alec Burke | Mia@Uta | $5,800 |
| SF | Tobias Harris | Orl@Atl | $7,000 |
| SF | Shabazz Muhammad | OKC@Min | $5,000 |
| PF | Pau Gasol | Por@Chi | $9,300 |
| PF | Ryan Anderson | Cle@NO | $5,300 |
| C | Marc Gasol | Cha@Mem | $8,600 |
| PG | Derrick Rose | Por@Chi | $6,500 |
| SG | Victor Oladipo | Orl@Atl | $6,300 |
| SF | Tobias Harris | Orl@Atl | $6,700 |
| PF | Pau Gasol | Por@Chi | $9,200 |
| C | Marc Gasol | Cha@Mem | $8,500 |
| G | Alec Burks | Mia@Uta | $5,600 |
| F | Shabazz Muhammad | OKC@Min | $4,000 |
| UTIL | Rasual Butler | LAC@Was | $3,100 |
Point Guard
Similarity: Derrick Rose, Chicago Bulls (FanDuel: $6,700, DraftKings: $6,500)
Rose is far from the peak of his powers. He has been held under 30 minutes in six of his eight games since returning from a hamstring injury and still looks uncomfortable on the floor. For the season, he's averaging 16.2 points and 5.1 assists per game on 41.4 percent shooting, a number that's gotten worse in December.
Rose earns a spot on this team, not because I think he's destined to break out into 2011 form against the Blazers. He earns the spot because he's cheap. When a former MVP costs less in a one-day league than Brandon Jennings and an injured Ricky Rubio—seriously, that's the case in DraftKings—then there's a market inefficiency to be taken advantage of.
(Disclaimer: I take no blame if he leaves after 12 minutes with some sort of ailment.)
Difference: Trey Burke, Utah Jazz (FanDuel: $5,700)
The jury is still out on whether Burke is a viable NBA point guard. He's shooting 36.6 percent from the field and making only 31.4 percent of his threes, both numbers worse than his disconcerting rookie season.
But until Dante Exum steps up and begins stealing more minutes, Burke will remain semi-productive. The former Michigan star is a willing passer who has at least five assists in four of his last five games and at least eight three times in that span. Weak scoring performances tended to hamper his early-season numbers, but those have been fewer and farther between. Burke has scored in double figures 11 of Utah's last 14 games.
With the Heat struggling to find themselves on both ends of the floor, Burke might be in for a strong outing.
Shooting Guard
Similarity: Victor Oladipo, Orlando Magic (FanDuel: $6,500, DraftKings: $6,300)
After a bit of a slow start as he worked his way back from an injury, Oladipo is coming into his own. The second-year guard is averaging 18.2 points, 4.0 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game on 52.3 percent shooting in December.
The Magic have no reason not to give Oladipo free reign within the offense. Elfrid Payton, though a gifted creator, is very much a work in progress from a scoring standpoint. Oladipo is shooting a promising 38.2 percent from three-point range, and defenses are starting to close harder as those shots continue falling.
Shooting guard is a position where you take advantage of value if it's out there. Outside Kobe Bryant, who is shooting enough to give himself carpal tunnel, the position lacks consistency. Oladipo is a significant step down in cost and may produce on the level of a Tyreke Evans.
Similarity: Alec Burks, Utah Jazz (FanDuel: $5,800, DraftKings: $5,600)
Burks is a steady player at a middling cost. He's averaging 13.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, and has generally been reliable. It's almost uncanny how often he finishes with three or four assists, rarely dipping below or rising above that number. Scoring is more of a streaky aspect of his game, but he's gone for double digits in six straight games.
Like his teammate Burke, it's unlikely you're going to get a spectacular one-game burst. You can get them elsewhere. Burks is the steady hand near the bottom of the roster who will help boost teams where others fail to find players in the bargain basement.
Difference: Rasual Butler, Washington Wizards (DraftKings: $3,100)
Theory: Rasual Butler is a zombie. It's the only logical explanation for his career renaissance in Washington. He hasn't been a productive NBA player for four seasons. Now he's suddenly launching NBA Jam heat rocks. I don't watch The Walking Dead, so I have no clue how to keep zombies away, but I'd suggest a safe distance.
Putting him in your virtual fantasy world is OK, though.
Small Forward
Similarity: Tobias Harris, Orlando Magic (FanDuel: $7,000, DraftKings: $6,700)
More of an empty stats player than his numbers indicate, Harris is perfect for one-day leagues. He gets consistent shots within Orlando's offense, is an above-average rebounder at his position and generally doesn't have bad games. Not once all season has Harris scored single-digit points, and he's only grabbed fewer than five rebounds four times.
Owners in one-day leagues too often get caught up in name recognition. Harris has a better stat line than Dirk Nowitzki in most fantasy formats. He's not a significant downgrade from Kevin Love on most nights, though Love may see a production increase with LeBron James hobbled.
It's all about reliability. Harris, even if he's unspectacular, has that going for him in spades.
Similarity: Shabazz Muhammad, Minnesota Timberwolves (FanDuel: $5,000, DraftKings: $4,000)
Filling out the teams, I found myself selecting more and more players whose games I'm not especially fond of. Sitting there, it made me wonder whether things had gone horribly wrong before realizing this is the best possible scenario. If players like Muhammad, Harris and Burke are somehow landing on this team despite my trepidation, it has to mean they're undervalued.
Right?
Let's hope. Muhammad has been forced into an extended role due to injuries across the roster and has responded well—especially over his last six games. The 2013 first-round pick is averaging 16.8 points and 5.8 rebounds in the small sample, with only one single-digit scoring contest.
Other than an ankle injury that appears minor, there's no reason to expect Muhammad's production to fall off a cliff.
Power Forward
Similarity: Pau Gasol, Chicago Bulls (FanDuel: $9,300, DraftKings: $9,200)
There's not much to say here. Gasol has been great all season and unbelievable of late. He is averaging an absurd 21.4 points and 14.1 rebounds over his last eight games, blocking more than a shot a night and adding 2.4 assists.
The Bulls are getting peak offensive Gasol at age 34. (Defense, umm, let's not go there.) This isn't sustainable over the entire 82-game schedule. Not at this age and not with Chicago suddenly having a surplus of offensive talent.
As Joakim Noah continues to battle with leg injuries, though, it's hard to see Gasol slowing down in the immediate future.
Difference: Ryan Anderson, New Orleans Pelicans (FanDuel: $5,300)
Anderson's struggled a bit of late, shooting 18.8 percent from three-point range over his last six games. While he's still managed OK production overall, Anderson isn't the type of player you want in one-day leagues when his shot is clanging off the rim.
Call this a bet on a mean regression. Anderson is one of the league's best stretch 4s; a two-game stretch without a three-pointer is an anomaly that'll rectify itself quickly. Playing the Cavaliers' leaky perimeter defense on the second night of a back-to-back is the remedy Anderson's been looking for.
Center
Similarity: Marc Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies (FanDuel: $8,600, DraftKings: $8,500)
He's the best center in the NBA, and I get to have monetary incentive to watch both Gasol brothers play basketball. This isn't that hard, people.
Follow Tyler Conway (@tylerconway22) on Twitter
