NBA DFS Picks For FanDuel 12/23/21

Merry Christmas Eve Eve! As we are officially into the holiday spirit, hopefully we can add to the joy with some nice cash wins. As things still stand, there are many players in the league's health and safety protocols, so other players will have to step in and fill the void, creating for interesting DFS scenarios. The main slate tonight is a large one that features 11 total games, so there are plenty of intriguing player options to choose from. As on most slates, we have a lot of prevalent injury news that we are waiting on which could shake up the slate when released. Be sure to keep on eye on these injury situations as we approach roster lock. Since there are so many games tonight. Let's dive in to the breakdown of the NBA main slate on FanDuel tonight!

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Top Play:

Nikola Jokic (C - $11300) -

Nikola Jokic may have burned half off the field last night in the surprising Nuggets blow out loss to the Thunder, but he is in a prime spot to have a massive performance tonight. There would usually be concerns for some tiredness or reduced minutes with the Nuggets playing on the second leg of a back-to-back, but due to the blowout, Jokic only played 24 minutes yesterday. He should be fresh for tonight, and has the opportunity to feast on a Hornets defense that ranks dead last at defending the center position, allowing over 61 FD points per game to it. There aren't many elite pay-up spots tonight on a slate that is littered with ample value plays, so Jokic stands out as the best salary consumer. Playing him does lock up your center position, and although there are some other decent options there, I still believe he is well worth securing in lineups.

Best Value:

Cam Reddish (SG/SF - $4300) -

The Hawks are one of the teams that are currently decimated by players being in the league's health and safety protocols, which has opened up drastic minutes and usage boosts for other players on the roster. Trae Young, Lou Williams, and Kevin Huerter are all out for the Hawks, which means that Delon Wright and Cam Reddish will be in line to handle the majority of the backcourt duties. Although I do love both as excellent value plays, Cam Reddish is the preferred player based on his performance last night. In last night's contest against Orlando, Reddish played 42 minutes and scored 50 FD points, mainly because of his 34 point showing. It is possible that he can replicate his performance, but it shouldn't be expected. Nonetheless, he is priced at only $4300 tonight, which is ridiculously cheap for his role. It is almost a guarantee for Reddish to smash value, so I will be locking him in my lineup tonight. Other noteworthy value plays are Delon Wright (as aforementioned), Willy Hernangomez, and Jaden McDaniels.

Main Player Pool:

Point Guard:

Jalen Brunson (PG/SG - $7400)

Kemba Walker ($6600)

Delon Wright (PG/SG - $4500)

Other great plays: Dejounte Murray (PG/SG - $9900), Steph Curry ($9700), Jrue Holiday (PG/SG - $9500), Kyle Lowry ($7900), Cole Anthony (PG/SG - $7400), Spencer Dinwiddie ($4600), Frank Ntilikina ($3900), Cory Joseph ($3800), Brad Wanamaker ($3700)

Shooting Guard:

Caris LeVert (SG/SF - $6400)

Alec Burks (SG/SF - $5600)

Cam Reddish (SG/SF - $4300)

Other great plays: Donovan Mitchell (SG/PG - $8400), D'Angelo Russell (SG/PG - $7800), Devin Booker ($7600), Tyler Herro (SG/SF - $6200), Will Barton (SG/SF - $5600), Talen Horton-Tucker (SG/SF - $5000), Hamidou Diallo (SG/SF - $4800), Grayson Allen ($4400)

Small Forward:

Brandon Ingram ($8800)

Khris Middleton (SF/SG - $7700)

Saddiq Bey ($5400)

Other great plays: LeBron James (SF/PF - $11400), Franz Wagner (SF/SG - $6800), Kyle Kuzma (SF/PF - $5400), Malik Beasley (SF/SG - $5300), Mikal Bridges (SF/PF - $5000), Otto Porter (SF/PF - $4500)

Power Forward:

John Collins (PF/C - $7700)

Willy Hernangomez (PF/C - $4600)

Jaden McDaniels ($4100)

Other great plays: Julius Randle (PF/C - $8700), Tobias Harris (PF/SF - $7100), Wendell Carter (PF/C - $7100), Isaiah Stewart ($5600), Aaron Gordon ($5600)

Center:

Nikola Jokic ($11300)

Myles Turner (C/PF - $6400)

Naz Reid ($4000)

Other great plays: Joel Embiid ($10700), DeMarcus Cousins ($6000), Dewayne Dedmon ($5200), Gorgui Dieng ($3500)

Cover Picture Attribution: All-Pro Reels, Nikola Jokic free throw (cropped), CC BY-SA 2.0