NBA DFS: Top Daily Fantasy Expert Picks for DraftKings, FanDuel (12/17/24)

Welcome back, Rotoballers! Tonight, the NBA Cup Championship game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Milwaukee Bucks will take place.

The key to succeeding in NBA DFS is making adjustments during the day as injury information becomes available. But it's always essential to have a game plan and zero in on the best players and spots before making those adjustments. To keep up with all the latest developments and get access to updated projections, grab an NBA season pass and access our RotoBaller Premium Discord, where @chiefjustice6 is talking about the slate up until lineups lock!

This article will provide my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on 12/17/24. Remember to monitor NBA injury news and our excellent NBA injuries report tool, as the slate can completely change before lineups lock at 8:30 p.m. EST. Good luck, RotoBallers!

Today's NBA DFS Core Picks (Captain/MVP/STAR)

For tonight's final in Las Vegas, there are three obvious options for your Captain spot; Giannis Antetokounmpo, Damian Lillard, or Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. These three players are the best three options on the slate, and the biggest pressure point on this slate is determining if you will play two of the three or not. By limiting your lineup to only one of those three, you're free to play almost any other combination of players of your choosing.

Without factoring in price, Giannis is my preferred option against a smaller OKC team that is much more defensively efficient on the perimeter than in the paint. However, the $1,500 difference when captaining Giannis compared to SGA does make a noticeable difference when building lineups, so I expect Giannis to be more popular in one of the Flex spots.

Giannis has done it ALL to lead his squad to the #EmiratesNBACup Championship Game!

▪️ 31.4 PPG
▪️ 8.4 RPG
▪️ 7.2 APG
▪️ 2.8 BPG
▪️ 69.9 FG%

Watch him and the @Bucks take on the Thunder Tuesday at 8:30pm/et on ABC 🏆 pic.twitter.com/BcaOu3P2Ua

— NBA (@NBA) December 16, 2024

While these three are the cornerstones of the slate, the easiest way to play multiple is to forgo putting any of them in your captain spot, which is sure to be a common build path on this slate.

Top Captain's Spot/MVP Plays:

1. Giannis Antetokounmpo, PF/C ($19,500 DK; $17,000 FD)
2. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG ($18,000 DK; $16,000 FD)
3. Damian Lillard, PG ($16,200 DK, $14,000 FD)

ALSO CONSIDER: Jalen Williams, PF ($15,600 DK; $13,500 FD)

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Today's NBA DFS Value Picks (Utility/PRO)

While both teams have cheap ($6k or less on Draftkings) options, Oklahoma City has four legitimate options in that pricing range. Lu Dort and Cason Wallace start and regularly play 30 minutes, making them the most appealing of the salary-saving options available. Both are quality defenders, but Dort is much more of a threat offensively. Dort is shooting over 40% from 3 so far this year, and Milwaukee is the antithesis of Oklahoma City, as their interior defense is significantly better than their perimeter defense.

Alex Caruso and Isaiah Joe are two other Thunder players that are worth considering at their price, especially Joe, who is the only player priced $3k or less that isn't considered a total dart throw.

On the Milwaukee side of things, the production is skewed much more towards the mid-range on the pricing scale, which makes them very interesting options for tournaments. I mentioned earlier that captaining a cheaper player is a much easier way to fit two of the three stars, and Bobby Portis interests me as a potential answer there.

As for the cheaper options on the Bucks, none of them project as "top plays". Gary Trent Jr and Taurean Prince have been underwhelming to say the least of late, but they typically get the first crack at it due to coach Doc Rivers' preference to play veterans. My favorite cheap option on Milwaukee is AJ Green. Green is statistically one of the best 3-point shooters in the NBA, currently sitting at an incredible 47.5% and having connected on multiple triples in nine straight games.

Top Utility/PRO Plays:

1. Lu Dort, SG/SF ($6,000 DK; $10,500 FD)
2. Cason Wallace, PG/SG ($4,800 DK; $9,000 FD)
3. AJ Green, PG/SG ($3,000 DK; $7,000 FD)

ALSO CONSIDER: Alex Caruso, SG/SF ($4,400 DK, $8,500 FD)

Today's Top NBA DFS Avoids

Jalen Williams is an excellent basketball player, but his fantasy impact simply does not match his real-life one. He hasn't cleared 50 fantasy points in almost a full month, and his price on this slate requires him to score 50 at the absolute minimum for any sort of meaningful placement.

My Favorite NBA DFS Picks for Today

Here is where I leave you with some of my favorites.

• My favorite overall play on the slate: Giannis Antetokounmpo
• My favorite CASH play on the slate: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
• My favorite GPP play on the slate: Bobby Portis
• My favorite value play: Cason Wallace

NBA DFS News and Injury Alerts

More DFS Lineup Picks and Analysis