NBA DFS Picks For Fanduel 12/26/20

I hope everyone had a terrific holiday! We started the NBA season fairly hot with an opening day victory, but dropped the following two consecutive slates with poor lineups. However, I am not too discouraged since players are starting to find their groove on the new season, and DFS is still adjusting to the new lineups and rotations that the teams are using. As we settle in to the new season, the success should settle as well. Here is my breakdown of the NBA main slate for today!

REMINDER: If you would like the lineup that I will be using, RT the article post on twitter at @SportsVerseHQ, DM @Excyphir, and follow both accounts.

Top Play:

James Harden - $11,000:

The Rockets are decimated today and will only have 9 active players on their roster. James Harden is going to need to do virtually everything for the Rockets to have a chance of winning this game, so his usage rate is going to be insane. Even though he is going to be very high owned, this is chalk that you shouldn't get away from.

Best Value:

Anyone on the Rockets:

As I just said, the Rockets will only have 9 active players on their roster. Due to this, everyone who is active is going to see a decent amount of minutes, and everyone on the team aside from Harden and Wood costs less than $4,300. Danuel House and P.J. Tucker are my favorite of their options, but everybody on the team is legitimately worth taking a shot at.

Fade:

Ben Simmons - $9,600:

Ben Simmons is a terrific fantasy option, but he falls into the same category as Jayson Tatum from the other day - he is just too expensive for his projected output. Simmons is the fifth most expensive player on the slate, and one of the players above him, Russell Westbrook, may not play. I would rather pay up for a dominant center or play Damian Lillard at $600 cheaper.

Main Player Pool:

Point Guard:

Damian Lillard - $9,000

George Hill - $5,000

Ish Smith - $3,900 (especially if Westbrook sits)

Other great plays: De'Aaron Fox - $8,200, Malcolm Brogdon - $7,100, Chris Paul - $7,000, Dejounte Murray - $6,900, Darius Garland - $5,500

Shooting Guard:

James Harden - $11,000

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander - $7,600

Buddy Hield - $5,600

Other great plays: Bradley Beal - $8,100, Devin Booker - $7,900, Donovan Mitchell - $7,700, Fred VanVleet - $6,900, Devonte' Graham - $5,400, Alec Burks - $5,000, Lonnie Walker - $4,700, Jordan Clarkson - $4,400, Luguentz Dort - $3,900, David Nwaba - $3,500

Small Forward:

Mikal Bridges - $5,300

O.G. Anunoby - $5,200

Danuel House - $3,700

Other great plays: Tobias Harris - $6,600, R.J. Barrett - $6,300, Otto Porter - $4,900, Keldon Johnson - $4,600, Cameron Johnson - $4,500, Josh Jackson - $4,400, Josh Okogie - $3,700, Deni Avdija - $3,700

Power Forward:

Christian Wood - $6,700

Blake Griffin - $6,600

Bojan Bogdanovic - $4,700

Other great plays: Damontas Sabonis - $8,500, LaMarcus Aldrige - $7,000, Darius Bazley - $5,000, Jae Crowder - $4,700, Royce O'Neale - $3,700, Aleksej Pokusevski - $3,500, Chuma Okeke - $3,500, Bruno Caboclo - $3,500

Center:

Joel Embiid - $9,800

Karl-Anthony Towns - $9,600

P.J. Tucker - $4,200

Other great plays: Andre Drummond - $8,400, Nikola Vucevic - $8,200, Rudy Gobert - $7,800, Deandre Ayton - $7,400, Thomas Bryant - $5,200, Wendell Carter - $4,900

Core/Lineup:

My core 3 are James Harden, Danuel House, and Christian Wood. As you can tell, like most others, I am all over the available Rockets players today.

If you would like the lineup that I will be using, RT the article post on twitter at @SportsVerseHQ, DM @Excyphir, and follow them both. Likewise, if you enjoy these articles, please follow @SportsVerseHQ and @Excyphir on twitter! Stay up to date there in case of potential lineup changes with injury. Good luck.