FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks and Helper: Wednesday 12/20/23

Since NBA DFS is easier to predict than baseball or football, it would likely get plenty of votes as the best sport to play on FanDuel. Basketball players usually stick to the same minutes and produce at roughly the same rate. Sounds easy, right? Trust me -- it's not!

As a result, NBA daily fantasy is highly reliant on a player's opportunity, so you'll need to ensure that you're up to date with key injuries. numberFire's projections update up until tip-off to reflect current news. numberFire also has player news updates, and the FanDuel Scout app will send push notifications for pressing updates regarding your players.

In addition to daily projections, numberFire also offers a matchup heat map and lineup optimizer to help give you an edge.

On top of all that, here at FanDuel Research, we'll come at you each day with this NBA DFS primer, which breaks down a few of the day's top plays at each position.

Let's dive into today's main slate on FanDuel.

NBA DFS Picks

Guards

Top Plays

Luka Doncic ($12,500) -- Luka Doncic is in an elite game environment as the Dallas Mavericks' clash with the Los Angeles Clippers carries a 237.5-point total and 3.0-point spread, per the NBA odds at FanDuel Sportsbook. Over his last eight games, Luka has as many outings of 80.0-plus FanDuel points (one) as games of fewer than 60.0 FanDuel points (one). Kyrie Irving is out again, and the Clips usually bring out the best in Doncic as he's averaging 32.8 points, 8.3 boards and 7.3 assists per night against them for his career (17 regular-season games).

Donovan Mitchell ($10,200) -- It's a revenge spot for Donovan Mitchell as the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Utah Jazz, and both Evan Mobley and Darius Garland are out. Giddy up. The blowout risk isn't as bad as you might think with Cleveland a 6.5-point favorite. Utah is 24th in defensive rating and allows the seventh-most FanDuel points per game to both point guards (51.1) as well as two-guards (43.3). Mitchell can have a field day.

Fred VanVleet ($8,400) -- Fred VanVleet has a lovely matchup today against the Atlanta Hawks. Atlanta (5th in pace) is a huge pace-up foe for the Houston Rockets (29th), and the Hawks sit 27th in defensive rating. FVV's outburst of 69.1 FanDuel points last time out will put a lot of eyes on him today, but this is a nice spot for him to stay hot.

Others to Consider

Tyrese Haliburton ($10,200) -- The night's top over/under lies in the Indiana Pacers' game -- shocker. The Pacers and Charlotte Hornets are showing a 248.5-point total, but the spread is at 10.0 points. If the game stays competitive, Tyrese Haliburton offers slate-winning upside against a Charlotte team that is 28th in defensive rating.

Mike Conley ($5,600) -- As of early Wednesday, there isn't much value at guard. Mike Conley makes some sense if you need to save salary. The Minnesota Timberwolves-Philadelphia 76ers game features two teams that rank in the top five in defensive rating, so it looks like a matchup that's more fun in real life than in fantasy. With that said, Philly has been somewhat giving to point guards, permitting the 10th-most FanDuel points per game to the position (50.1).

Wings

Top Plays

Jayson Tatum ($9,900) -- After flopping last night, Jayson Tatum can bounce back against the Sacramento Kings. Tatum shot just 5 for 17 last night in a national TV game. Hopefully that scares away the masses today. The Kings (8th in pace) are a pace-up matchup for the Boston Celtics (23rd), and Sacramento is just 19th in defensive rating. Tatum did exit for a bit yesterday due to an ankle injury. If Tatum ends up sitting today, Jaylen Brown ($8,300) becomes pretty enticing.

DeMar DeRozan ($8,100) -- DeMar DeRozan has topped 40.0 FanDuel points in six of his last eight games, and he draws a decent matchup today against the Los Angeles Lakers in a game with a 225.5-point total and 4.0-point spread. Word of warning: I'm not sure I've been right on DeRozan once this year. But I like him tonight versus the Lakers.

Brandon Miller ($5,800) -- Brandon Miller gets a lift from the juicy over/under in Indy. The rookie has been coming on of late, playing at least 35 minutes in three of the past four games. While Miller's big minutes haven't always translated to eye-catching DFS production, the Pacers are as good of a matchup as there is. In addition to Indiana playing at the NBA's fastest pace while ranking next to last in defensive rating, the Pacers are also giving up the fourth-most FanDuel points per game to small forwards (43.7).

Others to Consider

Kawhi Leonard ($9,300) -- A Luka-Kawhi Leonard stack is a high-upside way to get in on the Clippers-Mavs likely shootout. Even if Paul George ($8,600) -- who is questionable (illness) -- plays, Kawhi can have a big night. Dallas is 23rd in defensive rating and surrenders the sixth-most FanDuel points per game to power forwards (49.9). If PG is sidelined, Kawhi becomes an even better option. His usage rate climbs to 28.4% with George off the floor.

Miles Bridges ($7,800) -- Miles Bridges is another way to try to take advantage of Charlotte's matchup with Indiana. He's logged at least 30 minutes in every game he's played in this season, and his ability to thrive in transition makes him a nice fit for this matchup.

Bigs

Top Plays

Nikola Jokic ($12,300) -- Given the matchups and salaries for Nikola Jokic (Toronto Raptors) and Joel Embiid ($12,900; T-Wolves), Jokic is much easier to like. Of course, that makes Embiid a fun GPP pivot. But Jokic has massive upside versus Toronto in a bout with a 229.0-point total and 4.0-point spread. Jokic hasn't topped 62.1 FanDuel points in any of his last seven games -- a noteworthy slump by his elite standards -- but he can go off today.

Alperen Sengun ($8,300) -- I love Alperen Sengun on this slate. The Hawks are allowing the sixth-most FanDuel points per game to centers (57.3), and as I mentioned in the VanVleet blurb, this is a big-time pace-up spot for Houston. We'll have to see how draft percentage projections look closer to lock -- if Sengun looks like he'll slip through the cracks at all, he'll be my most-rostered player today.

Jarrett Allen ($7,100) -- The absences of Garland and Mobley should put more on Jarrett Allen's plate, and Allen is power-forward eligible, which is no small thing. Allen went for 48.3 FanDuel points in the first game without those two, but he underwhelmed with 25.2 FanDuel points in his most recent showing. While Utah is a tough matchup for bigs, Allen has opportunity going for him tonight.

Others to Consider

Julius Randle ($8,800) -- I haven't gotten into this game yet, but the New York Knicks-Brooklyn Nets affair is a DFS-friendly environment (233.5-point total, 1.0-point spread). While the Nets have been stingy versus power forwards, they give up the seventh-most made treys per game (2.7) to the position, so they're not a bad matchup for Julius Randle's skill-set.

Dwight Powell ($3,800) -- Dwight Powell has been starting and is close to the minimum salary, so he is worth a look. Plus, he can be used at power forward. On the downside, he's played only 22 and 23 minutes across his last two games and scored just 15.0 and 16.6 FanDuel points in them. He could be needed for more minutes tonight, though, versus Ivica Zubac.

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The above author is a FanDuel employee and is not eligible to compete in public daily fantasy contests or place sports betting wagers on FanDuel. The advice provided by the author does not necessarily represent the views of FanDuel. Taking the author’s advice will not guarantee a successful outcome. You should use your own judgment when participating in daily fantasy contests or placing sports wagers.