RADIO
Happy Friday, RotoBallers! I hope you all had an excellent week to this point, and a great weekend is forthcoming! This will be my last NBA article of 2022, and I want to wish all of you a Happy New Year a few days ahead of time! I can't wait to see what 2023 has in store, and I want to thank you all for rocking with me throughout 2022! With that said, let's get ahead of the weekend by making some nice coin on tonight's NBA slate. Tonight should be a fun one, with a lot of interesting matchups on the board. Let's get after it!
Tonight, we have ourselves a solid nine-game slate on this lovely Friday. 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 also change during the day, so I'll do my best to update you as news comes out!
Here are my daily fantasy basketball lineup picks for FanDuel and DraftKings on 12/30/22. 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
James Harden, at NO (FD: $10,200, DK: $10,000)
I'll start tonight's slate off with James Harden. Harden is having himself quite a season in 2022, averaging 22 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 11.2 assists over the course of the season. He's been on a heater of late as well, but it does seem that Tyrese Maxey may end up playing tonight after missing about a month and a half with a foot injury. Even if he does play, though, I can't imagine that he wouldn't be limited, and my model projects Harden to a 26.08% usage rate across 39 minutes in a big-time matchup against the Pelicans.
Markelle Fultz, vs WAS (FD: $6,800, DK: $6,000)
Of course, we'll have to take a look at some Magic players tonight. They're dealing with a few injuries, and now have eight players suspended following Wednesday night's scrap with Detroit. Now don't get me wrong, I love a good clean scrap (looking at you, Killian Hayes), but it did put the Magic in a tough position for tonight's game against Washington. Fultz will be one of the guys I'll be making sure I have a bunch of exposure to, as I'm expecting an increase to his model-projected 21.05% usage rate across 37 minutes.
Jevon Carter, vs MIN (FD: $3,700, DK: $3,900)
To wrap up the guard position I'll take a look at Jevon Carter. As I'm typing this, Jrue Holiday is doubtful to play tonight with a non-Covid illness. In eight games where Jrue Holiday hasn't played, Carter is averaging 14 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 5.4 assists. While those numbers have tapered off of late, I think Carter is still in a good spot tonight in what should be a high-paced game against the TWolves who rank 27th in point guard efficiency. He projects to a 16.86% usage rate across 25 minutes in tonight's showdown.
Also consider: D'Angelo Russell (FD: $7,100, DK: $7,400), Alec Burks (FD: $5,300, DK: $4,400)
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DraftKings and FanDuel Forwards - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
LeBron James, at ATL (FD: $10,600, DK: $10,100)
I'll start the forwards with LeBron James. Of course, the Lakers will continue to be without Anthony Davis, so the "Lake Show" will once again be the "LeBron Show". In eight games without AD this season, LeBron is averaging 32.3 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.5 assists. He's still too cheap in my opinion, and my model projects him for a 33.53% usage rate across 34 minutes against an Atlanta team that ranks 21st in small-forward efficiency.
Paolo Banchero, at WAS (FD: $8,500, DK: $7,800)
I'll look at Paolo Banchero for my second forward tonight. Banchero is having an awesome rookie season, averaging 20.9 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 3.9 assists. Similar to how I mentioned with Fultz, the Magic are extremely shorthanded tonight, so I'll most likely be playing as many of the guys who are actually playing as possible. My model projects Banchero for a 30.5% usage rate across 38 minutes tonight.
John Collins, vs LAL (FD: $6,300, DK: $5,700)
I'll look on the other side of the Lakers-Hawks game for my final forward tonight, taking a look at John Collins. The Hawks will be without Clint Capela tonight, and while I'll have some exposure to Onyeka Okongwu as well, but I like Collins at his price. In six games without Capela this season, Collins averages 15.7 points, 8.5 rebounds, and 1.2 assists. The Lakers rank in the middle of the pack in terms of power forward efficiency, ranking 15th. My model projects Collins for a 16.47% usage rate across 33 minutes tonight.
Also consider: Kristaps Porzingis (FD: $9,000, DK: $8,700), Giannis Antetokounmpo (FD: $11,900, DK: $11,900)
DraftKings and FanDuel Centers - NBA DFS Lineup Picks
Domantas Sabonis, vs UTA (FD: $10,400, DK: $10,300)
Last but not least, I'll take a look at Domantas Sabonis. Sabonis is one of the highest-valued players according to my model tonight, with median projections near 5.5x value on both sites. Sabonis has been filling the stat sheet up for a certainly improved Kings team this season, averaging 18.3 points, 12.3 rebounds, and 6.7 assists on the year. He gets a high-paced matchup (104.21 projected pace) against a Jazz team that ranks 22nd in center efficiency. He projects to a 21.01% usage rate tonight, and I'll be using his power-forward eligibility on FanDuel while doubling up with either Bol Bol or Onyeka Okongwu in most of my lineups.
Also consider: Bol Bol (FD: $6,500, DK: $4,800)
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