DraftKings and FanDuel Daily Fantasy Basketball Picks (12/29/22): NBA DFS Lineups

The top daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for DraftKings and FanDuel on December 29, 2022. Mike Marteny provides NBA DFS analysis and sleeper picks for building optimal DFS rosters.

We have our busiest Thursday of the season so far with six games going on in the NBA tonight. We have the Thunder in Charlotte, Indy hosting Cleveland, Boston hosting the Clippers, Memphis north of the border, The Knicks in San Antonio, and Dallas hosting Houston. That's a pretty nice slate if I do say so myself!

With both FanDuel and DraftKings having multi-position eligibility players, we'll have to attack slates accordingly to make our lineups as optimal as possible. That's where I come in! I'll look to find my personal top plays and values for tonight's slate. Things can change during the day as well, so I'll do my best to update as news comes out!

Here are my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on 12/29/22. Keep an eye on RotoBaller’s NBA injury news and also our full NBA injury report today to stay up to date before lineups are locked.

DraftKings and FanDuel Guards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks

Luka Doncic - vs. HOU (FD: $12,400, DK: $12,000)

Only Luka can feel underpriced at $12k. His game against the Knicks on Tuesday was one for the ages as he became one of the very few to hit triple digits in fantasy points. The only other one I remember is James Harden. I think Embiid got close once but finished in the 90s. At any rate, this is another great matchup. The only thing that might hold Luka back here is the high probability of a blowout. You can't take that chance in cash games. In GPP it might be worth a fade, but at this point, you're playing with fire. Luka has at least 6x value at this crazy price in each of the last three games.

Josh Giddey - at CHA (FD: $7,000, DK: $6,900)

Giddey is SGA lite. He stuffs stat sheets with the best of them, but he can't match the scoring of his more famous teammate. However, that's part of what makes Giddey strong play at this price. He's not scoring-dependent. There are plenty of ways for him to hit value at this price with very low bust potential. Of course, he doesn't have quite the upside you want in a GPP, but this is a great matchup at a great price. You can do worse in any format.

Quentin Grimes - at SA (FD: $6,200, DK: $5,600)

RJ Barrett is out and Jalen Brunson is still questionable. Even if Brunson plays, Grimes is going to see a whole lot of minutes. If both Brunson and Barrett are out, Grimes is the lock of the night. Luka stole the show on Tuesday, but Grimes played 48 minutes and put up 48.5 DraftKings points at half the price. He had a pretty nice game as well. Isaiah Quickley is a very nice value play as well if Brunson misses the game too.

Also consider: Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (FD: $10,800, DK $10,100); Jalen Green (FD: $6,900, DK $6,600); Tre Jones (FD: $6,200, DK: $5,900)

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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks

Julius Randle - at SA (FD: $9,500, DK: $9,500)

The top of forward is loaded as well, but what makes Randle stand out is the same thing that makes Grimes stand out: the Knicks are low on bodies. This is a team that leans heavily on its starters under normal circumstances. Anyone in the starting five is Bruce Banner and could Hulk out on any given night. Randle is the most likely to do so. He has at least 58 DraftKings points in three straight games, playing at least 38 minutes in each. I expect another big game out of Randle tonight.

Paul George - at BOS (FD: $9,100, DK: $8,400)

Kawhi sat out Monday and played Tuesday, so I'm expecting him to sit one of the two games of this back-to-back as well. If he does, George should put up big numbers. He routinely drops 50s and 60s with Kawhi out. If Leonard is in, I will probably use him because of the discount. If he's out, we have to find a way to get George in our lineups.

Jalen McDaniels - vs. OKC (FD: $5,500, DK: $4,500)

Kelly Oubre is out, so that will leave some more minutes and shot opportunities open for guys like Rozier, Hayward, and McDaniels. McDaniels will still likely take a backseat to those guys, but he should play starter's minutes and he's active enough on both ends of the court. There is less risk with McDaniels since the price is so low. We need value on this slate, and McDaniels is one of the better values out there.

Also consider: Pascal Siakam (FD: $10,500, DK: $10,200), Kawhi Leonard (FD: $8,200, DK: $7,800), Jalen Williams (FD: $5,600, DK $5,000)

DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks

Mitchell Robinson - at SA (FD: $6,600, DK: $5,400)

Yes, another Knick. Hey, this is a great matchup and the normal starters rake when one of the regular starters is out. Robinson has 92 DraftKings points over the last two games and his price hasn't risen on DraftKings. We have to think about it a little more on FanDuel, but I'll be using a guy that is only eligible at C on FD anyway. The PF slot is for guys like Siakam and Randle.

Also consider: Jarrett Allen (FD: $7,300, DK: $6,300); Mason Plumlee (FD: $6,400, DK: $5,800)

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